Eternal Security Arguments and Proof Texts
Dan Corner
Thisrefutation to unconditional eternal security (UES) would be incomplete if the primary proof textsand objections offered by the UES proponents were not dealt with and explained from Scripture.The following are additional objections that were not yet dealt with in this controversy. (Alreadyexplained were Jn. 6:64; Rom. 8:35-39; 2 Tim. 2:13 and 1 Jn. 2:19. Therefore, they will not bedealt with here.)
OBJECTION #1. Jesus said, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one cansnatch them out of my hand," Jn. 10:28. Therefore, if, having received eternal life, we could loseit and perish, it would make Christ a liar.
"Notice a triple promise here concerning the security of God's sheep. First, Christ givesthem 'eternal' life. Second, they shall 'never' perish, and third, neither shall any pluck them out ofChrist's hand."(26)
ANSWER: Jn. 10:28 is a wonderful and true promise, but only as Jesus meant it to beunderstood! We must examine Jn. 10:27 carefully to understand who "them" and "they" are inverse 28 and what the Lord was saying. It reads, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, andthey FOLLOW me." This is the only type of person, the one that meets these conditions, that will"NEVER PERISH," according to the next verse!
Did you notice the words, "they follow me"? The word translated "follow" is a PRESENTINDICATIVE ACTIVE in the Greek, which asserts something which is occurring while thespeaker is making the statement. In other words, as long as we remain faithful and CONTINUEto follow Jesus, He will, indeed, assure us that we will "never perish," v.28.
No such promise, however, is given here (or anywhere in the Bible) to one that would turnand start "to follow Satan" as Paul knew could and did happen (1 Tim. 5:15)! It clearly does NOTcover such. Some read into Jn. 10:28 the words, "under any circumstance" after the words "neverperish," but they are NOT there! Jesus did NOT include them in his promise and neither shouldwe!
OBJECTION #2. Can you be "born again" again?
ANSWER: This is a rhetorical question that has confused some. To be "born again"is the same as getting saved or believing in Jesus. Therefore, if one stops believing inJesus, then later starts believing again, he did indeed get saved again, as Rom. 11:23declares. Remember also the Prodigal who became "alive again" (Lk. 15:24,32).
OBJECTION #3. Those that truly get saved will faithfully endure to the end andnever follow another.
ANSWER: This was not true with Saul, Solomon, Judas, the unnamed disciples ofJn. 6:66 and many others! Furthermore, Jesus clearly taught that one could "believe fora while" then fall away or die (Lk. 8:13)! Paul similarly taught that one could "believe invain" (1 Cor. 15:2) and fall "away from grace" (Gal. 5:4). Therefore, the wishful positionof the UES proponent here is, again, refuted by the truth of Scripture.
OBJECTION #4. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him whosent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death tolife," Jn. 5:24. The verse says "will not be condemned." Therefore, one cannot lose it!
ANSWER: The word in Jn. 5:24 rendered "believes" is transliterated as PISTEUONand is also a PRESENT PARTICIPLE in the Greek. Therefore, the Lord is saying herethat we must CONTINUOUSLY BE BELIEVING the Father, that is, his testimony aboutJesus, which implies that Jesus alone is to be the focal point of our TRUST for oursoul's salvation. See Matt. 17:5 cf. Jn. 14:6. We will never be condemned, as long aswe keep this condition -- a continued 100% trusting in Jesus for our soul's salvation.
OBJECTION #5. "The Bible Answer Man" is Hank Hanegraaff. He's on coast tocoast radio, he can't be wrong! He wrote the following, "And remember, eternal lifecomes to the believer through faith in Christ is not life for two weeks, two months, oreven two years; eternal life is everlasting life. It begins at the moment of conversionand stretches on through the eons of time." (27)
ANSWER: Hank is right when he writes that eternal life (or salvation) "comes to thebeliever through faith in Christ" and "begins at the moment of conversion." Also, itDOES remain everlasting (or eternal) life. That can't change. However, this doesn'tnecessitate that we can't be lost after we receive the "gift" of eternal life. In other words,eternal life is the "gift" (Rom. 6:23). As long as we have the gift, we have eternal life.Moreover, as long as we have spiritual life, it is everlasting, but according to Scripture aperson once saved can still "die" spiritually (Rom. 8:13) and miss the kingdom of God(Gal. 5:19-21)!
OBJECTION #6. We are made sons of God, not put on probation!
ANSWER: Yes, it is true that we become a son of God at the point of salvation (Jn.1:12). However, "We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly TILL THE END theconfidence we had at first," Heb. 3:14. This verse is also true! Better than the word"probation" would be to say: according to Scripture, after salvation, we are sons of Godwith a free will and the potential of still not inheriting the kingdom of God, because ofcertain sins, false doctrine about salvation and disowning Christ during persecution.
OBJECTION #7. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life," Jn. 3:16. Jesus said"shall not perish"!
ANSWER: The word "believe" is PRESENT PARTICIPLE again! Therefore, Jesuswas promising only those that CONTINUE to BELIEVE on HIM the assurance that they"shall not perish." This verse does NOT cover others that just "believe for a while" thenfall away, as Scripture mentions (Lk. 8:13). Remember, one can truly believe, but thisdoesn't mean he will always continue to believe on Jesus in the future!
OBJECTION #8. I agree with Dave Hunt who wrote, "Salvation is the full pardon bygrace from the penalty of all sin, past, present or future...."(28)
ANSWER: Dave Hunt has done an excellent job exposing and refuting false doctrineand various forms of subtle deceptions that plague the church. However, regarding thissubject, we disagree with him.
Yes, we are saved by GRACE. However, the rest of this argument is contrastedby Scripture! See Peter's advice to Simon (Acts 8:22,23); Prov. 28:13 and John'steaching on this subject as cited in 1 Jn. 1:9. This is the Scriptural basis for gettingforgiven AFTER initial salvation. At salvation, all sin to that point is forgiven andforgotten (Lk. 23:42,43; 18:9-14; Acts 10:43-48; Psa. 103:12). However, all sinsafterwards committed are NOT automatically covered! If they were, then Rom. 8:13;Gal. 5:19-21; etc. would be senseless! Furthermore, Jesus clearly taught that our futuresins would not be automatically forgiven in Matt. 6:14,15!
OBJECTION #9. "...love for the one who saved us is the greatest and only acceptablemotive for living a holy life...."(29)
ANSWER: FEAR, like love, is indeed a legitimate motive or reason for serving God!Jesus told the Twelve when they were about to go out: "Do not be afraid of those whokill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, BE AFRAID of the one who can destroyboth soul and body in Hell," Matt. 10:28. Furthermore, Paul wrote: "...they were brokenoff because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but BE AFRAID.For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either," Rom.11:20,21. Finally, remember Psa. 2:11, "Serve the Lord with FEAR and rejoice withtrembling."
OBJECTION #10. God wouldn't save a person then later send him to Hell.
ANSWER: This was not the case for Judas and Saul, the king of Israel! The real truthis God would never force a person to continue to follow Jesus even after his faith inJesus produced salvation. Read and ponder Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
Furthermore, this objection is like saying, God would never give His Spirit tolater take it away from a person. This, however, clearly wasn't the case for Saul (1Sam. 16:14).
OBJECTION #11. Our fellowship with God can suffer, but never one's relationship asa son.
ANSWER: As "adopted" sons (Eph. 1:5), we can fall away (Lk. 8:13), lose ourinheritance of the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21), be disowned by Christ (Matt. 10:33),have our name blotted from the book of life (Rev. 3:5), have our share in the tree of lifeand New Jerusalem taken away (Rev. 22:19), "DIE" because we chose to liveaccording to the sinful nature (Rom. 8:13) and as the Prodigal SON, become "dead"and "lost" (Lk. 15:24)! This obviously describes a much greater loss than just ourfellowship with God (or rewards), as some would wishfully like us to believe!
OBJECTION #12. Those that are saved have an inheritance that can "never perish,spoil or fade -- kept in heaven" for us (1 Pet. 1:3,4).
ANSWER: This wonderful passage of Scripture only describes our inheritance asChristians. It doesn't say that we cannot annul it through our after-conversion activitiesand/or beliefs! In fact, just the opposite was repeatedly declared by Paul (Gal. 5:21; 1Cor. 6:9,10; 15:2; etc.).
OBJECTION #13. Jesus prayed to the Father that He would protect His disciples andthat none would be lost. Certainly, the Father heard Jesus' prayer!
ANSWER: The verse referred to is from John 17. This, however, is not a certainty ofremaining saved! In the very same prayer, Jesus also prayed for "complete unity"among the believers (Jn. 17:24). Clearly, from 1 Cor. 1:10-13, this didn't occur.Therefore, there must be some unnamed, outside factor to consider here. Remember, itwas Jesus Himself who told His disciples that they would have to "stand firm to the endto be saved" on more than one occasion (Matt. 10:22; 24:13) and to "REMAIN" in Himor be thrown into the fire (Jn. 15:4-6)! Also, according to Rom. 8:34, Jesus is nowpraying for us from the right hand of God. This, however, doesn't mean that Hisservants cannot be deceived by false teachers, grow lukewarm, fall into impurity, etc.His powerful prayers and our free will work together. Our free will can, however,override His incredibly powerful prayers and His will for us. This is also evident fromthe following: It is His will that none should perish (2 Pet. 3:9), yet most will perish(Matt. 7:13,14), in spite of His will! This is also the answer for the UES proponent whoargues from Heb. 7:25 or Rom. 8:34 regarding Jesus' prayers for us now.
OBJECTION #14. "...if salvation from the penalty of breaking God's laws cannot beearned by good deeds, then it CANNOT BE LOST BY BAD DEEDS" (30) (emphasishis, but capitalized words are italicized in original).
ANSWER: This type of statement-conclusion must be carefully examined. Yes, it istrue that we don't gain our salvation by good deeds, according to Eph. 2:8,9; Tit. 3:5; 2Tim. 1:9 and Rom. 4:4-6. However, the conclusion is FALSE, according to MANYScriptural passages. See 1 Cor. 6:9,10 and Gal. 5:19-21 just to mention two.Remember also the many other references cited in this study. (Also, let's call it "sin" notjust "bad deeds.")
Please note that sins such as worry and unthankfulness are not listed anywherein Scripture as being spiritually lethal, as drunkenness, greed, sexual immorality,idolatry, slander and lying are!
OBJECTION #15. A child cannot become unborn, and the relationship of a father anda child cannot be ended. Once a son, always a son.
ANSWER: This argument is based on natural fact, then applied to the spiritual, whichdoesn't always hold up as truth. (UES adherents frequently make this kind of mistake!)This type of error can be demonstrated by the following facts: Before we becameChristians, we were all "children of the devil" (Acts 13:10; 1 Jn. 3:10) and "sons of theevil one" (Matt. 13:38). In other words, the devil was our spiritual father (Jn. 8:44).However, this spiritual father-child relationship changed at the point of salvation,according to Scripture! Aren't you glad that spiritual father-child relationships CAN beended?
Furthermore, many UES adherents who know the fallacy of the deification ofman teaching would be quick to reject one of their arguments which is, likewise, basedon natural fact then applied to the spiritual! That faulty argument put forth by Earl Paulkis: "Dogs have puppies and cats have kittens, so God has little gods."(31) Therefore,this type of reasoning must be carefully compared with Scripture.
OBJECTION #16. "...I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is ableto guard what I have entrusted to him for that day," (2 Tim. 1:12). The only way Paulcould have made this statement for himself was if he believed in unconditional eternalsecurity.
ANSWER: Paul certainly knew that a "know-so" salvation existed and that he had it.However, we can assume that Paul believed personally the things he wrote to others.This means that Paul knew his "know-so" salvation at the moment could be negated inthe future, as already cited.
Furthermore, Paul obviously believed God would guard or keep him. However,he also knew about the human responsibility for this: "I have fought the good fight, Ihave finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7). Here we see Paul believed inhuman responsibility too.
OBJECTION #17. A real Christian won't ever be condemned as Romans 8:1 reads,"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...."
ANSWER: This "no condemnation" mentioned in Rom. 8:1 refers ONLY to those thatare in Christ Jesus! This can only be the case if we continue in the faith, for it'sdefinitely possible NOT to remain in the Son (Jn. 15:6; 1 Jn. 2:24; 2 Jn. 9).Furthermore, the K. J. V. renders the "no condemnation" as conditional for only theones who "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit"!
OBJECTION #18. Phil. 1:6 declares, "Being confident of this, that he who began agood work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Thisproves unconditional eternal security.
ANSWER: The New Testament declares this promise to be true ONLY in the lives ofthose who meet the conditions stated elsewhere in Scripture as in Matt. 10:22; Rom.8:13; Gal. 6:8; etc.
Also, Phil. 1:6 needs to be understood in the light of the context of that book.Phil. 2:12 declares that this church group "always obeyed" in Paul's presence. Thoughnot perfect, this was not a lukewarm, worldly church group, for not only did they "alwaysobey," they were enduring the same types of struggles that Paul had (1:29,30), andthey alone helped support Paul financially from the very beginning and were still doingso as this epistle was being written (4:14-16).
Besides the context of the book, the immediate context of the verse CLEARLYshows WHY Paul was so "confident," as he states in verse 6, which is really the wholebasis of this favorite UES argument. Verse 7 reads, "It is right for me to feel this wayabout all of you, since I have you in my heart...." Note: The basis of the "confidence"mentioned in verse 6 was NOT a guaranteed eternal security which all Christians havein common! The basis of Paul's "confidence" mentioned in verse 6 was that he hadthem "IN HIS HEART" -- meaning they would be aided in their personal struggles by hisheart felt prayers cited in verses 9-11. Note the same phrase mentioned in verse 6,"until the day of Christ Jesus" is repeated in verse 10 as "until the day of Christ," whichconnects Paul's "confidence" for them to his prayers for them.
OBJECTION #19. Samson was sexually immoral and he's mentioned as a hero inHebrews 11. Therefore, one can be sexually immoral, like him, and be saved.
ANSWER: It's true that Samson is mentioned in Heb. 11:32, and why he wasincluded in this chapter is mentioned in verse 34. This, however, has nothing to do withthe conclusion that one can be sexually immoral and be saved. The Apostle Paul, in nouncertain terms, stated that the sexually immoral are wicked, impure, and God rejecterswho will NOT inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9,10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5,6; 1Thess. 4:3-8). Furthermore, God Himself declared that the sexually immoral will go tothe fiery lake of burning sulfur (Rev. 21:5-8). Samson, David and/or any living persontoday is no exception!
OBJECTION #20. Fritz Ridenour has done an excellent job showing the differencesbetween Roman Catholicism and true Christianity in his book, in which he also cites 1Pet. 1:5 for support of UES.(32) I believe both points.
ANSWER: Ridenour is absolutely correct about those differences betweenCatholicism and true Christianity, including their false plan of salvation, which hasmisled hundreds of millions of sincere Catholics into a dangerous, spiritual deception.For this he needs to be commended, especially in this day of rampant, ecumenicalcompromise with Catholicism for the sake of personal ministry. However, it'sunfortunate that he would taint his excellent book by trying to support UES!
1 Pet. 1:5 says, "Who through faith, are shielded by God's power until thecoming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." The key words inthis verse are, "through faith." This verse shows the shield of protection that believershave exists ONLY as long as we keep the faith! The Lord taught this is certainly noguarantee, though, with His words, "They believe for a while, but in time of testing theyfall away," Lk. 8:13. Also, Paul wrote, "But they were broken off because of unbelief,and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare thenatural branches, he will not spare you either....sternness to those who fell, butkindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will becut off," Rom. 11:20-22.
OBJECTION #21. 1 Jn. 3:9 says, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin,because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has beenborn of God." This seems clear to me that someone truly saved can't go back to a life ofsin.
ANSWER: In part, this verse deals with initial salvation, which frees one from sin'sslavery and changes his desire for sin. However, to conclude from this verse that onecan't go back to a life of sin is error as the Biblical examples of Solomon, the youngerwidows of 1 Tim. 5:11-15, those referred to in 2 Pet. 2:20-22, etc. show! "God's seed,"His Word, impedes sin IF HIDDEN IN OUR HEART (Psa. 119:9-11). However, as onemight not "remain" in the Vine (Jn. 15:6), God's seed might not "remain" in the personwho gets born of God! If 1 Jn. 3:9 had the meaning the UES advocates give it, thenPaul's multiple warnings to the Christians would be meaningless (Gal. 5:19-21)!
OBJECTION #22. I believe in UES because I believe in the finished work of Christ!
ANSWER: The unnamed writer of Hebrews certainly believed in the finished work ofChrist also (Heb. 7:27; 9:26; 10:11-14)! This, however, didn't mean he believed in UESas well (Heb. 3:12-14; 6:4-6; 10:26-31)! The same can be said elsewhere about Paul(Rom. 6:10 cf. Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:19-21; 2 Tim. 2:12; etc.).
Such UES proponents infer that it is impossible to believe in the finished work ofChrist and not believe in UES at the same time, in an effort to immediately discredit theopposing view. Obviously, they are wrong, according to what was just cited. Thefinished work of Christ is foundational to Christianity, but irrelevant in this controversyregarding the believer's security.
OBJECTION #23. I know I am eternally secure because God has promised that Hewill never leave me and never forsake me.
ANSWER: This is quoted from Heb. 13:5b which is taken from the Old Testamentreference of Deut. 31:6,8. Though God's promise to Israel in Deut. 31 verses 6 and 8 isthat He [God] will never "forsake" them, about ten verses later in the same chapter Godpredicts Israel will "forsake" Him, then in verse 17 He said, "On that day I will becomeangry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will bedestroyed. Many DISASTERS AND DIFFICULTIES will come upon them, and on thatday they will ask, 'Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not withus?' And I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all their wickedness inturning to other gods." [This is a conditional promise, as the whole chapter bears out,which can be nullified by "wickedness." If we "forsake" God by turning to wickedness,He will "forsake" us!]
What does it mean then to be forsaken by God here? When this occurred,various "calamities" came upon them: wasting famine, consuming pestilence, deadlyplague, wild beasts, vipers and sword, according to Deut. 32:23-25. Therefore, the UESpeople read into this Scripture found in Heb. 13 something that is not there, for it doesnot even deal with an assured and guaranteed entrance into the kingdom of God at all,but instead a promise for temporal protection and well-being only, which can benegated by sin!
OBJECTION #24. Samson committed suicide and he went to heaven because he islisted in the faith chapter. Therefore, we know Christians can likewise commit this awfulsin and still go to heaven.
ANSWER: Samson did not commit suicide. His prayer shows he asked God to lethim die with the Philistines, but left the matter entirely in God's hands (Jdg. 16:28-30).Unlike Samson, suicide victims decidedly take into their own hands the termination oftheir own physical lives. God honored Samson's prayer, but didn't honor Jonah's prayerfor the same (Jonah 4:3) nor Elijah's prayer (1 Ki. 19:4)!
OBJECTION #25. If I'm wrong as a UES advocate, I want to be wrong because Ioveremphasize the infinite work of Christ on the cross.
ANSWER: This sounds like a good reason to accept UES or stay with this position.However, the infinite work of Christ, as just shown, doesn't relate to this controversyabout the believer's security! In fact, many people who embrace once saved, alwayssaved actually deny the infinite work of Christ by denying He died for every singleperson who ever lived. So, this is irrelevant to the issue! Truth is the deciding factor,which shows UES is a myth that holds its adherents in a false security with obviousspiritual disadvantages.
End Notes
- 26. John R. Rice, Can A Saved Person Ever Be Lost?, Sword of the LordPublishers, 1943, p.21.
- 27. Hank Hanegraaff, CRI Perspective, Christians and the Assurance ofSalvation.
- 28. Dave Hunt, CIB Bulletin, Christian Information Bureau, June 1989, Vol. 5,No. 6, p.1.
- 29. Ibid.
- 30. Ibid.
- 31. Earl Paulk, Satan Unmasked, Atlanta: K Dimension Publishers, 1984,p.96.
- 32. Fritz Ridenour, So What's The Difference?, Regal Books, 1984, pp.44,45.
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Chapter 7 of the book, The Believer's Security: Conditional orUnconditional? copyright 1994 by Daniel D. Corner, ISBN #0-9639076-5-4
