06/29/2025
According to the doctrine of Once Saved Always Saved (also called Calvinism, "reformed" or hyper-grace), a Christian can never fall from grace or lose salvation. John Calvin called this belief the "Perseverance of the Saints". Calvin taught that once someone is saved, they are always saved and nothing can change that. In fact Calvinism teaches that if someone does fall from grace or lose salvation then they were never saved to begin with and therefore not truly Christian or part of the "elect". Calvinism often uses John 10:28-29 to justify this belief.
But is OSAS true? Scripture is actually clear that a believer can: fall away, be cast out, turn away from faith, fall from grace, be cut off, have their name erased from the Book of Life.....lose salvation!
This is also known as apostasy. The term apostasy comes from the Greek word apostasia ("ἀποστασία") meaning "defection", "departure", "revolt" or "rebellion". Apostasy is the rejection of Christ by one who has been a believer.
We can read about the parable that Jesus taught of the sower in three of the four gospels; Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:1-15. When we read the explanation Jesus gave of this parable, He first says that the seeds thrown along the side of the road is about those who hear the word but never actually believe. Then He went on to explain; "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (ref. Matthew 13:18-22). Jesus was speaking about believers in this parable. Notice that He explains how a believer can fall away or become unfruitful.
In Luke we find Jesus saying, “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 14:34-35) Here Jesus is again talking about believers. Believers have been called "the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13). Pure salt does not lose its saltiness. But if it's mixed with other chemicals it's flavor can be changed and it becomes useless. In the same way, a believer can lose "saltiness" when they begin to mix themselves with the influences of the world, blending in rather than being set apart.
Paul wrote; "You will say then, 'Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.' Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off." (Romans 11:19-22),
"but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:27)
"if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister." (1 Colossians 1:23)
"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1)
"For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”' (2 Peter 2:20-22)
In the book of Hebrews we find; "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6)
Jesus said in Revelation; "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent." (Revelation 2:4-5)
These passages and more were written to believers as a warning. To say that a person that falls away must never have been a believer makes no sense. A believer has faith. How can someone lose what they never had? A non-believer cannot lose faith because they never had it to begin with, therefore could never have had a the promise of salvation. This would include false converts who appeared to be faithful but in truth they did not believe.
Yes, we might fall short and sin. But does the fact we are in the flesh mean we will sin or that we are excused so it's okay to sin? Or rather, does grace give us license to sin?
Paul wrote in Romans 6:1, "are we to keep sinning so that grace increases?" He then wrote, "May it never be." Romans 6:15 asks, "shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?" Paul again wrote, "May it never be." Paul often told believers to turn away from temptation, warned of the dangers of sin and like Jesus he also called for repentance.
Some like to point to Romans chapter 7 and say, "but Paul struggled with sin." But if we take a look at the chapter as a whole, we learn that Paul wasn't condoning sin. He was explaining that we cannot be saved by the law. He showed that the law gives us clear boundaries but has no power to keep us from crossing those boundaries. Paul was admitting his own struggles apart from Christ and showed that the only way to be freed from the bo***ge of sin was through Jesus.
When we proclaim our faith in Christ as our savior and repent, we are born again. The old self (the sinner) dies and we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are no longer bound to sin but instead we are freed from sin. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8).
And so because of the gift of salvation we recieve through Christ's sacrifice, believers should "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness." (1 Timothy 6:11). When you wake in the morning, do you pray to be forgiven for the sins you will commit during your day? If so, why? Are you planning to sin? Believers shouldn't expect to sin. Instead we should be thankful we have all we need to turn away from the temptations we will face throughout the day, because we will face them. Paul wrote that we will not be tempted beyond what we can endure and the Lord will provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). If the Lord provides a way out then why should we believe we can't keep from living in sin? After all, it was Jesus that said, "go and sin no more" and so we must be capable. Or was He giving the woman caught in adultery an impossible command? (ref. John 8:1-11)
Does this mean we can't or won't sin?
No. We are certainly capable. But "do not let sin reign" (Romans 6:12).
Does this mean that if we do fall short we will be condemned?
No. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Jesus did the work for our salvation, we simply remain faithful and obedient to Him. We cannot do any amount of good deeds or make any sacrifices (works) to be forgiven or be saved.
However, if someone returns to the life of sin they once lived, like "a dog returns to its own vomit or a swine returns the mud after being washed" (2 Peter 2:22), they also reject the salvation that is offered only through Jesus. "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:26-27)
Remember; Jesus died to free us from sin, not for us to sin freely.
And so yes, a believer can....
Shipwreck their faith (1 Timothy 1:19), Fall away from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1), Set aside their previous pledge (1 Timothy 5:12), Wander away from the faith (1 Timothy 6:10), Go astray from the faith (1 Timothy 6:21), Go astray from the truth and upset the faith of some (2 Timothy 2:18), Desert him who called you for a different gospel (Galatians 1:6), Be severed from Christ and fall from grace (Galatians 5:4), Receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1), Drift away from it (Hebrews 2:1), Have an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12), Be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:14), Fail to reach the promise of entering into His rest (Hebrews 4:1), Fall by disobedience to enter His rest (Hebrews 4:11), Fall away and impossible to renew again to repentance (Hebrews 6:6), Deliberately go on sinning and no longer have a sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:26), Shrink back (Hebrews 10:38), Fail to obtain the grace of God (Hebrews 12:15), Stray from the truth (James 5:19), Forsake the right way and go astray (2 Peter 2:15), Become entangled and overcome...turn away from the holy commandment (2 Peter 2:20-21), Be carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness (2 peter 3:17), Commit a sin leading to death (1 John 5:16), Stop abiding in the teaching of Christ (2 John 1:9)
God bless.
