Eternal Security

Eternal security means achieving the place of eternal safety, where nothing can separate us from our standing in Lord Jesus Christ.

When speaking of securing something, we understand that whatever we want to secure needs to be fixed to something immovable—by some means (rope, nail, screw, bolt, clamp, lock, or another form of fastener)—to prevent it from being dislodged and completely removed from its intended place of existence.

Eternal security means that, regardless of whatever happens, we cannot, so to speak, be taken from the grip of God's hand. What we have secured for ourselves is a place in the Kingdom of God forever, through immovable faith.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of understanding of what eternal security means. The term “once saved, always saved” is invoked by many to assure themselves that they are saved. For some reason, there is this uncertainty that people feel, and it needs to be addressed. Much of this has to do with people having only an academic understanding of what the Bible states.

Intellectual types with a spiritual orientation, who become imbued with theology, will resort to logic to develop arguments for the purpose of debate—to prove that they are winners, superior to others, and that their views are correct. These people believe what they read. Once they have read certain views and become convinced of them, they often reinforce these views by seeking to debate others, to find out who has the best argument.

In general terms, apologetics is the systematic argumentation that has been developed to justify the beliefs to which a group of people adhere. Apologetics also happens to be a branch of Christian theology where arguments are studied so students can learn how to give an account of their belief in the existence of God and how they view the death and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ. Apologetics, in reality, gives people learned arguments by which they can defend their faith in their beliefs. These beliefs are actually learned and not—as they ought to be for a Christian—hammered on the anvil of experience and one’s devotion to doing the will of God.

If you desire a better understanding of how people express a merely intellectual comprehension of what the Bible states about eternal security, what is readily available on the net on the subject suffices. The difference between what you will learn from those sites and what is stated here should give you some indication of the degree of insight and the depth of personal experience possessed by the authors.

Unfortunately, those who take an intellectual approach rather than an experiential approach toward God satisfy themselves with reading the Bible and studying theology as the means of securing their salvation. Many of this ilk will quote three portions of Scripture as the reason for them to know and understand the Bible. The first text of the three used is:

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3 KJV)

By contending for the faith—by putting forth arguments as to why they believe what they believe—this is seen as meritorious and a means by which they can keep their salvation.

Contending for the faith needs to be viewed in the context of what is found in Ephesians regarding whom we are contending with. Jude was talking about the Devil and his wiles, not developing arguments for believing what is believed.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10–12)

The second text of the three used is:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)

To further ensure that these argumentative types can pulverize those who might question their beliefs, they will undertake formal study—or, if not formal, make a point to read as many books as they can about the various doctrines pertaining to their denomination, or writers of a similar worldview—as a means of showing that they are approved by God.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God” means “be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved.” In other words, do your best or utmost to enter God’s presence with His approval. The words “study” and “shew” had different meanings when the King James Bible was written. Unfortunately, Bible colleges deceptively use this phrase in their marketing to encourage enrollments. Even so, there is an incredible number of Bible-believers who don’t understand the truth about this verse and exalt studying texts over having a relationship with Lord Jesus Christ.

The third text of the three most commonly used is:

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 KJV)

Because Christians obtain their information about the plan and purpose of God from the Bible, it is only natural that they read it. However, many believe that they are saved by reading the Bible, because they are imbibing the Living Word of God. They will quote Hebrews 4:12 to prove that the Bible states what they claim. Unfortunately, while these people have a zeal for wanting to be known and approved by God, they are misguided and deceived.

Surprisingly, to justify their belief about the necessity of reading the Bible for salvation, many sincere, devout Bible-believers will even go to the trouble of quoting the following Scripture:

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. (John 5:39)

They interpret the above verse as saying, “The scriptures: in them ye have eternal life.” If they were to read that verse along with the following one—and providing that their deception is not complete—they would learn that only Jesus, the speaker, is able to impart eternal life, not a book.

And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (John 5:40)

The Scriptures testify of the Son of God, the Word of God made flesh, who is the sole source of salvation for all mankind.

As is the case with John 5:39–40, where part of one verse is misinterpreted, Hebrews 4:12–13 is treated in a similar manner. For the Word of God that is quick (alive) and powerful (active), and discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart, is actually a male person, as identified in the following verse:

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:13)

When we read Hebrews 4:12–13 together, we learn that before the WORD OF GOD no creature is hidden from His sight, but that all are naked before the eyes of Him. There is a massive difference between thinking one is saved by reading the Bible and having a relationship with our Savior, the Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ, whose name is the WORD OF GOD (Revelation 19:13).

More importantly, when it comes to the text we are discussing in Hebrews 4:12–13, is the preceding verse. For when verse 12 is taken out of context to develop a doctrine that the Bible is the Living Word of God—which then becomes a dogma that leads people away from the Savior and creates a work ethic for salvation, while they appeal to grace—people cannot know the truth and secure eternal life. The preceding verse reads:

Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (Hebrews 4:11)

The only time the Bible advises us to labor for anything in respect to salvation, it is to enter rest and cease from laboring. Unbelief is the reason people evidently do not enter that rest. Those that do enter have the intentions of their heart discerned by the WORD OF GOD as acceptable, for nothing is hidden from Him—for He is alive and active, quick and powerful indeed.

To obtain eternal security of one’s salvation is said not to be something one does oneself, but rather something God does. The irony is that unless one cooperates with God, salvation cannot be obtained. When Jesus Christ died on the Cross of Calvary, salvation for all men was obtained—not just for some.

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)

Appeasement has taken place. The Devil’s charge against God has been appeased. His claim that man is not righteous and therefore has no right to enter the favor of God has been dealt with. For by taking the righteous Jesus of Nazareth—himself clearly thinking he had the Son of God in his power—he unwittingly swallowed the bait and traded the righteous Son of Man (Matthew 26:2) for the unrighteous Adam, from whom he had gained the right to reign over planet Earth.

The atonement that comes through the righteous blood of Jesus gives God the just right to view all who find the pearl of great price (the hatred of evil) and treasure it as sinless and upright. Once they are baptized into the Body of Christ, and have demonstrated this is the case, eternal security is secured.

Adherence to provisional or positional beliefs is insufficient for claiming membership in the Body of Christ, even though many are welcomed into the courts of praise and partake in physical rites and observances.

Being baptized into the Body of Christ goes beyond:

1.      saying a sinner’s prayer of forgiveness

2.      walking down an aisle to acknowledge acceptance of Christ

3.      being raised in a Christian family

4.      studying to become a preacher or pastor

5.      being a member of a Christian denomination

Dorothy Murdock claimed that she could read the Bible in its original languages and was raised a Christian. She rejected Christianity because she believed all the people in the Bible were fictitious. She spent the last year of her life fighting cancer and refusing to call upon Lord Jesus Christ to heal her. She died December 25, 2015.

A twenty-two-year-old school teacher had a father who was a church deacon and believed that reading the Bible was feeding on the Living Word of God. The school teacher rejected what was written in John 5:39–40 regarding the necessity of entering a personal relationship with Lord Jesus Christ, if a person is to have eternal life. He got baptized to wash away his sin, believing that by doing so, all future sins would be covered by having a dip in the water.

While it is true that a Christian belongs to the Body of Christ—which is not a denomination, but a universal group of people found in every country on Earth—not everyone who is to be saved will necessarily experience baptism into the Body of Christ. Many are saved on their deathbed. Innocent children who die cannot be condemned to eternal punishment by a righteous God. Many more are saved according to their own word—the reason why confessing Christians depart from participating in the various activities that would lead them to the place where they truly obtain their salvation and have eternal security.

There is a perennial dispute about whether a Christian can lose salvation. The problem comes down to whether a person truly understands the salvation process or not. Those who do not understand the process of salvation, as outlined in this exposition of the factors that bring one to one's eternal state of being, will always be disputing over how it is possible to lose salvation. Bear in mind, these factors in this exposition of the salvific process were hammered out once upon a time by some theologian(s); whom, I do not know.

Furthermore, when I was researching the soteriology component of a Master’s degree in theology under the auspices of Dr. Clifford Wilson, I was required to write 1,500 words on each of the eighteen topics that were given to me in the following order: depravity, imputation, grace, propitiation, atonement, reconciliation, calling, regeneration, union with Christ, repentance, faith, justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal security, predestination, redemption, and the eternal state.

This exposition of the soteriological process follows that outline and proves accurate, even though it is difficult to pinpoint which phase may be applicable to a person at any given moment. It is as if all the facets of salvation are happening at the same time. However, experience tells us this is not the case. To this end, I have been shown by the Holy Spirit three other outlines of the salvific process, which are also true. God is not limited by our understanding and wants us to have greater insight. In this respect, instead of one, there are four Gospels to provide insight into the ministry of the Son of God when He was on Earth in human form. If nothing else, from reading the Gospels, we know that the Son of God came so that our eternal security of salvation could be assured.

This is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life. (1 John 5:9–12)

In a nutshell, obtaining salvation is easy. All one has to do, to quote the Apostle John, is understand that:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. (1 John 5:1)

If one picks up one’s cross and follows Jesus, that is all that is required:

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. (Luke 9:23–24)

The author of Can a Christian Lose Salvation at GotQuestions.org boils it down to a binary: either a person is a Christian or not. There is no process of salvation involved. He makes his argument based on his observations:

Two common objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation concern these experiential issues:

1.      What about Christians who live in a sinful, unrepentant lifestyle?

2.      What about Christians who reject the faith and deny Christ?

The problem with these objections is the assumption that everyone who calls himself a “Christian” has actually been born again.

The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live in a state of continual, unrepentant sin (1 John 3:6).

The Bible also says that anyone who departs from the faith is demonstrating that he was never truly a Christian (1 John 2:19). He may have been religious, he may have put on a good show, but he was never born again by the power of God.

For the Got Questions author, it is impossible for a person who picks up his cross to follow Jesus to throw it down and walk away. He writes:

For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to erase the mark, withdraw the Spirit, cancel the deposit, break His promise, revoke the guarantee, keep the inheritance, forego the praise, and lessen His glory.

Unfortunately, the above author does not understand Scripture as much as he may contend. The concept of being “born again” is misconstrued because people do not recognize the difference between seeing the Kingdom of God (John 3:3) from afar and entering the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). They interpret these as the same thing.

Abraham is said to be the father of the faithful. All who share the same kind of faith expressed by Abraham are to receive the promise of God (Romans 4:20)—that is, eternal security of their salvation. Not understanding what happened to Abraham is one of the reasons so many people have developed distorted theology. Abraham responded to the call of God (Genesis 12:1–3) but was not declared righteous until some years later (Genesis 15:6). Effectively, Abraham saw the Kingdom of God—a city that was built by God (Hebrews 11:10)—except he did not get to enter it. However, instead of entering the Kingdom, Abraham was declared righteous (Romans 4:3, 22; Galatians 3:6), and from that point on, his eternal security was assured.

When talking about being born from above and entering the Kingdom of God, Jesus upbraided Nicodemus, saying:

Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? (John 3:10)

If Nicodemus had meditated (cf. Psalm 1:2) on the account of Abraham’s life, he should have understood what happened when God first spoke to Abraham, and noted that it was not until some time later that Abraham was declared righteous.

At any time prior to Abraham coming to the place where “he believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” he could have turned away from believing that God had his back.

Balaam (Numbers 22–24) is someone who held an audience with God often. He also knew that he could not go beyond what God stated (Numbers 24:12–13). Yet, from what the Scriptures clearly indicate, whatever salvation he may have had, he lost (Jude 1:11; 2 Peter 2:15–17). The book of Hebrews (Hebrews 6:4–6) speaks about people losing whatever salvation they may have had—after expressing faith toward God, being baptized, being enlightened, receiving the Heavenly Gift, and being partakers of the Holy Spirit.

Not having eternal security is the reason this kind of falling away can occur. Yet, at the same time, these individuals were Christians—if they received the Heavenly Gift of salvation and were partakers of the Holy Spirit. The argument that they were never truly Christian is made by those who claim that such people were not elect—that is, not chosen for salvation before the foundation of the world. This doctrine of unconditional election provides the basis for many to believe they can sin as much as they like and have nothing to lose, for they will be forgiven regardless.

Ezekiel chapter 18 is very clear: people can come to God and later walk away—and if they do not turn back to walk with Him before they die, they are eternally lost. This would not happen if they had obtained eternal security, as Abraham did.

To deny the possibility of losing salvation is to deny the plain witness of Scripture, the progressive faith of Abraham, the fall of Balaam, the warnings of Jesus, and the judgment of Ezekiel. The Bible does not speak of salvation as a prison without escape—but as a covenant relationship that can be broken, rejected, or abandoned.

When those who claim “once saved, always saved” insist that salvation cannot be lost, they fail to appreciate that Scripture says otherwise. Not only this, but salvation is made available to everyone, and the loving Lord God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, desires all to be saved. This being the case, obstacles are not placed in one’s way. However, when speaking of being called and being chosen, that is another matter.

Those who are chosen to bear fruit for eternal life are in a different category from those who merely produce “the fruit of lips” that acknowledge the Son of God died and rose from the dead, and therefore affirm that He is Lord of life and death. In both the Old and New Testaments, we read:

Take with you words and return to the Lord; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept that which is good and we will render the fruit of our lips.” (Hosea 14:2)

But what does it say? “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. (Romans 10:8–10)

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. (Hebrews 13:15)

The recognition that Jesus Christ died for our sins and took away all iniquity is the critical element in all of this. Once a person acknowledges that Jesus died and rose again, the acknowledgment of this before others is sufficient for salvation. Continuing in this acknowledgment is essential for remaining under the covering of God’s grace, which enables anyone to lay hold of the promise of eternal life. Being chosen for eternal life is another matter.

Regardless of which way one reads it, there are those who are saved and those who are in the process of being saved. We can describe this as the distinction between the called and the chosen.

When Jesus speaks of those who call Him “Lord!”—of whom He says that they were workers of iniquity and that He never knew them (Matthew 7:21–23)—this does not mean that He was unaware of their existence, but that He had not chosen them. Those whom Jesus chooses, He knows. Hence the imagery of the sheep and the shepherd, and the fact that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:4). The chosen have eternal security.

Abraham was called to obey God's voice. He was chosen on the day his faith was reckoned as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). This came about after he had been instructed concerning the bread and the wine, had demonstrated his willingness to tithe, and had refused to take anything from the spoils he had obtained when rescuing Lot alongside the king of Sodom. Abraham wanted everyone to know that God—not the king of Sodom—had made him rich.

When reading the account of Abraham, we find that after he left Egypt, he was already rich (Genesis 13:1–2)—in clear contrast to Balaam, who sought to make himself rich by accepting Balak’s invitation (2 Peter 2:15; Numbers 22:18) and became a stumbling block to the Hebrews (Revelation 2:14).

On Sunday evening, August 3, 1972, I was invited to a gospel meeting held at the Church of Christ in Melbourne. The pastor of the congregation was speaking that evening. Although I listened to what he said, I don’t recall anything except: “When we sing this last hymn, sing it with all your heart to the Lord!”

The two previous hymns were sung as if the people in attendance were singing a dirge at a funeral. I looked around, and then up toward the ceiling, and addressed our Heavenly Father: “I am not going to sing this like those hypocrites. I am going to sing this to You, God.” And I did.

As I was singing the hymn with all my heart, I saw what looked like a glowing whitish-golden coin—about 1.5 inches in diameter—fall past my eyes at around an 80-degree angle and drop into my solar plexus. I felt a tug and saw what appeared to be a displacement, as if a liquid had been disturbed.

I told my friends about what occurred the following day, as we sat on the balcony having a drink—two of whom had attended the church service with me. One was disturbed that nothing had happened to him. The other, along with the rest who were present, claimed I was fabricating the whole thing.

Over the next two years, I went through many tormenting experiences. I became a gambler. I became bi-sexual. I was planning the murder of three people. A fourth person I intended to turn into a vegetable. I was contemplating becoming involved in organized crime. I became suicidal at times. I felt as if my life was built on quicksand. Yet, everyone else thought I was doing very well for myself. I was self-employed and employed three workers.

Nearly two years later, I visited my grandparents. Both my grandfather and grandmother had had an encounter with Lord Jesus Christ—and they had changed. I had lived with them from August 1965 to December 1966. At that time, they were a very upright but unremarkable couple. My grandmother snapped, and my grandfather grumbled.

In July 1974, the feeling of love in their home was something I had never felt anywhere before. After visiting my parents, I stopped by to see my grandparents again. My grandmother gave me a Bible entitled The Living Bible.

In 1966, I had attempted to read the King James Version of the Bible. Unfortunately, it turned me away from seeking God. But out of respect for my grandmother, I decided to read The Living Bible. Over the next two weeks, I read some of it each night, beginning with the book of Genesis. By the time I reached the book of Job, I still had not read anything about Jesus—the very one my grandparents claimed the Bible was all about.

During this time, I began to feel what seemed like an expanding hole in the middle of my stomach—between my solar plexus and belly button. It felt as if a rat or some creature was gnawing at the edges of the hole, making it larger. By the time I reached the final chapter of Job, the hole felt like it was nearly twenty inches in circumference. In addition to the painful gnawing sensation at its edges, the inside began to feel like a bottomless pit. I was gripped by fear.

I went into the lounge room, knelt down in front of the fireplace, placed my open hands together, and earnestly cried out to God to show me Jesus—because He was the One my grandparents said had appeared to them in their lounge room. He was the One who had changed their lives.

Two hours passed, and nothing had happened. I am not going to describe what took place in the next ten minutes—but Jesus appeared, and afterward I went to bed. When I awoke the next morning, I felt joy—as though I were encased in an elongated balloon extending from my belly button to the top of my sternum. That was August 3, 1974.

One week later, I was praying because I had been tormented every night and wanted it to stop. Something came over me and tried to get me to curse God. I was in a terrible mental state, battling against this voice. I cried out to God, “I love you—I don’t want to curse you.”

Immediately, I found myself in a vision on a canoe, heading upstream—then up a waterfall. Another river was flowing into the one I was on. At the intersection of the rivers was a beach with a cave in the cliff next to the waterfall. A red man stood on the beach in front of the cave. He held a red trident in his hand, the base dug into the sand. As I reached the top of the waterfall, a voice said to me, “You have gone from death into life.” I continued for some distance along the tree-lined river, saw a low white fence with two rails, and meadows filled with flowers. A few seconds later, I found myself just kneeling on the floor in prayer.

The joy I received on August 3, 1974, is still within me in 2024—some fifty years later. Although what I have written is only a brief account (there is much more that could be told and would take a book), the truth remains: I could have lost my salvation at any time before I received that joy.

The Psalmist desired to have the joy of salvation restored:

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:12)

He had lost it. In my case, the joy has never left me—regardless of my situations or circumstances—since August 3, 1974. I have the guarantee of eternal security.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Election/Predestination

Translations used:

World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name "World English Bible" is trademarked.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

RSV (Revised Standard Version of the Bible) copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 Used by permission.

Young's Literal Translation (YLT) by Public Domain

KJV (King James Version)

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