Losing My Religion - Conditional Security

"So," the young man began his conversation with me the other day, "do you believe a Christian can lose his salvation?" He wasn't actually interested in finding out what I believed as much as trying to convince me of what he believed. And he was quite sure a Christian could lose his salvation.

It isn't a peripheral question. That is, it's a day-to-day, rubber-meets-the-road question. It's a nitty-gritty, down-to-earth, real-life question. Every Christian needs to know. Not only "What must I do to be saved?" but "What must I do to remain saved?"

The hardcore "Conditional Security" type like this guy (and you'll never hear this guy call himself a "Conditional Security" type -- it's just a way of differentiating positions) believes that it is absolutely necessary that a true believer persevere in the faith in order to be ultimately end up in heaven and Christians can and do fail to persevere. The hardcore "Once Saved Always Saved" (OSAS) type will counter, "No! That's salvation by works! Once you're saved, there is nothing you need to do to maintain or retain your salvation." Me? I would tend to disagree ... with both.

First, then, let's look at the "Conditional Security" question. Is our salvation sure without condition, or is there something we need to do to retain it? We get hints of the need to persevere in faith with passages like Hebrews 11:6 that assures us "without faith it is impossible to please God." The suggestion, then, would be that we can have some initial faith, not retain that faith, and still end up pleasing to God ... which clearly contradicts Scripture. James warned, "Faith, if it has no works, is dead" (James 2:17). John wrote, "By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:3-4). The "Unconditional Security" folk would like to assure us that this isn't true. Watch out! But there are far more explicit passages to consider.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain (1 Cor 15:1-2).

Two important notes. First, notice the verb tense there for "saved" -- "are being saved". It is apparently an ongoing process. Second, there is no doubt that Paul requires that "you hold fast to the word" and indicates it is possible to have "believed in vain".

Christ is faithful over God's house as a Son. And we are His house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope (Heb 3:6).

This one says that we are God's house, but puts a condition on it -- "if". If what? If we "hold fast our confidence."

He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard (Col 1:22-23).

Aren't these verb tenses interesting? "He has now reconciled" indicating a present fact. But there is a conditional statement. He has now reconciled you if you continue in the faith. If you do not continue in the faith now and in the future you are not now reconciled.

"But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved" (Matt 24:13).

Not much wiggle room there. Endure to the end in order to be saved.

Paul isn't unclear either.

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:19-21).

Written to the churches of Galatia, Paul gives a list of the types of things the flesh does and then warns clearly "that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

One that will likely cause distress and, more likely, disagreement is the one in Hebrews 6. People tend to interpret this passage from their predisposition and often despite it.

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 (Heb 6:4-6).

The "Conditional Security" buff will assure you that this is an absolutely clear passage demonstrating that an apostate believer can lose his or her salvation. This same one will not, however, typically agree with the text that says "it is impossible to renew them again to repentance." No, no. You can lose your salvation, but you can always get it back. Well, that's counter to the text.

The "Once Saved Always Saved" buff will need to do a more careful dance here. "Well, yeah, that's what it says, but it's not talking about genuine believers. The description is of someone who gets a little information, tastes God's goodness, that sort of thing. Doesn't actually enter in. Just on the edge, you see." You may wish to go that way, I suppose, but explaining in what sense someone can "have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit" without actually receiving the Holy Spirit is tough (and not particularly biblical), and if you give in on that point, the rest seems to gain momentum to force it to be about genuine believers.

It would appear to me that the text is talking about genuine believers who actually and ultimately fall away. These types have no possibility of repentance. End of story.

I've just touched on some of the most obvious texts that say that perseverance is necessary. It is biblical. It is mandatory. It is unavoidable without doing violence to Scripture. The Bible is quite clear in these places and elsewhere that those who would be saved must persevere in the faith. Perseverance in the faith is required to ultimately be saved.

Before going off to look at this stuff yourself either in defiance or fear, let me say one more thing -- give you one more seed of thought to allow germination. Look back either over the texts or what I've written and you will find something that you may have missed. Not once did I suggest that these texts say, "You can lose your salvation and some do." I said that Scripture clearly requires perseverance in the faith. These are not the same thing.