Denominational doctrines that pervert New Testament teaching have devastating effects. First, they condemn those who teach them. Second, they harm those who believe them. Corrupt teaching, presented as Bible teaching, brings the scriptures into disrepute since the secular world does not discern the difference between true gospel teaching and subtle distortions of the same. The Calvinistic doctrine of the security of the saints or simply put, "Once saved always saved," certainly falls under such condemnation.

Numerous denominations teach this false doctrine in spite of the number of passages in the word of God that can be cited to show the utter fallacy of such perversion. The Bible plainly teaches that a Christian can fail the grace of God (Heb. 12:15); fall from grace (Gal. 5:4); can be cut off as a branch and be burned (John 15:6) and come short of eternal life (Heb. 4:1) to cite just a few examples.

One argument endorsing the doctrine of once saved always saved is that a "real 'born again' Christian"" will never fall from grace; that only "superficial professors" return to sin. Let's consider this argument.

Jesus teaches that every "born again" person enters the kingdom of God (John 3:5). Jesus also said that in the judgment some would be taken out of the kingdom of God and cast into a furnace of fire. Read it for yourself in Matthew 13:41-42a, "The Son of Man will send out His angels and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness and will cast them into the furnace of fire." "Who are in the kingdom?" - Those that have been "born again." Here Jesus says some "real born again Christians," as they are called, are being taken out of the kingdom and cast into the furnace of fire. Does this sound like a "real born again Christian" cannot so sin as to be finally lost?

In 2 Peter 1:4-11 Peter writes to those who have been saved from the corruption of the world (1:4). He also says they have escaped the pollutions of the world and need to diligently add certain virtues to their faith (1:5-7). In verse 8, Peter says if they add these virtues in abundance "...you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Notice verse 9, "For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins." Based upon these truths, Peter issues a warning to these Christians, "Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble" (1:10). "Never stumble" is a conditional promise. What is the condition: "if you do these things," but what if we do not do "these things?" We stumble or fall (KJV) from the grace of God. Do not let some false teacher lull into the false security of "once saved, always saved."

Bill Feist