ETERNAL SECURITY

SAM STORMS

SAM STORMS

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

2006

Copyright 2013 Sam Storms

Perseverance of the Saints: An Introduction to the Debate

Can a true believer, one who has been born again and justified by faith alone in Christ alone, fully and finally fall away so as to forfeit his/her salvation? This question has provoked seemingly endless debate in the body of Christ. Those who answer Yes and those who answer No are convinced they have the weight of biblical evidence on their side. Each position has its favorite proof texts. But each position also has its problem passages.

Those of you who have browsed my website are probably aware that I have addressed this issue in a number of places. I take up several of the more problematic biblical texts in the Deciphering Difficult Texts folder in the Biblical Studies section. It is also in the Biblical Studies section that one will find my treatment of passages in Romans and 1 John, among other biblical books. A variety of related themes is addressed elsewhere on the site.

I decided that it would probably be helpful if I were to combine all these articles in one place so that those interested in this debate wouldn’t have to go searching the site for them.

Please note: I am not for a moment suggesting that I have addressed all the relevant biblical texts. There are several texts on both sides of the debate that I hope to examine and make available as time allows. It isn’t that I am deliberately avoiding passages that you may think settle the argument. I simply haven’t had the time to study them yet.

As most of you know, I am a strong and vocal advocate of the belief that those who are sovereignly elected by God for salvation, that is to say, those who by the Spirit’s work are born again and justified by faith alone in Christ alone, will, by the work of that same gracious Spirit, persevere until life’s end. Yes, true believers can backslide and fall into grievous sin, but God the Father, on the basis of the work of God the Son, will, through God the Spirit, preserve them in faith and present them to Himself on that final day of judgment.

This is why I believe it is better to speak of the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints than of the doctrine of Eternal Security. The latter terminology has often been taken to mean that a person can profess faith in Christ, only later to turn utterly from Christ and live persistently in unrepentant sin, and still be assured of eternal life. I do not believe that is possible.

A quick aside: some of you may wonder, then, why I labeled this study, “Eternal Security” rather than “Perseverance of the Saints.” The reason is simply that most Christians are familiar with the former but less so with the latter. I asked myself how many would visit this folder if it merely said “Perseverance”. Not many, I fear. So, yes, I confess, the title is a hook to get you into the study.

The doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints asserts that God will preserve in saving faith those ...