Once Saved Always Saved: True or False?

I was raised in a church that taught assurance of salvation otherwise known as the once saved always saved (OSAS) teaching. For most of my life I believed that once you accepted Jesus Christ as savior you could never lose your salvation. You could however end up in a place outside of the millenial kingdom called outer darkness which lasts for 1000 years if you lived as an unfaithful christian-- but eventually you would be reconciled to God.

However, once I was exposed to the counter-perspective that eternal salvation was conditional, I felt that the matter was so important (after all this is eternity that we're talking about!) that I spent a solid three months studying the matter for myself. I started this research heavily biased against eternal salvation being conditional. However slowly but surely, the scales fell from my eyes as I came across verse after verse that contradicted OSAS. In addition, I discovered that there wasn't any verse in the bible that suggested outer darkness was temporary, but there was much more biblical support to suggest that it was for eternity.

Not only was there solid support from God's word to refute OSAS, but I found many testimonies of people who had near death experiences who had seen supposed christians in hell or outer darkness. The following is a testimony of a believer who led a carnal life and ended up in outer darkness after a heart attack. A voice told him that outer darkness was for eternity, not a thousand years!

If your denomination or ministry teaches OSAS, are you willing to trust your eternity with their teaching? Jesus said the Spirit of truth will guide us to all truth in John 16:13. Perhaps then we should all study the validity of OSAS for ourselves and take these teachings before the Holy Spirit as the stakes are  eternally high.

Below I share some of the verses I researched and what the Holy Spirit revealed with me concerning them. I also include some testimonies to back up the revelation.

The fate of branch that didn't abide

"If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." John 15:5 

Jesus told the Pharisees in hearing they did not hear. Many times I read this verse, the Holy Spirit convicted me that it really means what it says, but my theological mind blocked it out.

In John 15, Jesus said I am the vine and you are the branches. Who are the branches Jesus is talking about? Clearly Jesus is speaking to us, the believers. If then we are the branches, Jesus is saying that if we don't abide in Him we will be cast into the fire and burned. It's hard to reconcile being burned in fire with any form of temporary punishment or 'correction' outside of the kingdom. Instead it sounds more like the hell Jesus describes in Mark 9:48 where "worm does not die and the fire is not quenched".

Is it okay to keep sinning?

"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." Hebrews 10:26-27 

Paul states here that the blood of Jesus is not to be treated lightly. Sin that we practice need to be dealt with. For example it's not okay to continue in hidden sins such as viewing internet pornography and ask for forgiveness each time we willfully practice the sin- otherwise we are trampling on the blood of Jesus (see verse 29). Have you ever wondered what it means to trample on the blood of Jesus? It means to stand over the blood so that the blood of Jesus no longer covers us! Without the covering of the blood, God's wrath still remains on us because the blood no longer covers our sin.

And if there is no more sacrifice for sins left, then we are no longer justified. Of course this should not be misread to mean that hope is lost if we stayed in sin in our past. God is always faithful to forgive us if we truly repent of our sins and forsake them.

Paul states in Romans 6:1 the point of Jesus shedding his blood was not so that we could continue in sin so that grace would abound. He goes on to ask how we can sin if we are supposed to be dead to sin? Implying that just as Jesus died for us, we are supposed to die to sin. Paul goes on to encourage believers to use the freedom they've obtained through the blood of Jesus to present themselves as slaves to Christ (Romans 6:16-18) and not to sin which leads to death (hell). 

The broad road leads to destruction

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many." Matthew 7:13 

Faith without works is dead (James 2:16-26). Professing belief in Jesus once in your life but then living as a carnal christian the rest of your life following the desires of the flesh is taking the broad road. Jesus says following this path leads to destruction. Again, it is very hard to relate the word destruction to a period of temporary punishment or 1000 year correction outside the 'kingdom' because destruction is permanent. It's much more likely that Jesus was using it as a metaphor for eternal damnation. Here Jesus says the road to life is narrow and few will find it.

"For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." Matthew 7:14

Real death and real life in God's eyes

Have you ever wondered what Jesus means exactly when he mentions life and death? In Luke 9:60 Jesus says "let the dead bury the dead"? How can the dead bury the dead if they are living? When Jesus taught concerning death and life he was speaking with eternity in mind, so those who are alive in human terms are actually dead in God's eyes unless they come to repentance. Life isn't really life to God unless it's eternal! So when 'life' is mentioned the implication is 'eternal life', and when 'death' is mentioned the implication is 'eternal death'-- or hell.

"Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezekiel 18:4. 

It's interesting that when Lazarus died Jesus did not say that he died, but that  he was 'sleeping'. Those who pass from this world with Jesus Christ in their hearts await the resurrection to eternal life. In contrast, those who die in their sins will truly 'die' forever in hell.

Fate of backsliders who don't repent

"For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 2 Peter 2:21,22.

Here Peter says it would have been better for Christians who are overcome by the world to have not known the Lord Jesus at all than to backslide suggesting that their condemnation will be greater than even unbelievers. If not believing in Jesus clearly means hell, then this verse implies backsliders may get an even worse punishment in Hell! Jesus said in Luke 12, to much that has been given, much will also be expected. Christians who have received much teaching and spiritual gifting will be judged harsher for turning away than those who had never received such knowledge.

Only one chance at life to repent

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" Hebrews 9:27 

This verse implies that there is no chance for repentance after we die-- our only chance to repent is in this life! The Greek word for repent used in the New Testament is metanoia, it means more than just saying I'm sorry, but implies a change of heart and mindset. We must turn our hearts to Jesus in this life and get rid of all idols that we place above him.

Can only serve one master

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 16:25 

A servant cannot serve two masters. It's better that we surrender all of ourselves to Jesus in this temporary life or else we will lose our life in eternity (Read Luke 16:13 and Matt 6:24).

Be faithful til the end

"...be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Revelation 2:10.

"But the one who endures to the end will be saved." Matthew 24:13 

In order to receive the crown of life we must be faithful until the day we die. We must persevere to the end brothers and sisters! Paul likened the christian life to running the race. Let's keep running! When a competitive runner stumbles and falls he doesn't remain in that state and neither does he abandon the race in hopelessness but he gets up and continues to the finish line. Let us be of this same mindset.

Walk not after the flesh

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1 

Unfortunately, many translations such as the NIV leave out the last phrase which is in the original manuscripts. We cannot be in Jesus Christ if we are walking according to our flesh. The mind set on the flesh is death (leading to hell) but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:16).

Love not the world

"You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4

If we profess to accept Jesus as Saviour but love the world or anything in the world (see 1 John 2:15), then God considers us his enemy. In Revelation 19, Jesus is riding on a horse, and his robe is dipped with the blood of His enemies. It sure doesn't sound like a good idea to make God your enemy :) 

Forgiveness is required, not optional

"but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:15 

Perhaps what Jesus is saying here, he really means. If we do not forgive others, neither will God forgive us. Without forgiveness there is no atonement for sins.

There was a pastor in Kenya who died in car accident but came back to life three days later. He had a near death experience where an angel took him to hell and told the pastor that's where he'd end up if he were to die on earth. The pastor cried out to the angel asking how this was so after he had served the Lord so faithfully having given up his life for Jesus. The angel said it was because he wouldn't forgive his wife after she had slapped him. The angel proceeded to state that you cannot expect to sow unforgiveness and expect to reap forgiveness from God. TLDR: God is not a respecter of Persons and doesn't care if you're a pastor. If you don't forgive your wife, He will still throw you into hell. Video below:

Don't share the fate of the devil 

"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8

As we know, the devil is going to the lake of fire! If those that sin are of the devil they also must share the same fate as him. But Jesus Christ came to nail sin on the cross. If we are living in sin, then we are not fully taking advantage of Jesus Christ's sacrifice. There's power in  the blood of Jesus not only to cleanse us from unrighteousness, but to free us from the bondage of sin and addiction as well. 

The blood of Jesus frees us 

Let's go back to the time of Moses in Egypt when the children of Israel painted the blood of the lamb outside of their house. What did the blood do? It allowed for the wrath of God to passover their home sparing the first born from death. In addition to that, it was the final nail in the coffin to Pharoah's heart allowing the children of Israel be freed from Egypt. In the same way, the blood of Jesus not only spares us from God's wrath, but it frees us from being slaves to sin (Romans 6). 

However in order for the children of Israel to be freed, they had to decide to leave Egypt. Many christians are spiritually remaining in Egypt today when they have been freed by the blood of Jesus. They just need to take the extra step of actually leaving Egypt. The blood of Jesus gives us the legal right to be freed from sin. We must use our freedom in Christ to serve God  instead of serving sin.

"Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

Remember how God asked Moses to take off his sandals when he came to the burning bush? Holiness cannot exist alongside with the filthiness of sin. Without holiness no one can see the Lord. The implication is if the stain of sin remains on us whether it's through hatred, the trampling of the blood of Jesus or unforgiveness then we become eternally separated from God.

Not everyone...

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" Matthew 7:21-23

Many say that Matthew 7 is the most horrifying chapter in the whole of Bible.  Those who say "Lord Lord" are clearly Christians who profess Jesus and believe in him. Furthermore these are not even lukewarm christians, but those who are actively involved in healing, deliverance and prophecy ministry! They may have even quit their jobs and uprooted their lives to serve Him. Some translations say 'iniquity' in place of 'lawlessness'. What is iniquity? It's continual sin! These Christians may have led many to salvation, but because they were living a double life in sin, God won't let them enter heaven.

If you have time, please watch this testimony by Ugandan pastor John Mulinde. He gave up his career to serve the Lord and led one of the most successful faith healing ministries in Africa. However, God still told him he was not worthy of heaven because his heart was not right even though many thought highly of him.

Let's diligently seek the Lord that we would never be found in this camp. Ask the Holy Spirit now if our heart is right before God and if we really are in God's will. When the Lord says "I never knew you, depart from me", it has the ring of finality to it because Jesus often spoke from eternity's point of view. Given that Hebrews 10:9 says it is appointed for men to die once and then judgement, it's clear that God's judgement is forever. Many would agree that "I never knew you, depart from me" is the most frightening sentence you could ever hear from Jesus. Each one of us needs to desperately grow in true intimacy with our King so we can not only 'know about' him but really come to know Him.

Overcoming is required

"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."

This verse implies that becoming an overcomer is required and not optional. If we don't overcome, Jesus can blot our names out according to this verse. For those whose name is not found in the book of life Revelation 20:15 says:

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

By connecting these two verses together the implication is this: if you don't overcome, God can throw you into the lake of fire. 

Laodicea and the lukewarm church

Let us therefore be zealous and repent!  Laodicea was the church that thought it had all the riches and had need of nothing. This is like many many churches in America today. If we feel like we have all the revelation and lack nothing perhaps we must also consider that God may have another opinion. How much we must humble ourselves before our Holy God and come into agreement with him about our fallen condition of being poor wretched and blind. How much we need to cling on to our Saviour and lay hold of the eternal life we've been gifted and not let go!

Perhaps it would do well to compare ourselves against christians outside the US who are pursuing God such as those in the persecuted house churches of China:

Greek: pisteou and mello

A lot of the misunderstanding concerning OSAS doctrine comes from not fully utilizing the Greek meaning in the new testament. The Greek word used for believe is pisteou. pisteou means more than just believe but to trust in, commit oneself unto or have confidence in. So to believe, or pisteou  Jesus means more than mere intellectual acknowledgement but to trust enough to commit oneself to Jesus.

Another example is in the oft quoted John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Many translations replace "should not perish" with "shall/will/would not perish", however this is inaccurate. The word corresponding to this verb 'should' in greek is mello. mello implies possibility, duty and purpose (Strong's Greek word 3195). The correct translation is clearly should and not would! (Read more at http://www.carolinamessenger.com/images/050505.pdf) This alone should set off alarm bells for everyone believing in OSAS teaching. There are many out there that are twisting the bible to fit OSAS theology.

Not only is there sound scriptural support for eternal salvation being conditional, but many, many people who were near death but came back and gave testimonies about hell saw scores of professing christians there. This included pastors who stole tithes and a woman who spent all her life serving the Lord but would not forgive her cheating husband. You can read many of these testimonies here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/download/138255/1/latest/0/0/hell-testimonies.pdf

Conclusion

Indeed the road seems very narrow in this light and that is why Apostle Paul said that he was working out his salvation with fear and trembling. But though it is impossible with men, Jesus said with God all things are possible. This is true saving grace: God coming to live in us to transform our hearts so that we can be freed from the bondage of sin and instead present ourselves as a living sacrifice, willingly becoming bondslaves to Christ.

As we showed earlier, there's power in the blood of Jesus not just to forgive sins but also to free men from the bondage of sin. To truly follow Jesus we must surrender our whole being so we can take up the cross and follow him. Many christians don't realize that not only was Jesus' death a propitiatory sacrifice but it was also an example for us to follow. Jesus was showing us how you could conquer the grave by picking up the same cross he did. As the lamb of God died for us, we also must die to our flesh for him.  We must forgive others when they offend us, gossip about us or hurt us-- if not then we are haven't died to our flesh yet because dead men don't get offended.

If you believe in OSAS or a temporary period of punishment outside of the kingdom for unfaithful christians as taught by Watchman Nee and many Baptists, I know it's hard to take this teaching, but I plead with you to take it to the Lord and to re-read the New Testament in this light. Your eternity and those of your friends, coworkers and family may be at stake and it is not enough to take the teaching of men but we must go directly to the word of God and ask the Holy Spirit directly for understanding.

To close, I want to share with you a letter I wrote to a brother discussing OSAS:

Thank you for your response in fellowship. I agree with what you wrote because it is from God's word. Indeed we are not justified by works but by faith in Christ Jesus alone. However if we do not have works or a transformed life to back up our faith, then our faith is not real and we are not truly born again (James 2:14-26).

The work that Jesus did on the cross was of infinite value. We can never pay enough silver or gold to purchase our redemption. We can never become righteous enough in our flesh to become justified by God. It is purely God's saving grace that will save us until the end. However the word is clear that we can trample on the blood of Jesus if we dishonor God with disobedience. If we still sin habitually it is because we have not used the blood of Jesus to its full power yet. There's power in the blood to free us from sin! I know this from personal experience because there were addictions I was beholden to I never thought I could be free from. But when I fully surrendered my life to Jesus, God performed a miracle on me and freed me from those bondages. 

Paul wrote in Romans 6 how can we sin if we have died to sin? Jesus, after healing the paralytic told him his sins were forgiven and to sin no more. Jesus after not telling the women who committed adultery in John 8 that she was forgiven, told her also to sin no more. When we truly become born again, when we truly understand and become transformed and healed and made whole by the person of Christ, we can be set free from sin! If not then Jesus would not have put a burden on them to not sin anymore! For he said that his yoke was easy and his burden was light.

In order to have a balanced view of justification we must consider the whole word of God and not just part of it. It's interesting that Jesus said in Matthew 4 that man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth God. Yes, this includes the book of James which was divinely inspired by God and is consistent with Jesus' teaching in the gospel. If we place Witness Lee's writings, which discount the book of James, above some books in the bible then we must ask ourselves if we are placing more authority on the writings of men, or the word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16 says:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 

The word is clear that all scripture is God's word and is profitable for teaching-- including every word Jesus said, much of which was based on warnings and parables concerning hell, and the book of James. I humbly present this thought to you that in whatever doctrine we adhere to, it must be consistent with all of the bible and not just some of it

This post wasn't meant to be an exhaustive analysis of OSAS. There are so many other verses throughout the Bible that refute this teaching. You can find many more here: http://www.preparingforeternity.com/oncesave.htm