Evidence for Once Saved Always Saved?

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aidanbradypop

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I would like to know why our Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ believe this. When I was Protestant, I never bought into the idea. 🤷
 
Well, the man who “received” this doctrine (on the toilet, by his own admission) told his adherents to “be a sinner and sin boldly but let your trust in Christ be stronger.”

Human nature being fallen as it is, it should not be surprising that this error is so appealing to people.
 
aidanbradypop said:
I would like to know why our Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ believe this. When I was Protestant, I never bought into the idea.
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This is a huge topic, coming, as it does, as the last of the five points of Calvinism and flowing logically from those that precede it. The best book on the subject that I know of is The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner. In fact, it was that book, and others like it, that convinced me that the doctrinal positions held by Mormons were not scriptural and eventually led me out of that church. Ironically, after over a decade attending a Reformed Baptist church, I found myself unable to subscribe to the doctrines of grace and actually seek membership; I ended up joining a Lutheran church and am now, after that congregation’s strife and split, a member of a conservative Anglican province, and even Bishop Ryle, a staunch Calvinist, has said that Anglicanism has room for those who lean toward a more Arminian outlook.
 
jrtrent said:
This is a huge topic, coming, as it does, as the last of the five points of Calvinism and flowing logically from those that precede it. The best book on the subject that I know of is The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner. In fact, it was that book, and others like it, that convinced me that the doctrinal positions held by Mormons were not scriptural and eventually led me out of that church. Ironically, after over a decade attending a Reformed Baptist church, I found myself unable to subscribe to the doctrines of grace and actually seek membership; I ended up joining a Lutheran church and am now, after that congregation’s strife and split, a member of a conservative Anglican province, and even Bishop Ryle, a staunch Calvinist, has said that Anglicanism has room for those who lean toward a more Arminian outlook.
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Jr…where in Scripture does it say that once you are “saved” in the Protestant sense, you are always saved?
 
jrtrent said:
This is a huge topic, coming, as it does, as the last of the five points of Calvinism and flowing logically from those that precede it. The best book on the subject that I know of is The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner. In fact, it was that book, and others like it, that convinced me that the doctrinal positions held by Mormons were not scriptural and eventually led me out of that church. Ironically, after over a decade attending a Reformed Baptist church, I found myself unable to subscribe to the doctrines of grace and actually seek membership; I ended up joining a Lutheran church and am now, after that congregation’s strife and split, a member of a conservative Anglican province, and even Bishop Ryle, a staunch Calvinist, has said that Anglicanism has room for those who lean toward a more Arminian outlook.
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Loraine Boettner has proven himself to be less than an honest scholar. Even so, God can turn a curse into a blessing as in your case, and lead you out of Mormonism using Boettner as a tool. From Mormon to Lutheran to Anglican. Sounds like your’re moving in the right direction toward Rome. 👍
 
From the United Methodist Church website: “A short, but very incomplete answer, is that our Church teaches we can end up “losing” the salvation God has begun in us, and the consequence of this in the age to come is our eternal destruction in Hell. God freely grants us new birth and initiates us into the body of Christ in baptism. The profession of our faith and growth in holiness are necessary for God’s saving grace to continue its work in us, and both of these are things we must do for our love to be genuine and not compelled. We thus remain free to resist God’s grace, to revert to spiritual torpor, and possibly experience spiritual death and Hell as its consequence”.

I’m a former Methodist and came into full communion with the RCC 2 yrs ago (thank you Holy Spirit!) Not all protestants believe the same thing.
 
I was raised Baptist and John 3:16 was the most common reason for once saved
always saved.
 
Sandy_dfw said:
I was raised Baptist and John 3:16 was the most common reason for once saved
always saved.
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“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

I have no idea how one arrives at OSAS from this verse. This is speaking of redemption, not salvation. Christ’s sacrifice opened the gates of heaven making it possible for us to enter. But simply believing is not enough. Christ also says “If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

The point is, even the demons “believe” in Jesus. That is not enough to be saved. I am curious as to how this was explained to you in your Baptist years.
 
Lutherans don’t adhere to OSAS.

I’ve gotten into discussions with OSAS people and from what I gather, they view people who stray as never have been truly saved to begin with. It’s an interesting concept and I can see the logic in that when God decides to do something, “he does it.” So God could decide to save someone pertinently.

Personally, I find it much more fruitful to constantly wonder. And to constantly ask for forgiveness and crave His presence in my life. That even if someone convinced me of the possibility of OSAS, I would still act as it wasn’t a sure thing.
 
benjohnson said:
Lutherans don’t adhere to OSAS.
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That Lutherans don’t even adhere to the central tenet of their founder is not all that surprising.

But I do find that fact a valuable witness to the Catholic faith in general and to the doctrine of Extra Ecclesiam nulla Salus in particular.
 
aidanbradypop said:
Jr…where in Scripture does it say that once you are “saved” in the Protestant sense, you are always saved?
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I still recommend reading Boettner’s book, but if you want to look at a brief treatment, with plenty of scriptural references, the link below takes you to an article that seems pretty good.

graceonlinelibrary.org/reformed-theology/perseverence-of-saints/an-examination-of-the-five-points-of-calvinism-part-v-perseverance-of-the-saints-by-brian-schwertley/
 
BTNYC said:
That Lutherans don’t even adhere to the central tenet of their founder is not all that surprising.
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*Like Augustine, Luther believed that regeneration occurred through the waters of baptism. “But,” noted the Reformer, “all of us do not remain with our baptism. Many fall away from Christ and become false Christians.” [21] In his commentary on 2 Pet 2:22 he writes as follows on apostates in the Church: “Through baptism these people threw out unbelief, had their unclean way of life washed away, and entered into a pure life of faith and love. Now they fall away into unbelief and their own works, and they soil themselves again in filth.” [22]

One who has experienced the justifying grace of God through faith can lose that justification through unbelief or false confidence in works. “Indeed, even the righteous man,” writes Luther in his comments on Gal 5:4, “if he presumes to be justified by those works, loses the righteousness he has and falls from the grace by which he had been justified, since he has been removed from a good land to one that is barren.” [23]

Martin Luther shared with the Roman Catholic Church of his day the belief that the grace of baptismal regeneration and justification could be lost.* philvaz.com/apologetics/a133.htm
 
SteveVH said:
The point is, even the demons “believe” in Jesus. That is not enough to be saved. I am curious as to how this was explained to you in your Baptist years.*

I was told that one verse should be enough and that I should not need any more explanation.
I was never able to understand how someone who was saved in their teen years could later
in their life turn away from God but still be saved.

This is one of the several reason I am in RCIA. What impressed me most about the Catholic
church is the ability to get answer that were both from scripture and tradition.
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Sandy_dfw said:
I was told that one verse should be enough and that I should not need any more explanation.
I was never able to understand how someone who was saved in their teen years could later
in their life turn away from God but still be saved.

This is one of the several reason I am in RCIA. What impressed me most about the Catholic
church is the ability to get answer that were both from scripture and tradition.
Click to expand...
God bless you on your journey, Sandy. You will be in my prayers. 🙂
 
SteveVH said:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

I have no idea how one arrives at OSAS from this verse. This is speaking of redemption, not salvation. Christ’s sacrifice opened the gates of heaven making it possible for us to enter. But simply believing is not enough. Christ also says “If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

The point is, even the demons “believe” in Jesus. That is not enough to be saved. I am curious as to how this was explained to you in your Baptist years.
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This verse is a big controversy because the actual translation says “should not perish” rather than “shall not perish”. The form of “should not” is implying that we shouldn’t perish but there is a possibility.

OSAS believers tend to forget about the verse after it.
17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
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The word MIGHT and MAY are so important in Bible verses because they change the whole meaning of the phrase. With the MIGHT and MAY, the writers are saying that there is a chance to go to heaven but a similar chance of going to hell also.
 
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