. Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
HOW ETERNAL IS ETERNAL LIFE?
The Bible teaches that everyone has broken God’s laws and deserves to be punished in the flames of Hell––Lake of Fire forever. But God became a man to to suffer at the hands of sinners to the point of death on a cross to pay our eternal sin debt. Then after three days and nights He rose from the dead proving our redemption was accomplished (Rom. 4:25). This is the “gospel” (the good news) message of the Bible (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Jesus Christ has purchased the “free gift” of “eternal life.” Some people would question whether “free” really means “free,” or “eternal” really means “eternal.” Once we are saved, are we saved “eternally”? But what does the Bible say?.
The Bible teaches that eternal life is eternal, or . . .
ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED!
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
ETERNAL SECURITY is the Bible's teaching that once you are saved, you are saved eternally – forever. Because of your "faith" (believing, trusting, completely resting) in God's grace alone – not because of your "faithful" obedience or works – you now have the "free gift" of eternal life. You can never lose, return, or fall away from your salvation; it is secured in Christ, because Jesus graciously suffered in your place to the point of death on the cross paying your debt for ALL your sins. This is clearly proven by the following Bible verses accepted literally as God has promised them.
1. John 10:28,29 “. . . and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”
This verse clearly means that NO ONE, not even the believer who may sin after he is saved, can be separated in any way from his Father’s hand. Such a separation would indicate that the believer, or his sin, which has been totally paid for by Christ’s suffering on the cross, has more power than the Father, and that simply is not true! The believer is not hanging on to Jesus’ and the Father’s hands, as though they could let go, but the Father and Jesus are holding on to the believer! And They will never let go.
2. Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life . . . nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul was certain that his eternal security was sure because of the believers’ position of being in Christ Jesus. Since “God is love” (1 John 4:8), Paul is saying that absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Paul also says that no created thing can separate the believer from God. Since that is true, then we, ourselves, whether by sin, lack of repentance, or backsliding, can never separate ourselves from God. We are never saved because of any good deeds that we do, and we can never lose our salvation because of any bad deeds that we do. All that we can do is believe in God’s plan of salvation or reject it. After we have believed in it, accepted it, and received it as a free gift, God personally seals us with His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), and when that happens, salvation becomes irrevocable (Romans 11:29); that is, it cannot be changed.
3. John 6:37, 39-40 “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. . . . And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.
Do you belong to Jesus? Can He ever “lose” you? These verses say clearly and unconditionally that once you come to Jesus and become a believer, Jesus Himself will never cast you out. What do “lose nothing” and “not cast out” mean? He will keep us saved for He is Faithful. Isn’t it wonderful to realize that God is stronger than we are? God showed His love for us, in that while we were yet unsaved sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Now, as believers, if we sin, we still keep that salvation because of His love for us, but He wants us to confess our sins to remain in fellowship with Him (1John 1:9). The believer can lose their fellowship with their heavenly Father, which means they will lose His blessing in their life, and even experience His discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11), but they will never cease being His child.
4. 1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know you have eternal life!”
The problem in the early church was the same as it is today – deceivers were infiltrating its ranks and denying eternal security. That’s why the Apostle John wrote the above verses, “. . . that you may know that you have eternal life.” Notice what John says in the same epistle in 1 John 2:25,26: “And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.” So be alert! People today still attack the doctrine of once saved, always saved (eternal life).
5. 1 John 5:11-12 “And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”
God gives us eternal life, since this life is in the Son, and we have been placed eternally in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30; 12:13 ), who is the Son, and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. When we sin after we are saved, we cannot lose our eternal life. It is eternal life, not “temporary life” that can be lost, given back, or rejected once it has been promised.
6. John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
This verse clearly states that once he is saved, the believer will never stand in judgment for his sin at the last judgment and be cast into the lake of fire. Nowhere does it say that if a believer sins, he will be “passed back” into spiritual death! God imputes righteousness into the believer (Romans 4:3), and it cannot be lost because GOD put it there. The believer is heaven-bound, without additional conditions or exceptions.
7. Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Only believers are in Christ Jesus and were placed there at the moment of salvation. He is now our refuge, our holy ark, and our redeemer. We cannot, therefore, be condemned to hell as unbelievers are, for John also says in John 3:18 that unbelievers are condemned to hell because they did not believe in Him. Believers are “born again;” they cannot be “unborn again.” They are redeemed; they cannot be unredeemed. They are saved; they cannot be unsaved! Why? Because all true believers are in Christ Jesus eternally and are not condemned.
8. John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already . . .”
This again states that the believer will never be judged for his sins at the last judgment.
9. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
This verse clearly shows that God has promised believers that they will not perish in the flames of hell (eternal death). A believer who sins after being saved loses God’s friendship and fellowship until he confesses his sin, but his Father would never damn him to hell because He has promised him eternal life. Believers are God’s adopted children, and nowhere does the Bible tell us our adoption can be undone.
10. Romans 6:23; 11:29 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. . . . for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
These verses tell us that eternal life is a free gift. Being a gift of God, it is "irrevocable," that is, it cannot be reversed. Once a person believes the gospel he acquires eternal life, which is irrevocable! In other words he is ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED.
11. Hebrews 10:17,18 “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”
God forgets all our sins once we become believers. He does not hold them against us. Once we have been forgiven by God, it is an eternal forgiveness. If a person could lose their salvation, what offering for sin could the believer give to cover their sin? God says, “There is no longer any offering for sin.” So if a person could lose their salvation, as some religious groups teach, then there would be no offering that could be made to pay for the new sins, and they would be eternally lost. No amount of prayer or repentance could ever equal Christ’s one and only offering and hell payment.
12. Hebrews 7:25; 9:12 “Hence, also, He [Jesus] is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him [Jesus], since He [Jesus] always lives to make intercession for them . . . and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.””
Jesus saves us forever because He lives forever to make intercession for us. We are not saved forever because we are upright; we are sinners saved by the eternal redemption He bought for us through His blood.
13. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith [believing]; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”
If we have been saved by grace, and salvation is all God’s work, and not of ourselves (i.e. sacraments, good deeds, daily repentance, prayers, personal holiness, etc.), then we cannot alter the salvation plan. All we can do is exercise “faith” and believe the “plan.” When we “believe” the gospel, our eternal life is immediately promised to us while we are alive on earth; when we die, our eternal life is realized. Again, when God graciously calls us to salvation by the preaching of the gospel, we answer Him by faith–believing we are saved on the merits of Jesus Christ alone. God then imputes us with righteousness instantly (2 Corinthians 5:21)! Therefore, since the actual plan of salvation comes from God and He controls it, we can’t lose our salvation. Except for our own “believing” in the gospel, salvation is all of God and beyond our control, intervention, or human power to negate it. We believe the gospel to get saved, but the regeneration, sealing, and preserving are all of God.
14. Romans 8:29-31,33-35 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified these He has also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? . . . . Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies; Jesus Christ . . . also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? . . .”
These amazing verses reveal the security of our salvation. God knows who will be believers before they ever become believers. He has predestined them to become conformed to the image of His Son. Predestination is the doctrine or biblical teaching that guarantees all believers will get to heaven unconditionally. He also called the believers. Read again #10 in this booklet. It says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” The calling cannot be reversed, changed, canceled, or undone. Once saved, always saved is what Romans 11:29 teaches. Romans 8:30 says, “whom He called, these He also justified. . . .” Thus, we Christians have been irreversibly called and irreversibly justified. If we are irreversibly justified, we can’t lose our salvation! If God is for us, nobody can be against us, that is, nobody can take away our eternal security. Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? There is simply no one, including ourselves, who can take our salvation away from us. Jesus Christ, Himself, intercedes for us as our advocate (or attorney).
15. Romans 8:14-15 "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out 'Abba! Father!’”
Once we are saved from the flames we deserve, we never have to fear that punishment again. We are God’s adopted children, in accord with John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” Once you are a child, you are always a child.
16. 1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
These verses reveal to us that we are protected in our salvation by the power of God through faith. We have an inheritance that will not perish or fade away, but is reserved in heaven for us. If we could lose our salvation then our inheritance could fade away and perish. If it would fade away and perish, then God would be unfaithful to His word. If we are faithless (disobedient), He still remains faithful to His word, He cannot deny His promises (2 Timothy 2:13).
17. Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
When an unbeliever becomes a believer, he is sealed by the Holy Spirit, who, according to 2 Cor. 1:22, is the seal and God’s pledge of eternal security. The above verse says not to “grieve” the Holy Spirit, Who indwells all believers. But believers do sin at times and do “grieve” the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is “sealed” into us for all eternity, He can’t leave us, even if we sin. That is why He becomes grieved, for since the Holy Spirit is God also, we have sinned against Him! Since the Holy Spirit Himself is the seal, it is a seal that can never be destroyed or withdrawn. It is an everlasting seal. We can never be “unsealed.” The verses above tell us that we are sealed for the day of redemption with the Holy Spirit Himself, within us, as His pledge that He will keep His promise. We are God’s own possession, guaranteed by His own seal (the Holy Spirit) that we will make it to heaven and be fully redeemed out of this earthly life into God’s heavenly life. Our eternal security is thus guaranteed the moment the Holy Spirit indwells and seals us.
18. 1 John 5:10 “The one who believes in the son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.”
Rom. 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
The Holy Spirit who seals us also gives “testimony” or “bears witness with our spirit” that we are the blood-bought, born again, sealed, adopted “children of God.” The verses you are studying in this booklet are some of what the Holy Spirit uses to accomplish this inner witness. He will “. . . teach you all things . . . bring to remembrance all that I [Jesus] said . . .” and “. . . guide you in all truth . . .” (John 14:26; 16:13). Those who are not saved do not have this “inner witness.” They are not absolutely sure that they will go to heaven, since they are not sure if they have been good enough, or if they could lose, return, sin-away, or reject the salvation they think they have. Some who are not saved actually have the idea that they are good enough to go to heaven; they are blinded by their pride.
19. 1 Corinthians 1:8 “[Jesus Christ] Who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Here Paul reaffirms the doctrine of eternal security in that Christ will “confirm us to the end” of our lives, and we will be positionally blameless on the day of the resurrection.
20. 2 Timothy 1:9,10 “[God], who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
Notice it says we are saved and called, and we know that God’s calling is irrevocable. In these verses it says both our salvation and calling were not according to our works, but were decided before we were ever created, “from all eternity.” God determined beforehand that salvation would be provided through the grace of Christ alone to all those who would believe it. Verse 10 reveals that Christ abolished death, eternal death, for believers. In other words, believers can never go to hell! It has been abolished for them. Now we know He did not abolish earthly death, since Christians still physically die; it must mean He abolished eternal death (Hades) for believers, since unbelievers will die the eternal (flames of Hades) death. So, now even more astounding in verse 10 is the biblical fact that the gospel brings life (eternal) and immortality to those who believe it. All believers acquire immortality after they believe the immortal gospel. That is why believers will never lose their salvation. Believers will die the physical death of the earthly body, but will go on living as immortal beings in heaven, even without a body, until the day of the resurrection, when God is able to complete the glorification process by providing the believer with his resurrected immortal body, made to last for all eternity.
21. John 10:4,5 “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know His voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
These words of Jesus Christ show that once you are truly saved and “know the voice” of the Savior, you will “not” be led astray by strangers. You may struggle at times with some of the various Bible doctrines, but you will not be deceived about salvation. Since Jesus paid for all your sins – past, present, and future – you will be confident that once you are saved, you will always be saved.
22. Jude 1 “Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.”
In this short powerful verse, Jude refers to three aspects of eternal security. First, the believers are called; second, they are beloved by the Father; and third, they are kept. To be kept, or “reserved,” means to be “guarded from loss or injury.” If the called and beloved are kept, then how could they ever lose their salvation? It is impossible if God is to remain faithful to His word.
23. Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,"
This verse emphasizes that righteous deeds which we have done have nothing to do with our salvation. We are saved “according to His mercy,” by faith alone. We are washed by “regeneration,” by the Holy Spirit, and indwelt by Him the moment we believe the gospel, Eph. 1:13.
24. John 4:14 “. . . but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
The people in hell and the lake of fire will be thirsty (Luke 16:24), but once you are saved, you will never thirst.
25. Revelation 22:17 “The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty, come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
This is Jesus’ final plea to hell-deserving people, who will be thirsty forever if they die without Him as their Savior, “come” and “take the water of life.” It is free, “without cost!” Once you drink (believe), you will “never thirst”; therefore, once you are saved, you are always saved!
26. Romans 5:18-19 “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous.”
If we have to add our acts of righteousness and obedience to be sure of salvation or to stay saved, then Jesus’ one act does not justify and make us righteous. We are made positionally righteous and justified (saved) by Jesus’ work alone! Once you are made righteous and justified by Him, you are always righteous and justified.
27. Hebrews 10:10-14 “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”
One sacrifice saves us “ONCE FOR ALL, FOR ALL TIME.”
28. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
The Apostle Paul uses the idea of building to illustrate the Christian life; he tells us that Jesus Christ is the foundation on which we are to build. This foundation is laid in our lives when we believe the gospel of our salvation. He then tells us to be careful how we build, because the quality of our works is going to be tested at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10) in heaven, with fire. If our works are quality works, ones that line up with His word, they will stand the test of the fire, and we shall receive reward. But if our works are burned up, we will suffer loss of reward, yet we “will be saved”. Salvation is a free gift of God that could never be earned, but the rewards in heaven must be earned through obedience and faithful service to Him. There will be those believers who will be in heaven who will have no reward, or a partial reward (2 Jn. 2:8); they will lose out on special blessings that our Lord wanted to share with them. It is important to distinguish between the free gift and rewards. Rewards are not free, and a gift is not earned. Those who believe salvation can be lost, sinned away, given back, or rejected after it is received are trying to earn the free gift. You cannot earn the gift, it is too expensive (1 Pet. 1:18-19). And we are too spiritually impoverished (Rom. 5:6; 2 Cor. 8:9).
29. Hebrews 12:5,6,8 “and have you forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.’” “But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”
We, as believers, are God’s adopted sons (or daughters) for all eternity (see #15). We do not have to fear ever being cast out of His family (Jn. 6:37), but we do have to fear His discipline here on earth (1 Pet. 1:17). God works discipline into our lives when necessary, in effort to bring us into obedience to His word when we are disobedient, so that we might share His holiness and yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:10-11). If we do not listen to Him now, we will be ashamed at His coming (1 Jn. 2:28) and suffer the loss of reward, as we saw in #28.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
HOW ETERNAL IS ETERNAL LIFE?
The Bible teaches that everyone has broken God’s laws and deserves to be punished in the flames of Hell––Lake of Fire forever. But God became a man to to suffer at the hands of sinners to the point of death on a cross to pay our eternal sin debt. Then after three days and nights He rose from the dead proving our redemption was accomplished (Rom. 4:25). This is the “gospel” (the good news) message of the Bible (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Jesus Christ has purchased the “free gift” of “eternal life.” Some people would question whether “free” really means “free,” or “eternal” really means “eternal.” Once we are saved, are we saved “eternally”? But what does the Bible say?.
The Bible teaches that eternal life is eternal, or . . .
ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED!
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
ETERNAL SECURITY is the Bible's teaching that once you are saved, you are saved eternally – forever. Because of your "faith" (believing, trusting, completely resting) in God's grace alone – not because of your "faithful" obedience or works – you now have the "free gift" of eternal life. You can never lose, return, or fall away from your salvation; it is secured in Christ, because Jesus graciously suffered in your place to the point of death on the cross paying your debt for ALL your sins. This is clearly proven by the following Bible verses accepted literally as God has promised them.
1. John 10:28,29 “. . . and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”
This verse clearly means that NO ONE, not even the believer who may sin after he is saved, can be separated in any way from his Father’s hand. Such a separation would indicate that the believer, or his sin, which has been totally paid for by Christ’s suffering on the cross, has more power than the Father, and that simply is not true! The believer is not hanging on to Jesus’ and the Father’s hands, as though they could let go, but the Father and Jesus are holding on to the believer! And They will never let go.
2. Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life . . . nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul was certain that his eternal security was sure because of the believers’ position of being in Christ Jesus. Since “God is love” (1 John 4:8), Paul is saying that absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Paul also says that no created thing can separate the believer from God. Since that is true, then we, ourselves, whether by sin, lack of repentance, or backsliding, can never separate ourselves from God. We are never saved because of any good deeds that we do, and we can never lose our salvation because of any bad deeds that we do. All that we can do is believe in God’s plan of salvation or reject it. After we have believed in it, accepted it, and received it as a free gift, God personally seals us with His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), and when that happens, salvation becomes irrevocable (Romans 11:29); that is, it cannot be changed.
3. John 6:37, 39-40 “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. . . . And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.
Do you belong to Jesus? Can He ever “lose” you? These verses say clearly and unconditionally that once you come to Jesus and become a believer, Jesus Himself will never cast you out. What do “lose nothing” and “not cast out” mean? He will keep us saved for He is Faithful. Isn’t it wonderful to realize that God is stronger than we are? God showed His love for us, in that while we were yet unsaved sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Now, as believers, if we sin, we still keep that salvation because of His love for us, but He wants us to confess our sins to remain in fellowship with Him (1John 1:9). The believer can lose their fellowship with their heavenly Father, which means they will lose His blessing in their life, and even experience His discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11), but they will never cease being His child.
4. 1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know you have eternal life!”
The problem in the early church was the same as it is today – deceivers were infiltrating its ranks and denying eternal security. That’s why the Apostle John wrote the above verses, “. . . that you may know that you have eternal life.” Notice what John says in the same epistle in 1 John 2:25,26: “And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.” So be alert! People today still attack the doctrine of once saved, always saved (eternal life).
5. 1 John 5:11-12 “And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”
God gives us eternal life, since this life is in the Son, and we have been placed eternally in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30; 12:13 ), who is the Son, and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. When we sin after we are saved, we cannot lose our eternal life. It is eternal life, not “temporary life” that can be lost, given back, or rejected once it has been promised.
6. John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
This verse clearly states that once he is saved, the believer will never stand in judgment for his sin at the last judgment and be cast into the lake of fire. Nowhere does it say that if a believer sins, he will be “passed back” into spiritual death! God imputes righteousness into the believer (Romans 4:3), and it cannot be lost because GOD put it there. The believer is heaven-bound, without additional conditions or exceptions.
7. Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Only believers are in Christ Jesus and were placed there at the moment of salvation. He is now our refuge, our holy ark, and our redeemer. We cannot, therefore, be condemned to hell as unbelievers are, for John also says in John 3:18 that unbelievers are condemned to hell because they did not believe in Him. Believers are “born again;” they cannot be “unborn again.” They are redeemed; they cannot be unredeemed. They are saved; they cannot be unsaved! Why? Because all true believers are in Christ Jesus eternally and are not condemned.
8. John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already . . .”
This again states that the believer will never be judged for his sins at the last judgment.
9. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
This verse clearly shows that God has promised believers that they will not perish in the flames of hell (eternal death). A believer who sins after being saved loses God’s friendship and fellowship until he confesses his sin, but his Father would never damn him to hell because He has promised him eternal life. Believers are God’s adopted children, and nowhere does the Bible tell us our adoption can be undone.
10. Romans 6:23; 11:29 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. . . . for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
These verses tell us that eternal life is a free gift. Being a gift of God, it is "irrevocable," that is, it cannot be reversed. Once a person believes the gospel he acquires eternal life, which is irrevocable! In other words he is ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED.
11. Hebrews 10:17,18 “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”
God forgets all our sins once we become believers. He does not hold them against us. Once we have been forgiven by God, it is an eternal forgiveness. If a person could lose their salvation, what offering for sin could the believer give to cover their sin? God says, “There is no longer any offering for sin.” So if a person could lose their salvation, as some religious groups teach, then there would be no offering that could be made to pay for the new sins, and they would be eternally lost. No amount of prayer or repentance could ever equal Christ’s one and only offering and hell payment.
12. Hebrews 7:25; 9:12 “Hence, also, He [Jesus] is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him [Jesus], since He [Jesus] always lives to make intercession for them . . . and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.””
Jesus saves us forever because He lives forever to make intercession for us. We are not saved forever because we are upright; we are sinners saved by the eternal redemption He bought for us through His blood.
13. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith [believing]; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”
If we have been saved by grace, and salvation is all God’s work, and not of ourselves (i.e. sacraments, good deeds, daily repentance, prayers, personal holiness, etc.), then we cannot alter the salvation plan. All we can do is exercise “faith” and believe the “plan.” When we “believe” the gospel, our eternal life is immediately promised to us while we are alive on earth; when we die, our eternal life is realized. Again, when God graciously calls us to salvation by the preaching of the gospel, we answer Him by faith–believing we are saved on the merits of Jesus Christ alone. God then imputes us with righteousness instantly (2 Corinthians 5:21)! Therefore, since the actual plan of salvation comes from God and He controls it, we can’t lose our salvation. Except for our own “believing” in the gospel, salvation is all of God and beyond our control, intervention, or human power to negate it. We believe the gospel to get saved, but the regeneration, sealing, and preserving are all of God.
14. Romans 8:29-31,33-35 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified these He has also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? . . . . Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies; Jesus Christ . . . also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? . . .”
These amazing verses reveal the security of our salvation. God knows who will be believers before they ever become believers. He has predestined them to become conformed to the image of His Son. Predestination is the doctrine or biblical teaching that guarantees all believers will get to heaven unconditionally. He also called the believers. Read again #10 in this booklet. It says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” The calling cannot be reversed, changed, canceled, or undone. Once saved, always saved is what Romans 11:29 teaches. Romans 8:30 says, “whom He called, these He also justified. . . .” Thus, we Christians have been irreversibly called and irreversibly justified. If we are irreversibly justified, we can’t lose our salvation! If God is for us, nobody can be against us, that is, nobody can take away our eternal security. Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? There is simply no one, including ourselves, who can take our salvation away from us. Jesus Christ, Himself, intercedes for us as our advocate (or attorney).
15. Romans 8:14-15 "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out 'Abba! Father!’”
Once we are saved from the flames we deserve, we never have to fear that punishment again. We are God’s adopted children, in accord with John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” Once you are a child, you are always a child.
16. 1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
These verses reveal to us that we are protected in our salvation by the power of God through faith. We have an inheritance that will not perish or fade away, but is reserved in heaven for us. If we could lose our salvation then our inheritance could fade away and perish. If it would fade away and perish, then God would be unfaithful to His word. If we are faithless (disobedient), He still remains faithful to His word, He cannot deny His promises (2 Timothy 2:13).
17. Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
When an unbeliever becomes a believer, he is sealed by the Holy Spirit, who, according to 2 Cor. 1:22, is the seal and God’s pledge of eternal security. The above verse says not to “grieve” the Holy Spirit, Who indwells all believers. But believers do sin at times and do “grieve” the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is “sealed” into us for all eternity, He can’t leave us, even if we sin. That is why He becomes grieved, for since the Holy Spirit is God also, we have sinned against Him! Since the Holy Spirit Himself is the seal, it is a seal that can never be destroyed or withdrawn. It is an everlasting seal. We can never be “unsealed.” The verses above tell us that we are sealed for the day of redemption with the Holy Spirit Himself, within us, as His pledge that He will keep His promise. We are God’s own possession, guaranteed by His own seal (the Holy Spirit) that we will make it to heaven and be fully redeemed out of this earthly life into God’s heavenly life. Our eternal security is thus guaranteed the moment the Holy Spirit indwells and seals us.
18. 1 John 5:10 “The one who believes in the son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.”
Rom. 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
The Holy Spirit who seals us also gives “testimony” or “bears witness with our spirit” that we are the blood-bought, born again, sealed, adopted “children of God.” The verses you are studying in this booklet are some of what the Holy Spirit uses to accomplish this inner witness. He will “. . . teach you all things . . . bring to remembrance all that I [Jesus] said . . .” and “. . . guide you in all truth . . .” (John 14:26; 16:13). Those who are not saved do not have this “inner witness.” They are not absolutely sure that they will go to heaven, since they are not sure if they have been good enough, or if they could lose, return, sin-away, or reject the salvation they think they have. Some who are not saved actually have the idea that they are good enough to go to heaven; they are blinded by their pride.
19. 1 Corinthians 1:8 “[Jesus Christ] Who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Here Paul reaffirms the doctrine of eternal security in that Christ will “confirm us to the end” of our lives, and we will be positionally blameless on the day of the resurrection.
20. 2 Timothy 1:9,10 “[God], who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
Notice it says we are saved and called, and we know that God’s calling is irrevocable. In these verses it says both our salvation and calling were not according to our works, but were decided before we were ever created, “from all eternity.” God determined beforehand that salvation would be provided through the grace of Christ alone to all those who would believe it. Verse 10 reveals that Christ abolished death, eternal death, for believers. In other words, believers can never go to hell! It has been abolished for them. Now we know He did not abolish earthly death, since Christians still physically die; it must mean He abolished eternal death (Hades) for believers, since unbelievers will die the eternal (flames of Hades) death. So, now even more astounding in verse 10 is the biblical fact that the gospel brings life (eternal) and immortality to those who believe it. All believers acquire immortality after they believe the immortal gospel. That is why believers will never lose their salvation. Believers will die the physical death of the earthly body, but will go on living as immortal beings in heaven, even without a body, until the day of the resurrection, when God is able to complete the glorification process by providing the believer with his resurrected immortal body, made to last for all eternity.
21. John 10:4,5 “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know His voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
These words of Jesus Christ show that once you are truly saved and “know the voice” of the Savior, you will “not” be led astray by strangers. You may struggle at times with some of the various Bible doctrines, but you will not be deceived about salvation. Since Jesus paid for all your sins – past, present, and future – you will be confident that once you are saved, you will always be saved.
22. Jude 1 “Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.”
In this short powerful verse, Jude refers to three aspects of eternal security. First, the believers are called; second, they are beloved by the Father; and third, they are kept. To be kept, or “reserved,” means to be “guarded from loss or injury.” If the called and beloved are kept, then how could they ever lose their salvation? It is impossible if God is to remain faithful to His word.
23. Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,"
This verse emphasizes that righteous deeds which we have done have nothing to do with our salvation. We are saved “according to His mercy,” by faith alone. We are washed by “regeneration,” by the Holy Spirit, and indwelt by Him the moment we believe the gospel, Eph. 1:13.
24. John 4:14 “. . . but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
The people in hell and the lake of fire will be thirsty (Luke 16:24), but once you are saved, you will never thirst.
25. Revelation 22:17 “The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty, come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
This is Jesus’ final plea to hell-deserving people, who will be thirsty forever if they die without Him as their Savior, “come” and “take the water of life.” It is free, “without cost!” Once you drink (believe), you will “never thirst”; therefore, once you are saved, you are always saved!
26. Romans 5:18-19 “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous.”
If we have to add our acts of righteousness and obedience to be sure of salvation or to stay saved, then Jesus’ one act does not justify and make us righteous. We are made positionally righteous and justified (saved) by Jesus’ work alone! Once you are made righteous and justified by Him, you are always righteous and justified.
27. Hebrews 10:10-14 “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”
One sacrifice saves us “ONCE FOR ALL, FOR ALL TIME.”
28. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
The Apostle Paul uses the idea of building to illustrate the Christian life; he tells us that Jesus Christ is the foundation on which we are to build. This foundation is laid in our lives when we believe the gospel of our salvation. He then tells us to be careful how we build, because the quality of our works is going to be tested at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10) in heaven, with fire. If our works are quality works, ones that line up with His word, they will stand the test of the fire, and we shall receive reward. But if our works are burned up, we will suffer loss of reward, yet we “will be saved”. Salvation is a free gift of God that could never be earned, but the rewards in heaven must be earned through obedience and faithful service to Him. There will be those believers who will be in heaven who will have no reward, or a partial reward (2 Jn. 2:8); they will lose out on special blessings that our Lord wanted to share with them. It is important to distinguish between the free gift and rewards. Rewards are not free, and a gift is not earned. Those who believe salvation can be lost, sinned away, given back, or rejected after it is received are trying to earn the free gift. You cannot earn the gift, it is too expensive (1 Pet. 1:18-19). And we are too spiritually impoverished (Rom. 5:6; 2 Cor. 8:9).
29. Hebrews 12:5,6,8 “and have you forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.’” “But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”
We, as believers, are God’s adopted sons (or daughters) for all eternity (see #15). We do not have to fear ever being cast out of His family (Jn. 6:37), but we do have to fear His discipline here on earth (1 Pet. 1:17). God works discipline into our lives when necessary, in effort to bring us into obedience to His word when we are disobedient, so that we might share His holiness and yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:10-11). If we do not listen to Him now, we will be ashamed at His coming (1 Jn. 2:28) and suffer the loss of reward, as we saw in #28.
