Arguments Against Losing Your Salvation

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website, morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. You've heard of the term, once saved, always saved, right? Technically, that's true. But for some people, I think it leaves, kind of cracks the door open to something that might not be good.

Or the term, eternal security. You've heard of the term, eternal security. Again, that is true. This is my personal opinion. I much more prefer the term, perseverance of the saints. None of these terms are biblical, by the way.

Once saved, always saved, that's not a phrase in the Bible. Eternal security, the concept is there, but that phrase is not in the Bible. Perseverance of the saints, admittedly, is not in the Bible. But perseverance of the saints closes that crack, that a true believer must persevere.

A true believer must keep the faith. And of course, we do that because you could call it the preservation of the saints, either way. All right. I told you to turn to 1 John 2. I didn't forget. So what about this idea that we're saying?

This just proves, they're falling away, proves they were never saved to begin with. Look at 1 John 2, starting in verse 18. The apostle says, little children, it is the last hour. As you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

And when he says last hour, he's talking about the last days. It's sort of confusing because it's been 2000 years and he's saying the last hour, but it's the last age. OK, the last days. And he says many Antichrists have come.

So this is a reference to false teachers. He's calling them Antichrist. So these are men who are once considered brethren in the church. But now look at verse 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us.

For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us. So these people were accepted as teachers in the New Testament church.

So in order to be accepted as a teacher, they must have had a credible testimony and profession of faith. They must have been saying the right thing at some point. But then it came out that they started preaching false doctrine and they departed from the faith.

And they left the assembly and went out and tried to corrupt people. So did they lose their salvation? Is that what Paul is saying? No. What does he say? He's saying that their falling away was proof that they were never really a true believer to begin with.

Notice what he says. None of them were of us. Isn't that what he says? And in saying that, John affirms that true Christians will persevere. Because if they had been of us, they would have remained with us.

So this is very simple. The unbeliever departs because they were never really one of us to begin with. So if they fall away, they weren't one of us. If they were, they wouldn't have done that. So that's the proof.

I will admit to you, it does look like, from man's perspective, it does look like people lose their salvation. If you want to disagree with that, you can. But again, from man's perspective, it can appear that people lose their salvation.

Here's the thing about God, He knows better. He knows the heart. It doesn't take Him by surprise. The Lord looks on the heart and what did Jesus Himself say? Let's have a verse that affirms that you can't lose it.

Let's have a text for that. John 6, 47, Jesus said, Most assuredly, I say to you. And let's not miss that. Most assuredly, I say to you, He who believes in me has what? Everlasting life. If you believe in Jesus, you have everlasting life.

Let me ask, how long is everlasting? Oh yeah, it's forever. That's not difficult, right? Well, if it comes to an end, it really wasn't everlasting, right? Alright, let's turn to Hebrews chapter 6. This is one of those texts that people misunderstand and they say, Hebrews chapter 6 teaches you can lose your salvation.

This might be the most common passage on this. Hebrews chapter 6.

But yeah, Jesus says,.

Now you have to believe in the true Jesus and the true gospel. There are things we could talk about there, but you have. Let's not forget that you have. They have everlasting life. You don't say you will have it.

There's plenty of passages we can look at. They have not someday, maybe. Okay, most assuredly, I say to you, He who believes in me has everlasting life.

It can't end.

That settles it right there. But let's look at Hebrews 6, 4 through 6. The author of Hebrews, which I believe is the Apostle Paul, but we don't need to argue about that this morning, says, It is impossible for those who are once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away.

Remember, it's impossible if they fall away to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the son of God and put him to an open shame. So, this is a proof text.

This is obvious.

You see?

He's saying you can lose your salvation. I was never really impressed with this argument. There are verses that are much more difficult to deal with.

Than this.

How do I know this isn't teaching you can lose your salvation? Again, it doesn't explicitly say that. That much is clear. But how do we know what he's saying? What do we do? It's all about what? Context, right?

Look at verse nine. All you gotta do is read a few verses ahead. Look at verse nine. But beloved, he says, we are confident of better things concerning you. Yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in what?

In this manner. So, if they fall away, and he says, though we speak in this manner.

What is it?

It's a hypothetical. What he's saying is, if a person, if a true believer lost their salvation, they would never be able to get it back, since it would require that Jesus would have to die all over again, and that ain't gonna happen.

So, it's just a hypothetical. So, that's not too hard to deal with. Now, let's turn to 2 Peter 2. 2 Peter 2. So, this passage in Hebrews chapter six shouldn't scare anybody.

And you know what?

I think that's why, I honestly think that's why some people preach this doctrine that you can lose your salvation. They wanna scare people. They wanna scare people straight and keep them in line, because if you do something wrong, you're gonna be cast into the lake of fire.

I really believe that's,.

To a large degree, there are some people who have a sincere belief from study of the word, and they're just mistaken. But I do believe there are some people who teach this to try to scare people.

That doesn't work.

That's the thing. It doesn't work. All you have to do is look at the denominations that teach this, that you can lose your salvation. Look at the Pentecostals. Look at the Methodists. Look at the Catholics.

They're all near perfect, because they've been scared straight. No, they have just as many problems as anyone else. So, you can't scare somebody into the kingdom of God. Fear can be a motivating factor to kind of get someone's attention, but ultimately, it's the love of God that wins a person over.

Romans 2, verse 4 says, it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. All right, 2 Peter 2, verses 20 through 22. Peter says, for if after they, and he's talking about false teachers again, for if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to this true proverb, a dog returns to his own vomit and a sow having washed to her wallowing in the mire.

This passage is very similar to 1 John chapter 2 about false teachers who knew and professed the truth, but because they were not really of God, they eventually kind of reverted back to their old ways.

I mean, you can take a pig and you can wash the pig. It's still a pig, right? You can get the pig all clean and put a little bow on it and put perfume on it. It's still in the pig's nature to go back and roll around in the filth.

Basically, an unbeliever who's pretending to be a Christian, they can only hold up that act for so long. And because it's in their nature, their unsaved nature, they're eventually gonna go back to it.

So when they do, it just reveals the thing wasn't sincere to begin. Why do people do that? Why do people pretend to be a Christian? Well, there's all sorts of different reasons. Some people have a financial motive.

Other people are just trying to please others. How many people have converted to Jesus because, hey, this girl won't date me unless I become a Christian? I had a coworker. This guy was not saved, not by a long shot.

He met this girl. No, sorry, I won't date you and my dad won't let me date you because you're not a believer. He started singing another tune real fast.

Now, I actually believe.

God can use something like that to save somebody, but I think we understand people can have ulterior motives. So with all that said, let's just go through a couple positive verses that teach just to reaffirm this idea that a believer cannot lose their salvation.

Again, Jesus says it's eternal life. It lasts forever. Personally, the thing that did it for me, that sealed it for me, no pun intended, is understanding the doctrines of election and predestination. Romans chapter eight, a believer is predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.

It cannot not happen. So if you are a true believer and you've been predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, it's impossible to lose salvation. It's like Paul says in Philippians 1 .6, being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work.

And you shall complete it.

Until the day of Jesus Christ. Romans chapter eight, nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And then maybe John chapter 10 is the most convincing passage.

Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall, what? Never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my father's hand. He talks about the father's greater than I, no one can snatch them out of the father's hand.

And you know how some people respond, yeah, but you can snatch yourself.

Out of his hand.

Have you ever heard that?

So let me get this straight. Being born again is a supernatural act of God and you can undo that? God has created a new creation in Christ and you have the power to uncreate what God created?

I don't think so.

Mark it down. People who teach you can lose your salvation. Not only is it a thinly veiled works righteousness, people who teach you can lose your salvation.

Mark it down.

They have a very high view of man and a very low view of God. The God of the Bible can save whoever he wants, whenever he wants, and he's able to keep them, he's able to keep us secure. And there's nothing the world, the flesh or the devil can do about it.

You can't lose your salvation.

Amen.

All God's people said, amen. All right, let's close in prayer. Heavenly father, we thank you for this great truth from your word, because what good would it be if you saved us, but you couldn't keep us saved.

Lord, that wouldn't give us any assurance whatsoever. As the apostle John said in 1 John 5, 13, that we may know that we have eternal life. We thank you for this. In Jesus name we pray, amen. Thanks for listening.

I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornet Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message, or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, MorrisCornetChurch .com. And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett.

Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.