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Eternal security, also known as "once saved, always saved" is the belief providing Christian believers with absolute assurance throughout their lives of their inevitable salvation. The term has been also used as a synonym for doctrines that offer theoretical security to the elect, although not guaranteeing absolute assurance to all believers. Throughout its historical development and theological influences, diverse interpretations have emerged, especially in relation with the defining aspects of theological determinism and libertarianism, as well as the importance of perseverance.

In the 15th century, Calvinist circles initially embraced eternal security as one of the practical interpretations of the doctrine of " perseverance of the saints". In the early 20th century, it started to become a defining doctrine of the Southern Baptist traditionalism. Around the same period, it also became part of Plymouth Brethren theology. In the 1980s, the Free Grace movement voiced this doctrine independently of the notion of personal perseverance, with subsequent variations emerging such as the " Hyper-Grace" teaching.

Definition and terminology

The concept of "eternal security" emerging around 1900 within different Evangelical groups, [1] represents its current prevailing form within Protestantism. [2] Indeed, the first documented occurrences of the terms supporting this concept were "security of the believers" in 1873 within Southern Baptist circles [3] and "eternal security" in 1913 within Plymouth Brethren circles. [4] [5] [6] This predominant form entails an unconditional eternal security which is not grounded on a Calvinist theology. [7]

Other similar forms of eternal security exist, all aligned with a shared definition. According to this perspective, eternal security is a doctrine providing believers with absolute assurance throughout their lives of their inevitable salvation. [8] [9] [10] [11]

  1. Eternal security based on the faith that the believer is an elect by divine determination. [12] (Calvinist circles, minority view). [2]
  2. Eternal security based on the faith that regeneration leads to unconditional perseverance and then salvation. (Non-Calvinist circles, majority view). [2]
  3. Eternal security based on the faith that regeneration leads to salvation independently of perseverance. (Generally non-Calvinist Free grace theology movement, currently growing view). [13]

The non-Calvinist forms of eternal security have been categorized by some theologians as "sub-Calvinist", [10] or "neo-Calvinist". [14] This terminology reflects their more recent emergence and their historical connection to Calvinist theology. [1]

The term "eternal security" has also been used as a synonym for Calvinist doctrine of the " perseverance of the saints". However regarding its usage and theological significance it has to be distinguished with the forms of eternal security above mentioned. [15] Indeed, some Calvinist theologians reject the use of this term to describe orthodox Calvinist doctrine, [16] as well as proponents of non-Calvinist doctrine of eternal security. [17]

Alternative perspectives on eternal security have been proposed, some within classical theism, such as Karl Barth's implicit Christian universalism, [11] while others lie outside of classical theism, as seen in Process Theism. [18]

History

See also: Gift of perseverance

The Reformed view of the perseverance of the saints has been foreshadowed by Augustine, Jovinian and Gottschalk, although not necessarily formulating their views identically. [19] [20] [21] [22] Augustine accepted the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is received at water baptism producing regeneration (salvation), he tried to explain why some regenerated babies continued in the faith while other baptized infants would fall away from the faith and even live immoral lives in debauchery. Both groups possessed the Holy Spirit, so how can one account for the difference? Augustine concluded that God must give a second gift of grace called perseverance. The gift of perseverance is only given to some baptized infants, although it cannot be lost once received. [23] [19] Augustine did not believe that his doctrine of perseverance was a new invention, thus Augustine also claimed that Cyprian taught a similar doctrine concerning perseverance. [24] [25]

Jovinian (died: 405 AD) was an early church theologian often seen as a proto-Reformer in the 4th century, he believed that a person who was once regenerate could never be subverted by the devil. Thus his teaching has similarities to what Augustine and John Calvin taught, as he limits the impossibility of relapse to the truly regenerate. [21] [22] [26] [27] [28]

According to Ken Wilson, a view more similar to Free Grace theology was also in existence during the early church period. Augustine mentioned a group of Christians who held that salvation was achieved without any good deeds done by the individual, excluding repentance and perseverance in good works. These Christians believed that although Christians can experience God's temporal judgement, they would enter heaven regardless of their future actions. Augustine was heavily critical of their views. [29] [30] Jody Dillow additionally quoted Pseudo-Chrysostom (6th century) as holding to the view held by some Free Grace theologians that the one who does not obey will be in the kingdom but not "reign" with Christ. [31]

Eternal security based on election by predetermination

Calvinist theology

John Calvin
See also: Perseverance of the saints

Calvinist orthodoxy

Orthodox forms of Calvinism view God's providence as expressed through theological determinism. [32] [33] This means that every event in the world is determined by God. [12] Concerning salvation, Calvin expressly taught that it is God's decision to determine whether an individual is saved or damned. [34] In accordance, he held to the doctrine of perseverance of the saints, contending for the unconditional preservation of the elect. [35]

Within Reformed Christianity, the term "eternal security" is occasionally employed as a synonym for the doctrine of perseverance of the saints. [15] However, within broader Protestantism, it more often carries a distinct meaning, that may or may not be based on Calvinist theology. [2] When it is, it thus presents a competing perspective to the doctrine of perseverance of the saints. [36]

Apostasy and assurance

According to Calvinism, apostasy is not possible for those who are true Christians. [37] However, being a true Christian is only demonstrated by perseverance to the end. [38] This arises because there are instances where individuals appear to come to God but later display definitive apostasy. To address this phenomenon, Calvinist theologians have postulated that common grace might include effects that cannot be distinguished from effectual calling and subsequent irresistible grace. About that issue, Calvin formulated the concept of a temporary grace (sometimes called "evanescent grace") that appears and works for only a while in the reprobate but then to disappears. [39] [40] [41] [42] According to this concept, the Holy Spirit can create in some people effects which are indistinguishable from those of the irresistible grace of God, producing also a visible "fruit" in their life. [43] [44] Temporary grace was also supported by later Calvinist theologians such as Theodore Beza, William Perkins, [45] John Owen, [46] A. W. Pink [47] and Loraine Boettner. [48] This suggests that the knowledge of being a true Christian is practically not accessible during life. [49]

Eternal security view

According to Augustine, the gift of perseverance is granted only to certain regenerated individuals. [23] Therefore, both Augustine and Luther, who was an Augustinian friar, held that believers, based on their own understanding, cannot definitively know if they are among the "elect to perseverance." [50] [51] Calvin is known to heavily drew upon Augustine soteriology. [52] However, despite Calvin's inability to offer a clear rationale, [53] he was more optimistic than Luther regarding this possibility. [54] Indeed, Calvin suggested that it might be possible to have some assurance of being an elect. [55] This possibility of assurance, based on personal introspection, as expressed by Calvin was also expressed by later Calvinist theologians, [56] for instance in the Westminster Confession of Faith. [57] This assurance forms the foundation of unconditional eternal security within Calvinist circles. The process leading to eternal security involves three Reformed teachings: Firstly, there's the belief that progress in personal sanctification is minimal, that may lead to a normalization of sin. Secondly, the doctrine of unconditional election and irresistible grace instills confidence in one's predetermined salvation. Lastly, the idea of the perseverance of the saints can suggest that individuals will remain elect regardless of their actions. [58] [59]

In Calvinist circles, thus, two competing beliefs emerge regarding "perseverance of the saints": One acknowledges explanations of apostasy like "evanescent grace," which avoids offering to the believer absolute assurance of salvation during life. [53] [60] [61] [62] The other rejects these explanations, asserting that the believers, through introspection, can know with certainty that they are elect, thus allowing belief in eternal security. Jacobus Arminius, (1560-1609) as a pastor of the Reformed Church, was confronted to this two perspectives stemming from the perseverance of the saints. He called the first "despair" ( Latin: desperatio) and the second "security" ( Latin: securitas). [58]

Groups adhering to the view

The "eternal security" view related to perseverance of the saints globally persists within Calvinist circles to this day. [2] The primitive Baptists were originated in Georgia during the early 1900s. [63] As strongly Calvinists, they have adopted officially this form of eternal security. [64] Eternal security is also defended in variations of Calvinist theology, such as its Molinist form. [65]

Objections to the view

The doctrine of eternal security stemming from the perseverance of the saints, has faced criticism for its perceived inconsistency. According to orthodox Calvinism, tough an elect possesses "eternal security," believers cannot know they are elect until they persevere to the end. [38] Regardless of the rationale given for the phenomenon of definitive apostasy, this reality undermines the practical utility of perseverance of the saints in a believer's life, hindering the assurance of salvation and eternal security. This critique has been advanced by proponents of non-Calvinistic forms of eternal security, [66] as well as various Christian groups opposing any form of eternal security, such as Arminians. [67]

Eternal security based on inevitable perseverance due to regeneration

Southern Baptism theology

Departure from the Calvinist paradigm

In the 19th century, due to the rise of evangelism and missionary work, the doctrine of "perseverance of the saints" fell out of favor. [1] From the 1830s, a departure from strict Calvinism began in the Southern Baptist circles. [5] [68] In this context, the first uses of the term "security of the believer" can be found as early as 1841. [3] In 1945, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), was founded. [69] Southern Baptist theology started to be modeled, notably by men such as James Robinson Graves and W. P. Bennett, who first used the terminology of "security" respectively in 1873 and 1895. [3] Graves, initially a strong Calvinist, [70] later leaned toward libertarianism. [71] He also adopted dispensationalism and began to write on it in the 1870s. [72]

Further developments

Similarly, other SBC theologians from the early twentieth century also moved away from Calvinism theology, maintaining only the determinist concept of "perseverance of the saints" within a libertarian worldview. [73] This shift led to the popular phrase "once saved, always saved" to describe the idea of "security of the believer". [74] In the resulting hybrid theology, individuals have the libertarian freedom to choose faith through divine grace. [75] [76] However, regardless of subsequent actions after regeneration, whether they continues to believe or cease, they will always end up being restored in their faith. Consequently, many Southern Baptists align with a "four-point Arminianism" perspective. [77] [78] Furthermore, many Southern Baptists believe that the Holy Spirit preparation for faith, is exclusively through the gospel. [79] This narrower view than the Arminian one is included in the notion of Southern Baptist traditionalism. [79] Nevertheless, traditionalism is essentially characterized by a soteriology asserting eternal security for the regenerated individual. [80]

Adhesion to the view

The majority of Southern Baptists embrace a traditionalist form of Arminianism which includes a belief in eternal security, [81] though many see Calvinism as growing in acceptance. [82]

Plymouth Brethren theology

Calvinistic dispensationalism ground

Dispensationalism emerged within the Reformed community, and the majority of its followers during its first century were from Calvinist backgrounds. [83] It developed as a system from the teachings of John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), himself an Anglican Calvinist, and leader of the Plymouth Brethren group. [84] [85] [86] It was then diffused through the Bible of C I. Scofield (1843-1921), a Presbyterian minister, with Calvinist leanings. [87] [88] Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) adopted Brethren eschatology, [89] contributing to the initial popularity of dispensationalism in America during the revival linked to him. [90] [91]

Emergence of eternal security

Dispensationalism provided a framework for reconciling the Calvinistic concept of perseverance of the saints with libertarian free will. [92] According to Wiley, the Plymouth Brethren's doctrine of sanctification, emphasizes believers being declared righteous and sanctified. Holiness is therefore imputed rather than imparted. This eternal "position" logically leads to the doctrine of "eternal security." [93] While initially embraced by Calvinists, dispensationalism was later adopted by Arminians, who retained the concept of "eternal security." [94] Moody's theology exemplified this specific synthesis between Calvinism and Arminianism. [95] [96]

In this context, the term "eternal security" first appeared among the Plymouth Brethren in 1913. [6] In the 1920s, amidst the fundamentalist–modernist controversy, dispensationalism gained traction as a conservative, Bible-centered defense against liberal criticism, appealing to fundamentalists, Pentecostals, and others seeking to uphold traditional beliefs in the face of modern challenges. [97] One of the first non-Calvinist groups to adopt a dispensational orientation can be found among some Pentecostals in the mid-1920s. [97] Started in the late 1930s, by the 1980s, the purge of dispensationalism from Reformed Christianity was largely completed. [98]

Adhesion to the view

After 1845, internal disputes split the Brethren into Exclusive and Open Brethren. [99] The majority of Exclusive Brethren are moderate Calvinists. [99] Open Brethren are four-point Arminians, upholding the concept of eternal security. [100] This doctrine asserts that those genuinely regenerated will ultimately persevere. Harry A. Ironside can be mentioned as a notable advocate of this perspective. [101]

Objection to the views

This perspective on eternal security asserts the existence of libertarian free will, alongside the inevitability of the final perseverance. However, the concept of inevitable perseverance raises concerns about human free will, potentially negating its libertarian nature and associated responsibility, a critique voiced by Arminians. [102] Calvinists view divine control as respecting human responsibility while ensuring final preservation, aligning with their semicompatibilist [103] theological determinism, [32] [12] and affirming its legitimacy. [104]

Eternal security based on regeneration independently of perseverance

Free grace theology

Zane Hodges was an advocate of Free Grace theology

Modern movement view

The modern Free Grace movement originated primarily from the perspective of some faculty members at Dallas Theological Seminary, notably through the influential advocacy of Zane C. Hodges (1932–2008). [105] [106] It is commonly associated with the Lordship salvation controversy which began in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s. [107] However, earlier individuals such as Robert Sandeman (1718–1771) [108] [109] [107] and Robert Govett (1813 – 1901) [110] [111] are often seen as having had similar views prior to the modern form of Free Grace theology. This view has been associated with numerous dispensational theologians, such as Lewis Sperry Chafer, Charles Ryrie, Norman Geisler, Charles Stanley and others. [112]

Free grace theology teaches that regeneration leads to salvation independently of personal perseverance. [113] [114] Free Grace theologians generally interpret warnings in the New Testament such as is found in Hebrews as either referring to temporary discipline for disobedient Christians or to a loss of eternal reward at the judgement seat of Christ, instead of as referring to a loss of salvation. [115] Free Grace doctrine views the person's character and life after receiving the gift of salvation as independent from the gift itself, or in other words, it asserts that justification does not necessarily result in sanctification. [116] Some advocates of the Free Grace perspective argue that while works may always accompany saving faith, they are not necessarily its direct consequence, while others maintain that works are neither automatic nor essential. [117]

Groups adhering to the view

Free Grace theology has been mainly taught by individuals among: Southern Baptists, Independent Baptists, Plymouth Brethren, Calvary Chapel churches, non-Denominational churches, Churches affiliated with Florida Bible College, Bible churches, Local churches influenced by Watchman Nee, Doctrinal Churches influenced by R. B. Thieme and other Independent churches. [118] [119]

Hyper-Grace theology

Hyper-Grace theology is associated with Joseph Prince

The term " Hyper-Grace" has been applied to a doctrine taught by some Charismatic Christians today, such as Joseph Prince. [120] Although the term was made by critics of the view, it has been embraced by some of those who teach it. [121] [122] Hyper-Grace teaches a strong form of eternal security, views fellowship with God as unconditional and denies that Christians in eternity will have different degrees of rewards. [123] While resembling Free Grace theology, the latter differs by acknowledging the possibility of significant temporal consequences for sins experienced by Christians. [124]

Objection to the views

Views that downplay the importance of perseverance, holding that eternal security is solely ensured by initial faith regardless of one's actions, are indicative of antinomianism. [125]

Theologies generally rejecting the doctrine of eternal security

Catholic theology

In Catholicism, Christians do not have eternal security because they can commit a mortal sin. [126] The Church teaches that Christians are subject to the cleansing torment of purgatory before entrance into heaven.

Orthodox theology

The Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches teach "the conditional security of the believer". [127] "According to ... all of the Church’s spiritual writers, a man must be humble in order to stay on the right path and attain that for which he seeks." [127]

Lutheran theology

The Lutheran Churches teach that true Christian believers can fall away from the faith into apostasy. [128]

Anabaptist theology

Anabaptist theology shares certain soteriological similarities with Arminianism. [129] [130] It traditionally teaches conditional security. [131] In particular, Mennonite soteriology has been historically consistent with Arminianism, whereas the doctrines of Calvinist soteriology have been rejected. [132] However in the 20th century, particularly in North America, some Mennonites, have adopted the doctrine of eternal security. [133]

Arminian theology

Main article: Conditional preservation of the saints

Arminianism emerged in the 17th century based on the ideas of Jacobus Arminius in reaction to Calvinism. [134] Arminianism holds that human free will is incompatible with divine determinism but compatible with divine foreknowledge. Thus, Arminianism speaks of predestination through foreknowledge. [135] Arminians also believe in conditional security and therefore in the possibility of apostasy. They hold that a true Christian can fall from grace and be damned and oppose any concept of eternal security. [136] Moreover, they stress that justification alone is insufficient during Christian journey. This viewpoint, especially emphasized by Wesleyan-Arminians, underscores the necessary transformative process of sanctification. [137] In this framework, the believer's assurance rests solely on their present relationship with Christ through faith. [138] Said differently, for Arminians, assurance is based on evidence of sanctification. [139]

General objections

Tension in the subject of faith

In the different views on eternal security, Arminians often note a tension between present faith in Jesus and faith in a past event. [138] In the Calvinist version, this event seems to be election. Conversely, in the non-Calvinist versions, the past event is regeneration, which also involves a form of election. [140] Both types of faith in a past event appear to hold equal significance in ensuring final salvation alongside the present faith in Jesus. [141] Arminians contend that genuine faith should be unique and focused solely on Jesus in the present. [142]

A form of Christian universalism

The different views on eternal security affirm the universal forgiveness of sins from birth to death for those who are believed to benefit from it. This parallels the concept of Christian universalism, suggesting ultimate salvation for all human beings regardless of their actions. [143]

See also

Notes and references

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Moody 1990, p. 361. "By the nineteenth century, under the impact of evangelism and missions, the doctrine of perseverance of the saints was falling into disrepute. In two branches of evangelical Christianity the terms that began to replace "the perseverance of the saints" were "the security of the believers" and "eternal security"."
  2. ^ a b c d e Purkiser 1972, p. 74. "In the majority of cases, however, the doctrine of eternal security is not grounded on the Calvinistic dogma of unconditional predestination. While all who teach eternal security are frequently called "Calvinists," actually the greater portion of them are no more than 20 percent Calvinistic."
  3. ^ a b c Moody 1990, p. 362. "On August 5, 1841, a funeral oration on John 6:37 by Edward Steane, [...] was called The Security of Believers. The term was introduced into Southern Baptist Landmarkism by J. R. Graves whose editorial on May 3, 1873 rejected the term "the perseverance of the saints" and proposed the term "security of believers." This was the title of a book by W. P. Bennett in 1895."
  4. ^ Paton 2013.
  5. ^ a b Moody 1990, p. 364.
  6. ^ a b Lehman 1956. "Eternal Security [...] as a special term was used by Walter Scott (Plymouth Brethren) as early as 1913 (Holness, 186). Under a section heading, "The Eternal Security of the Sheep," he writes, "Can my sins separate me from Christ or break the bond of eternal life? Impossible!"
  7. ^ Olson 2004, p. 238. "Many Evangelicals, -Especially Baptists- believe in unconditional eternal security of true believers without basing it on a Calvinist foundation. For them, belief that true believers will persevere or be divinely preserved from permanently falling away from grace is based not on systematic theology but on biblical promises."
  8. ^ McKinley 1965, p. 45. "[...] (1) Some believe that if one does backslide it is sure evidence he was never truly converted. (2) Others believe that a soul once saved will be finally saved, though in the meantime he does fall away, for God will get him in some way and he will not be lost. (3) Still others believe that our sins, past, present, and future, are all forgiven and that we will go to heaven no matter what we do after conversion. All three classes argue that once a person is born again he can never be lost."
  9. ^ Hunt 2002, p. 481.
  10. ^ a b Picirilli 2002, p. 184. "I must observe, however, that not all who hold the popular doctrine called "eternal security" are really Calvinists. The position of these whom -I am calling "sub-Calvinists"- [...]."
  11. ^ a b Keathley 2010, ch. 6. "Three positions argue apostasy is not possible and the believer’s eventual salvation is guaranteed. The first position is the implicit universalism of Karl Barth based upon his view of election, while the Grace Evangelical Society advocates the second view—the Once-Saved-Always-Saved position—as a major plank of their doctrinal platform. Wayne Grudem argues for a third view, the Evidence-of-Genuineness position, which argues that saving faith manifests itself by perseverance."
  12. ^ a b c Alexander & Johnson 2016, p. 204. "It should be conceded at the outset, and without any embarrassment, that Calvinism is indeed committed to divine determinism: the view that everything is ultimately determined by God."
  13. ^ Grudem 2016, pp. 21–22. "[T]hat recent origin does not mean that the movement is insignificant. Although only a minority of Dallas Seminary professors held a Free Grace view, Zane Hodges was an exceptionally persuasive teacher, and every year some students adopted his view. Then, through these students, the Free Grace movement gained a remarkable worldwide influence, especially in discouraging Christians from including any explicit call to repentance in their presentations of the gospel."
  14. ^ Purkiser 1972, p. 74, ‌.
  15. ^ a b Johnson 2008, pp. 21–22. "It is common to hear the term “eternal security” used basically as a synonym for “the perseverance of the saints”. [...] However, the term “eternal security” is often used in a very different and unbiblical way [...] Hence, in common usage, the term “eternal security” can sometimes refer to a doctrine diametrically opposed to the Reformed doctrine of perseverance."
  16. ^ Horton et al. 2002, p. 21. "In fact, eternal security itself is not a Calvinistic doctrine but, at least in the expressions with which I am familiar, rests on Arminian presuppositions concerning grace and free will."
  17. ^ Hunt & White 2009, p. 392. "[As Laurence M.] Vance says: It is the Calvinists who reject the biblical teaching of eternal security. The fifth point of the TULIP, as it was originally formulated and commonly interpreted, is at enmity with eternal security. Perseverance of the Saints...is not the same thing as eternal security."
  18. ^ Bowman 2009, p. 188.
  19. ^ a b Davis 1991, p. 213.
  20. ^ "Gottschalk by Steven Lawson". Ligonier Ministries. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  21. ^ a b "Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume III: Nicene and Post-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 311–600 – Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21. Jovinian's second point has an apparent affinity with the Augustinian and Calvinistic doctrine of the perseverantia sanctorum. It is not referred by him, however, to the eternal and unchangeable counsel of God, but simply based on 1 Jno. iii. 9, and v. 18, and is connected with his abstract conception of the opposite moral states. He limits the impossibility of relapse to the truly regenerate, who "plena fide in baptismate renati sunt," and makes a distinction between the mere baptism of water and the baptism of the Spirit, which involves also a distinction between the actual and the ideal church.
  22. ^ a b Stapert, Calvin (2007). A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early Church. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN  978-0802832191. Jovinian taught the complete equality between marriage and celibacy and between eating and fasting. He also taught something like the Calvin- ist doctrine of the perseverance of the saints
  23. ^ a b Burnell 2005, pp. 85–86.
  24. ^ Komline, Han-luen Kantzer (2019). Augustine on the Will: A Theological Account. Oxford University Press. ISBN  978-0190948825.
  25. ^ Komline, Han-luen Kantzer (2019). Augustine on the Will: A Theological Account. Oxford University Press. ISBN  978-0190948825.
  26. ^ The Evangelical Guardian. J.M. Christy. 1846. He was also charged with maintaining the perseverance of the saints
  27. ^ Armitage, Thomas (1890). A History of the Baptists: Traced by Their Vital Principles and Practices: from the Time of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the Year 1886. Bryan, Taylor. held the vital principle of regeneration by the Spirit of God , the perseverance of the saints
  28. ^ The Critical Review of Theological and Philosophical Literature. Williams and Norsate. 1897. results of this indwelling led Jovinian in the second place to state a doctrine of the perseverance of the saints
  29. ^ "A Defense of Free Grace Theology". Grace Theology Press. Retrieved 2023-09-03. There were Christians in good standing with the church c.AD 400 who held the doctrine that a person received salvation by faith alone without repentance or good works. Much to Augustine's ire, baptism was practiced immediately if one of them believed in Christ, without first entering prolonged education in Christian faith and morals as a catechumen. For those early Christians, God's future judgment consisted only of payment (reward) or punishment (temporary) for how those Christians lived their lives before God—heaven or hell was not in question.
  30. ^ "CHURCH FATHERS: City of God, Book XXI (St. Augustine)". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2023-12-01. But, say they, the Catholic Christians have Christ for a foundation, and they have not fallen away from union with Him, no matter how depraved a life they have built on this foundation, as wood, hay, stubble; and accordingly the well-directed faith by which Christ is their foundation will suffice to deliver them some time from the continuance of that fire, though it be with loss, since those things they have built on it shall be burned.
  31. ^ "Final Destiny: The Future Reign of the Servant Kings". Grace Theology Press. Retrieved 2023-06-08. Pseudo-Chrysostom (5th or 6th century AD) that proposed a similar interpretation of Matthew 5:19-20: But seeing that to break the least commandments and not to keep them are one and the same, why does He say above of him that breaks the commandments, that he shall be the least in the kingdom of heaven, and here of him who keeps them not, that he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven? … For a man to be in the kingdom is not to reign with Christ, but only to be numbered among Christ's people; what He says then of him that breaks the commandments is, that he shall indeed be reckoned among Christians, yet the least of them.
  32. ^ a b Helm 2010, p. 230. "[I]t is reasonable to conclude that although Calvin does not avow determinism in so many words, he nevertheless adopts a broadly deterministic outlook."
  33. ^ Helm 2010, p. 268.
  34. ^ Calvin 2008, 3.21.7. "By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death."
  35. ^ Davis 1991, p. 217.
  36. ^ Grudem 1994, p. 860. "[W]e see why the phrase eternal security can be quite misleading. In some evangelical churches, instead of teaching the full and balanced presentation of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, pastors have sometimes taught a watered-down version, which in effect tells people that all who have once made a profession of faith and been baptized are “eternally secure.”"
  37. ^ Pink 2001, pp. 39, 47, 58.
  38. ^ a b Grudem 1994, p. 860, ‌"[T]his doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, if rightly understood, should cause genuine worry, and even fear, in the hearts of any who are “backsliding” or straying away from Christ. Such persons must clearly be warned that only those who persevere to the end have been truly born again."
  39. ^ Calvin 1961, p. 66. "[T]hose who appear to live piously may be called sons of God; but since they will eventually live impiously and die in that impiety, God does not call them sons in His foreknowledge. There are sons of God who do not yet appear so to us, but now do so to God; and there are those who, on account of some arrogated or temporal grace, are called so by us, but are not so to God."
  40. ^ Calvin 1961, pp. 151–152.
  41. ^ Calvin 1845, 3:24:8. "Sometimes, however, he communicates it also to those whom he enlightens only for a time, and whom afterwards, in just punishment for their ingratitude, he abandons and smites with greater blindness."
  42. ^ Calvin 1963, p. 76. "[...] I do not see that this is any reason why He should not touch the reprobate with a taste of His grace, or illumine their minds with some glimmerings of His light, or affect them with some sense of His goodness, or to some extent engrave His Word in their hearts. Otherwise where would be that passing faith which Marks mentions (4.17)? Therefore there is some knowledge in the reprobate, which later vanishes away either because it drives its roots less deep than it ought to, or because it is choked and withers away."
  43. ^ Calvin 1845, 3:2:11. "Experience shows that the reprobate are sometimes affected in a way so similar to the elect that even in their own judgment there is no difference between them. [...] [T]he Lord, the better to convict them, and leave them without excuse, instills into their minds such a sense of goodness as can be felt without the Spirit of adoption [...] Therefore, as God regenerates the elect only for ever by incorruptible seed, [...] there is nothing to prevent an inferior operation of the Spirit from taking its course in the reprobate. [...] Thus we dispose of the objection, that if God truly displays his grace, it must endure for ever. There is nothing inconsistent in this with the fact of his enlightening some with a present sense of grace, which afterwards proves evanescent."
  44. ^ Calvin 1845, pp. 478–479, 3:2:11-12. "[Some reprobates are] just as a tree not planted deep enough may take root, but in the process of time wither away, though it may for several years not only put forth leaves and flowers, but produce fruit."
  45. ^ Keathley 2010, ch. 6‌. "The doctrine of temporary faith, a notion first formulated by Calvin but later developed by Beza and William Perkins, further intensified the problem of assurance in Calvinist and Puritan theology. According to them, God gives to the reprobate, whom He never intended to save in the first place, a “taste” of his grace. Based on passages such as Matt 7:21–23; Heb 6:4–6, and the parable of the Sower, Beza and Perkins attribute this false, temporary faith to an ineffectual work of the Holy Spirit."
  46. ^ Gribben & Tweeddale 2022, p. 402. "[...] Owen readily admits that the Spirit occasionally induces a partial illumination of the gospel truth, which might produce some conviction of sin and reformation of behavior. [...] For whatever its superficial resemblance to genuine conversion, it nevertheless falls short of that reality and explains the phenomenon of an apparently temporary illumination famously described in Heb. 6.4."
  47. ^ Pink 2009, pp. 18–19. "Scripture also teaches that people may possess a faith which is one of the Holy Spirit, and yet which is a non-saving one. This faith which we now allude to has two ingredients which neither education nor self-effort can produce: spiritual light and a Divine power moving the mind to assent. Now a man may have both illumination and inclination from heaven, and yet not be regenerated. We have a solemn proof of this in Hebrews 6:4-6."
  48. ^ Boettner 1932, ch. 14. "In addition to what has been said it is to be admitted that often times the common operations of the Spirit on the enlightened conscience lead to reformation and to an externally religious life. Those so influenced are often very strict in their conduct and diligent in their religious duties. To the awakened sinner the promises of the Gospel and the exhibition of the plan of salvation contained in the Scriptures appear not only as true but as suited to his condition. [...] This faith continues as long as the state of mind by which it is produced continues. When that changes, he relapses into his usual state of insensibility, and his faith disappears."
  49. ^ Walls & Dongell 2004, pp. 201–202. "What is truly remarkable here is that persons who receive this partial and temporary illumination appear for a time to be truly elect but in fact aren't. They are deluded by a false hope. This dreadful possibility is what haunts Calvinists who struggle with the assurance and certainty of salvation."
  50. ^ Davis 1991, p. 213, ‌"Unlike Calvin and those in the later Reformed tradition, however, Augustine does not believe that the Christian can in this life know with infallible certitude that he is in fact among the elect and that he will finally persevere."
  51. ^ Davis 1991, p. 213, ‌‌"Whether the believer, now in a state of grace, would remain in grace to the end was for Luther an open question."
  52. ^ McMahon 2012, pp. 7–9. "This is why one finds that every four pages written in the Institutes of the Christian Religion John Calvin quoted Augustine. Calvin, for this reason, would deem himself not a Calvinist, but an Augustinian. [...] Christian Calvinist, should they be more likely deemed an Augustinian-Calvinist?"
  53. ^ a b Calvin 1961, p. 126. "Men preposterously ask how they can be certain of a salvation which lies in the hidden counsel of God. I have replied with the truth. Since the certainty of salvation is set forth to us in Christ, it is wrong and injurious to Christ to pass over this proffered fountain of life from which supplies are available, and to toil to draw life out of the hidden recesses of God." (Emphasis added)
  54. ^ Davis 1991, p. 217, ‌. "Calvin, however, has greater confidence than Luther and the Catholic tradition before him that the believer can also have great assurance of his election and final perseverance."
  55. ^ Davis 1991, p. 217, ‌‌"[For Calvin, when the Church father Gregory the Great] “teaches that we are aware only of our call but unsure of our election, he is badly and dangerously in error.”"
  56. ^ Keathley 2010, ch. 6‌‌. "The post-Reformation Calvinists and Puritans held to a [...] view which saw assurance as a grace given subsequent to conversion and discerned by careful self-examination."
  57. ^ Horton et al. 2002, p. 21, ‌"[WCF ch. 18 states:] This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probably persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces [...]."
  58. ^ a b Stanglin 2018.
  59. ^ Keathley 2010, ch. 6‌‌‌. "The later Calvinists and Puritans employed two syllogisms, the practical syllogism and the mystical syllogism, in their attempt to ascertain assurance by way of logical deduction. [...] The practical syllogism is as follows: Major premise: If effectual grace is manifested in me by good works, then I am elect. Minor premise (practical): I manifest good works. Conclusion: Therefore, I am one of the elect. But how does one know the minor premise of the practical syllogism is true for him? The Puritans attempted to answer this question by an introspective self-examination using the mystical syllogism. The mystical syllogism is as follows: Major premise: If I experience the inward confirmation of the Spirit, then I am elect. Minor premise (mystical): I experience the confirmation of the Spirit. Conclusion: Therefore, I am one of the elect."
  60. ^ Paton 2013b. "You ask me: Michael, do you know you are saved? My answer: yes. You ask me: Michael, do you have assurance? My answer: yes. You ask me: Michael, why do you believe you are saved? My answer: because today I am still believing. But I have to test this all the time, as I am not infallible. I could have a false faith, but I don’t believe I do. This ninety percent assurance will have to do."
  61. ^ Keathley 2010, ch. 6‌‌‌‌. "Michael Eaton [quotes the Calvinist preacher Asahel] Nettleton: “The most that I have ventured to say respecting myself is, that I think it possible I may get to heaven.”"
  62. ^ Keathley 2010, ch. 6‌‌‌‌‌. "John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress has blessed multitudes of Christians, but his spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, is disturbing. He recounts how, in his seemingly endless search for assurance of salvation, he was haunted by the question, “How can I tell if I am elected?”"
  63. ^ Kurian & Day 2017, ch. Primitive Baptists.
  64. ^ Garrett 2009, p. 212.
  65. ^ Lemke 2010, pp. 76–77.
  66. ^ Horton et al. 2002, p. 68, n. 7. "Most strong Calvinists claim that full assurance in this life is possible. However, this is inconsistent with their other beliefs that one must maintain a life of faithful works to the end to be sure one is saved and did not really have "false assurance" during one's life and was, therefore, one of the nonelect."
  67. ^ Purkiser 1972, p. 74, ‌‌"This turns out to be a curious sort of security. In effect one says, "If I am elected to eternal life, I am eternally secure. But I cannot, in the nature of the case, be sure that I am so elected."."
  68. ^ Garrett, Hinson & Tull 1983, p. 7.
  69. ^ Henkins 2016, p. 9.
  70. ^ Ice 2009, p. 8.
  71. ^ Patterson 2012, p. 67. "The doctrine of eternal and unconditional election, and reprobation as taught by Calvin, and assented to by many professed Christians, we utterly repudiate [...]".
  72. ^ Garrett, Hinson & Tull 1983, p. 98. "The only major writing theologian who influenced Southern Baptists prior to 1930 that espoused Dispensationalism was James Robinson Graves [...]".
  73. ^ Pokki 1999, p. 38.
  74. ^ Garrett, Hinson & Tull 1983, p. 98, ‌. "The clearest surviving aspect of the earlier Southern Baptist Calvinism is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, known as the security of the believer or by less apt, but popular wording, "once saved, always saved.""
  75. ^ Leonard 1990, p. 67. "Indeed, revivalism in SBC, as in many evangelical denominations, served to "Arminianize" the churches toward greater emphasis on free will, individual choice and salvation for "whosoever will" believe."
  76. ^ Walls & Dongell 2004, p. 14. "The [Southern] Baptists are a particularly interesting case study because their theology is often a hybrid of Calvinism and Arminianism. [...] Most Baptists today are Arminian except for their belief in eternal security."
  77. ^ Leonard 1990, p. 67, ‌. "[...] many Southern Baptists are on-point Calvinists and four-point Arminians. Although retaining perseverance of the saints and thus rejecting the possibility that one might fall from grace, Baptists otherwise generally reflect an Arminian understanding of election, atonement, and free will".
  78. ^ Pokki 1999, p. 38, ‌. "[I]n American revivalism Calvinism and Arminian views gradually became combined. A clear-cut boundary between Arminianism and Calvinism gradually began to become blurred, especially among Baptists".
  79. ^ a b Harwood 2016, p. 158.
  80. ^ Henkins 2016, pp. 10–13.
  81. ^ Walls & Dongell 2004, pp. 12–13, 16–17.
  82. ^ Walls & Dongell 2004, pp. 7–20.
  83. ^ Ice 2009, pp. 2, 8.
  84. ^ Marsden 1982, p. 46. "In fact the millenarian (or dispensational premillennial) movement had strong Calvinistic ties in its American origin. The movement's immediate progenitor was John Nelson Darby, who broke with the Church of Ireland and became the leader of the separationist Plymouth Brethern group."
  85. ^ Goddard 1948, pp. 85–86.
  86. ^ Ice 2009, p. 3.
  87. ^ Marsden 1982, p. 72.
  88. ^ Ice 2009, pp. 3, 6.
  89. ^ Hummel 2023, ch. Dwight Moody, a Premillennial Revivalist. "Moody adopted Brethern eschatology in the same years he embraced a new language of sanctification, the Higher Life mouvement [...]".
  90. ^ Marsden 1982, p. 46-47.
  91. ^ Hummel 2023, ch. Dwight Moody, a Premillennial Revivalist‌. "A great upstick of religiosity in America uschered in by Moody's massive 1875-1877 revival circuit transformed the spread of Brethren teachings in two ways. the first was that Moody popularized premillennialsm to the masses [...]"
  92. ^ Paton 2013, ‌. "The significance of dispensationalism to the development of eternal security lies in the approach in which they divide Scripture. They viewed God as having a different plan of salvation in different times or "dispensations." This seemed to give sufficient allowance to accept the "Biblical" idea of irrefutable security and free-will at the same time. At this point the idea of a Gospel that allowed all men freedom to enter into eternal life while at the same time denying them freedom in their eternal destiny afterwards, has come to full acceptance within 20th century Christianity."
  93. ^ Wiley 1940, p. 461-462. "The Plymouth idea of sanctification, like that of justification, is purely Antinomian. The believer is not only made righteous in Christ, he is made holy also. [...] Ethically, this Antinomian doctrine breaks down all the restraints that would hinder men from sin, as set up in Arminianism and the older Calvinism. Logically, it has its issue in the doctrine of final perseverance, or what in more modern times is wrongly known as eternal security."
  94. ^ Sherling 2015, ch. Accusations against dispensationalism's view of God's sovereignty in grace. "[Reginald Kimbro states that:] The history of the twentieth century provides many examples of influential leaders embracing Dispensationalism while forsaking the consistent Calvinism of their heritage in the process. Except for retaining the misstated doctrine of eternal security, Dispensationalism embraced a thoroughly Arminian theology, though few of its adherents did so consciously".
  95. ^ Marsden 1982, p. 44. "John Nelson Darby puzzled over how Moody could on the one hand accept the prophetic truths concerning God's sovereignty in history, and yet inconsistently allow room for a non-Calvinist view of human ability when it came to personal salvation"
  96. ^ Pokki 1999, p. 40. "[M]oody wanted to synthesize Calvinism and Arminianism. Moody was a dispensationalist, [...]".
  97. ^ a b Ice 2009, p. 8-9.
  98. ^ Ice 2009, p. 12.
  99. ^ a b Kurian & Day 2017, ch. Christian Brethren/Plymouth Brethren.
  100. ^ Kurian & Day 2017, ch. Christian Brethren/Plymouth Brethren‌. "Open Brethren have tended to oscillate between Arminianism and Calvinism and seek to maintain the doctrine of eternal security."
  101. ^ Ironside 1934, ch. Eternal Security: Its Meaning. "When we speak of the eternal security of the believer, what do we mean? We mean that once a poor sinner has been regenerated by the Word and the Spirit of God, once he has received a new life and a new nature, has been made partaker of the divine nature, once he has been justified from every charge before the throne of God, it is absolutely impossible that that man should ever again be a lost soul. Having said that, let me say what we do not mean when we speak of the eternal security of the believer. We do not mean that it necessarily follows that if one professes to be saved, if he comes out to the front in a meeting, shakes the preacher's hand, and says he accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour, that that person is eternally safe."
  102. ^ Morrison 1940, p. 5. "This Book unquestionably teaches the free moral agency of man, that is, his free and unlimited power of choice. [...] This power of choice is not destroyed, after he is regenerated. It remains with him. That is to say, he must exercise his power of choice every day, and decide whether he chooses to continue to fulfill the conditions whereby God conferred salvation upon him, or chooses to refuse to continue to qualify, and thus forfeits the grace he had received."
  103. ^ Alexander & Johnson 2016, p. 4. "Calvinists are committed to saying that moral responsibility and any sort of free will that is necessary for moral responsibility are compatible with whatever sort of determinism is entailed by Calvinist views of providence."
  104. ^ Olson 2013. "Many non-Calvinists believe this doctrine [of perseverance of the saints], but not because they believe the eternally secure person is sovereignty predestined by God. [...] Calvinists insist that’s inconsistent with free will, so perseverance of the saints belongs logically with the other points of TULIP."
  105. ^ Chay 2017, p. 93.
  106. ^ Grudem 2016, p. 21.
  107. ^ a b Makidon 2002, p. 75.
  108. ^ South 1993, p. 8.
  109. ^ Grudem 2016, p. 34, n. 10.
  110. ^ Chay 2017, p. 21, ‌. "First, there is a vast field of literature that advocates for and promotes a Free Grace theological perspective predating Hodges. Robert Govett (1860) was a fellow at the University of Oxford who wrote voluminous exegetical and theological works advocating Free Grace interpretations."
  111. ^ Yates 2024.
  112. ^ Chay 2017, p. 23.
  113. ^ Stanley 1990, pp. 81, 116–118.
  114. ^ Stanley 1990, pp. 1–5. "Even if a believer for all practical purposes becomes an unbeliever, his salvation is not in jeopardy… believers who lose or abandon their faith will retain their salvation."
  115. ^ Geisler 2010, p. 315.
  116. ^ Stanley 1990, p. 80. "You and I are not saved because we have an enduring faith. We are saved because at a moment in time we expressed faith in our enduring Lord."
  117. ^ Horton et al. 2002, p. 104. "Some free grace proponents claim that works always accompany saving faith, even though they are not the direct result of it. Others insist that works are not automatic and not necessary at all."
  118. ^ Wilkin 2022.
  119. ^ Lazar 2021.
  120. ^ Brown 2014, p. 6, 10.
  121. ^ Brown 2016, p. 11.
  122. ^ Ellis 2014, p. 21.
  123. ^ Brown 2014, p. 59.
  124. ^ Lazar 2017.
  125. ^ Street 2019, p. 52. "Antinominianism, in its purest form, simply means "against the law". An antinomian is one who defines him- or herself as a Christian but believes that God has no definite law by which he or she should conduct him. [...] The slippery slope of antinomianism is the belief that there is nothing that one cannot do that will not be covered by grace."
  126. ^ John Paul II 1993, Part 1, section 1, ch. 3, art. 1, §3 The Characteristics of Faith, items 161-162; Part 3, section 1, ch. 1, art. 8, §4 The Gravity of Sin: Mortal and Venial Sin, items 1854–1864.
  127. ^ a b Witzki 2010a.
  128. ^ Klotz 2015.
  129. ^ Sutton 2012, p. 86.
  130. ^ Bangs 1985, p. 170.
  131. ^ Eby 2020.
  132. ^ Bender 1953. "Mennonites have been historically Arminian in their theology whether they distinctly espoused the Arminian viewpoint or not. They never accepted Calvinism either in the Swiss-South German branch or in the Dutch-North German wing. Nor did any Mennonite confession of faith in any country teach any of the five points of Calvinism."
  133. ^ Bender 1953, ‌"[I]n the 20th century, particularly in North America, some Mennonites, having come under the influence of certain Bible institutes and the literature produced by this movement and its schools, have adopted the Calvinist doctrine of the perseverance of the saints or "once in grace always in grace." In doing so, they have departed from the historic Arminianism of the Anabaptist-Mennonite movement."
  134. ^ Stanglin & McCall 2012, p. 190.
  135. ^ Wiley 1940, pp. 355–357.
  136. ^ Shank 1989, p. 31-38.
  137. ^ Peters 2015, p. 391. "Justification is not enough for the Methodists. The Christian life cannot get along without transformation as well. Transformation is accomplished through the process of sanctification. "The one [justification] implies what God does for us through his Son, the other [sanctification] he works in us by his Spirit." The spiritual life of the Methodist ends up reiterating what the Roman Catholics had deemed so important, namely transformation."
  138. ^ a b Horton et al. 2002, p. 164-169.
  139. ^ Marshall 1969, p. 267.
  140. ^ Horton et al. 2002, p. 44. "We also agree with strong Calvinists that eternal security is based on an intra-Trinitarian act of election."
  141. ^ Picirilli 2002, p. 193. "[A]ssurance is not dependent on a confidence that one cannot apostatize in the future. This may be the place to make a passing observation about those-especially sub-Calvinists who profess "eternal security" -who insist so strongly that they would have no assurance apart from believing that they can never again be lost. I submit that this is a misplaced assurance, an expression of confidence in a doctrine."
  142. ^ Purkiser 1972, p. 74, ‌‌‌"Their own faith is lacking because they will not —cannot— trust themselves completely to the love of God as expressed in the finished work of Christ, nor to the promises and privileges of either."
  143. ^ Street 2019, p. 50. "I attest that the teaching of eternal security is a form of Christian Universalism in that one is taught his or her sins are universally forgiven from birth to death."

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  • Wilkin, Bob (11 February 2022). "What Denominations Hold to Free Grace?". Grace Evangelical Society. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  • Witzki, Steve (2010a). "The Orthodox Church Affirms Conditional Security" (PDF). Society of Evangelical Arminians. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  • Yates, Kenneth (2024-04-16). "A Victorian Dissenter: Robert Govett and the Doctrine of Millennial Reward". Grace Evangelical Society. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
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