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The Truth About Unconditional Eternal Security
I have recently had a chance to talk to somebody about one of the vilest doctrines in the church today. The heretical
dogma that I am talking about is the doctrine of unconditional eternal security, sometimes called "once saved
always saved." Proponents of this belief are commonly called "Carnal Christians." After talking with this
person I did some research on this belief and was frankly amazed that a Christian could believe this. For those of you
that have never heard of this doctrine, it is, as its name suggests, basically the belief that once you become saved you
will still make it into heaven no matter what sins you commit. This means, for example, that if you go on a drug and
alcohol bender and die in bed with a whore you will still get into heaven, as long as you were saved at one time. Anyone
who knows scripture will realize that the Bible does not support this bogus belief. God's word in no way supports this
foul doctrine so the carnal Christian has to twist verses and take them out of context to try to make them fit their
unholy creed. The Lord has prompted me to write this article and I hope that it is a help to you as you read it.
As you can tell from my opening statements, I have a strong hatred for this doctrine of lies, as should any true
child of God. Why, you say? Because the bible tells us to.
| A righteous man hateth lying... |
| -Proverbs 13:5 |
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| ...Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good |
| -Romans 12:9 |
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| I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love. |
| -Psalm 119:163 |
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Before we start I must point out that there are many, many scriptures that could be used to refute this lie.
I will not go over every verse that unconditional eternal security believers use to back up their lies because
arguing verse by verse is a waste of Gods time and ours and if you cannot see the truth in scripture from these few
verses then you are just not willing to listen. Hopefully this study will give you a good foundation from which to begin
your own, more in-depth studies. God tells us in His word to study to show ourselves approved. It is when we obey God
and study His word to learn more about our Divine Creator that He blesses us with divine revelation, and I don't want to
take that joy from you. The verses that I have used in this study are the ones that the Lord has prompted me to use but
there are many more that you can study and use.
Now it is true that when you give yourself to God and become born again your past sins are forgiven. But this does
not mean that you can go on living in sin as you have been doing.
5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness
of His resurrection:
6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we
should not serve sin. |
| -Romans 6:5-6 |
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| Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become
new. |
| -2 Corinthians 5:17 |
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In Romans 6:5-6 we are told that in order for us to be a part of His resurrection we must also be a part of His
death. Verse 6 is very clear that it is the body of sin that is to be destroyed. When we are born again we are a new
creation in Christ Jesus and no longer a slave to our carnal desires. We are in fact commanded to turn away from sin.
Remember that whoever we serve is our master. If we serve God then we are dead to sin. If we serve sin then we are dead
to God. We cannot serve two masters. Why must we die to the flesh? For the answer we must turn to 1 Corinthians.
| Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption. |
| -1 Corinthians 15:50 |
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This verse is very clear in what it is saying, to get to heaven we must die to the flesh.
In Matthew 10:22, 24:13 & Mark 13:13 Jesus Himself tells us "he that endure unto the end, the same shall be
saved." The word endure comes from the Greek word hupomeno, meaning to bear up or persevere under sufferings and
persecutions. If we are going to get into heaven regardless of what we do then why would it be necessary for our Savior
Himself to tell us to persevere?
One of the main scriptures that unconditional eternal security proponents bring up to prove their point is in John 10:28-29.
28) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29) My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. |
At first glance this may seem to prove a belief in unconditional eternal security. But the problem with this is that
they take it out of context to make it say what they want to hear. Remember we must read God's word in context. To find
out who it is that "shall never perish" we need to read the previous verse.
| My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. |
| John 10:27 |
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Here Jesus is telling us that only those that hear His voice and follow Him will be called His sheep, and His sheep
are the only ones that will receive eternal life. In the original Greek the words hear and follow are in the present
tense. This means that His sheep are those that are actively hearing and following, not someone who has once heard and
listened but does not any longer. Only those Christians that are actively hearing and following are those that no man
can pluck out of His Fathers hand and shall never perish. Here Jesus is telling us that there is security, but it is
conditional. We must hear His voice and follow His lead. So what does it mean to hear and follow? The word hear comes
from the Greek word meaning to comprehend or understand. In this context the word follow, in the Greek, means one who
cleaves (holds firmly with all of his might without letting go) to Jesus in believing trust and obedience. Those that
hold to Him must also follow His lead and act according to His example. This is where the obedience comes in. You cannot
follow Jesus unless you obey Him. It is when we cleave ourselves to Him that we have fellowship with Him and can look to
our salvation in Him, which is a part of this fellowship. So if we do not comprehend what it means to cleave to Christ
then there can be no fellowship and hence no salvation. If we do not have this salvation then we are not hearing and
following as we are commanded and we can then be plucked out of the Father's hand.
In Romans 11 Paul talks about being grafted onto the good olive tree.
17) And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among
them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18) Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19) Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
20) Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear:
21) For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.
22) Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou
continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. |
| -Romans 11:17-22 |
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This passage of scripture is very clear that we as believers can be grafted onto the good olive tree. But if we
choose not to continue in His goodness then we will be cut off. Paul is telling us that we must continue the good work
began in us by Jesus otherwise we will lose our place on the good olive tree.
Another passage of scripture used by unconditional eternal security proponents is Romans 8:35-39:
35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36) As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come,
39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. |
People who believe in the unconditional eternal security doctrine will use these verses to say that we cannot become
unsaved, but as you can see it does not say anything like that. These verses are talking about the love of God not
salvation. Love and salvation are both gifts from God but they are two different gifts. Because of His love for us while
we were yet sinners, Romans 5:8, (implying that we should no longer be sinners) God gave us the gift of salvation, all
we have to do is accept it. We are the only thing that can separate ourselves from the love of our creator, not even God
can do that. We have the ability to turn our back on God and decide to deny Him. We are told a number of times in the
bible that God created us with free will. We have the free will to follow God or deny Him and this applies both before
and after salvation.
One verse that clearly shows that we can lose our salvation is found in Revelation 3:5. But as with any scripture it
must be read in context. To do that we must read the verses leading up to it. In this case we should use the entire
letter to the church of Sardis.
1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of
God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
2) Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect
before God.
3) Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I
will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
4) Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for
they are worthy.
5) He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of
Life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels.
6) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. |
| -Revelation 3:1-6 |
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The first thing we need to establish is who Jesus is talking to? In verse 3:1 Jesus is talking to the church in
Sardis, in other words, Christians like us.
Looking at this passage the first word that jumps out is "overcometh." This comes from the Greek word nikeo
meaning to be victorious or to prevail. Jesus is telling us here that if we can prevail then we will be clothed in white
raiment and those that are clothed in white will walk with Him because they are worthy. But what is it that we need to
overcome? What we need to overcome is not the devil; Jesus has already beaten him for us. What we need to fight tooth
and nail to overcome, to fight till the shedding of blood to overcome, is the flesh. Carnal Christians have given up the
fight and let the flesh rule; they have grieved the Holy Spirit, rejected God and let the flesh have free reign in their
lives. In order to justify the fact that they can give in to the flesh and still say that they are following God, carnal
Christians have invented a false doctrine and attempt to force it into a select few bible verses. As I mentioned before,
all you have to do is read these verses to see that unconditional eternal security is false.
Giving into the flesh means allowing our physical body (our carnal desires) to have control instead of God. Our
carnal nature is at war with God because it does not want to give up control, it is selfish. But as Christians we have
given up our bodies to Christ for His glory. Our bodies are no longer our own as 1 Corinthians 6:20 tells us
Jesus bought us for a price. The price was His death.
In Genesis God tells the devil that he is cursed to eat the dust (from whence our flesh comes) all the days of his
life. So as you can see, if we bow to the flesh then we are feeding the devil and the more you feed him the stronger he
gets. By the same token, if we overcome the flesh and cleave to God then we will starve out the devil and be given white
raiment to wear. Those that dressed in white will not have their name blotted out of the Book of Life.
One point that most people miss here is that for your name to be blotted out of the Book of Life it first had to be
in there, in other words you were saved at one point. Unconditional eternal security believers will try and tell you
that those people were never truly saved in the first place. That argument does not hold water because you cannot get
your name into the Book of Life unless you are saved. If your name can be taken out of the Book of Life then you can
lose you salvation, it's that simple. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches."
One of the best chapters in the Bible about dying to the flesh is Romans 8. I will include some of its verses below.
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7) Because the carnal mind is enmity (hatred and hostility) against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be.
8) So they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (put to death) the deeds of
the body, ye shall live.
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Another passage of scripture is found in Romans 6:1-2
1) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2) God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? |
There are so many verses that tell us to die to the flesh, resist sin, repent and follow God in obedience. If there
are any carnal Christians reading this, I challenge you to go back to the Word of God, to the verses you normally use to
back up your theory and read them again without any preconceived ideas about what they might or might not say. I
challenge you to study them prayerfully and in depth that God my reveal to you the truth of His Word. I pray that you
might come to a true realization of what it really means to follow God, and God willing I will see you in Heaven. For
those of you that have not fallen for this lie or have never heard of it, I thank God for keeping you safe. We must
always remember that the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, but in order for it to be effective we must keep it
sharp, and that means continually studying His Word and praying. In Jude verse 3 we are told to "earnestly contend
for the faith." Here the word contend means to fight or to do battle to the death. So let us follow the advice
given in Jude 3 and fight to the last breath for the faith.
I would like to leave you with a passage of scripture that I believe sums it all up.
17) This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,
in the vanity of their mind,
18) having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart:
19) who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20) But ye have not so learned Christ;
21) if so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22) That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23) and be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24) and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25) Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
26) Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27) Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he
may have to give to him that needeth.
29) Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may
minister grace unto the hearers.
30) And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32) and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Chapter 5
1) Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2) and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet smelling savor.
3) But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4) Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5) For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6) Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of
disobedience.
7) Be ye not therefore partakers with them.
8) For ye were sometimes darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9) (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11) And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12) For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
13) But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14) Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15) See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17) Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19) speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20) giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21) submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
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| Ephesians 4:17 - 5:21 |
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One final thought. If the doctrine of unconditional eternal security is true then why do the writers of the New
Testament spend so much time telling us to avoid sin, be obedient to God, live a holy life and so on when all they would
need to tells us is "believe Jesus died for your sins, be born again and after that you can do whatever you want
because you are guaranteed a spot in heaven." Nowhere does the Bible come even close to saying anything like this.
So applying just a little bit of logic will tell you that the doctrine of unconditional eternal security is a lie from
hell.
I pray that this article has touched at least one person, and has brought you into a closer walk with God. If it has
touched only one person then it has done its job.
Please feel free to contact us for any questions on this article.
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