Is Once Saved Always Saved Scriptural?
Once saved, always saved is a doctrinal position held by many people. At The Way of the Messiah, we are only interested in what the Bible says; we are not interested in doctrines and traditions if the Word of God does not uphold them. Therefore, we decided to take a look at what the Bible has to say on this issue.
Since the Word of Yahweh (the God of the Bible) cannot contradict itself, this doctrine could only be true if there were no Scriptures that opposed this view. Therefore, to save time and reading, we have decided to post those Scriptures which we found that contradict this doctrine, calling the validity of this doctrine strongly into question.
Does it really matter if more Scriptures are found to justify “once saved, always saved” in light of the Scriptures listed below? You’ll notice that there are multiples of Scriptures that do not support or strongly challenge this doctrine. We have not taken one Scripture and built a theology out of it. We have looked at this issue from many Scriptural sources.
When looking at a subject, the entire counsel of the Word of God must be considered. This is by no means an exhaustive study, but for “once saved, always saved” to be true, the Scriptures below cannot be true. Since it is impossible for Scriptures from the Word of Yahweh to be false, then we at The Way of the Messiah feel that “once saved, always saved,” is not sound doctrine.
1. 1 Timothy 1:18-20:
18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.
Faith = 4102 pistis, reliance upon Christ for salvation. Pistis is conviction of the truth of anything, of God’s existence as creator and ruler of all things, the provider of eternal salvation through Christ; to Christ with a strong conviction/belief that Jesus is Christ through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the
ALL uses of “faith” in the New Testament except when in the phrase “oh ye of little faith” are this word. It is ALWAYS linked to faith for salvation.
2. Matthew 7:21-23:
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 " Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
They called him “Lord” and did works in His name, yet He told them to depart from His presence. This is the judgment of the sheep and goats. (See Lawlessness Study in order to ascertain what makes a sheep a sheep and what makes a goat a goat.)
3. Hebrews 10:26-27:
26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.
4. Matthew 12:31-32 and Mark 3:28-29:
28 " Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;
29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"
5. Galatians 5:19-20:
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the
6. Revelation 21:8:
"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
7. Matthew 6:14-15
14 "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Note that this was addressed to the disciples; these are the first verses right after “the Lord’s Prayer.” Can you be in God’s presence with sin?
8. Rev. 3:3-5:
3 'So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
4 'But you have a few people in
5 'He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
6 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
9. John 15:5-7, 10:
5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
(To understand just what He means by keeping His commandments, see Lawlessness Study)
10. 1 John 2:3-6:
3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:
6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
11. Hebrews 6:4-8:
4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.
7 For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;
8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.
enlightened: 5461, photizo, to shed rays, to make to see. [They have been enlightened and “made to see.”]
tasted: 1089, geuomair, to taste, to eat, to experience
heavenly: 3772, ouranos, spec. the Gospel, Christianity
gift: 1431, dorea, free gift, spiritual or supernatural
partakers: 3353, metochos, participant, sharer, associate, partner
word: 4487, rhema, an utterance, a matter or topic. [“charismatics” know the truth: this means the revealed word of God vs. the logos, the written word of God.]
powers: 1411, dunamis, almost always points to new and higher forces that have entered and are working in this lower world of ours. [This is the EXACT same word that is used in Acts 1:8 when Y’shua says, “You shall receive dunamis – power- when the Holy Spirit comes upon you….”]
fall: 3895, parapipto, fall aside, apostatize, fall away
impossible: 102, adunatos, unable, impossible, could not do
renew: 340, anakainizo, to restore, to renew; this is its ONLY meaning
repentance: 3341, metanoia, compunction, reversal
crucify afresh (KJV): 388, anastaroo, TO RECRUCIFY. This is ONLY used in this ONE passage in the ENTIRE BIBLE!!
open shame: 3856, paradeigmatizo, to show alongside (the public), to expose to infamy. It is used in Hebrews 6:6 “put Christ to open shame” by apostate Christians. (These words are STRAIGHT from the Strong’s Concordance.)
This passage says that these people have heard the Gospel, been saved (experienced the supernatural free heavenly gift), experienced the revelation (rhema) of the Word, the power (dunamis) of the Holy Spirit, and fell away. To bring them back to repentance would be to RE-crucify Y’shua! This is IMPOSSIBLE, as it says in this passage! But, as you can see from the actual meanings of the words in this passage, these verses prove that according to Scripture, it IS possible for people to fall away, thus nullifying any possibility of “once saved, always saved.”
12. 2 Peter 2:20-22:
20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.
22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."
According to Peter, it is possible for one to become “again entangled” in defilement, with the last state being “worse for them than the first.” If “once saved, always saved” is true, this warning of Peter’s could not be true. Therefore, this doctrine cannot be incorrect.
13. 2 Peter 3:17:
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.
This is cautioning us about the same lie satan put forth to Eve, “Ye shall surely not die.” If it were not possible to “fall from your secure position” then why did Peter write this warning?
14. Mark 4: 3-20 (Luke 8:4-15, Matthew
3 "Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;
4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 "Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
6 "And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 "Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8 "Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
9 And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
11 And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the
12 so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN."
Explanation
13 And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
14 "The sower sows the word.
15 "These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
16 "In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.
18 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20 "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
Notice that it says that they all heard and received the word but only in the last example did it bear fruit. With this parable alone it is impossible to support “once saved, always saved” in light of the whole counsel of Scripture.
15. Matthew 24:12-13:
12 "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.
13 " But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
You cannot grow cold if you were never hot or at least lukewarm! Notice that it is the one who endures to the END who will be saved. Therefore, it is possible to believe and not endure to the end, and thus salvation at the end would be, at best, questionable based in this passage. This is Y’shua speaking!
16. 2 Timothy 2:12:
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
disown (deny, KJV) = 720, arneomai, to disavow, reject, abnegate, deny, to forsake or renounce
This doesn’t say that Yahweh will only reject, forsake and renounce those who never believed in Him, it simply says if we disown Him, He’ll disown us. Whether or not we once made a profession of faith is immaterial. Therefore, this does not support “once saved, always saved.”
17. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2:
1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
18. Colossians 1:21-23: (Colossians was written to believing Jews AND Gentile converts of Epaphras, not just to believing Jews)
21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach —
23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
How can you be “moved away” if you were never close?
19. Matthew 10:22:
22 " You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
20.1 Timothy 3:6:
2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.
4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity
5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the
6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.
It is possible for a believing overseer to “fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil” who was cast out of heaven otherwise this warning would not have been given.
21. 1 Corinthians 10:12:
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
If it were not possible to fall, then why give this warning?
22. Hebrews 3:5-6, 12-19:
5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later;
6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house — whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away* from the living God.
13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,
15 while it is said,
"TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,
DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS,
AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME."
16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of
17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?
19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief*.
v. 12, fall away = 868, aphiustemi, leave, withdrawn, revolt, abandon, mislead
v. 19, unbelief = 570, apistia, disbelief, unfaithfulness, disobedience
23. Matthew 5:13:
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
24.1 Timothy 4:1:
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
depart = fall away = 868, aphiustemi, leave, withdrawn, revolt, abandon, mislead
faith = 4102 pistis –see #1, (used for reliance upon Christ for salvation.)
25. Ezekiel 18:21-32:
21 "But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
22 " All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live.
23 "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, " rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?
24 "But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die.
25 "Yet you say, ' The way of the Lord is not right.' Hear now, O house of
26 "When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will die.
27 "Again, when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life.
28 "Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
29 "But the house of
30 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of
31 "Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of
32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, "declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live."
Here we see that the Tanach (Old Testametn) also tells us that a righteous man may “fall away.”
turns away = 7725 shuwb (shoob); a primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively; generally to retreat; often adverbial, again
remembered 2142 zakar (zaw-kar'); a primitive root; properly, to mark (so as to be recognized), i.e. to remember; by implication, to mention;
26. Romans 11:22:
22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.
Romans was written to believers! Paul clearly says that it is possible for believers to be cut off.
27. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27:
26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;
27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
disqualified = 96 adokimos, unapproved, i.e. rejected; by impl. worthless (lit or mor.) Adokimos signifies not standing the test, rejected.
If it weren’t possible to be disqualified/rejected, then why did Paul mention it?
28. 2 Tim 2:16-18:
16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.
17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,
18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.
overthrow = 396, anatrepo, to overturn, overthrow, subvert
faith = 4102 pistis –see #1
29. Deut 30:15-20
15 "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;
16 in that I command you today to love the YHWH your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the YHWH your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.
17 "But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,
18 I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the
19 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,
20 by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the YHWH swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."
30. Rev. 3:15-22
15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16' So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
21'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
We don’t automatically sit on the throne with Him, as was discussed. According to this, we have to overcome before we qualify.
31. 1 Tim 5:14-15
14 Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach;
15 for some have already turned aside to follow Satan.
Turned aside = 1624 ektrepo (ek-trep'-o); from NT:1537 and the base of NT:5157; to deflect, i.e. turn away (literally or figuratively):
You can’t turn aside unless you were once walking straightly!
32. 2 Peter 2:20-22
21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.
22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."
known =:1921 epiginosko (ep-ig-in-oce'-ko); from NT:1909 and NT:1097; to know upon some mark, i.e. recognize; by implication, to become fully acquainted with, to acknowledge:
According to this Scripture, they DID know, but they turned away.
33. 2 Peter 3:17-18
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
fall =1601 ekpipto (ek-pip'-to); from NT:1537 and NT:4098; to drop away; specially, be driven out of one's course; figuratively, to lose, become inefficient:
34. Hebrews 3:7-14 (Complete Jewish Bible translation)
7 Therefore, as the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) says,
8 "Today, if you hear God's voice,
don't harden your hearts, as you did in the Bitter Quarrel
on that day in the Wilderness when you put God to the test.
9 Yes, your fathers put me to the test;
they challenged me, and they saw my work for forty years!
10 Therefore, I was disgusted with that generation -
I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
they have not understood how I do things';
11 in my anger, I swore
that they would not enter my rest." (Psalm 95:7-11)
12 Watch out, brothers, so that there will not be in any one of you an evil heart lacking trust, which could lead you to apostatize from the living God!
13 Instead, keep exhorting each other every day, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you will become hardened by the deceit of sin.
14 For we have become sharers in the Messiah, provided, however that we hold firmly to the conviction we began with, right through until the goal is reached.(words in bold the translators, showing it is an Old Testament (Tanach) quotation. Italicized portions, mine)
Here, the writer of Hebrews made it clear that the Hebrews in the wilderness did not understand or obey Yahweh's ways and He did not allow them to enter the Promised Land. The writer of Hebrews is also warning us not the make similar mistakes. He tells us to hold firmly until the goal is reached.
35. If “once saved, always saved” is correct and once you are in the covenant you can never get out, then WHY WAS
36. Does “once saved, always saved” mean that I lose free will and my ability to choose? Once in, I can never make another choice because God’s going to do it all through me, so I have no involvement in the choices of my life?
37. Is it possible for someone to walk down an aisle, live however they want and still be saved? If we believe this and judge that someone who has done this as being NOT saved then we are guilty of judging someone else’s salvation, something which we are forbidden to do! We can judge the fruit of someone’s life (Matthew
38. Some hold to John 10:27-29,
27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
29 " 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.
Yes, it is true that no one can snatch you out of God's hand. But as we have seen, the Scriptures in this study warns us repeatedly not to take OURSELVES out of His hand.
39. Some quote Romans 8:37-39 saying that based upon this verse, nothing can separate us from God’s love, therefore making “once saved, always saved” true. While it is true that nothing can separate us from Yahweh’s LOVE that does not mean that we cannot be separated from His PRESENCE. He still loves those who rejected Him (for God so loved the WORLD…John
The Word of God is never contradictory. Whenever it appears to be contradicting itself, it is our interpretation that is off. Therefore, in light of the whole counsel of the word of God, the Bible does not support “once saved, always saved” unless one is comfortable with the Word of God contradicting itself which it would have to do with the passages above in order for “once saved, always saved” to be true.
Some say to oppose the doctrine of "once saved, always saved" is legalism. It is not legalism if God word shows us He holds the same viewpoint. Legalism may be dangerous, but not as dangerous as giving someone a false sense of eternal security by telling them that they have eternal life when they may not. Can YHWH keep us eternally secure? Absolutely! But that doesn’t mean that we have no part in it.