The objective of this article is to show that the doctrine of Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS), also called Unconditional Eternal Security, is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches conditional salvation and security. Heaven is only for those who sanctify themselves and who endure to the end. Those who go back to the world or who give up during persecution won’t see heaven.

Calvinism and OSAS

Both Calvinism and OSAS teach that salvation cannot be lost. Once a believer comes to saving faith in Christ, they are eternally saved. But there is one essential difference.

Calvinism teaches that all those who are truly saved will endure to the end, and that those who fail to endure to the end were never saved to begin with. This doctrine, also referred to as the perseverance of the saints, offers no unconditional assurance of salvation, because unless one actually endures to the end, there is absolutely no way to know if that person is truly saved. Calvinism promises we cannot lose a salvation that it can never guarantee we have to begin with.

OSAS, on the other hand, teaches that if one gets truly saved, enduring to the end is optional. There are several OSAS flavors, differing in the requirements for getting “truly saved.” But once that magic moment is reached, you have a guaranteed ticket to heaven. You can go back to sin and die in sin. You can deny Christ during persecution. You can fall away from the faith and die an atheist. None of these will make you lose your salvation. You will only lose rewards.

I personally consider Calvinism to be a flawed theological system, though not necessarily dangerous. Many great men of God were Calvinists after all. I have no big problem with Calvinists, because we share the belief that only those who run the race to the end will enter heaven and that we are completely safe in God’s hand.

OSAS, however, is dangerous. Those who believe it will inevitably let their guard down and are more likely to fall away, whether by going back to the world or by denying their faith during persecution, just as the parable of the sower warns. This doctrine causes many Christians to lose their fear of God. If nothing we do can make us lose our salvation, why not enjoy the pleasures of sin a bit? We’ll only lose some rewards.

Arguments for OSAS

The following are the most common arguments for OSAS.

No one will snatch them out of my hand.

[John 10:28-29] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

First, Jesus’ sheep follow Him. Those who go back to the world no longer follow Jesus. It is true that no one can snatch us from His hand, but these verses don’t say we cannot walk away. As long as we stay in His hand, we are safe. If we walk away, we are no longer safe. Jesus won’t keep us in His hand against our will. If we stop following Him, we are no longer in His hand. Sheep who turn away from the shepherd will be eaten by the wolves.

No one can separate us from the love of God.

[Romans 8:38-39] I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is very similar to the previous one. These verses don’t say that we cannot separate ourselves from God’s love. Remaining in His love is our responsibility, and that includes obeying Jesus’ commandments, not only believing in Him, like so many believe.

[John 15:9-10] Abide in my love. 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.

We were sealed with the Holy Spirit.

[Ephesians 1:13-14] In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

We were indeed sealed, but where does the Bible say that seals can’t be broken? The guarantee mentioned here is that God won’t break the covenant we have with Him. But that doesn’t mean we can’t break the covenant ourselves. Those who fall away break the covenant and won’t be saved.

God will complete his work in us.

[Philippians 1:6] I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

God will certainly do it, but only if we remain in Him. If we choose to go back to sin, will God’s good work in us still be completed?

They went out from us, but they were not of us.

[1 John 2:19] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

I fully agree that most who fall away were never truly saved to begin with. But can that be said about all who fall away? Maybe yes, maybe no. But if we agree that who fall away don’t go to heaven, what practical difference does it make? This verse can be used to support Calvinism, but not OSAS, which says one can fall away and still go to heaven.

Salvation is a free gift. We did nothing to receive it, so we can do nothing to lose it.

It is true that salvation is a gift, but that doesn’t mean that there are no conditions to receive it, that nothing is required of us to be saved. Otherwise everybody would be saved. The Bible is very clear that the conditions for receiving salvation are repentance and faith. If these are the conditions to get saved, why is it that hard to accept that the same conditions are required to stay saved? To make it to heaven, one needs to remain in repentance and faith, even in the face of temptations and persecution.

Once we are born, we cannot be unborn.

This is not found anywhere in the Bible. When we go back to a sinful lifestyle we are not unborn, we die. When we turn away from God like the prodigal son, we die spiritually. But if we turn back to Him, we become alive again, just as the Bible says:

[Luke 15:24] This my son was dead, and is alive again.

The wages of sin is still death.

If eternal life could be lost, it would no longer be eternal.

This is not found anywhere in the Bible. The truth is that we don’t have eternal life in ourselves. Only Jesus has eternal life in Himself. We have eternal life only as long as we remain in Jesus. If we turn away from Him and go back to sin, we are no longer in Jesus and we no longer have eternal life. It’s that simple.

What the Bible says

The following are the most important verses on this issue, followed by short explanations.

[Matthew 6:15] IF you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Those who harbor unforgiveness in their heart are on their way to hell, regardless of how long they’ve been Christians.

[Matthew 7:21-23] Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who DOES the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Those who don’t do God’s will won’t go to heaven, regardless of what they believe, including those who at one point did God’s will but then fell away. You can interpret ‘I never knew you’ to mean that such were never saved, but that doesn’t change the fact that those who don’t live in holiness won’t to heaven.

[Matthew 10:22] You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

If we don’t endure to the end, we won’t be saved. How else can you interpret this? This by itself should end this whole OSAS thing.

[Matthew 13:20-21] As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy , yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

Some believers endure only for a while then fall away. What makes you believe you couldn’t be one of them?

[Luke 15:24] This my son was dead, and is alive AGAIN; he was lost, and is found.

We can be alive, then die spiritually, then be alive again. We have eternal life only as long as we remain in Jesus, because only Jesus has life in Himself. If we go back to a sinful lifestyle, we are no longer in Him and die spiritually. If we turn back to Him, we become alive again, just like the prodigal son.

[John 15:2] I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away.

Branches in Jesus are believers, not unbelievers. It’s absurd to claim that an unbeliever can be in Jesus. Unfruitful believers get cut off.

[John 15:6] If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

This verse talks about believers, not unbelievers. One cannot abide in Jesus without first being in Jesus. Believers who don’t abide in Jesus end up in hell.

[Romans 11:20-22] Do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

This verse alone should be enough to destroy the OSAS doctrine. If believers don’t continue in God’s kindness, they will certainly be cut off. Unbelievers cannot continue in God’s kindness.

[1 Corinthians 9:27] I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Paul knew he could lose the very thing others had gained through his preaching, that is, eternal life, not just rewards. The Greek word for ‘disqualified’ (adokimos) means rejected after failing a test, which is rendered by other translations as ‘reprobate.’

[1 Corinthians 10:11-12] Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

Paul is writing to believers here. Why is he warning them against falling if it’s impossible for a believer to fall?

[1 Corinthians 15:1-2] Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, IF you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

We are saved only if we keep believing the gospel. If we stop believing the gospel, we believed in vain. It makes no practical difference if we “lost our salvation” or were “never saved to begin with.”

[Colossians 1:22-23] He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, IF indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.

We go to heaven only if we continue in the faith. Those who fall away won’t go to heaven.

[Galatians 5:4] You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

How can you be severed from Christ of you were never in Christ? How can you fall from grace if you were never in grace?

[Galatians 6:8-9] For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, IF we do not give up.

We will reap eternal life only if we don’t give up. If we give up, we won’t reap eternal life.

[1 Timothy 1:19] Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith.

If we don’t walk carefully, we can certainly shipwreck our faith. If we shipwreck our faith, will we still go to heaven?

[1 Timothy 4:1] Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.

How can one depart from the faith if one was never in the faith?

[1 Timothy 4:16] Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you WILL save both yourself and your hearers.

Final salvation is a future event and conditional on our behavior.

[2 Timothy 2:12] IF we endure, we will also reign with him. IF we deny him, he also will deny us.

Christians who deny Jesus during persecution won’t go to heaven. This is another verse that completely destroys OSAS.

[Philippians 2:12-13] Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you

It is indeed God who works in us, but we also have to do our part. Nothing happens automatically.

[Hebrews 3:6] We are God’s house, IF indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Again, the same idea as before. We also need to do something. This is one of those verses that can be used to support Calvinism, because those who don’t hold fast are not God’s house.

[Hebrews 3:12] Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Why warn against falling away if it’s impossible to fall away? How can one fall away from God if they were never in God to begin with?

[Hebrews 3:14] We have come to share in Christ, IF indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

This is an interesting verse, because we have a past event that depends on a future event. This is one of the strongest arguments for the Calvinist doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Those who have come to share in Christ will endure to the end. Those who don’t endure to the end show that they haven’t come to share in Christ.

[Hebrews 6:4-6] It is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

These were not average Christians but Christians who had a strong relationship with God and received special revelations. And yet they fell away during persecution. If these were not true believers, then no one can have the assurance of being a true believer.

[Hebrews 10:38-39] “My righteous one shall live by faith, and IF he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

If we shrink back, we will be destroyed and lose our souls. If we shrink back, we prove we have no real faith, regardless of what we believe. But to say that those who shrink back never had real faith to begin with is more debatable.

[Hebrews 10:26-27] IF we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Those who believe in Jesus but live in willful sin are on their way to hell, regardless of their theology.

[James 1:12] Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Final salvation is only for those who pass the tests of life. Those who fail them won’t receive the crown of life.

[James 1:21] Put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Able to save your souls? How can it be? I thought our souls are already saved! The only explanation is that there is a difference between initial and final salvation and that the latter is a future event that depends on our behavior.

[James 5:19-20] My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

This is written to believers, not to unbelievers. It is possible for a believer to wander from the truth and come back. When one is not in the truth, his soul is dead.

[2 Peter 1:10] Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for IF you practice these qualities you will never fall.

Peter is talking to believers here, warning them that they also need to do something if they want to be sure of their salvation. Otherwise, they are at risk of falling.

[2 Peter 2:20] For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

This verse clearly says that it’s possible to have a true salvation experience, then go back to sin and stay there.

[1 John 1:7] IF we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we live in willful sin, we don’t walk in the light. If we don’t walk in the light, the blood of Jesus won’t cleanse us from sin. If we are not cleansed from sin, we won’t go to heaven. Therefore, those who live in willful sin won’t go to heaven, even if they believe in Jesus.

[1 John 2:3-4] By this we know that we have come to know him, IF we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

If we don’t keep the commandments of Jesus, we don’t know Him, and if we don’t know Him, we are not saved. Those who live in sin disobey Jesus and are therefore not saved, regardless of what they believe.

[1 John 2:15-17] Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever DOES the will of God abides forever.

Those who love the world are not saved, regardless of what they believe. Only those who do the will of God are saved.

[1 John 3:6] No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

Those who live in sin are not in Jesus and don’t know Him. They are not saved, regardless of what they believe.

[1 John 5:11-12] God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Eternal life is only in Jesus. We have eternal life only if we remain in Him. If we turn away from Him, we no longer have eternal life.

[Revelation 2:10] Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Eternal life is only for those who are willing to die for their faith. Those who deny Christ during persecution won’t go to heaven.

[Revelation 2:11] The one who overcomes won’t be hurt by the second death.

Those who fail to overcome will be hurt by the second death. This and the previous verse are another death blow to OSAS.

[Revelation 3:5] The one who overcomes will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life.

The names of those who fail to overcome will be blotted out of the book of life. If your name is in the book of life, you are saved. If your name is not in the book of life, you are not saved. If your name is blotted out of the book of life, you go from a state of being saved to a state of being unsaved, something that it’s impossible according to OSAS.

[Revelation 21:7] The one who overcomes will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he WILL be my son.

He WILL be my son? Wasn’t this supposed to be a done deal? As you can see, things are not that simple. Only those who overcome will be sons of God.

Excuses used to justify OSAS

OSAS proponents usually come up with one of these two excuses:

These verses are not talking about true believers. Those who fall away were never saved to begin with.

This excuse is used by OSAS proponents and Calvinists whenever the Bible talks about falling away. For the sake of argument, let’s assume this to be true. Then let me ask you: What guarantee do YOU have that you are saved? How do YOU know you are a true believer, unless you actually endure to the end? How do YOU know you won’t be one of those who will fall away? The only honest answer is: There is no way to know! Consider the following verse:

[2 Peter 2:20] If, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

These people were believers. Knowing Jesus is one of the definitions of salvation. If you believe these people were not saved, what makes you think that YOU are saved? There is no way to know, because as long as we are in the flesh, there is a risk of falling away. To deny that is to be completely out of touch with reality.

And even if we assume that those who fall away were never saved to begin with, what practical difference does it make? The fact still remains that those who don’t endure to the end won’t go to heaven. No serious Calvinist would claim otherwise.

Christians can lose rewards but not their salvation.

Really? Do these verses sound like talking about rewards?

[Revelation 2:10-11] Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. … The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.

Overcoming is a matter of (eternal) life and death, not of rewards.

To help you see the absurdity of the OSAS doctrine, I want to ask you a simple question: If you deny Christ during persecution and die in that state, will you still go to heaven? The OSAS proponents have no other option but to answer YES, whereas the Bible clearly says NO.

[2 Timothy 2:12] If we deny him, he also will deny us.

Conclusions

The Bible clearly teaches that a believer’s salvation and security are conditional. ANY of the following will disqualify a believer from entering heaven, including you and me:

One can claim that those in the above categories were never saved to begin with. That might be true, but it doesn’t really matter. If such people don’t go to heaven, what practical difference does it make if they were “never saved in the first place” or if they “lost their salvation”?

Remember that salvation is a covenant between two parties. God will certainly keep His end of the deal, but we also need to keep ours. Those verses that are typically used to justify OSAS simply mean that God is faithful and will not break the covenant, not that we cannot break it ourselves. The sad reality is that most Christians do break this covenant, whether through sin, disobedience, unfaithfulness, or unbelief, just as the Israelites broke the old covenant.

The way to heaven is narrow and difficult, not easy, and those who endure to the end are few and far between. Do not be deceived by doctrines that promise you an easy way into heaven, telling you that “Christ did it all” and that “you don’t have to do anything, just believe.” Those are lies from the pit of hell. Do not be deceived by wolves in sheep’s clothing who tickle your ears, telling you what you want to hear and keeping you comfortable in your sin and your lukewarmness.

If you want to see heaven, you absolutely must do all of the following:

Those who live in sin and those who love the world are on their way to hell, no matter what they believe. Without holiness no one will see the Lord. Fruitless believers get cut off and thrown into the fire. Those who deny Christ during persecution will also be denied by Him before the Father.

Heaven is only for overcomers.