But what does the Bible say?

With these basic truths in mind, it would seem impossible that a person would lose their salvation and be condemned to hell. 

To fully understand this topic of once saved always saved, we should look to answer the following questions: 

These questions will tie in together the importance of having an assurance of salvation and describe God’s power to save us and preserve us.

It is necessary that believers have an assurance of salvation. Everything in our Christian life depends on this assurance.

The very foundation of our fellowship with God is founded on the assurance that He has truly redeemed us from the clutches of hell and He would not forsake us.

It is also implicit that God would want believers to know that they are saved since individuals can’t receive salvation after they die.

Therefore, it seems crucial that individuals should know if and when they are saved.

In addition to eternal assurance being an essential component of the Christian faith, it is also vital for a Christian’s daily walk in faith. The following are just some of the benefits of eternal security; 

Stability in life: Believers who have an assurance of their salvation will remain stable during difficult times, they will live with the confidence that God does not change, and therefore, His grace is sufficient in all circumstances and situations.

An effective prayer life: Believers who have an assurance of their salvation will also have a practical prayer life, knowing that they can commune with God and approach Him with their requests.  

Authority over Satan: Believers can be confident that they are “Hidden with Christ” (Col. 3:3). They can trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to help them resist Satan and stand firm under satanic attacks. 

Assurance of a secure relationship with God will enable believers to endure the struggles of living in a fallen world.

To answer this question, we must look at the interplay between the sovereignty of God and the free will of humanity. The Scriptures teach us that God is sovereign, yet humans have been given the responsibility for their free moral choices.

Every theological question ultimately has two sides because every doctrine deals with both God and people.

Some scriptures deal with the promises of God to sustain and protect the faith of each believer, while others highlight the responsibility of humans to not depart from the faith.

When viewed in their entirety, these scriptures demonstrate that believers can reject, abandon, way away from their salvation

From the standpoint of human responsibility, God now calls / declares to all people to repent (Acts 17:30; Matt. 3:2; 4:17; Mark 6:12), and also promises that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13; John 3:15–16). Yet the Bible also records that salvation does not depend on the human will. 

Salvation isn’t dependent on the man who wills, wants or works for it but rather on God who has mercy (Rom. 9:16). The redeemed are those characterized as those who were born, not of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). 

In addition, two essential components of the salvation that is repentance (Acts 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25) and faith (Eph. 2:8–9; Phil. 1:29; Acts 16:14) are granted by God. 

Apart from the workings of God in the heart of man the scriptures also record that no one would ever come to Him, since “there is none who seeks for God” (Rom. 3:11; cf.8:7–8; 1 Cor.2:14;2, Cor.4:4; Eph.2:1–3).

God is absolutely sovereign in salvation. Any errant theological systems that make salvation dependent on man’s will in effect dethrone God, and is a clearly contrary to the Scripture.

Jesus said that no one can to Him unless the Father first draws him (John 6:44, John 6:65).

Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV)

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

Unbelievers are spiritually dead and can only be made alive through the saving work of God. 

We can sometimes get it wrong by thinking of our salvation as though we were drowning in the ocean and God sent us a life jacket to save us. The truth is that we were dead in the bottom of the ocean and we needed God to revive us. 

The unbelief of spiritually dead sinners cannot prevent the saving work of God. God has chosen the elect since eternity past, and He will graciously and irresistibly call them to Himself at the appointed time. 

Christians are kept secure in Christ not by their own efforts. Rather, they are preserved by the keeping power of God through faith. 

1 Peter 1:5 (NKJV)

who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Believers are required to take on the responsibility to believe and trust in HIM and God takes on the responsibility to keep the believer.  

As believer’s we should continually take advantage of the means of grace that God has provided for His Children. As we cannot keep ourselves, we can humbly submit to the mighty keeping power of God within us. 

We can work out our salvation as God works within us (Phil; 2:12-13).