We now get into the main part of this book and will look at one of the most debated doctrines concerning eternal salvation ‘once saved, always saved.’ 

Biblically, once saved, always saved makes sense. When a true believer comes to faith, his or her salvation is never lost.To explain this let’s look at what the Bible says concerning our eternal security.

The Moment of Salvation (1 Corinthians 12:13)
At the very moment a person exercises saving faith in Jesus Christ, they are spiritually placed into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. This marks the start of their eternal inclusion in God’s family. The Holy Spirit baptizes believers into this new life, sealing their identity in Christ forever.

Sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30)
Upon salvation, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit. This “sealing” acts as a permanent guarantee of our salvation, marking us as God’s own possession until the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit Himself is the assurance that God will preserve our salvation.

God’s Sovereign Protection (John 10:28-30; Isaiah 14:24)
It is God’s sovereign will to keep us secure. Jesus promises in John 10:28-30 that no one can snatch us out of His hands. Isaiah 14:24 affirms that God’s plans cannot be thwarted. This emphasizes that our eternal security is in the hands of an all-powerful God who never fails.

The Unbreakable Chain of Salvation (Romans 8:29-30)
Paul teaches that the journey of salvation is unbreakable, from predestination to glorification. This passage assures that all those whom God foreknew and called will be justified and ultimately glorified. Salvation is not left incomplete; God brings it to its full completion.

Christ’s Intercession on Our Behalf (Hebrews 7:25)
Jesus continually prays for us, ensuring that His followers will be kept in the faith. Hebrews 7:25 highlights that Christ’s intercession is ongoing, meaning He actively works to keep us secure in our salvation.

Assurance in God’s Faithfulness (Philippians 1:6; John 10:28-29; 1 John 5:13)
Paul affirms that God will complete the good work He started in believers (Philippians 1:6), giving us confidence that true believers will endure to the end. In 1 John 5:13, John assures us that God’s will is for us to know that we have eternal life. God wants believers to live in confidence, not uncertainty, about their salvation.

Preservation and Protection (Jude 24)
Jude reminds us that God is strong enough not only to save but also to preserve us from falling away. He has the power to keep us from stumbling and will present us blameless before His glory. Our perseverance in faith is secured by God’s strength.

Finally, it would be absurd to think after all these biblical promises and truths that God, who reconciled us through Christ while we were enemies, would now allow our sins to sever that relationship (Romans 5:10).

Eternal Security is not a license to sin

One of the major oppositions to the doctrine of eternal security is the fear that some believers may take it for granted and assume they are free to live as they please and continue in sin post salvation. 

Theoretically, that may be possible, but a true Christian would not be able to continue in sin for long, since scripture teaches that God will discipline them as a father disciplines his children (Hebrews 12:7-11). 

Furthermore, assuming the Bible permits or licenses sin is a grave misunderstanding. The apostle Paul deals with this at the end of Romans chapter 5 where he talks about God’s grace:

Romans 5:20 (NKJV)

Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,

People incorrectly interpret this scripture as a free pass for sinners to do anything they want since you can’t “out-sin” God’s grace.

However Paul, knowing the evil intentions of people, continues by stating (in the following chapter) that it is impossible for true believers to live in sin. 

Romans 6:1-2 (NKJV)

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Paul taught that it was preposterous to think that believers could experience true authentic regeneration and then carry on with their lives sinning. Anyone who has been truly saved is a new creature, who has the conviction of the Holy Spirit and therefore cannot continue to willingly and blatantly live in sin. 

When we sin, we are doing the opposite of what we should do in order to please God. 

So in context Paul is implying that the more grace we receive, the more grateful we should be. Which should lead us to pursue righteousness by obeying God’s law. 

As Christians, our obedience is not a ‘requirement’ for salvation, but rather is an ‘expression’ of God’s grace. 

Does the concept of once saved, always saved sound too good to be true? Yes it is, and that is the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is such a good message that all ‘sinners’ will gladly accept it but those that are like the legalistic Pharisees (trying to earn their way to heaven) will openly reject it.

Logical reasoning for Once Saved Always Saved

As with many other scriptural doctrines, the idea of “once saved, always saved” is also supported logically. Eternal security is consistent with everything else the Bible teaches about mankind, and God.

Examining the doctrine of eternal security with the rest of Scripture demonstrates that it is ‘consistent’ with all other biblically sound teachings.

The idea of losing our Salvation is not only unscriptural, but it creates significant problems with other doctrines, including salvation by faith alone, the sinful nature of man, and the purpose of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice.

The Bible teaches that man is inherently sinful and that sinful nature is a part of all of us (Romans 3:10). This means that even after being saved, every single believer is going struggle with sin from time to time. To simply think we can live a perfect, sinless life post being saved is not only unscriptural but completely arrogant.

1 John 1:8 (NKJV)

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

James 3:2 (NKJV)

2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

If we do not have the right knowledge of our eternal security, then our constant battle with sin may cause us to feel like we might have lost our Salvation, but ask yourself this; How much sin is considered too much? There is no answer for this, and that is precisely the point, there is no scriptural “yardstick” given to tell us how many or what kind of sins are enough to void our Salvation and send us to hell.

Scriptural passages (Ephesians 2:8-9, Isaiah 64:6) indicates that our attempts at good deeds will never earn us a place in heaven. We cannot make up for our past, present, or future sins by doing good works.

A saved believer will, as a natural product of their faith, shun sin, and practice good works (James 2:18).