Conditional preservation of the saints

Part of a series on Arminianism

Jacobus Arminius

Background Protestantism Reformation The Five Articles of Remonstrance Calvinist-Arminian Debate

People Jacobus Arminius Simon Episcopius Hugo Grotius The Remonstrants John Wesley

Doctrine Total depravity Conditional election Unlimited atonement Prevenient grace Conditional preservation This box: view • talk • edit

The term Conditional Preservation of the Saints is used to describe the belief that a Christian's salvation can be forfeited. The central tenet holds that believers are preserved from all attempts to "snatch them from the Father's hand" but can willingly reject the Gospel after it has been accepted, thus being conditional on remaining faithful to Jesus.

Pastor and theologian David Pawson comments, "The Arminian position is accurately portrayed by someone throwing a lifeline to a drowning man and saying 'grab hold of this and keep holding on tightly until I pull you to safety.' I would maintain that no one rescued in this way would dream that he had saved himself or even made a 'contribution' which merited his rescue. He would be filled with gratitude towards his rescuer."^[1]

Historical background

Main article: History of Calvinist-Arminian Debate

Although the debate between Christian theologians has been raging since the days of Augustine and Pelagius before him, the battle lines were first clearly drawn with the issuance of the Five articles of Remonstrance and the rebutting Five points of Calvinism. Article V of Remonstrance is summarized below:

"Those who are incorporated into Christ through faith have received power and victory over Satan and this world through the continual ministry of grace; and as such, all who cooperate with God's continual grace will not fall to any attempts of Satan to snatch them from His hand. Regarding the possibility of apostasy, we [the Remonstrants writers] cannot authoritatively teach this without further study of the Scripture."^[2]

The Remonstrants never completely affirmed the ability to forfeit one's salvation. Even Jacobus Arminius rarely brought up the doctrine (choosing instead to focus on conditional election, prevenient grace, and unlimited atonement) although he did briefly refer to the doctrine in his teachings, saying that the Bible allowed for the possibility of "some individuals through negligence to desert the commencement of their existence in Christ, to cleave again to the present world, to decline from the sound doctrine which was once delivered to them, to lose a good conscience, and to cause Divine grace to be ineffectual."^[3] In response to the Five Articles, the five points of Calvinism ("P" in the acronym TULIP) proclaimed the doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints.

John Wesley is quite possibly the most outspoken theological defender of a condition preservation in Protestant history. He criticized what he saw as the "insidious danger of false security and moral complacency,"^[4] arguing with friend and comrade George Whitfield and publishing the periodical The Arminian, thus forever connecting the name of Arminius with the systems now known by his name. Wesley taught that it was possible for true believers refusing to walk in holiness to forfeit their salvation.^[5]

Doctrine

The following doctrinal statements are made following the beliefs outlined by Stephen M. Ashby (advocating Reformed (Classical) Arminianism)^[6] and Steven Harper (advocating Wesleyan Arminianism)^[7] respectively in Four Views on Eternal Security (see Resources below)

Classical Arminian doctrine

Classical Arminian theology holds to a perspective that would include the key attributes below:

• God preserves all those who are saved through faith in Jesus Christ
• This divine preservation includes grace to overcome temptation, grow in righteousness, and endure persecution
• This preservation is conditional upon continued faith in Jesus
• God will not force continued salvation upon those who deliberately renounce their faith
• The willful, deliberate act of apostasy is once and for all; it is not possible to recover salvation once it has been lost

Wesleyan Arminian Doctrine

Wesleyan Arminian theology differs slightly in its understanding, disagreeing with the last two points above. Instead, Wesleyan Arminianism holds that:

• Conscious, unconfessed sin (without any expression of regret) is the beginning point for the fall from grace
• Repentance (confession and change) is a necessary part of the Christian walk and restores holiness and salvation
• It is possible for long periods of backsliding to create a "shipwreck" of faith and loss of eternal life should it continue untended, but in spite of this God can radically call one back to saving grace

It should be noted that the overwhelming majority of Arminians deny any accusations of "works-based salvation." ^[8] See Criticisms and Responses for more information.

Biblical support

Below are some of the key Scriptures that are used to defend Conditional Perseverance. All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise cited.

Scriptures used to support

• Matthew 10:22 - And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
• Mark 8:34-35 - Then Jesus called the crowd to himself along with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continually, because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it." (ISV)
• Luke 8:11-13 - Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.
• John 15:5-6 - I [Jesus] am the vine, you [the disciples] are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 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. (NASB)
• Romans 8:12-13 - So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (NASB)
• Romans 11:19-21 - Then you will say, "Branches were cut off so that I could be grafted in." That’s right! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you remain only because of faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid! For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly will not spare you either. Consider, then, the kindness and severity of God: his severity toward those who fell, but God’s kindness toward you—if you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off. (ISV)
• 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. (NASB)
• Galatians 5:16,19-21 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.... Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
• Galatians 6:7-8 - Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 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.
• Colossians 1:21-23 - And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 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 ....
• 1 Timothy 1:18-19 - 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, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. (NASB)
• 1 Timothy 4:1 - But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. (NASB)
• Hebrews 3:12-14 - Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
• Hebrews 6:4-6 - For 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.
• Hebrews 10:26-29 - For 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. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
• Hebrews 10:36-39 - For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but 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.
• James 1:12 - How blessed is the man who endures temptation! When he has passed the test, he will receive the victor's crown of life that God has promised to those who keep on loving him. (ISV)
• 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.
• 2 Peter 2:20-22 - For if, after escaping the world's corruptions through a full knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah, they are again entangled and conquered by those corruptions, then their last condition is worse than their former one. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and turn their backs on the holy commandment that was committed to them. The proverb is true that describes what has happened to them: "A dog returns to its vomit," and "A pig that is washed goes back to wallow in the mud." (ISV)
• 2 Peter 3:16-17 - ... Some things in them [Paul's letters] are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, leading to their own destruction, as they do the rest of the Scriptures. And so, dear friends, since you already know these things, continually be on your guard not to be carried away by the deception of lawless people. Otherwise, you may fall from your secure position. (ISV)
• Jude 20-21 - But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
• Revelation 2:10-11 - Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. (NASB)
• Revelation 21:7-8 - He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 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. (NASB)

There are also a group of Scriptures that use the present participle of the word "believe", which a number of commentators and grammarians take to mean a continual, progressive nature. Thus, these verbs could be translated "is believing" or "is continuing to believe".^[9] Below are some of these verses, commonly cited by proponents of Conditional Preservation. The present participle interpretation is noted in brackets.

• John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes [is believing] in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
• John 3:36 - He who believes [is believing] in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe [is not believing] the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
• John 5:24 - "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears [is hearing] My word and believes [is believing] in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
• John 6:35 - And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes [is coming] to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes [is believing] in Me shall never thirst."
• John 6:40 - And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes [is believing] in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
• John 10:27-28 - My sheep hear [are hearing] My voice, and I know [am knowing] them, and they follow [are following] Me. And I give [am giving] them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Note that John 5:24 and John 10:27-28 above are also on the below list of Scriptures that must be reconciled with conditional preservation. Robert E. Picirilli explains the Arminian interpretation by comparing John 5:24 ("...he who hears My word and believes...shall not come into judgement") and John 3:36 ("...he who does not believe the Son shall not see life...") as follows:

Grammatically, if the first means that the condition of the believer cannot be changed, then the second means that the condition of the unbeliever likewise cannot be changed. In fact, neither passage is even speaking to that issue.... Each promise applies with equal force to those who persist in the respective state described.^[10]

Scriptures that must be reconciled

Opponents of conditional preservation cite a number of verses to support their case, including:

• John 5:24 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
• John 6:37-39 - All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
• John 10:27-29 - 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.
• John 17:12 - While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
• Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
• Romans 8:35,37-39 - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For 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.
• 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 – [God] who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
• 1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
• 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.
• Philippians 1:6 - And 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.
• 2 Timothy 4:18 - The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
• Hebrews 7:25 - Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (NASB)
• 1 Peter 1:5 - ... who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (NASB)
• 1 John 3:9 - No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. (NIV)
• Jude 24-25 - To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (NIV)

Comparisons to opposing doctrines

In Calvinist theology, perseverance of the saints is the logical culmination of the entire system, logically following the theory that if (a) believers are individually and unconditionally elected, if (b) grace is irresistible, and if (c) atonement is limited, then (a+b+c=d) perseverance is necessary. Even Reformed Arminian Stephen Ashby graciously acknowledges that 5-point Calvinism is logically tight.^[11] Nevertheless, Ashby - and all other Arminian theologians - disagree with the Calvinist' presuppositions (the 'ULI' in TULIP) and claim justification in their own logical system that holds conditional election, general atonement, and resistible grace to be more Biblically sound.^[12]

On a practical level, traditional Calvinism (see Perseverance of the Saints - The Traditional Doctrine for the definition as it is referred to here) and Arminianism are very similar in their belief that only those Christians who persevere to the very end are glorified (receive eternal life).^[13] The difference occurs in explaining how apparently converted individuals fell away; traditional Calvinists maintain that a such person never possessed genuine, saving faith because Calvinism asserts that true converts will persevere. Arminians hold that preservation is conditional, and though faith was indeed genuine at one point, that person disqualified himself through a rejection of Jesus.

Conditional preservation is much more strongly opposed to the non-traditional, more moderate understanding of Calvinism (see Perseverance of the Saints - The Non-Traditional Doctrine). From the non-traditional paradigm (of which Martin Luther was a strong supporter), salvation is not contingent upon subsequent holiness; indeed one could deny Christ repeatedly and be sure of their eternal life. Conditional preservation clearly contradicts this belief, both theologically and practically.^[14]

Criticisms and responses

Many criticisms have been offered of Conditional Preservation of the Saints. The criticisms and responses below come from David Pawson's book Once Saved, Always Saved?^[15]. Note that both the criticisms and responses are vast simplifications and are given here for clarification and reference, not purposes of debate.

• Criticism: A conditional preservation depreciates the meaning of grace
• Response: There is a difference between doing something to deserve a gift and doing something to receive a gift. There is also a difference between an 'undeserved favor' and 'irresistible force'.^[16]

• Criticism: Conditional preservation denies predestination
• Response: It absolutely denies a Calvinist understanding of predestination.^[17] See Conditional election for more information on an Arminian understanding of predestination.

• Criticism: If God declares a believer innocent when he accepts Christ, the believer cannot be made guilty again
• Response: Regeneration (being born again) and justification (being made innocent before God) do not reduce the necessity of sanctification (the process of being conformed to Christ's image). It is possible for acquitted criminals to find themselves in court again for returning to their crimes.^[18]

• Criticism: A rejection of "once saved, always saved" destroys assurance of salvation
• Response: It does destroy assurance of future salvation, but strongly maintains assurance of present salvation. Conditional Preservation arguably offers more assurance than traditional Calvinism (because in traditional Calvinism, for one to not preserve requires that he was self-deceived and never was truly regenerate)^[19]

• Criticism: Conditional Preservation necessitates a works-based salvation
• Response: This criticism is often directed at the possibility of apostasy, which non-traditional Calvinists maintain requires continual good works to achieve final salvation. Most Arminians assert strongly that salvation and eternal security is "by faith, first to last" (Rom 1:17) and "not by works, so that no man can boast" (Eph 2:9), and they draw a distinction between works meriting salvation and works proving faith, which in turn secure salvation (Eph 2:10, James 2:17-26).^[20] In the Arminian system, belief is the condition for entrance into the Kingdom of God, and unbelief – not a lack of good works – is the condition for exit.

Notes

1. ^  Pawson, David Once Saved, Always Saved? A Study in Perseverance and Inheritance (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1996), Pg. 106
2. ^  Arminian Articles: The Remonstrant Articles (Synod of Dordt, 1618-1619) Philip Schaff Bibliography Pages 545ff.
3. ^  Arminius, James The Works of James Arminius, 3 vols. (Albany, Ore.: AGES Software, 1997) 1:229
4. ^  Pawson Once Saved, Always Saved? Pg. 99-101
5. ^  Ibid., Pg. 121-124
6. ^  Ibid., Pg. 10-13, 103
7. ^  Ibid., Pg. 9-10
8. ^  Ibid., Pg 104-124
9. ^  Harper, Steven (contributor) "Wesleyan Arminianism", Four Views on Eternal Security (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) Pg. 207ff
10. ^  Ashby, Stephen M. (contributor) "Reformed Arminianism", Four Views on Eternal Security (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) Pg. 135ff
11. ^  Ibid., Pg. 156
12. ^  Ibid., Pg. 164
13. ^  Picirilli, Robert Grace, Faith, Free Will: Contrasting Views of Salvation: Calvinism and Arminianism (Nashville: Randall House Publications, 2002) ISBN 0-89265-648-4

Resources

Multiple views

• J. Matthew Pinson, ed. (2002). Four Views on Eternal Security. Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-23439-5
• Herbert W. Bateman IV, ed. (2007). Four Views on the Warning Passages in Hebrews. Kregel Publications. ISBN 978-0-8254-2132-7

Arminian view

• W. T. Purkiser (1956, 1974 2nd ed.). Security: The False and the True. Beacon Hill Press. ISBN 083-410-0487
• Robert Shank (1960). Life in the Son: A Study of the Doctrine of Perseverance. Bethany House Publishers. ISBN 1-55661-091-2
• I. Howard Marshall (1969, 1995 Rev. ed.). Kept by the Power of God: A Study of Perseverance and Falling Away. Paternoster Press. ISBN 0-85364-642-2
• David Pawson (1996). Once Saved, Always Saved? A Study in Perseverance and Inheritance. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-61066-2
• B. J. Oropeza (2000, 2007). Paul and Apostasy: Eschatology, Perseverance, and Falling Away in the Corinthian Congregation. Wipf & Stock Publishers. ISBN 1-55635-332-2
• Daniel Corner (2000). The Believer's Conditional Security: Eternal Security Refuted. ISBN 0-9639076-8-9
• Robert E. Picirilli (2002). Grace, Faith, Free Will. Contrasting Views of Salvation: Calvinism and Arminianism. Randall House Publications. ISBN 0-892656-48-4
• Frederick W. Claybrook, Jr. (2003) Once Saved, Always Saved? A New Testament Study of Apostasy. University Press of America. ISBN 0-7618-2642-4
• French L. Arrington (2005). Unconditional Eternal Security: Myth or Truth? Pathway Press. ISBN 1-59684-070-6

Traditional Calvinist view

• G. C. Berkouwer (1958). Studies in Dogmatics: Faith and Perseverance. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8028-4811-7
• D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1976). Romans 8:17-39: The Final Perseverance of the Saints. Banner of Truth. ISBN 0-85151-231-3
• Judith M. Gundry (1991). Paul and Perseverance: Staying in and Falling Away. Westminster/John Knox. ISBN 0-664-25175-5
• Anthony A. Hoekema (1994). Saved by Grace. Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-0857-3
• A. W. Pink (2001). Eternal Security. Sovereign Grace Publishers. ISBN 1-58960-195-5
• Thomas R. Schreiner & Ardel B. Caneday (2001). The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance. Inter-Varsity Press. ISBN 0-8308-1555-4
• Alan P. Stanley (2007). Salvation is More Complicated Than You Think: A Study on the Teachings of Jesus. Authentic Publishing. ISBN 1-934068-02-0

Non-traditional Calvinist view

• R. T. Kendall (1983, 1995). Once Saved, Always Saved. Authentic Media. ISBN 1-932805-27-3
• Charles C. Ryrie (1989, 1997). So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ. Moody Publishers. ISBN 0-8024-7818-2
• Charles Stanley (1990). Eternal Security: Can You Be Sure?. Oliver-Nelson Books. ISBN 0-8407-9095-3
• Joseph C. Dillow (1992). The Reign of the Servant Kings: A Study of Eternal Security and the Final Significance of Man. Schoettle Publishing Company. ISBN 1-56453-095-7
• Norman L. Geisler (1999, 2001). Chosen But Free: A Balanced View of Divine Election, 2nd ed. Bethany House Publishers. ISBN 0-7642-2521-9
• Robert N. Wilkin (2005). Secure and Sure: Grasping the Promises of God. Grace Evangelical Society. ISBN 0-9641392-7-8

External links

See Perseverance of the Saints for a large list of external links from a variety of perspectives