“Once Saved, Always Saved”? No.
There’s been much talk of apostasy since Joshua Harris and Marty Simpson made their recent statements.
I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is “deconstruction,” the biblical phrase is “falling away.” By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian. — Joshua Harris (on Instagram)
I’m genuinely losing my faith, and it doesn’t bother me. — Marty Simpson (Instagram post subsequently deleted)
Later Simpson clarified that he’s not renounced his faith, but it’s on incredibly shaky ground.
Every time a Christian announces they have left the faith, don’t wait long and people will say he or she was never saved to begin with. This judgment is based on a belief that true believers cannot fall away. Sometimes it’s called “once saved always saved” or “eternal security.” People who don’t believe apostasy is possible have their ears closed to all the Bible’s warnings, which makes them all the more vulnerable!
A man named Matt Yoder responded to my tweets about these things with some wise words referring to the biblical warnings from 1 Corinthians 10:12 and 1 Timothy 1:19.
Yoder shared an article with me that gave him the idea for his tweets. It’s a good read!
In light of all these discussions, when I reread Luke 14, I was inspired to write this post.
Luke 14:25-35 (NKJV)
25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
I see several lessons we can learn.
Jesus Values Quality over Quantity
Great multitudes went with Him, but Jesus wasn’t about numbers. He wanted faithful followers. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Jesus is not saying we should literally hate our family members or our lives, but that our loyalty to Him should far outweigh that of the others, and we should be willing to forsake even these lives in order to be His disciple.
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” When a person condemned to crucifixion bore their cross, it testified to everyone they were counted as dead. Their fate was sealed—it was just a matter of time until the execution was carried out. As followers of Christ, bearing our cross is acknowledging we are dead to sin and alive to follow Jesus Christ, who is now our Lord (Ro 6:5-11, 7:4-6). Putting to death our old ways every day and choosing to obey Christ is the path He’s called us to. Sometimes, this spiritual reality is reflected in actions that convey loyalty to Christ in ways that make the watching world really wonder.
Dini leaves home. A screenshot from More Than Dreams.
My friend Cristóbal Krusen (of Messenger Films) directed a beautiful film called More Than Dreams, which I highly recommend. It tells the stories of five different Muslims who had visions or dreams of Jesus, decided to follow Him, and grew in their faith. One of the accounts is about a girl named Dini. Her new faith was quickly tested when her family found out. At 16 years old, she was forced to choose between Jesus and living in her family’s home. She chose Jesus.
John 6 tells us large numbers of people stopped following Him (Jn 6:60, 66) because they could not accept His teachings: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven” (Jn 6:51) and “whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life” (Jn 6:54).
Besides the multitudes, Jesus frequently challenged individuals who confessed their desire to follow Him.
Luke 9:57–62 (NKJV)
57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Why make it difficult for the crowds or individuals to follow Him? If someone can repent from sin and confess Jesus as Lord and be eternally secure no matter what they choose to say or do in the future, Jesus’ method of challenging people does not make sense.
Finishing Well Matters
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”
The picture of a person’s spiritual life as a journey on a straight road is a common theme in Scripture. “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deu 5:32). The Bible records many accounts of people who started out well, but later turned aside from following God. Finishing in Christ is imperative.
In his last epistle, the apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NKJV)
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
By the Holy Spirit, Paul knows he’s soon to die. If perseverance is a promise for everyone who begins to follow Christ, rather than the fruit of continuously abiding (obeying Jesus), why would Paul make these statements? If Paul believed in “eternal security” for everyone, his words don’t make a lot of sense. Why even say them?
“I have fought the good fight.” (Why did you fight? We all win.)
“I have finished the race.” (Don’t all finish?)
“I have kept the faith.” (Don’t all keep the faith, unless we never really had it to begin with?)
“There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.” (I’m sure you’ll have a fancier crown than most, but we all expect a crown.)
Even as the apostle who brought the gospel to Europe, Paul’s earlier letters reveal he didn’t bank on yesterday’s service or consider himself immune to apostasy. Instead, he was continually striving towards the Lord.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NKJV)
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.Philippians 3:12-16 (NKJV)
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Recently I read a beautiful account from Advancing Native Missions about a man who takes this to heart and teaches others to do likewise. It said, “He intensively disciples new believers and makes sure that they know about suffering and will not revert to their former religion because of persecution.”
Apostasy Cannot Be Reversed
“Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Lk 14:34-35)
If salt loses its flavor, how can it be seasoned? It becomes useless. As a child, I definitely did not understand this parable. I tried to imagine a salt that wasn’t salty. Here are some of the passages that helped me grasp what Jesus was saying.
Mark 9:49-50 (NKJV)
49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”Matthew 3:8-9 (NKJV)
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”Acts 2:3-4 (NKJV)
3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The “saltiness” of “salt” is the Holy Spirit, which all followers of Christ are baptized with. Now a sober warning:
Hebrews 6:4-6 (NKJV)
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
Apostasy, or “falling away,” is an eternal sin. If they had never repented in the first place, why does it say, “renew them again to repentance”? If they never truly believed, couldn’t they just believe? Why would they need to crucify the Son of God again? It’s because they were previously cleansed, and essentially, they blasphemed the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus is alive forevermore, those who fall away in this sense face eternal condemnation. There’s a difference between backsliding (which can be repented of), and apostasy, which is permanent. If you’ve backslid, or you do in the future, don’t despair: repent!
Mark 3:28-29 (NKJV)
28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not neatly packaged. Some of the Pharisees committed it when they accused Jesus of being possessed by an unclean spirit, but that is clearly not the only instance of unforgivable sin. If a follower of Christ renounces her faith, does she not blaspheme the Holy Spirit? 2 Timothy 2:12 says, “If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” It could be verbal, but unrepentant, abominable actions deny Him, too. Titus 1:16 testifies, “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.” This is consistent with the parable of the expectant servant (Mt 24:48-51, Lk 12:45-46).
Parting Reflections
Salvation is not a once and done, get-out-of-hell-free card. Rather, it’s an invitation to die to self and live for Christ on a daily basis, for the rest of our lives. Following Jesus could cost us everything we have in this life—even our own lifeblood. But Jesus offers eternal life, now and beyond the grave: this is knowing God (Jn 17:3). He restores broken people to the purpose for which He created them–to be in a perfect relationship with their Creator, to the glory of God! Is He worth it?
Jesus told us to count the cost before deciding to follow Him. If you are reading this and you are not a follower of Christ, I pray you would consider His words and ask God to help you understand the big picture.
If you’re already following Him, like I am, I hope you are encouraged to pursue Him wholeheartedly. I’m praying also as I share the gospel going forward, I’ll do it in a way that encourages people to count the cost.
If you were challenged and encouraged by reading this today, I invite you to write a comment and share the post with others!
God bless you all.
Yoder shared an article with me that gave him the idea for his tweets. It’s a good read!
In light of all these discussions, when I reread Luke 14, I was inspired to write this post.
Luke 14:25-35 (NKJV)
25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
I see several lessons we can learn.
Jesus Values Quality over Quantity
Great multitudes went with Him, but Jesus wasn’t about numbers. He wanted faithful followers. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Jesus is not saying we should literally hate our family members or our lives, but that our loyalty to Him should far outweigh that of the others, and we should be willing to forsake even these lives in order to be His disciple.
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” When a person condemned to crucifixion bore their cross, it testified to everyone they were counted as dead. Their fate was sealed—it was just a matter of time until the execution was carried out. As followers of Christ, bearing our cross is acknowledging we are dead to sin and alive to follow Jesus Christ, who is now our Lord (Ro 6:5-11, 7:4-6). Putting to death our old ways every day and choosing to obey Christ is the path He’s called us to. Sometimes, this spiritual reality is reflected in actions that convey loyalty to Christ in ways that make the watching world really wonder.
My friend Cristóbal Krusen (of Messenger Films) directed a beautiful film called More Than Dreams, which I highly recommend. It tells the stories of five different Muslims who had visions or dreams of Jesus, decided to follow Him, and grew in their faith. One of the accounts is about a girl named Dini. Her new faith was quickly tested when her family found out. At 16 years old, she was forced to choose between Jesus and living in her family’s home. She chose Jesus.
Dini leaves home. A screenshot from More Than Dreams.
John 6 tells us large numbers of people stopped following Him (Jn 6:60, 66) because they could not accept His teachings: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven” (Jn 6:51) and “whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life” (Jn 6:54).
Besides the multitudes, Jesus frequently challenged individuals who confessed their desire to follow Him.
Luke 9:57–62 (NKJV)
57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Why make it difficult for the crowds or individuals to follow Him? If someone can repent from sin and confess Jesus as Lord and be eternally secure no matter what they choose to say or do in the future, Jesus’ method of challenging people does not make sense.
Finishing Well Matters
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”
The picture of a person’s spiritual life as a journey on a straight road is a common theme in Scripture. “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deu 5:32). The Bible records many accounts of people who started out well, but later turned aside from following God. Finishing in Christ is imperative.
In his last epistle, the apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NKJV)
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
By the Holy Spirit, Paul knows he’s soon to die. If perseverance is a promise for everyone who begins to follow Christ, rather than the fruit of continuously abiding (obeying Jesus), why would Paul make these statements? If Paul believed in “eternal security” for everyone, his words don’t make a lot of sense. Why even say them?
“I have fought the good fight.” (Why did you fight? We all win.)
“I have finished the race.” (Don’t all finish?)
“I have kept the faith.” (Don’t all keep the faith, unless we never really had it to begin with?)
“There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.” (I’m sure you’ll have a fancier crown than most, but we all expect a crown.)
Even as the apostle who brought the gospel to Europe, Paul’s earlier letters reveal he didn’t bank on yesterday’s service or consider himself immune to apostasy. Instead, he was continually striving towards the Lord.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NKJV)
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.Philippians 3:12-16 (NKJV)
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Recently I read a beautiful account from Advancing Native Missions about a man who takes this to heart and teaches others to do likewise. It said, “He intensively disciples new believers and makes sure that they know about suffering and will not revert to their former religion because of persecution.”
Apostasy Cannot Be Reversed
“Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Lk 14:34-35)
If salt loses its flavor, how can it be seasoned? It becomes useless. As a child, I definitely did not understand this parable. I tried to imagine a salt that wasn’t salty. Here are some of the passages that helped me grasp what Jesus was saying.
Mark 9:49-50 (NKJV)
49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”Matthew 3:8-9 (NKJV)
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”Acts 2:3-4 (NKJV)
3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The “saltiness” of “salt” is the Holy Spirit, which all followers of Christ are baptized with. Now a sober warning:
Hebrews 6:4-6 (NKJV)
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
Apostasy, or “falling away,” is an eternal sin. If they had never repented in the first place, why does it say, “renew them again to repentance”? If they never truly believed, couldn’t they just believe? Why would they need to crucify the Son of God again? It’s because they were previously cleansed, and essentially, they blasphemed the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus is alive forevermore, those who fall away in this sense face eternal condemnation. There’s a difference between backsliding (which can be repented of), and apostasy, which is permanent. If you’ve backslid, or you do in the future, don’t despair: repent!
Mark 3:28-29 (NKJV)
28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not neatly packaged. Some of the Pharisees committed it when they accused Jesus of being possessed by an unclean spirit, but that is clearly not the only instance of unforgivable sin. If a follower of Christ renounces her faith, does she not blaspheme the Holy Spirit? 2 Timothy 2:12 says, “If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” It could be verbal, but unrepentant, abominable actions deny Him, too. Titus 1:16 testifies, “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.” This is consistent with the parable of the expectant servant (Mt 24:48-51, Lk 12:45-46).
Parting Reflections
Salvation is not a once and done, get-out-of-hell-free card. Rather, it’s an invitation to die to self and live for Christ on a daily basis, for the rest of our lives. Following Jesus could cost us everything we have in this life—even our own lifeblood. But Jesus offers eternal life, now and beyond the grave: this is knowing God (Jn 17:3). He restores broken people to the purpose for which He created them–to be in a perfect relationship with their Creator, to the glory of God! Is He worth it?
Jesus told us to count the cost before deciding to follow Him. If you are reading this and you are not a follower of Christ, I pray you would consider His words and ask God to help you understand the big picture.
If you’re already following Him, like I am, I hope you are encouraged to pursue Him wholeheartedly. I’m praying also as I share the gospel going forward, I’ll do it in a way that encourages people to count the cost.
If you were challenged and encouraged by reading this today, I invite you to write a comment and share the post with others!
God bless you all.
