Post 96 - Perseverance of the Saints: What Sayeth the Scriptures?

This is the final post of the series on the five points of Calvinism. If you are unfamiliar with Calvinism/Reformed theology, I recommend this overview: Post 90 - Calvinism: a Primer.

"They Went Out From Us"

When my wife and I left the Reformed/Calvinistic church we were attending, we knew that there would be some people from that church who would likely be saying the same things about us that they said about others who left before us:

They went out from us, but they were not [really] of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but [they went out,] so that it would be evident that they all are not of us. (1John 2:19)

In other words, ignoring the fact that the passage above was a reference to "antichrists"--people who denied that Jesus was the Christ--they believed that leaving their church--that is, denying the doctrines of Calvinism--was evidence that a person was never really a true Christian.

Once Saved, Always Saved (OSAS)

There are many Christians who believe that when a person comes to faith in Christ, he can never really fall way/apostatize. Some refer to this doctrine as "Once Saved Always Saved", or as the doctrine of "eternal security".

Calvinism also proposes such a doctrine but with a twist. They often refer to their unique understanding as "Perseverance/Preservation of the Saints" (The "P" of the T-U-L-I-P acrostic). Here's how the Westminster Confession of Faith states this doctrine:

"[The elect] can neither totally, nor finally, fall away from the state of grace: but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved."

Two things to note based on the Calvinistic understanding of the doctrine:

(1) In Calvinism, only a relatively small group of pre-selected people--the elect--are secure in their eternal destination. All others, those who were not chosen by God from before the foundation of the word, might experience some fleeting faith but will eventually fall away.

(2) In Calvinism, ultimately, it is one's election that guarantees salvation. The biblical call for Christians to persevere in the faith is a "mystery" because God will divinely preserve the faith of the elect. In effect, the Christian plays no role.

Good Bereans will know that divine election as a guarantee of heaven is found nowhere in Scripture. Let's open our Bibles.

"Everything for the Sake of the Elect"

We see throughout Scripture that God unconditionally chose some people and divinely enabled them with supernatural gifting and spiritual guidance to accomplish his purposes. These special people (like Abraham, et.al.) were to reflect God's grace to the rest of the world, thereby blessing "all nations" and "all families" (Gen 12:2-3, Gen 22:18).

In the New Testament, these special servants--people uniquely chosen and divinely gifted to bless the world--are referred to as "the elect". It's important to note that all of the New Testament letters seem to be written specifically to and for these special people.

Peter addresses his letters to "the elect exiles of the dispersion" (1 Pet 1:1), and to people "chosen by God" (1 Pet 2:4) --the elect.

John writes to the "the elect lady and her children" (2 John 1:1) and to people with a "special anointing" (1 John 2:27) --the elect.

Paul writes to people who were "loved" by God and chosen to be the "firstfruits to be saved" (2 Thes 2:13) --the elect.

James addresses his letter to those whom God chose to "birth through the word of truth", the "firstfruits of his creation" (James 1:18) --the elect.

Apostolic Ignorance?

If the Calvinist's version of eternal security is true--that is, if the elect can never be lost--the apostle Paul, who "endured everything for the sake of the elect"(2 Timothy 2:10), didn't seem to know anything about it.

In his letter to the elect saints in Thessalonica, after telling us that they were "chosen" and "loved by God" (aka, elect), Paul expresses his deep concern and fear that "the tempter had tempted them" and his "labor was in vain" (1 Thes 3:5).

He conveys a similar concern to the "brothers and sisters" who were "called by Christ"(aka, elect) in Galatia but were "turning to a different gospel" and "deserting the one who called [them]" (Gal 1:6).

Paul warns Timothy that "some will depart from the faith" (1 Tim 4:1) and he counsels his elect readers to "examine themselves" to ensure their faith is true (2 Cor 13:5). The apostle Paul even speaks of his own need to "press on", "pursue", "strive"--commenting that he's waiting patiently for what he does not yet have (Rom 8:25).

Those are not the words of a person who believes his election provided an unconditional guarantee of salvation. Paul never presumed upon God's grace by believing that even his own eternity was secure. Again, it seems the apostle Paul was unfamiliar with the Calvinist's doctrine of "perseverance of the saints".

And Paul was not alone. The other apostles and New Testament writers also warn the elect believers against "drifting" from the gospel and "neglecting such a great salvation" (Heb 2:1-3). The writers express sincere concern for the falling away of the elect Christians in the early churches as they exhort them to "hold fast" and to "stand firm" and to "persevere".

In his book, Life in the Son, Robert Shank asserts, “Completely absurd is the assumption that men are to be sincerely persuaded that apostasy is impossible, and at the same time, sincerely alarmed at the warnings.”

Final Thoughts

Calvinism's false doctrine of perseverance of the saints is a divisive, unbiblical teaching that presumes upon the grace of God and denies the clear teaching that, although God "desires that all be saved" (1 Tim 2:4), we must "strive", "endure", "continue", "persevere" and "overcome".

This somewhat enigmatic, co-laboring aspect of salvation is presented by Paul in his letter to the elect in the Church at Philippi.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

There’s no doubt that we can count on the help of the God who loves us and who wants us to succeed, but we must heed the same warnings issued by the apostles to the elect saints in the early church. Only abiding faith saves.

Nest Post: TBD