Once saved always saved? Part 3
Jesus’ own words on the matter
For some reason, passages like this don’t settle well with the once-saved, always-saved theology.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit… If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned… If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you… If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
John 15:2, 6, 7, 10
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Matthew 25:13-30,41-46
Apparently, He intended for us to take Him seriously when He said that we are to love one another as He has loved us, and do unto others as we would want them to do unto us:
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
John 15:12
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
Luke 6:31
The virgins with the oil – we are to be prepared for His return!
Oil generally represents the Holy Spirit. We are told to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). In this passage in scripture, Jesus is warning us to be ready for His return, and have our lamps filled with oil.
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 25:1-13
Why would Jesus tell us to watch and be prepared for His return, if our relationship with Him was bulletproof and we had nothing to worry about, regardless how we choose to live our lives? Furthermore, why does Jesus tell of the unprepared servants being rejected?
Be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer!
Jesus made it clear that those who do the Word of God are considered His mother, brothers, and sisters. Turned around, you might say that those who don’t do His Word are not His mothers, brothers, or sisters!
And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.
Luke 8:21
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:17
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.
Matthew 7:24-26
Taking up our cross (enduring persecution for Christ’s sake) is no option for the true follower of Christ:
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Mark 8:34-38
But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mark 13:9-13
Paul tells us that if we live after the flesh, we will die (spiritually), but if we walk according to the Spirit, we will mortify (put to death) the deeds of the flesh:
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Romans 8:13-14
Are you led by the Spirit? If so, then you are a child of God! If not, then I recommend making some changes in your life and begin to walk after the Spirit and not the flesh. We cannot go about living an unrighteous life and claim to be born of God:
If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
1 John 2:29
Everybody likes to quote John 3:16, but if you keep reading in the following verses, it tells us that he who comes to the light isn’t going to continue in their evil lifestyle:
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3:20-21
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life… They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
John 8:12,39,51
But those who continue in the works of the flesh, will not inherit the kingdom of God:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Titus 1:16
Jesus made it clear that if we love Him, keeping His commands will come naturally to us:
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John 14:23
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
1 John 5:3
Obedience is the fruit of faith
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
James 2:14-18
When we truly grasp the awesomeness of God, and are thankful for the steep price paid for us on Calvary, then it ought to make us eager to follow and obey the commands that Christ has given us. If we are not eager to obey what God asks of us, then I seriously question if we are thankful for what all Jesus went through on the cross for our behalf. Jesus made it clear that if we love Him, we will naturally keep His commands:
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John 14:23
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
John 15:14
In 1 John, we are told that we can even tell a true follower of Christ from those who are not genuine in their faith, by how they keep the commandments of Christ:
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1 John 2:3-5
The Bible makes a clear contrast between those who are obedient and those who are not. The Bible calls those who do not obey Christ, the sons of disobedience. According to the Bible, there is a spirit at work in the lives of the sons of disobedience.
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
Ephesians 2:2
Jesus made it clear that those who’s faith is genuine, which results in righteous lifestyle and fruitful works, will enter the kingdom of heaven:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21
Paul also explains to believers that when our fruit is unto holiness, it will end in everlasting life:
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
Romans 6:22 (NASB)
This is a multi-part teaching
- OSAS Part 1
– Introduction
– The OSAS arguments considered - OSAS Part 2
– Some hard facts against once-saved theology - OSAS Part 3
– Jesus’ own words on the matter
– Be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer!
– Obedience is the fruit of faith - OSAS Part 4
– Those who don’t love others have no eternal life
– We are expected to bear fruit
– Forgiveness of sins & salvation
– You need to be forgiven of your sins!
– The road to life is strait and narrow - OSAS Part 5
– Being sure of your salvation
– Fear of losing salvation
– Walk according to the Spirit, not the flesh
– The grace of God
– “But once-saved gives security & confidence!”
– Some closing thoughts