Does the Bible really say that? Excerpt from my book, 44

[Concluding a discussion of whether or not a believer can lose her salvation.]

A person who does not believe in eternal security has to cope with quite a bit of scripture indicating that God is able to save and seal for eternity. Those who don’t believe in eternal security defend their position by claiming that nothing in those promises rules out a choice by a believer to stop believing, and to stop acting like a Christian. God can keep, but we can choose not to be kept, they say.

On the other hand, a person who does believe in eternal security has to cope with quite a bit of scripture indicating that a believer, even one who has been one of the “partakers of the Holy Spirit,” and “tasted . . . the powers of the age to come” can fall away. There are statements that enduring to the end is important. The usual strategy for reconciling the scriptural warnings with a belief in eternal security is to claim that the warnings are actually warnings to non-believers. Here’s a rather lengthy scholarly article which does that. The article even explains the seeming description of a believer in the warning in Hebrews 6 (warning 4, in the list above) as actually being of an unbeliever.

There are two errors that we could make about this area, both dangerous. First, we might believe that God is eagerly waiting to catch us in sin, so He can condemn us. That’s not true. God the Son died for us, and loves us. He’s not trying to trip us up. Second, we might believe that God will cheerfully ignore all sorts of deliberate habitual sin. That doesn’t agree with the New Testament, either.

In conclusion, I’m not going to resolve the seeming contradiction. There is nowhere in the Bible that says that we must have absolutely correct doctrine in order to serve God. That’s good, because, if that were true, no one would measure up. (This is not an excuse for not trying to understand what God is telling us!) There is nowhere in the Bible that says that all our questions have to have a firm and exact answer. There are some questions that God has chosen not to answer.

The previous chapter discusses a topic that is far more important than settling arguments about eternal security, the question of who actually is a believer. I need to trust Christ for my salvation. I need to examine my own life. I should be sure that my life shows evidence that I am actually saved.

The above material is an excerpt from my self-published e-book, Does the Bible Really Say That?, which may be obtained free of charge, or purchased from Amazon for $0.99, which is the lowest price Amazon lets an author set. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain.

The previous post in this series, on the topic of whether a redeemed person can lose their salvation, is here. God willing, the next post in this series will consider a different topic. Thanks for reading.

Does the Bible really say that? Excerpt from my book, 42

Biblical evidence that a believer can become lost

Biblical evidence that a believer can fall into unbelief is in this section.

There are six “warning passages” in Hebrews, which have often been used to argue that a saved person can, indeed, become lost.

Hebrews was written, apparently, to Hebrew Christians. The warnings were probably, at least in part, warnings against turning back to rely on the Jewish Law for salvation, but are also more general warnings against turning back from relying on Christ’s sacrifice.

1) Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense; 3a how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation

2) Hebrews 3:12 Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God; 13 but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called “today”; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

3) Hebrews 4:1 Let us fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest. . . . 11 Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.

4) Hebrews 6:4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame. 7 For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

9 But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this. 10 For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.

5) Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. 28 A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

6) Hebrews 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord, 15 looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled by it; 16 lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. 17 For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears.

The above material is an excerpt from my self-published e-book, Does the Bible Really Say That?, which may be obtained free of charge, or purchased from Amazon for $0.99, which is the lowest price Amazon lets an author set. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain.

The previous post in this series, on the topic of whether a redeemed person can lose their salvation, is here. God willing, the next post in this series will consider the same topic. Thanks for reading.

Warning passages in Hebrews: Table

Warning Passages in Hebrews (All Scripture quoted from the World English Bible, public domain.)	Persons warned	Punishment predicted
Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away. 3a how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation [?]	“We”	Not specific
Hebrews 3:12 Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God	“Brothers” (and sisters)	Not specific
Hebrews 4:11 Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.	“Us”	Not entering “rest”
Hebrews 6:4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.	Enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted God’s word, and powers of the age to come	Won’t be able to repent
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, 27a but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, 29 How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who . . . has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?	“We,” if we sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth; and have been sanctified	No more sacrifice for sins, but judgment and punishment
Hebrews 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord, 15a looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God;. . . like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. 17 For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears.	“Any man (or woman) who falls short of the grace of God”	Falling short of the grace of God, can’t repent.

The above chart is an attempt to show the "warning passages" from Hebrews in a single table.

Who was Hebrews written to? (In other words, who are “we” and “us”?) The NIV Study Bible indicates that it was written primarily to Jewish Christians. So do these verses from the book: (World English Bible, public domain)

Hebrews 1:1 God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.

2:3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation—which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard; 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, by various works of power, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?

You may want to see this post, on the characteristics that Christians should have, according to the Bible.

The warning passages in Hebrews aren't the whole story. There are warning passages elsewhere in the Bible. There are also indications that God is able to keep Christians from falling, as in 7:25 Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them.

Some people believe that the warning passages in the Bible indicate that a person who is saved can become lost, and the warning passages in Hebrews are evidence for that. They believe that, although God is able to keep us from falling, we can still choose to disobey and fall away. The warnings in Hebrews 6 and 10 seem to be speaking to mature believers, sanctified believers.

Those who don't believe that a believer can become lost argue that the warning passages were not really written to Christians, but to some who associated with Christians, perhaps thought they were Christians, but really were not. Here's a scholarly example of such an argument.

I am not going to settle the question of whether believers can fall away or not. (There's a Wikipedia article on the Perseverance of the Saints, which covers the subject pretty well.) Many people, smarter than I, have been unable to settle the question over several centuries of Christian thought. But there is a much more important question, namely, "am I really committed to following Christ now, do I have a relationship with Him, and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, am I doing my best to keep from sinning?"

Thanks for reading!