SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER

By Danna Shirley

I found myself having to answer a few questions about my faith a few years back (2000) so I did some research through my denomination. This is what I learned through a brochure put out by the Assemblies of God General Christian Doctrine:

The Christian religious world divides basically into two schools of thought concerning the spiritual destiny of people. One is Calvinism, named after John Calvin (early 16^th century). The other is Arminianism, traced back to James Arminius (late 16^th century). The theological debate is thus centuries old.

Calvinism teaches:

1.     The total depravity of man

2.    God’s unconditional election (or predestination) of certain ones to be saved and certain ones to be lost

3.    Christ died only for the elect, not for every person

4.    God’s saving grace toward the elect cannot be resisted

5.    Once a person is saved, he can never lose his salvation

Arminianism teaches:

1.     Though born a sinner, mankind is given a spark of divine grace that enables him to respond positively to God

2.    God does not arbitrarily consign some people to eternal damnation; their willful rejection of God’s salvation makes them responsible

3.    Christ died for every person, even though some refuse to accept the provision for their salvation

4.    No person is forced against his or her will to become a Christian

5.    One’s salvation can be lost through willful disobedience

The Assemblies of God lean toward Arminianism, though it accepts scriptural truth found in both positions. “Eternal security” according to Calvinists, means “once saved, always saved” (John 10:28-29; Romans 8:35, 39). The A/G also stands on these wonderful truths knowing we need not fear that something external will overpower us and take away our salvation. Only our willful choices can do that.

However, because we are creatures with free wills, we must be vigilantly on guard because the enemy of our soul, the devil, “Prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

We believe that carelessness can lead to apathy, apathy to neglect, and neglect to a conscious decision to sin. We often refer to this spiritual decline as backsliding. We believe one who backslides is in danger of losing his salvation IF the individual persists in rejecting the Spirit’s call to repentance and restoration.

Certainly there are also true Christians who believe and teach Calvinism; there are also true Christians who believe and teach that men and women have free will. Unfortunately, both sides have spent more time arguing doctrinal terminology and interpretations of theology than reaching out to a lost world. The irony of the disagreement is that Calvinists, who believe in predestination, are sometimes more active in witnessing and evangelizing than Arminians who believe that man has a free will and should be encouraged to accept Christ as Savior. God, of course, looks on the heart and the actions rather than on the eloquence with which one defends a position.

The Assembly of God’s Concerns:

Although the A/G adheres basically to the Arminian position on the spiritual security of the believer, there are extremes and potential abuses which must be avoided. The Christian life is not a roller coaster of Sunday salvation and Monday through Saturday backsliding. On the other hand, no Christian, no matter how spiritual, can claim perfection and sinlessness (1 John 1:8-2:1).

Therefore as Christians, we must continually come to God and sincerely ask His forgiveness for living below the potential He makes possible through the gift of His Holy Spirit.

The truth of God’s marvelous and free grace has sadly led some to imagine and indulge in a cheap grace, a grace that covers all sins with no need to live a holy life. Such an attitude is an insult to the great price Christ paid to purchase our salvation. Though we may fail and fall and sin, the heart of the true believer always regrets, repents, asks forgiveness, and seeks never to sin that way again.

To carelessly participate in sin expecting to gain forgiveness later is itself an act of backsliding that will lead ultimately to losing one’s salvation. We therefore reject any “once saved, always saved” doctrine that excuses sinful lifestyles. Once saved can mean forever saved IF one continues in faith, growing in sanctification and holiness day by day. God will not arbitrarily usurp mankind’s free will. Our sovereign God does not overrule free will just to prove He is sovereign.

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For me, several conditions would have to fall into place for someone to truly lose their salvation. First and foremost the person would have to be a believer and have their name written in the Book of Life. There are several scriptures that say a name can be blotted out of the Book of Life.

Moses:          

“Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book             which You have written.” (Exodus 32:32)   

                               

God:              

“And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.” (Exodus 32:33)

David:           

“Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.” (Psalm 69:28)           

                               

Jesus Christ: 

“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the book of life.” (Revelation 3:5)

“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and the things which are written in this book.”  (Revelation 22:18-19)

I feel some people think they are a child of God because they know about God or attend church; but that doesn’t mean they’ve accepted Jesus into their heart and made Him their Lord and Savior.

I also feel a true believer would have to totally forsake God and live a depraved lifestyle with no regrets, remorse, conscience, or desire to live for God again. I don’t feel it is an easy thing to lose one’s salvation but someone could work at it aggressively.

Sins listed in the Bible:

Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV):  sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like…those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NIV): sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunkards, slanderers, swindlers…will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:5 (NIV): no immoral, impure, greedy person, idolater…has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

Revelation 21:8 (NIV): cowardly, unbelieving, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, idolaters, all liars…will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur, the second death.

Revelation 22:14-15 (NIV): those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, everyone who loves and practices falsehood…are outside the gates.

I would say all of the above scriptures are meant to put “the fear of God” into us for a good reason! Why? Because the Lord doesn’t want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)