Can a Christian fall from grace? According to an increasing segment of the broader Christian community, the answer is “no.” Even though only a few prominent denominations have always been outspoken proponents of Calvinism, the influence of this centuries-old theological orientation is growing. According to the New York Times:

“Evangelicalism is in the midst of a Calvinist revival. Increasing numbers of preachers and professors teach the views of the 16th-century French reformer. Mark Driscoll, John Piper and Tim Keller — megachurch preachers and important evangelical authors — are all Calvinist. Attendance at Calvin-influenced worship conferences and churches is up, particularly among worshipers in their 20s and 30s.

In the Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s largest Protestant denomination, the rise of Calvinism has provoked discord. In a 2012 poll of 1,066 Southern Baptist pastors conducted by LifeWay Research, a nonprofit group associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, 30 percent considered their churches Calvinist — while twice as many were concerned ‘about the impact of Calvinism’” (“Evangelicals Find Themselves In The Midst Of A Calvinist Revival”, nytimes.com, January 3, 2014).

One of the main tenets of classical Calvinism is the perseverance of the saints (the “p” in the common acronym TULIP). It is often called “the eternal security of the believer,” “perseverance of the saints,” “impossibility of apostasy,” or simply “once saved, always saved.” Several major denominations officially believe the doctrine, though some do not emphasize it and as a result the members may not be aware of it. The Westminster Confession adopted by most Presbyterian churches, states:

“They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved … Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan … fall into grievous sins…” (Book of Confessions of the United Presbyterian Church, 1967 Ed., Sec. 6.086-6.088).

The Philadelphia Confession, adopted by many Baptist churches, is almost identical to the above. Sam Morris, Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Stamford, Texas, expressed the doctrine in its most extreme form as follows:

“We take the position that a Christian’s sins do not damn his soul! The way a Christian lives, what he says, his character, his conduct, or his attitude toward other people have nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul … All the prayers a man may pray, all the Bibles he may read, all the churches he may belong to, all the services he may attend, all the sermons he may practice, all the debts he may pay, all the ordinances he may observe, all the laws he may keep, all the benevolent acts he may perform will not make his soul one whit safer; and all the sins he may commit from idolatry to murder will not make his soul in any more danger … The way a man lives has nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul” (A Discussion Which Involves a Subject Pertinent to All Men, Morris, pp. 1,2; via Handbook of Religious Quotations, p. 24).

Is this true, though? Once we are saved by the grace of God working through Jesus Christ, is it impossible to fall away, so as to lose that salvation? Because of Calvinism’s increasing popularity, it is important for us to have a scriptural answer to these questions.

Common Proof Texts Considered

One of the first places a Calvinist will go is Romans 8:35-39, which emphasizes the power of Christ’s love. Nothing can separate us from it, after all – not tribulation, distress, or any kind of persecution. Nothing in creation, according to this scripture, can take Christ’s love away from us. But does this irrefutably teach that we cannot lose our salvation? Take note of the fact that these are all outside forces that Paul is addressing. Essentially, he argues, there is no person or earthly power that can take away your salvation. It is wrong to suggest, however, that a Christian cannot forfeit his salvation by choice. Of all the things mentioned that cannot separate us from the love of Christ, Paul never says self-will, selfishness, arrogance, pride, or blasphemy! These are things that come from within, and all may lead to a person’s total spiritual ruin (Matthew 15:16-20).

Next consider John 10:27-29. Here, Jesus states, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand…” Again, this is a very comforting passage. But nowhere does it assure us of the impossibility of internal forces causing us to walk away from Christ. Nobody can snatch us out of God’s hands, but we can most certainly reject that hand or wander away. Luke 15:3-7 shows that a sheep can wander so as to become “lost.” Acts 20:28-30 is a warning to Christians about the impending dangers of apostasy – if savage wolves are allowed to roam freely among us, we put ourselves in a position to fall away. Remember, Christ was reaching out His hand to a church of baptized believers in Revelation 3:14-22. These Christians had rejected Him by their self-absorption and self-reliance. Because of this, He says in rather memorable language, “So because you are lukewarm…I will spit you out of My mouth.” If they are once saved, always saved, what difference does it make if Christ spits them out of His mouth? What have they lost, if not salvation?

“No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in Him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). Yet there are many other passages within the context that show a Christian can sin (and, most certainly, does sin). Notice 1 John 1:8-10 and 2:1-2. Why does John warn his readers to guard themselves from idols in 5:21 if it is impossible for idols to lead them astray? The above passage is not saying that it is impossible for a Christian to sin and fall away. Rather, it is an ideal to strive for. If you claim to be born of God, then live like it! God’s seed abides in us, so we must constantly strive to live up to His standards. We must not sin if we wish to show Christ living in us! Besides the phrase “practices sin” is specific to habitual or continual sins. We might occasionally commit sin, which is why the provision of prayer is discussed in the first chapter, but the child of God does not persist in his or her sinful activities.

The Body Sins But The Spirit Does Not

It is sometimes argued that even when the body commits a sin, a deed of the flesh, the spirit is not condemned. This explanation must be offered in order to explain why it is that supposedly regenerated and sanctified people still, OBVIOUSLY, commit sins. Unfortunately for them, the only scriptural explanation they can offer is Romans 7:25 and 8:1. The context itself proves, however, that one can be condemned in spirit for his deeds in the flesh. Note Romans 7:23 and 8:12-17. “If you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Salvation is, at least in part, contingent on our obedience to the word. We must stop sinning (“put to death the deeds of the body”) if we expect to live through Christ. Other scriptures also show that we are held accountable spiritually for our deeds in the flesh. Consider 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Mark 7:20-23, 2 Corinthians 5:10, and 1 Corinthians 9:27.

Is Faith Essential Or Not?

I find it fascinating that some of the strongest proponents of “salvation by faith alone” seem to discount faith altogether by arguing for “once saved, always saved.” Many NT passage show that a Christian can lose his faith and stand condemned before God. So what is it? Is faith essential or not? You cannot have it both ways.

  • 2 Timothy 2:16-18 and 1 Timothy 1:18-20 – One cannot overthrow faith that does not exist. One also cannot experience shipwreck in his faith if the faith was never real. In order for a ship to wreck, it must first be sailing smoothly.
  • Acts 8:12-14 – Was Simon saved or not when he became an obedient believer in Christ? To argue against the reality of his salvation is too convenient – it is a ridiculous fallacy to make the circular argument that “he must not have really been saved, then.” But Simon did, in fact, do as the other Samaritans did. He believed and was baptized, meaning he was saved (Mark 16:16). Acts 8:21-23 goes on to show that he committed sin to the point of perishing if he did not repent and pray.
  • Galatians 5:1-4 – The entire premise of Galatians is invalidated if the Judaizers were never truly saved. They were the children of God (Galatians 3:26, 1:2-4, 4:6), who had been set free and experienced freedom in Christ (5:1). Furthermore, they had to be in grace in order to fall from it (5:4). You cannot be severed from Christ if you had never been attached to Him.
  • Hebrews 3:12-13 – If we develop an “evil and unbelieving heart”, this will lead us to “fall away from the living God.” It is impossible to deny that the Hebrew writer is addressing fellow Christians since he begins the passage with the phrase “take care, brothers.”

The Real Challenge

The real difficulty in accepting the doctrine of eternal security is that it essentially nullifies most of the Bible. Jesus consistently warns His listeners about the dangers of falling away in passages such as John 15:1-6. Using similar language, the apostle Paul explains that being a part of God’s kingdom is like being grafted onto an olive tree in Romans 11:16-24. Branches can be grafted in or removed at God’s discretion based on their proven fruitfulness. Fruitless branches will be treated with severity, but can still be grafted back on if unbelief is replaced with belief. Hebrews 6:4-8 is a waste of space if one cannot actually fall away from grace. The gravity behind such a warning, as well as many others, is lost when we adopt an unbiblical view of our eternal security. As long as I am alive in this world I must constantly be on my guard, for a mighty predator is on the prowl (1 Peter 5:8-9). It is by my firm faith in Christ that I can avoid his many snares and come to the heavenly kingdom of my Savior!