The doctrine the Security of Salvation, also known as Eternal Security, is a key question for the Christian, for the development of his spiritual life, and for the ministry of the Church. Not understood clearly and with Biblical base produces uncertainty, a sense of anxiety and it even produces a lack of interest due to the loss of confidence in the work of God and His promises, which are very certain. The Bible revels to man that God is for those who He, in His sovereignty, love and purpose has chosen for eternal life. If God is who chooses, calls, justifies and saves, He must be the same that takes His own work to safe harbour, otherwise it makes no sense having given His Son on the Cross to save the Church, which, according to Jesus, He holds by the hand and does not let it get lost, John 10:27-30.

But eternal salvation and its security are originated in God's grace, who provides salvation of those people whom He chose. His grace is irresistible, which makes His call effective, which provides the faith in the expiatory and saving work of Christ on the Cross, as well as the regeneration or new birth of the believer. From this point, God has justified, predestined, reconciled, adopted, as well as sanctified in perseverance and preserved or kept the believer for glorification, resulting in eternal salvation, whether there is certainty of it or not in the believer. To this point it is basically what Calvinism postulates, in almost everything, in agreement in both of its version, classic and moderate.

The order of things changes if seen from Arminian point of view of free will, in which is man who decides if he accepts his salvation, which makes the grace of God resistible, the calling not always effective, and concludes that, as it depends of man, faith can be lost, though it is a gift of God, it may be rejected. In this proposal, the man sanctified by the Spirit, does not count with the perseverance until the end, because he depends of his own effort, so he has little guarantees, not to say non, to persevere until his glorification and it results that he cannot have eternal security of his salvation, and even less of being saved.

A number of Biblical verses are used to defend each theological proposal. Today's Church remains divided between the two positions, and not only between Catholics and Protestants, but inside the Evangelical Church. This work of investigation will provide a comparison between the two proposals and a conclusion based on the Bible showing which one is correct, and if the believer can have certainty of being saved and of being eternally.

 

THE CONCEPT OF SALVATION AND ITS INTERPRETATIONS

Salvation should be understood as the application of God's work through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the life of man; it is a fundamental doctrine and a central subject in the Bible. But salvation is a work that produces several effects, as we know, it saves us of the power of sin, of its consequences, of the punishment and guilt of sin, amongst other things, as well as of eternal death, through the power of the Holy Spirit, (Charles Stanley. Eternal Security).

The words that we find in the Bible for "salvation" are: yasha (Vine. Expository Dictionary) in the Old Testament, rout of Yeshua or Yahshua. And, in the New Testament soteria, soterion, from which we take soteriology to refer to the doctrine of salvation, and soter, to refer to "saviour". Dictionaries describe it in a relevant way: 1. Action and effect of saving or to save. 2. Consecution of the glory and eternal blessing.

We must include several relevant details in salvation before we go deeper into the question whether it can be lost or not. Salvation has different interpretations. The first one is the temporal dimension of salvation, which can be seen as a unique event at the beginning of the Christian life, or an event which is continuous along your life, and lastly it can be understood as something that happens at the end of your life. But its better if we talk of three components of salvation: justification, at the beginning, continuous sanctification and final glorification for eternity.

Secondly the nature and need to save, which takes us to the state of separation of man with God, and to restore this relationship, this is, to be saved, man must convert, be forgiven, reconciled and adopted, this is the vertical aspect. The horizontal deals with being saved of relationships problems with our neighbour, relational theology, which covers conflicts between races and social classes, to saved of the guilt, the inferiority, insecurity, adaptation, self esteem or acceptance of ourselves. The next thing it deals with is the way to obtain salvation. Some believe that certain ritual or sacrament, or moral or social action, originated by the social gospel and the theology of liberation that believe that man must be liberated from the hostile ambient of society to be good, because he is so from birth. However we can support total depravation of man since the fall of Adam.

True evangelical theology expresses salvation through the gift of faith in the work that Christ has done, not in what we can do: works, Romans 3:28. The evil world that we have is fruit of it is inhabited by a fallen man. If they convert there could be hope. However, we know that not all have faith, 2 Ts. 3:2. The extension of salvation, as particularism sais agrees with the previous point, universalism, on the contrary believes that all will be saved and that all will improve. The theologians of liberation focus in saving social classes oppressed by capitalism, and the theology of existentialism in philosophical basis in the change that the individual does in life. The secular point of view opposes religion to solve the problems. Paul, in Romans 8:18-25 provides that salvation will be of the chosen people and of the cosmic creation, Romans 8:19. The contradictory catholic conflict has changed in a position apart from the councils of Trent and Vatican II, to come closer to the evangelical point of view. Finally the evangelical point of view in base of the Bible exposes the total change of the person, its sanctification and final glorification.

 

ETERNAL SECURITY - CALVINISM VS ARMINIANISM

The concepts related with "Eternal Security", "Security of Salvation" (Chafer. Systematic Theology), and "Preservation" are used to determine the security of the believer regarding his salvation. To points of view are proposed since times of Augustine and Pelagius, in the position of the second which was demolished by the first one and the rest of Christianity, regarding the original sin and whether man could or not be saved by his own knowledge in spite of a virtuous life. The reply of Augustine was demolishing, in base of the Bible, because the fallen man needs a Saviour, who is the Son of God, who does a work of amazing grace capable of redeeming us and loves us to the point of preserving us for eternity. Then, regarding the eternity of God and of man, nothing better than concluding with the revelation of Psalm 90 about the eternity of God and the frailty of man.

From this point of doctrinal battle regarding eternal security and the arguments concerning the possibility that guaranteed salvation may result in a relaxed Christian life, knowing the Christian that is saved, it may be interpreted that one can have a license to sin. In this point Arminianism takes its base. However, the Calvinistic point of view takes its base in that the Bible exposes that a true Christian, born again or regenerated, justified and united to Christ will never be abandoned by God in his sanctification, being that if he fell, the good Father will discipline and reaffirm him, and that without this eternal security the Christian cannot concentrate in his Christian life, but always in the fear and in seek of his salvation. Never the less both coincide in, that God is powerful and loyal, and that salvation is not through works nor its perseverance. They also coincide in, that the Holy Spirit works in the Christian.

Calvinist theology declares that the chosen by God, efficiently called and sanctified by the Holy Spirit cannot fall nor total nor definitely from the grace, will be preserved and saved for eternity. That is the fifth point of the theology of Calvin, "final perseverance" of the saints (Charles Ryrie. Basic Theology), and it is part of the Westminster Confession of Faith, XII. Believing that the security is centred in God and not in man, the coherence is complete with the rest of the Calvinistic theology, otherwise the work of God would not be of God. If God chooses for salvation and His Spirit regenerates and preserves, how come the salvation that God Himself has provided to be effective and eternal in us is not going to be? 1 Peter 1:3-5, Romans 8:31-39 where Paul tells that: "...neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come... ..nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Yahshua - Christ Jesus our Lord." On the other hand we find that our Lord is interceding for us all the time, in Hebrews 7:25, and also the Holy Spirit, who inhabits in us intercedes for us, in Romans 8:26. Also there is an answer to the portion of the "Our Father" where we pray to be set free from temptation, for God provides the way out, in 1 Corinthians 10:13. But it is Jesus who declares that His sheep He has them by the hand and will not let them loose, in John 10:27-30 because He is our Saviour and protector. If the previous is not enough, the new nature of the Christian is a no return point, for once we are united to Christ, His life emanates from ours, and that unity cannot be broken in 1 John 3:9. Therefore Calvinistic theology shows that we can be sure of our salvation.

Both systems are based in five points: the Calvinistic teaches the total depravation of man, while the Arminianist that this is partial. This results that man is totally contaminated and cannot come to God with his will. But, Arminianism teaches that the contamination is not total and that man can come to God from his own will. Calvinism teaches the election of God in an unconditional way based in His total sovereignty, and Arminianism the conditional that depends in the pre-knowledge of God of those that would believe in the future in the work of His Son on the Cross. Calvinism believes in limited expiation to the chosen, and Arminianism in universal expiation of all men, but only with effect in those who believe. The first believes in irresistible grace and the second in resistible due to free will, many reject it. So, the first believe in the preservation of the saints through the work of the Spirit for salvation, which they cannot loose because of the work of God, and the second believe that the Christian can choose to separate from Christ and loose his salvation. Is is interesting to see how both Calvin as well as Arminius were corrected by their successors in the doctrines that have their names. Calvin was corrected by the Calvinistic theologians in the point of faith as the previous answer previous to regeneration, and how to Arminius, his, in that salvation of a regenerated can be lost, which he did not say.

Arminian theology is based in what is know as Sententia Remostratium of the Synod of Dordrecht (Millard Erickson. Systematic Theology) which uses two sources of arguments, both Scripture and experience. Arminianism (GOT QUESTIONS MINISTRIES. Calvinism vs. Arminianism) starts its argument with Texts about the warning of apostasy, Matthew 24:3-14 with Jesus exhorting the disciples to not be deceived, and about who perseveres until the end will be saved. The question is if Jesus - Yahshua has made this warning if there was no danger of loosing salvation. On the other hand they argue that if Calvinism sais that the chosen and predestined are going to be saved anyway, why preach? Again the reasoning of human mind is placed before the revelation.

To avoid this, therefore we will not find answers from philosophy, but from Theology, which is the "queen of sciences", a term established by Aristotle, who use to say that each science must have the order that corresponds to the importance of the object that it studies, therefore the study of God, the highest person over any person or thing, and the most difficult, is the first science, only knowing God, we will know His purposes. So, continuing with the previous argument, we will see that Jesus said: "...have faith in God." Mark 11:22, and "...if you had faith as a mustard seed..." Matthew 17:20, where He has always taught to have faith. And of course, the Great Commission, in Matthew 28:16.20 to all nations. Yes, preaching is the way to take faith to the chosen, who will have ears to hear and eyes to see and receive the Gospel.

 

BIBLE TEXTS OF BOTH POSITIONS

Bible Texts that Calvinism uses to support its theology that salvation cannot be lost (Bible Texts: King James Version):

John 10:27-29:

²⁷My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: ²⁸And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰I and my Father are one.

Romans 8:37-39:

37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Bible Texts that Arminianism uses to support its theology that salvation can be lost:

Hebrews 6:1-8:

1Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, ²Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. ³And this will we do, if God permit. ⁴For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, ⁵And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, ⁶If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. ⁷For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: ⁸But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

24Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. ²⁵And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. ²⁶I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: ²⁷But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

 

From the arguments about these Texts we could say the following: The Text of Hebrews 6 refers to those who do not give fruits, who we could interpret that they never were regenerated. The Text in 1 Co. refers to the rewards of the work done, not to salvation. If we apply the rule of hermeneutics which says that the difficult and isolated Scriptures must not be interpreted to clarify the clear and numerous Texts, we will find that the coherence of the Texts of eternal security are those with a doctrinal base in the purpose of the work of God done for Salvation.

We conclude this chapter with the Westminster Confession of Faith, which we can read entirely in the web page of the Reformed Church, explains that Grace is undeserved, irresistible and predestined by God, which takes the true believers to eternal salvation. Following is the eighteenth chapter, dedicated to the security of Grace and of Salvation, in its first and second points:

 

CHAPTER 18: OF THE SECURITY OF GRACE AND OF SALVATION

I. Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God, and estate of salvation; (1) which hope of theirs shall perish; (2) yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before him, may, in this life, be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, (3) and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed.(4)

1. Job 8:13,14; Micah 3:11; Deuteronomy 29:19; John 8:41.

2. Matthew 7:22,23.

3. 1 John 2:3; 5:13 y 3:14,18,19,21,24.

4. Romans 5:2,5.

II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope;  (1) but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, (2) the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, (3) the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God; (4) which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.(5)

1. Hebrews 6:11,19.

2. Hebrews 6:17,18.

3. 2 Peter 1:4,5,10.11; 1 John 2:3; 3:14; 2 Corinthians 1:12.

4. Romans 8:15,16.

5. Ephesians 1:13,14; Ephesians 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:21,22.

 

APPLICATION AND MAIN LESSON FOR TODAY'S CHURCH

First of all we must understand that every Christian may have one view or the other a priori in his faith, which cannot become a cause of separation in the Church. Secondly we must understand, as Church of Christ, that the true believers, the regenerated disagree in these matters. Third, it is important to explain that eternal security is not a license to sin, for a carnal live, but we are warned that God punishes every one He receives as a child, and that a true regenerated cannot want to live separated of the holy life, and if that is what he wants, it is not a true brother saved in Christ. On the other hand we must not understand than irresistible grace and election stop free will, because God uses conviction and persuasion to truth in His great love for us so that, if we are his chosen, we may see clearly the truth, which clearly is better than the opposite, reason why we will always accept His grace, better than eternal death and hell. And finally it is very important to be able to explain that one must not live in a situation of anguish and loaded with our own uncertainty of our salvation, in a state of panic to loose salvation, especially if we have sinned, if we have fallen, if we offend, that does not mean to loose salvation, but we are to stand up and come to Christ for His forgiveness and continue in sanctification, advancing to glorification. God's discipline will always be there to not let us fall. The Church goes by the hand of Christ, and His sheep don't get lost, John 10:27-29, because He knows them, which reminds us of the pre-knowledge of God since before the foundation of the world.

We must be patient with the rest of brothers and not impose beliefs, but a healthy debate with Biblical arguments, especially when it is a matter of clarify and set others free from uncertainty, when ever it is possible to debate for edification.

At the same time of the previous, it is important to know that the interpretation of the Arminian theory about the key Text of Hebrews 6 implies something they ignore, which is that it is impossible to renew salvation, it is not possible to justify again, one cannot be born again twice, and another matter is the correct interpretation is that the apostasy they refer to, is hypothetical, it is describing what would happen, even though it is impossible, but it must be exposed to know to what degree God is involved, and the consequences for the believer, if He did not do it. Arminius, however affirmed that God ordered to save some and condemn certain and determinate people, as well as that man is contaminated from Adam, but not his total depravation, but Arminianism concluded that the believer could loose his salvation, but not Arminius (Works 1:254) who founded Biblical passages that seamed to declare it and could not argue against it. We come back to the matter of avoiding the license to sin, which is the fear of Arminianism. One of the questions that also supported by Arminians is the efficiency of expiation. According to them, the expiation that is produce by the death of Christ Yahshua is for all humanity, but only the believers benefit from it, but do not know who will be the chosen. The classic Calvinists of 5 point, in point 3 expose that expiation is limited to the chosen, in fear that Arminianism professes a true universalism, this is, that every person that has existed will be saved by the expiation of the death of Christ. Moderate Calvinism understands that expiation is for all in its efficiency, but it only applies to the chosen. Really they are almost in agreement, but the origin of this debate is centered again in that Arminians do not teach eternal security and therefore live in doubt whether they are saved or not, they lack certainty, seek for perfection of their holiness, which will be possible at redemption.

About the argument that there are some who are Christians and then they apostate we can go to the reference of the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23) to realize that there are four cases exposed where a Christian could be seen, but only the one who is compared to the good ground is a chosen. Once this is analyze, we find stories like the one of Judas Iscariot, who even though chosen for a work, was not a regenerated, and so when it seams that he fell, really he was never saved.

After all the analysis what we can find in the many evangelical denominations and in their faith statements is, that there is a mixture between the five points of Calvinism and the five points of Arminianism. Personally I believe that in this matter Calvinism is the more coherent with the Bible, explaining that the expiation of the work of Christ is potentially for all humanity, yet applicable to the regenerated only.

The final question for the church of today with respect to the security of salvation, comes with a believer believes in the security of the true and regenerated Christian, but is not sure if he in deed is, what is known as the doctrine of certainty, which is the understanding that one possesses eternal life. The reasons to doubt are four: The doubt of a truly given life to Christ, not to remember when one was saved; others doubt about the procedure through which they accepted salvation, they did not come forward in the evangelistic invitation, or the type of prayer, for example; to not believe in the security of salvation; or when having sinned, of which they all participate. To come out of this situation, prayer, repentance, and the Biblical argument that the Christian has the inner testimony that the Holy Spirit gives him, and may see how God works in his life, as well as a desire to be with Christ, of burden when sinning, desire to serve God, etc. But more than all to trust God and His work and Power, is definitive that who believes knows that the Bible tells that God glorifies His chosen and that he believes that. The Text in Romans 8:16-17 declares that: "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs –heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ..." Therefore those who doubt only need to consider their lives in the mirror of Christian life, and if they find themselves little active and experience few signs from God acting in their lives, they must want to change the situation, and if they do want, they may by prayer, and if they bear such burden is because they are of Christ, because the calling produces faith and trust in God's eternal work of salvation.

 

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE INTERPRETATIONS OF GRACE AND ETERNAL SALVATION

This chapter is taken from a previous study that I did about the Grace of God, which with some additions I believe it is relevant to provide an idea to how many centuries has the Church been divide between these two doctrinal points of view.

The Doctrine of Grace begins before the foundation of the world in the bosom of the Divinity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit agreed to give Their grace to those They chose in Their sovereign omniscience, through the redeeming work of Christ "...foreordained before the foundation of the world..." (1 Peter 1:20-25). After the N.T. Augustine of Hippo would the the precursor of the Doctrine of God's Grace (History of Christian Church).

But, if we can consider a doctor in Christian doctrine who has managed to teach the concept of God's Grace with more effort, it is without a doubt John Calvin, and specifically his work of reference "Institution of Christian Religion" (Reformed Church), where he postulates about the doctrines of Election, Predestination and God's Grace for all Christians truly regenerated and part takers of Christ.

As we had the chance to look into, Calvin, master of Sacred Scripture who teaches the doctrine of God's Grace, limits himself to being a loyal and follower of Augustine. The Catholic Church was trying to award Augustine as reputed theologian, but when it was know, by being published by the reformers, that the bishop of Hippo was the precursor of such a Doctrine, the untaught clergy was shaken. It was Cornelius Jansen who proved that Augustine was the best teacher of such a doctrine, loyal to Sacred Scripture and opposed to grace through works and indulgences, penitence and donations of man, that Rome was teaching.

The times of the reformers would find, however, a theologian that would finally would end up opposing to the irresistible grace in Jacob Arminius, who was a pupil of Calvin. He would become his principal and contemporary opponent, and would teach the doctrine of conditioned grace, or also conditioned salvation, to man's acceptance. We find ourselves with a discussion that for centuries would be, and still is, fruit of intense debates. The two opposite doctrines are know as Monergism and Synergism, from the composed words that mean: to work on your own, of to work together, respectively. The firs defines that only God saves through His grace, without man's intervention, and the second, that a synergy between man and God is needed, who together obtain salvation and grace in man. The Synod of Dordrecht includes the irresistible grace as the forth fundamental doctrine. But the battles between free will, and irresistible grace, the total depravation of man and the perseverance of the saints, are still alive today.

Further more, the Doctrine of Grace would find one of the more famous preachers of it, I refer to John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church. Wesley preached in open spaces, he did it in industrial areas because the clergy of the Anglican Church would not let him preach more in the pulpits, after realizing his reformed doctrine. His base was the grace of God, to receive it through a personal experience of the Spirit and the presence of God in each one, and after he added the teaching of the "second grace" in reference to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, together with some gift, such as to talk in tongs (CCEL. 2005. Christian Classics Ethernal Library). In the XX century Barth and Bonhoeffer would continue to present the grace of God as accessible without human religion. Jose María Martinez explains that "...salvation is through grace, and faith is really a way, an instrument that makes it possible to believe in the work of Christ..." Nowadays, evangelical churches are still divided amongst both teachings about the grace, and the security of salvation, which makes us ask ourselves why, but more than all it makes us need to do a personal investigation work to conclude in which one do we believe.

 

CONCLUSION

The Security of Salvation is part of –inside soteriology– of a compendia of nine concepts which form it, which are intertwined in a work of celestial goldsmith that God has made and has given us as part of His amazing grace, which, even though we do not deserve it, it has been offered to for free through the salvation work of the King of kings, our Lord Jesus Christ Yahshua, and not only offered but that God made it in such a way that it would become to us irresistible, impossible to reject, at least to the chosen, according to the Bible; although not all believe this affirmation. We have been able to see along this study, that there are two theological positions with respect to the security of salvation, of eternal security. That the Church is divided on this questions, as it is on others. That it is reasonable to understand why this division in its sincere origin, because, taking into account that we refer to true Christians born again, this is, regenerated and partakers of Christ, who believe that salvation cannot be lost, they believe it because they find it in the Bible and as complete plan of God to save us, in this case they are those who profess the doctrine of Calvinistic of reformed base. On the contrary, those who follow Arminianism fear, and they do because it is a reasonable conclusion  and in base to what seams to be the experience that teaching that salvation cannot be lost, gives many a license to sin. We have concluded that those call themselves Christians but want to sin with that "license" are not true Christians, for the warnings to apostasy, although they cannot be applied to the regenerated, are the Spirit of the love of God that those who love God and know Him have in their hearts.

Eternal security is supported on a series of reasons that imply the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. As we have linked before, the security is originated in God's grace, and in that it is a gift and a work of God. The Father has in it a purpose, and has power to take it forth, even despite of man. The Son gave His life for it, died for us, and it has not been in vain, and His prayers and permanent intercession, how could they be ignored by the Father who accepted to give His begotten Son for the chosen? Christ is our lawyer before the prosecutor who accuses us. And the Spirit is working continuously, from the beginning, when we believed: Regenerates us, lives inside us, baptizes us in Him, and places His seal on us until the day of redemption.

Finally, to point out that the fact that the reason opines, does not exclude the truth of the Bible and God's plan for saving those He knew before. God is able to call us and provide us the capacity to understand His salvation, and as well of having chosen us is able to convince us that from our own free will we choose Him, that good is God. Salvation is a plan and a work of God, and God does not fail in His works, but He takes them forward with a purpose and love of the Father; and as my father says, I think correctly, Let's let God, be God! and receive His grace.

"Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch; like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear,  the hour I first believed!..."