Eternal Security Sample

The Theological Possibility

Once saved, always saved. Is this even possible? What are the factors involved in this doctrine of eternal security? Once we boil off the excess which obscures this doctrine, only two factors lie on the bottom of the pan: man’s sin and God’s provision. 

Man’s sin separates him from God. If man is to escape hell, God must make some sort of provision to pay the penalty for man’s sin. Clearly, Christ’s death on the cross is the payment for all man’s sin provided by God. The question of eternal security hinges on whether this provision pays for all of man’s sin. At this point, the opponents of eternal security confuse the issue by dividing sin into categories: past and future, bad and worse, confessed and unconfessed. This is like trying to divide a barrel of black oil into six compartments. Even if we do so, the oil in each compartment is still black, and it is still oil. Most of those who believe a Christian can lose his salvation do not believe God’s provision covers all sins. If eternal security is a theological possibility, then Christ’s death must be powerful enough to burn up this entire barrel of sin, not just two or three compartments. God’s provision must pay the debts accrued by all our sins irrespective of time, degree, or confession. In Hebrews 10, the Holy Spirit compares the sacrifice of bulls and goats with the sacrifice of God’s Son. Once a year, the people had to return to Jerusalem to offer another sacrifice for their sins of that past year, leaving with a clean slate. Since their sacrifice did not deal with future sins, they had to keep sacrificing every year. But the sacrifice of Jesus ended such need. The Word of God says that what was not possible through the sacrifice of bulls and goats was possible through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. 

Three Greek words emphasize this possibility. The first word is ephapax which means “once for all.” It’s mentioned in the New Testament referring to Christ’s death as payment for our sins. The second word is diēnekes which means “forever” and “everlasting.” It was used to say the sacrifice of Christ was good forever. The last Greek word is perielein which translates “to take away.” It’s used for casting away the anchors holding a ship back, and for removing the noose from a man’s neck. Man’s sin has become a hangman’s noose around his neck, but Christ’s death has removed the noose once and for all. 

Eternal security is not only a theological possibility; it’s a reality. Hebrews 10 makes it clear that God’s provision has completely blotted out and destroyed all our sins once and for all. Christ’s death sufficiently and efficiently covered the sins of believers from Adam to Christ, and from Christ until today.