One of the most important doctrines in the Christian life is the gift of salvation. However, this eternal security doctrine is also the most debated doctrine in the whole Bible.

This article will examine biblical passages that tell us, that once a Christian is saved, they belong to God, and they have eternal life. Nothing that they do/think/believe afterwards can alter the state of their eternal salvation. In other words, there is no loss of salvation under any circumstance in the church age.

What does “once saved, always saved” mean?

Once anyone believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation, they will be saved and have eternal life.

1 John 5:11-13: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

There are no biblical conditionS for salvation. There is only one. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ that He took away your sins, and it is not by works.

The reason why many think that salvation is something that can be “lost” is because of wrong biblical interpretation. We need the King James Bible and dispensationalism to have non-contradictory interpretation.

Arguments for eternal security

1) Using the Body of Christ:

  1. God cannot lose a member of His body.
  2. The less honorable members are filled with abundant honor. God can make up for their defects.
  3. There is no schism in the body of Christ. No matter what sin men may commit, they cannot separate from the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:15-27: “If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”

The body as an analogy is even stronger than a spiritual family of Christ.

2) Double eternal security: Son + Father

Men cannot lose their salvation. It’s not just our Savior Jesus Christ (God the Son) who eternally secures them. They have a backup, which is God the Father.

John 10:27-30: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”

3) The Holy Spirit seals men till the Rapture.

Ephesians 1:13-14: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

cf Romans 8:19-23: “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

The redemption of the purchased possession = Rapture

4) Satan and sin cannot touch their souls.

1 John 3:9: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
1 John 5:18: “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.”

Circumcision is a bodily cutting off of the flesh. God has bodily cut men off from their whole body of sin. Even if their body still sins, they are not a part of that. Sins they are committing in their bodies cannot affect their souls because God has cut their souls off from their bodies of sins.

Colossians 2:11: “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:”

5) Grace is incompatible with works.

If men believe that salvation by grace is equal to some works in their lives, they get rid of the definition of works. Work would mean grace, and grace would mean work.

Romans 4:4-5: “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
Romans 11:6: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

6) Even if saved Christians no longer believed in Christ Jesus, they are still secure.

v12 – The denial mentioned below has nothing to do with salvation, rather the denial of a millennial reign with Christ.

2 Timothy 2:11-13: “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”

7) When men receive Jesus Christ, they become a son of God.

No matter how bad genuine believers’ relationship with the heavenly Father is, no matter how many times they sin against Him, He may cast them off from fellowshipping with Him, but that has nothing to do with their standing as sons of God.

John 1:12: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

8) God will judge every evil work a believer does on earth, but the fire cannot touch the believer.

A believer can live out a spiritual life with good fruits or bad fruits. For good works, there will be different degree of rewards and compensation of reward. This is subject to the good works that are done by a true believer.

1 Corinthians 3:1: “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.”
1 Corinthians 3:13-15: “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

9) A Christian will still be saved even though there are things in his life that he did not repent on.

The following passage of scripture tells us that even though there are sins committed that have not been repented of, we are accepted in the beloved.

2 Corinthians 12:19-21: “Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying. For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.”


Ephesians 1:5-6: “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

10) A Christian who commits the most wicked, heinous sin is still saved.

1 Corinthians 5:1: “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.”
1 Corinthians 5:5: “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Other multitudes of scriptures (we’re only listing some below):

1 Corinthians 1:7-8: “So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 8:30-34: “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Ephesians 1:4-5: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”

1 Peter 1:5: “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Jude 1:24: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,”

John 5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

1 John 2:1-2: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

1 Thessalonians 3:13: “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”

Luke 12:29: “And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.”

John 20:29: “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Romans 14:23: “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Why is it dangerous to doubt one’s own salvation?

God judges a Christian who lives in doubt. If he is living his life doubting his salvation, he is sinning against God. That is why the assurance of salvation is important.

Romans 14:23: “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
John 20:29: “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
Luke 12:29: “And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.”

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