One of the most controversial doctrines within the body of Christ is that of “Eternal Security”,
otherwise known as “Once saved…always saved”. In Romans Chapter Four, Paul makes it abundantly
clear for us that we are saved by grace alone, and that no man’s “good work” can obtain a right standing
before a Holy and just God. But what happens after a person is saved? Can he lose his salvation by not
living up to God’s perfect standards? And if so, just how far does a person have to fall before he crosses
that invisible line and loses favor with God? These are but a few of the questions that have caused many
a church split, as well as, anxious Christians to walk the floor at night, wondering if they have somehow
fallen from grace.
In fact, several years ago, there was a church just up the street from where I was pastoring, and
they boasted of having fifty to sixty baptisms every month. I was genuinely excited when I heard of these
numbers until I learned that the church only had about two hundred members! How can you baptize fifty people every month and not have a significant growth in your church membership? It turns out that the church in question was baptizing the same people over and over again, because every time they
committed a sin, they were afraid that they had lost their standing with God and had to be saved and
baptized all over again!
The fact is, this teaching is quite dangerous for one simple reason. It teaches that although we
are “saved by grace”, we must “stay saved” by our own power. In other words, while God alone has the
power to save you, you alone must keep from losing that salvation by your own power! Here is the simple truth of it all. No one can save themselves, and no one can keep themselves saved. It is ALL a work of grace from start to finish. Just listen to the words Jesus prayed before going to the cross.