previously in this series–part 1, part 2, “The Sinner’s Prayer Problem” (part 3)
In the posts above, I have introduced the problem of Man- centered Christianity, and begun exploring how the problem became so widespread in the American evangelical Church today. Part 3 was an aside, focusing on the problem of the “sinner’s prayer”–a method which has contributed in part to the problem of man-centeredness in Christianity. Before I continue, it might be good to review what it is I’m addressing in these posts.
Much like the problem of going to church for ourselves, man-centeredness results in a blurring of the distinction between the church and the world. God is important, church is my thing, but my life is, well my life.
I read the following quote in John Piper’s book The Legacy of Sovereign Joy (pg. 118):
\”I suddenly saw that someone could use all the language of evangelical Christianity, and yet the center was fundamentally the self, my need of salvation. And God is auxiliary to that….I also saw that quite a lot of evangelical Christianity can easily slip, can become centered in me and my need of salvation, and not in the glory of God.\” \”” quoted in Tim Stafford, \”God\’s Missionary to Us\”, Christianity Today, Dec. 9, 1996.
When church is all about us, that’s a problem. And today, the Bible has become a guidebook on how we can have a great life. Church is important, but not particularly vital. It’s sort of an optional extra which adds benefit to your life, but sometimes the cost can be a pain.
Theologically, God loves us, because we are so important and special to Him. That’s why Jesus died for all, He had to do what he could for us, you know.
How did we get here?
In part, the sinner’s prayer and other techniques for getting people to receive Christ are to blame. Of course many have legitimately been saved using these methods, but the methods subtly shift the focus from God to man. Whereas in the past evangelists majored on declaring the gospel faithfully, and letting the Holy Spirit work, today we encourage people to do something: pray a prayer, walk an aisle, etc. Then we pronounce them saved.
This leads me to today’s post: the common understanding of eternal security has contributed to this problem. Once saved, always saved–this idea has helped further the inordinate focus on man in today’s Church.
Here’s how it goes. A preacher attracts someone into the church by highlighting how Jesus can add purpose to their life. He gets the convert to settle his guilt problem and his anxiety over a possible eternity in Hell by promising the convert full salvation if he only prays the sinner’s prayer. After jumping through that hoop, the convert is then told he can never lose salvation. It’s free, and God’s not a liar.
The convert then is exhorted as to his obligations to love and follow God, because of all God did for him. So a dutiful following of Jesus often happens. And since worship is fun [or maybe the people are], the convert may stay around a while. Of course since, the convert’s personal value was what made the gospel important, so its natural for him to expect the other messages of the church to practically benefit his life and help him. However, the convert may eventually lose interest in church, or fall out of sorts with this or that friend. Since God wasn’t central, its easy to not look back–especially since the convert, if he knows anything, knows he has “fire insurance”.
Because security is taken for granted, the convert has no need to continue believing and trusting Jesus. He may love Jesus because of how he feels now; but with a change of feeling, the love might vanish as well. What God wants, and who God is, is sort of removed from the convert’s experience. He might learn to appreciate God’s perspective, but ultimately his own personal interests matter most.
Now I must make myself clear: the above scenario often does not happen. Often those who hold to this idea of eternal security still go on to live holy lives with genuine love for Christ. Many of these people are not man-centered at all.
Still, this understanding is wrong. The idea that just praying a prayer makes you eternally secure if very wrong. And if you’ve ever talked to backslidden converts, you will hear that they subscribe to this view. Even preachers have said that there’s nothing you can do once saved, to lose your salvation. And this can overtly encourage a very licentious lifestyle.
So, “eternal security” is wrong???
No, I’m not saying that true believers aren’t eternally secure. Don’t get me wrong, please. I am saying that the historic belief of the orthodox Church does not jive with a “once saved, always saved” (OSAS) mentality. Historically, emphasis has been on the perseverance of the saints not on their preservation. The saints are preserved, but all true saints, will persevere–they will not finally fall away.
The problem with OSAS is that it flies in the face of such clear Biblical warnings as:
- “He has now reconciled [you]… in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…” (Col. 1:22-23)
- “…the gospel… which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you–unless you believed in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:1-2)
- “…and we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” (Heb. 3:6)
- “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God…For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (Heb. 3:12, 14)
- “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.” (Jn. 8:31b)
- “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mk. 13:13b)
- “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Rom. 8:13)
- “…in due season we will reap [eternal life (see 6:8)], if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9)
- “Strive for… the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb. 12:14)
- \”faith apart from works is dead\” and \”can that faith save him?\” (James 2:26 with 2:14)
- “And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Heb. 6:11-12)
- “…they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.” (Luke 8:13b)
The last verse above coupled with 1 Thess. 3:5, teach that faith might not last. 1 Cor. 15:2 teaches that belief could be in vain. Jesus warned against those who professed to know Christ but didn’t in Matt. 7:21-23, and he testified to the need for perseverance to the end in Luke 21:34-36. This is why the Scripture encourages us to “examine [ourselves], to see whether [we] are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5a) and to “make our calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10).
I have more to say on this important point, and I’ll come back to it in the next post. I will leave you with a few earlier posts of mine which will help you understand what exactly I’m saying, and why I think it is Biblical.
Also, this external link, provides some excellent reasons why God would put such warnings in Scripture, even though all of the elect will certainly persevere (John 10:27-30, 1 Pet. 1:3-5).
My “Calvinish” pastor (look! I learned a new term!), who largely follows the emphases of John MacArthur’s, “The Gospel According To Jesus,” etc., has quite cleverly gone on record as correcting the “Once Saved, Always Saved” concept by saying the problem is that we put the emPHAsis on the wrong syLLABal: It’s not, “Once saved, ALWAYS saved,” the biblical understanding is “once SAVED, always saved.”
In other words, he means it in the terms of perseverance of the saints as you’ve described it: “The idea that just praying a prayer makes you eternally secure if very wrong. And if you’ve ever talked to backslidden converts, you will hear that they subscribe to this view.”
and, “The saints are preserved, but all true saints, will persevere–they will not finally fall away.”
How true, John. All who are genuinely saved, or all who have true saving faith, these do continue and are kept in God’s hand. Of course, we believe, continue to believe, depend on Jesus — and never presume that we’re safe from any harm. We keep living for Jesus and trusting him. Why? Because we are obeying the warning passages. And for the reasons in the last link I provide in the post above.
This series is hitting the mark. The practical problems you are pointing out are some of my main motivations for becoming more strongly Calvinistic, especially in how I talk to “professing” believers.
I have talked to a number of professors who admitted to knowingly living a sinful lifestyle. They knew that they were disobedient to the Scriptures and were openly unwilling to repent. While continuing in this obstinate rebellion they were still convinced that they were saved. They even said they “believed” the Bible. There only reason for believing they were saved presently was a past profession of faith. No amount of biblical evidence could shake their “faith” in their supposed salvation. It is an amazing and unbelievable thing to behold!
Thanks Don. How sad for those people. Of course, in my own life I can treat sin the same way.
John Piper gives an illustration similar to yours here, about dealing with people about sin who are totally OSAS people. I think I quote it from Future Grace, in my OSAS article at the bottom of the post here.
[...] Eternal Security: Perseverance or Preservation? previously in this series–part 1, part 2, “The Sinner’s Prayer Problem” (part 3), part 4 [...]
[...] I’m getting ready to pick up my series on man-centered Christianity (see posts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), and I thought highlighting what my pastor, John Piper said in a recent message would help move [...]