The chorus of a popular hymn from the early 20th Century1 goes like this:
Saved… by His pow’r divine,
Saved… to new life sublime!
Life now is sweet and my joy is complete,
For I’m Saved, Saved, Saved!
It certainly is a thrilling reality, to know oneself as saved by God’s grace. The American church over the last hundred years or more, has so focused on the past tense, completed sense of salvation, however, that they’ve ignored the idea of salvation being in the present tense. The Bible actually speaks of three tenses when it comes to salvation: we have been saved (in the past: Eph. 2:5,8, 2 Tim. 1:9, Tit. 3:5), we also will ultimately be saved (in the future: Rom, 5:91 Thess. 5:9-10, 1 Pet. 1:5), and we are being saved now (in the present: 1 Cor. 1:18, 15:1-2, 2 Cor. 2:15).
One of the key passages, as you see above, for this concept of salvation being a present tense “being saved” reality, is 1 Cor. 15:1-2. Which says, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, 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. (ESV)”
Bill Mounce, a Greek professor and author, recently addressed how we should translate the Greek phrase for “being saved”, which some Bibles (like the King James Version) have as “are saved”. His comments reveal how the context of a book and one’s theology often help determine the translation of particular phrases. This is how language works. There is no absolute sense where the tense of a Greek verb has only one translation choice when it comes to putting it into English. That being said, I think Mounce’s case for 1 Cor. 15:2 being understood as “are being saved”, is quite strong. I also like his stress on the idea of being on “the straight and narrow” path, as the ultimate descriptive of our reality as Christ-followers.
Let me know what you think of this present tense salvation concept. I’ve shared thoughts related to this idea previously. A few posts which might help are listed below:
- The Gospel’s Work in Believers
- Once Saved, Always Saved?!?!
- My 219 Epiphany
- The Christian Life As a Race\”“Heb. 12:1-17
- All posts in the category “Perseverance”
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1 Words and music by Jack Scholfield (1918). Hear the tune in a new, contemporary choral arrangement here.
John 3:16…
John 1:12-13…
1 John 3:2 (New Living Translation)
2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
Since we don’t know or totally understand what “complete salvation” is or looks like, I would say we are definitely being saved continually and presently.
Mounce’s argument, to me, is incredibly dissatisfying. He does not err in presenting the potentials but simply asserts in the end that how one translates it is probably up to one’s theology. While that might be true that some do this, exegetically it is a fatal concession. Our theology is form by our exegesis and not the other way around (and he probably agrees with that statement but ignores its truth here).
I reject Augustinian/Reformed/Calvinistic (ARC)rationalism that invades exegesis rather constantly. However, in this case, regardless of the translation, for the sake of argument, even if its translation is “we are being saved” which ARC proponents might believe aids their theology, in truth it has no impact on the argument of perseverance or preservation.
The context is one of continuous evangelism, hence people are continuously being saved which is what Paul has in mind. How is this revealed? Following the statement “you are being saved” is the word, katechete, which is also present tense which means “to keep on retaining”. And what are they to keep on retaining in order for people to keep on being saved? The message, the gospel…the eueggelisamen.
In other words Paul says, “you are being saved if you retain the message (the gospel) that I gave to you unless you have feigned belief or believed a distorted gospel” (believe in vain).
And how do we know Paul means “believe in vain” refers to either feigning belief or believing an erring gospel and not this imagined creation of ARC proponents of “head belief”? Because Paul goes on to then present a lengthy argument as to just what the gospel is so everyone knows the precise message to be preached and to believe anything other that this is to believe in vain.
It is an evangelical context Paul and not one of justification and sanctification.
P.S. BTW the best term to reflect the certainly of our salvation is “Once Saved, Perfectly Saved”. The use of the perfect tense is quite deliberate in Ephesians 2:5,8 in speaking of our being saved in a context of the believer’s justification and sanctification.
Alex,
I don’t know how you avoid having your own theology impact your exegesis either. We do try to base our theology on exegesis, yes, but human beings are limited in what we can achieve.
How would your novel idea of “being saved” referring to the continual influx of new converts joining the “you” Paul refers to work in the 1 Cor. 1:18 passage where “us” is used? “Us” who are being saved??
I would be interested to hear of anyone else who would corroborate the exegesis you gave on this point. It sounds novel to me.
What do you do with all the other “if” statements in Scripture, by the way? Feel free to interact with my Once Saved, Always Saved?!?! post if you want. I understand we’re on different sides of this, although I do uphold the preservation of the believer. I’m also a convert to the ARC view you reject, but you can read my take on the 5 points by clicking the tab at the top labeled “Calvinism”.
Thanks for bringing another take on it here, though. I appreciate the interaction.
Blessings to you in Christ,
Bob
I have read the other article, in fact I do have your blog bookmarked some I am familiar with the content.
Let me respond here with a look again at the “if you keep in mind” or “if you keep on retaining”. That which one is to “keep on retaining” is the gospel. I am sure you do not have a dispute there.
So if we “keep on retaining” we are “being saved” (the inversion of the order of thought in the text with “being saved” coming first should not be by-passed, its construct is deliberate and common with Paul for use in emphasis, the emphasis being on “if you keep on retaining” which is foremost in Paul’s mind). I know of no teaching that communicates one who has believed the gospel, which automatically results in their permanent position with Christ, must continue to, in their own mind, retain the body of the gospel in order to continue to be saved. This would severely damage any concept of the perpetuity of our salvation through Christ, rather it would be through ourselves. Therefore the idea of perseverance being elevated here, I believe, is fraught with such debilitation.
The second, which I concede is stronger than that of a perseverance text and would not take direct issue with, is the context of our salvation being viewed in its various stages and this stage, the present, tense means to communicate that our salvation (with respect to all of its realities) is not complete, therefore ongoing, such as our glorified bodies. However, it does not address the relationship to the “if you keep on retaining”, the more critical element in Paul’s mind, here. One is contingent upon the other and this explanation does not reveal the relationship of the two connected phrases.
Therefore the “us” whom Paul addresses is left to ponder. I would say it is an inclusive and/or collective use of the pronoun and not exclusive. This letter was to a very controversial group of believers that had many questionable members. It is reasonable but not necessarily an adamant position, that Paul understood the reading of this letter was not private but public and for many who would hear this read would examine whether they had feigned belief (which is not considered belief at all) or believed something all together in error which explains why Paul went to great lengths immediately following this to present the true gospel in detail.
I am not dogmatic here with my position but both mine and that concerning the present tense, simply with reference to our daily experience of salvation (and not its judicial elements such as in Eph 2:5.8) are acceptable to me and much, much stronger than arguments that some wish to lend to perseverance.
“I know of no teaching that communicates one who has believed the gospel, which automatically results in their permanent position with Christ, must continue to, in their own mind, retain the body of the gospel in order to continue to be saved. This would severely damage any concept of the perpetuity of our salvation through Christ, rather it would be through ourselves. Therefore the idea of perseverance being elevated here, I believe, is fraught with such debilitation.”
What would you say of the following verses?
…but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. (Hebrews 3:6)
For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. (Hebrews 3:14)
…the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Matt. 10:22b)
…if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. (Jn. 8:31b)
…the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Gal. 6:8b-9)
Also, Luke 8:13 refers to those who “believe for a while” and then “in time of testing fall away”. That is what these Scriptures are warning us from. Not that true believers won’t continue to hold to the Gospel, but that if you don’t continue to hold to the Gospel, you are to doubt the sincerity and reality of your professed faith.
Paul calls this the “good fight of faith†in 1 Tim. 6:12 and exhorts Timothy to “take hold of the eternal life†(6:12) and to “hold faith†(1:19), because some had already “made shipwreck of their faith†(1:20), and some have “abandoned their former faith†(5:12), and others have “swerved from the faith†(6:21). All of this is related, I believe.
I see 1 Cor. 15:2 fitting nicely with this. It also fits with the Johannine way of describing faith by referring to “the believing ones” as the ones who are saved. (Jn. 1:12 and 3:16 are examples). I would contend that the descriptor “believing one” describes the life of faith en toto, the genuine belief will endure, and those are the ones who are saved.
I’m probably not that far afield from your own position, but I would be interested to see how you handle these kinds of verses Alex. It certainly appears to be a bigger teaching than just one view of 1 Cor. 15:2.
Your use of the passages without much argument assumes they support your position, you would have to present an argument for each yourself to which I can respond, and I promise, I have a rather thorough response for each, however first things first.
More primary is that we should not be moving away from the text itself and seek to import arguments from other portions of Scripture in order to deal with its own grammar and context. It is one thing to compare one text to other texts (theology) but it is another to use those texts to argue another’s context and grammar (exegesis).
To hold to the idea that this passage lends itself to arguments for perseverance, as I have noted, are extremely weak and the problems inherent to that, itself, still remain to be addressed so looking outside of the text is insufficiently dealing with the text. We can do so but I believe the text and the interpretative issues remain inadequately addressed.
BTW I do have a response for each passage and have a rather detailed exegesis of the parable of the sower but would prefer to remain with the text itself for more thoroughly developed arguments.
Alex,
I fixed the typo. I was responding to your declaration that you know of know such teaching in general. As to your take on this text, did you find corroboration elsewhere? I’d never heard that take before. I don’t see it as I peruse a few commentaries either. In fact, did you address the “unless you had believed in vain” part? Doesn’t that speak to the question of whether the faith they have is genuine? That would jive with a perseverance theme quite nicely.
Bob,
I will look more thoroughly for some commentaries that might have a similar view. As to believing in vain here was my earlier statement:
“…many who would hear this read would examine whether they had feigned belief (which is not considered belief at all) or believed something all together in error which explains why Paul went to great lengths immediately following this to present the true gospel in detail.”
The word εἰκῇ which is translated “vain” mean to feign or fake and is not the same as later, in verse 17 where ματαία is translated “vain” but is better translated worthless.
In other words Paul is saying “if you are retaining this message you are being saved” unless of course “you have faked or feigned belief”. Not, if you have believed this but later discovered that you didn’t really believe it…there is no such thing. If one believes something they believe it and Paul nor anywhere in Scripture is gospel belief treated as potentially something that “is but isn’t”. It either is or it isn’t. And here, if you have believed in vain, as the KJV translates it, the Greek text means to NOT HAVE BELIEVED AT ALL or to have feigned belief.
Sorry, I missed that part. You did address it, my bad.
Salvation only matters in the present. Past tense salvation is irrelevant because the past is gone. Salvation is living fully in the present. If you are concerned about being saved in the future you are not living in the present. If salvation has no effect on the present it is not salvation. Wake up from your endless, needless focus on minutia and enjoy God!
I understand the phrasing to be future tense. Refer to KJV. Even in Protestant Bibles you can refer to Philippians 3:11-12 and notice the contradiction.
I will be saved if, when I stand before the dread Judgment Seat, the Lord has mercy on me and grants me access into the Kingdom of the Heavens. Until then I will stand with fear and trembling.
From I Cor 15:2 the verb tense for being saved is present indicative imperative. That means we are in a state of saved and we continue in a state of saved. There is no verse in the bible that says after we are saved we need to be continue in a process of being saved until that resurrection where we are translated and saved from Gods wrath.