Eternal Security
John 15 – The Vine and the Branches
John 15: 1-6 is typically used by Arminians to show that it is possible for those who are in Christ to apostatize, and thus, forfeit/lose salvation. The passage says: John 15:1-6 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, [...]
If Apostasy is Possible…
…is it unreasonable to assume that God would regenerate people who He knows will later apostatize? Norman Geisler seems to think so. In the third volume of his Systematic Theology, under the section, ‘The Theological Basis for Eternal Security’, and under the heading ‘God Has Infallible Foreknowledge,’ Geisler writes: “Both Calvinists and traditional (classical) Arminians [...]
Apostates: Never Really Saved to Begin With?
A special thanks to Ben from Arminian Perspectives, who provided most of the content of this post. One of the most common tactics employed by OSASers when confronted with the Scriptural case for apostasy is to concede that apostasy may indeed be possible, but if a person was to apostatize, it is sure proof that that [...]
OSAS Proof-Texts: John 6:39-40
John 6:39-40: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, [...]
OSAS Proof-Texts: John 6:37
John 6:37: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Geisler says: “Not only is everyone who comes saved, but everyone who is saved is saved permanently! God’s gift is a forever salvation.” 1 The problem with using this verse as a proof [...]
OSAS Proof-Texts: John 5:24
John 5:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.” Geisler says of this verse: “…those who truly believe now can be certain now that they will be in Heaven later. Everlasting life is a present [...]
OSAS Proof-Texts: John 3:18
John 3:18: “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Geisler says: “The plain sense of this text is that if one believes now, he is not condemned (lost) now and will not be condemned [...]
OSAS Proof-Texts: John 3:15
John 3:15: “That whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” GotQuestions.org says of this verse: “John 3:15 states that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will “have eternal life.” If you believe in Christ today and have eternal life, but lose it tomorrow, then it was never “eternal” at all. Hence if you lose your [...]
OSAS Proof-Texts: Ecclesiastes 3:14
Ecclesiastes 3:14: “I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.” Geisler says of this verse: “Scripture’s application of this principle to salvation (cf. Eph. 1:4) results in the doctrine of eternal security. If what [...]
OSAS Proof-Texts: Job 19:25-26
Job 19:25-26: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.” Geisler says of this verse: “Job was certain of two things: (1) that his Redeemer lived, and (2) that [...]
OSAS Proof-Texts: Introduction
Commencing shortly will be a series of posts examining the passages of Scripture that OSAS advocates use to substantiate their belief in unconditional eternal security. The vast majority of the interpretations from the OSAS point of view come from Norman Geisler, in volume three of his Systematic Theology. At this stage, there appears to be [...]
Be Sober-Minded; Be Watchful … But Why?
1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” But if what OSAS teaches – that once a person is [...]
Practical Problems With OSAS
Note: It should be obvious from the content of the post, but the version of OSAS that I am arguing against in this post is what has been termed by some as the ‘Alpha View’. It is the view that a singular moment of faith is enough to guarantee an entrance into the eternal kingdom of [...]
Are Future Sins Already Forgiven? Preliminary Thoughts
Critical for a consistent belief in the doctrine of unconditional eternal security is the belief that all of the believer’s sins are forgiven – past, present, and future. As such, it is a main argument that is used to justify belief in OSAS. As the argument goes, ‘If Jesus paid for every sin, then how can we [...]
