Perseverance of the Saints    2 Peter 2:20-21 and Hebrews 6:1-6

This post concerns the Calvinistic doctrine of perseverance of the Saints.

Perseverance of the Saints discusses what the Bible says about whether a Christian can start serving God and then fall away.

As his fifth point, Calvin taught that once saved a Christian cannot fall away. Those believing this teaching say, “Once Saved always Saved.” However, the scriptures do not contain this doctrine.

Note, Peter clearly speaks about this situation, 2 Peter 2:20-21.

“after …escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

…they…again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first…

…For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.”

So, Peter speaks of Christians that have “Escaped the defilements of the world.” But they entangle themselves again in the sin of the world.

Then, the now entangled former faithful Christians live in a worse state than if they had never started the life of a Christian.

Also, the writer of the Hebrews letter recognized the difficulty of starting as a Christian and then turning back to the world, Hebrews 6:1-6.

“Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity…

…And this we will do…For… impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, …and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance,

crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm…”

Thus, the writer repudiates the doctrine of ‘Once saved always saved.’

So, what did we learn?

1.The scriptures teach that a Christian can drift back to the world and eternal destruction.

2.A new worse state exists for former faithful Christians entangled again in the world.

For more on the Bible, click tdroberts.org or https://justchristian.com or https://podcastjustchristian.com

#onceSavedAlwaysSavedNotBiblical #ChristiansDriftBackWorld