Once Saved, Always Saved?

Theology
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Brother

Opening Salvo:
Your formulation—“Rebirth from Baptism through the soul for the spirit in the immortal flesh”—tries to wrap ancient-sounding mystery around a cocktail of unscriptural confusion.

  1. Rebirth is from the Spirit, not Baptismal Waters (John_3:5–8)
    You assert: “Rebirth from Baptism…”
    But the Lord said:

John 3:5–6 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit (ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος), he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

The phrase ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος does not imply sacramental baptism as the regenerating agent but refers to the purifying work of the Spirit (cf. Ezek_36:25–27).

The preposition ἐξ (genitive) marks source, not ritual act. Regeneration does not come from the waters but from the Spirit.

Titus 3:5 “He saved us… by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
Verb: ἔσωσεν (aorist active indicative 3rd singular from σῴζω)—decisive divine act, not mediated through a rite but through mercy and Spirit.

  1. Soul-for-Spirit Swapping Is Gnostic, Not Apostolic
    You said: “through the soul for the spirit”
    This vague preposition play has no scriptural warrant. The ψυχή (soul) is not a conduit for the spirit. Hebrews 4:12 declares:

Hebrews 4:12 “…dividing soul and spirit…”
Greek: ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος—clearly distinct terms, not interchangeable parts of one fluid metaphysical process.

Furthermore, 1 Thess_5:23 distinguishes the tripartite man:
“May your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless…”
This utterly dismantles your fusionistic language.

  1. The Flesh Is Not “Immortal” Yet (1 Cor_15:53)
    You wrote: “in the immortal flesh”
    But Scripture declares plainly:

1 Corinthians 15:53 “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”
Greek: τὸ φθαρτὸν… τὸ ἀφθαρσίαν… τὸ θνητὸν… ἀθανασίαν

All future tense–this transformation is eschatological, not realized. Claiming immortal flesh now contradicts Paul’s teaching.

  1. “Saved from Sacrifice through Penance”? Foreign to Apostolic Gospel
    You said: “Saved from Sacrifice through Penance…”

Yet Scripture teaches we are saved by Christ’s sacrifice, not from it, and not through penance.

Hebrews 10:10 “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
διὰ τῆς προσφορᾶς τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ—not through penance, not through rituals, but through His once-for-all substitutionary offering.

Greek Verb: ἡγιασμένοι (perfect passive participle from ἁγιάζω)–completed, God-initiated holiness rooted in Christ’s death.

  1. “Holy Spirit Incorruption in the Body”? Only in the Resurrection
    You said: “Holy Spirit Incorruption in The Body…”

But incorruption (ἀφθαρσία) is not presently manifest in our bodies. Paul groans for it.

Romans 8:23 “…we groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”
We do not now possess incorruption in the body, but await it at the resurrection (cf. Phil_3:21).

  1. “Becoming again One Holy Spirit Family”? Not Scriptural Language
    You ended with: “One Holy Spirit Family One God in being.”

Nowhere in Scripture is the redeemed called a “Holy Spirit Family.” Believers are called sons, heirs, saints, body, bride, but never a Holy Spirit Family.

Furthermore, your phrase “One God in being” echoes creedal metaphysics, but Scripture never speaks of believers becoming part of the ontological divine essence (cf. Isa_42:8, Rom_1:25).

2 Peter 1:4 speaks of κοινωνοὶ θείας φύσεως (“partakers of the divine nature”), but this is moral likeness, not metaphysical fusion.

Your phraseology draws more from mystical synthesis and pseudo-sacramental Gnosticism than from the grammar of the Gospel.
Baptism follows regeneration (Acts_10:44–48), penance cannot purchase salvation (Eph_2:8–9), and incorruptible flesh is not present but promised (1 Cor_15:52–54).

Peace is found in the cross, not in mystical phrases.
Galatians 6:14 “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Shalom.

Johann.

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Hi,

Correct me where I go wrong

So is the seal a mark…like one was marked with the Holy Spirit when they spoke in tongues, spoke in boldness, the Spirit came over them, or they received revelation?

Or is the seal.. like the inside and outside of the top of an unopened can. Hence, inside the can is you and the Holy Spirit?

Another question:

Abraham had received the seal of circumcisiom while He eas yet circumcised in the flesh, correct?

So what was the Seal? The Holy Spirit?

I guess in any case. The Spirit can be moved…sense it did leave, I thinķ, Saul..

@Johann

Marked as God’s own possession…is sounds
What does the sword say

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Our assurance is in Christ because of God’s enduring and irrevocable promises.

But if we deny Christ and walk away, then we make shipwreck of our faith. This is called apostasy, and Scripture is serious when it warns of it.

Yes, we can throw our faith away, we can turn away and reject our salvation. And it is a terrible and tragic thing. That’s why the Bible is serious in its warnings about it.

“Once Saved, Always Saved” in the sense that a Christian cannot become apostate isn’t biblical. It isn’t assurance of our salvation. It is, at best, mere “fire insurance”; but at worst it is actually an undermining of our hope and assurance in Christ. Let me explain.

I’ll share a story from my own life here. When I was in high school I knew this guy, let’s call him Tom. Tom was in the same youth group I was involved with, I used to find him at lunch by himself reading the Bible and taking notes. Tom had faith, he took his Christian faith seriously, he took Jesus seriously, he cared about others, he loved talking about Jesus to everyone. Years later I met Tom again, he was different, he wasn’t a Christian any longer.

If you can walk away, you never received Jesus

If someone like Tom never had faith, then what does that say about me, or you, or anyone else? If I can love the Lord, be devoted to the Lord, but if it’s not “real” and I just think I have faith but don’t actually have faith, how can I know if I have real faith rather than just imaginary faith? This undermines any hope, any assurance, any foundation of faith I could have. We could all just be walking about with a pretend and fake faith, how would we know otherwise?

Saying that someone who walks away never actually believed in the first place is not a message of hope and assurance–it undermines hope, it destroys assurance. It says that we might only imagine we are Christians but are not, that our faith is false, that our hope is fake, that our love and devotion to the Lord is all just pretend.

That does not preach Gospel to me, that preaches hopelessness.

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Hi @Corlove13

Is the seal a mark… like when one spoke in tongues, or with boldness, or received revelation?

That’s a thoughtful question. The idea of a seal (σφραγίς in Greek) in the New Testament carries rich connotations: ownership, authentication, and security.

Ephesians 1:13–14
“In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee (ἀρραβών) of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it…”
→ The seal here is not an outward sign like tongues but the inward presence of the Holy Spirit upon faith in Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:22
“[God] has also put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

So while the Spirit may at times empower for tongues, boldness, or revelation (Acts 2:4, Acts 4:31, Acts 13:52), these are evidences, not equivalent to the seal.
The seal is not the manifestation. It is God’s mark of ownership upon faith (Eph 1:13), and He gives the Spirit Himself as that pledge–not merely the gifts He brings.

  1. Or is the seal like the inside and outside of a can—God and the Spirit being within the believer?

You’re right to try to picture it. The metaphor of a sealed container might help as a visual, but we must refine it with biblical language.

The seal is not just something that closes or surrounds–it’s God’s stamp of authority and ownership on the soul.

Romans 8:9
“Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”

Galatians 4:6
"Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!’”

So yes–in a sense, you are “sealed” inwardly, because the Spirit dwells within you (1 Cor 3:16; John 14:17). But this sealing is God’s own action, not your perception or emotional state.

  1. Did Abraham receive the seal of circumcision while still uncircumcised in the flesh?
    Let’s clarify the timeline, as Paul does:

Romans 4:11
“[Abraham] received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised…”
→ So yes, the seal here is not the physical act, but the divine recognition of his faith. The circumcision was a sign (Hebrew: אוֹת) and seal (σφραγίς) of an already-existing reality.

The Holy Spirit wasn’t given to Abraham as He is to New Covenant believers (John 7:39), but the principle is the same: God authenticates the believer’s status by a seal, in Abraham’s case through covenantal sign, in ours through the indwelling Spirit.

  1. So was the seal the Holy Spirit?
    In the New Covenant, yes.

Ephesians 4:30
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

The Spirit is the seal–not merely what He does. This does not mean He marks you with something external, but His very presence is the divine assurance that you belong to God.

  1. But the Spirit can be moved… like He left Saul, right?
    You’re referencing something important. Yes, in the Old Testament, the Spirit departed from individuals.

1 Samuel 16:14
“Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the LORD tormented him.”

But let’s be careful: this was under the Old Covenant, when the Spirit came upon people temporarily for kingly, priestly, or prophetic roles, not for personal regeneration and permanent indwelling (cf. Exo_31:3, Num_11:17).

David feared this, hence:

Psalm 51:11
“Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.”

But now, under the New Covenant, sealed believers are not under that same dispensation.

John 14:16–17
"…He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever… you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

Hebrews 13:5
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Still, we are warned:

Ephesians 4:30
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit…”

That is, we may cause relational grief, but not positional loss of the Spirit.

The seal of the Spirit is not the gifts but the Giver–God marking us as His own (Eph 1:13).

Abraham’s seal was circumcision, but it testified to a righteousness he had before it–just as the Spirit testifies to our sonship by faith.

The Holy Spirit now dwells permanently in believers (John 14:16), unlike under the Old Covenant (1 Sam 16:14).

We may grieve Him (Eph 4:30), but in Christ, we are sealed until the day of redemption.

Let me know if you want to explore this in Greek or Hebrew–I’d be happy to expand further.

Hope this is helpful? If not, just call on me and will be happy to walk you through this.

Stay strong in Messiah.

Johann.

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You got me thinking…could the seal be an inward and outward Mark

Example: God (Spirit/breath) speaking through man.

For we are the vessel used for the Spirit. That through the deed on the outside the Spirit of God (God) is recognized.

So what was the seal Abraham received…If it were the Seal of righteousness- explain what this looks like..ty And then I’ll :raised_hand: stop here. And revisit your other comments later.

Rather too, what seals us, gives us confidence, is when what is in the inside is manifested on the outside..

So exercising deeds on the outside, like God telling Abraham to walk before Him blameless and He would make a covenant with Him has to mean something… from oneside the ( physical) to the other (the spiritual)..But scripture is right the Spirit has to be the seal..I need to take time to meditate on what you already wrote.

@Johann

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Hi @Corlove13

. Could the seal be both an inward and outward mark—God speaking through man?

This is a wise and discerning question. Yes, biblically, there are both inward and outward aspects to God’s sealing. But they are not always identical and must be rightly distinguished.

Romans 8:16
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…”
→ This is the inward testimony of the Spirit—a confirmation, not an outward sign.

Ephesians 1:13–14
“…having believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…”
→ The sealing happens at the moment of faith, not when an outward sign is performed.

2 Timothy 2:19
“The Lord knows those who are His,” and “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
→ This verse quotes Numbers 16:5 and connects the seal with two things: God’s recognition (inward) and holy conduct (outward).

So yes, while the seal itself is inward (the Spirit), it can have visible effects—like bold proclamation, holy living, and bearing fruit. But those external deeds are not the seal itself; they are its evidence.

Matthew 7:20
“By their fruits you shall know them.”
→ Not by their seal, but by their fruits—which flow from the seal of the Spirit.

John 3:8
“The wind blows where it wishes… so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
→ You may not see the seal, but you can see the movement it creates.

  1. God (Spirit/Breath) speaking through man—does this mean the seal is visible in action?
    Yes, God speaking through man is one of many outcomes of the indwelling Spirit. It’s an outflow, not the seal itself.

Acts 2:4
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
→ This was a temporary and visible manifestation, but it was not given to all believers (cf. 1 Cor 12:29–30).

1 Peter 4:11
“Whoever speaks, as one who speaks the oracles of God…”
→ This is Spirit-enabled speaking, yes—but again, it’s the result, not the essence, of the seal.

2 Corinthians 4:7
“We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
→ The Spirit within us (the treasure) is sealed in our hearts, but it overflows visibly in our actions.

So yes, the Spirit may empower boldness, truth-telling, prophecy, praise, wisdom, or compassion—but these are external fruits of an internal sealing.

  1. What was the seal Abraham received, and what did it look like?
    Let’s go straight to Paul’s clearest exposition:

Romans 4:11
“He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.”

→ Circumcision was not righteousness. It was a sign (σημεῖον) and seal (σφραγίς) of something that already existed: Abraham’s faith in God’s promise.

Genesis 15:6
“And he believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”
→ This happened before Genesis 17 (circumcision). That means the seal is post-faith, not the means of faith.

So what did the seal of righteousness look like?

It looked like faith in the unseen promises of God (Gen 15:5–6).
It looked like walking in obedience, even when costly (Gen 22:1–18).
It looked like God confirming His covenant with Abraham in his body—through circumcision—as an outward reminder of a deeper, spiritual truth (Rom 2:28–29).

Paul applies this truth to believers:

Galatians 3:29
“If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Romans 2:29
“A Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit…”
→ That’s the true seal today—inward righteousness by faith, witnessed to by the Spirit (Rom 8:16), and lived out in holiness (Gal 5:22–25).

Final Thought: Is the seal visible or invisible?
Both..but in the right order.

Inward: The Holy Spirit indwells and seals the believer at faith (Eph 1:13).
Outward: The Spirit produces fruit (Gal 5:22–23), empowers for mission (Acts 1:8), and moves us to holiness (Titus 2:11–14).
But none of the outward manifestations are the seal itself…they are the evidence that the seal is real.

Let me know if you’d like to dig into the Greek and Hebrew of seal, sign, and Spirit,I can walk you through σφραγίς, σημεῖον, נֶ֫פֶשׁ, רוּחַ, and more. You’re asking the right questions…and Scripture has the deepest answers.

Shalom.

Johann.

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Hi @Johann

Im getting out of Bed after this..
But I did add somemore through the edit but you may have covered it.

But Something just came to me: The tower of babel..

We are always trying to find God by looking up..

But not in and through the people we see daily.

This came to me so thought I’d share…But I’ll be meditating on what you have given me thanks..Truly you should get payed for your time. It means a lot to find a friend.

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I’m always around..just reach out anytime, and I’ll gladly help however I can.

Shalom to you and family.

Johann.

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1 Corinthians 9:27
but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Paul taught that if he did not keep his flesh under subjection and live what he preached he should be a “castaway”
Perdition
eternal damnation
[hell]
utter destruction
The Bible tells us that we can “draw back” unto PERDITION-
Hebrews 10:38-39
Authorized (King James) Version
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

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10:35-36 These verses document the need of the believing group

not to throw away their confidence (cf. Heb. 3:6; 4:16; 10:19)
to endure (cf. Heb. 12:1-3)
In many ways this sounds like the message to the seven churches of Revelation 2-3 (cf. Rev. 2:3,5, 7,10,11,13,16,17,19,25,26; 3:2,3,5,10,11,12,20). True faith is a persevering faith (cf. 1 John 2:19). God’s covenant promises must be received and held.

The real issue in security is not struggling believers, but the multitude of modern western church members who have no evidence of faith in their lives. Easy believism, coupled with an overemphasis on security, has filled our churches with baby Christians at best and lost people in Christian clothing at worst! Discipleship and the call for radical holiness are missing in a materialistic, capitalistic, decadent, modern western culture. Salvation has been turned into a product (a ticket to heaven at the end of a self-centered life or a fire insurance policy against ongoing sin) instead of a daily, growing, personal relationship with God. The goal of Christianity is not only heaven when we die (product), but Christlikeness now!! God wants to restore His image in mankind so that He can reach fallen humanity with His free offer of salvation in Christ. We are saved to serve! Security is a by-product of a life of service and discipleship.

SPECIAL TOPIC: PERSEVERANCE

SPECIAL TOPIC: SANCTIFICATION

SPECIAL TOPIC: ASSURANCE

10:36 This verse is stated with a contingency (i.e., SUBJUNCTIVE VERB “may receive”)!

▣ “the will of God” See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WILL OF GOD

▣ “you may receive what was promised” This refers to the promises of the New Covenant in Christ (i.e., Heb. 9:15)! This New Covenant mentioned in Jer. 31:31-34 is a grace-based covenant, based on God’s character, Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the Spirit’s wooing.

SPECIAL TOPIC: RECEIVE

SPECIAL TOPIC: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “RECEIVE,” “BELIEVE,” “CONFESS/PROFESS,” AND “CALL UPON”?

10:37-38 This is a quote from the Septuagint of Hab. 2:3-4, but with the last two clauses reversed for emphasis. New Testament authors had the right, under inspiration, to use and manipulate OT texts that believers, who are under illumination, do not!

SPECIAL TOPIC: INSPIRATION

SPECIAL TOPIC: ILLUMINATION

▣ “He who is coming” The Hebrew Masoretic Text has “it,” but the Greek Septuagint makes it personal, which implies the Messiah.

SPECIAL TOPIC: MESSIAH

10:38 “shall live by faith” “Faith” is a cricial theological term. See SPECIAL TOPIC: Believe, Trust, Faith, and Faithfulness in the Old Testament

Johann.

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I think there is a difference between being saved and going to heaven. I think going to heaven requires repentance. As for being saved, I think we are always in God’s care.

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Bob, Repentance is a requirement for salvation…Salvation is to be Born-Again - it is the New Birth, which is the beginning- not the finish

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Hi,

Read he parable of The Prodigal Son.
At what point in the son’s journey did he stop being the father’s son?

If we are His. He will never leave us or forsake us.

1 John 2:18-20 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. KJV

There are people who leave Christianity.
But John makes it clear that they are not not believers.
True believers should have the same attitude as Peter.
Where else would we go?
Believers will make mistakes.
Believers will backslide.
But believers never stop being God’s children.

Blessings

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Your “Tom” might have been like an unchurched middle-aged man I met in 1979. He had been turned off to the church by some incident after he became a Christian. Through our relationship, God brought him back to church during the summer assignment that God had given me in seminary. Later, I heard that he had become one of the church’s leaders as a deacon. Don’t give up on “Tom” is my advice.

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Show where backslidders go to heaven… chapter and verse please

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@BrotherDavid, what do you mean by “backsliders,” people who stop going to church because of some offense, those who take up a sinful lifestyle without repenting, or what? I do believe in “once-saved, always saved” because of the Gospel of John and Jesus’ words there, but only God knows whether someone is truly saved in the first place and whether they have clearly backslidden. Seeing people’s external actions cannot divulge their hearts to us. Only God sees their hearts.

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People that have turned from God…They have slid back
Hosea 11:7
Authorized (King James) Version
7 And my people are bent to backsliding from me:
though they called them to the most High,
none at all would exalt him.
Proverbs 14:14
Authorized (King James) Version
14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways:
and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
Revelation 2:4-5
Authorized (King James) Version
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Hebrews shows us that is is possible to draw back unto perdition which means:
perdition**:** eternal damnation
: hell
2archaic : utter destruction
obsolete : loss

Hebrews 10:38-39 Authorized (King James) Version
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

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Joh 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Joh 6:36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
Joh 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Joh 6:39 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.
Joh 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

It’s very clear that in these verses from John 6, Jesus is saying “once saved, always saved.”

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Hi,

“Show where backsliders go to heaven… chapter and verse please” quote from Brother David

I am one, provided I am forgiven.
I made huge mistakes over the course of my life.
But I believe God still loves me.
I believe I am forgiven.

The Prodigal Son parable is an allegory a mans son who leaves the father for what the Bible calls riotous living.
He parties until the funds run dry and ends up eating with the pigs.
Then, knowing he was disowned by his father, goes back to the father asking for work as a hired band.
But to the father, he never stopped being the man’s son.
When the son returned, the father ran to greet him.
The son “repented” and ask for forgiveness.
The father accepted that repentance, clothed the son ina robe and made a feast to celebrate the son’s return.

Luke 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

That about do it Brother David?

Blessings

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The claim that “once saved, always saved” is a comforting slogan, but it collapses under the weight of Scripture’s solemn warnings and imperatives. The New Testament nowhere teaches that a believer’s salvation is irrevocable regardless of later unbelief or apostasy. On the contrary, the apostles of Christ thunder with warnings, exemplars, and commands showing that genuine believers can fall away from grace, shipwreck their faith, and perish if they cease clinging to the crucified Christ.

Look squarely at Judas Iscariot. He was handpicked by Jesus, entrusted with ministry and the moneybag (John 12:6), yet paredōken, he handed over the Lord for silver and went to his own destruction (Matt 26:24, Acts 1:25). He did not merely fail to believe, he betrayed his Savior and fell headlong into ruin. Scripture never suggests Judas was “never saved to begin with,” but rather that he chose apostasy over fidelity, demonstrating that proximity to Christ is no substitute for perseverance.

Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim 1:18–20) are named as men who apōsanto, thrust away faith and a good conscience, causing spiritual shipwreck (nauageō). If shipwreck is possible, then the voyage can be abandoned. Likewise Demas (2 Tim 4:10) - once a fellow worker, he egkatelipen, abandoned Paul, “having loved this present world.” He is not portrayed as a false brother exposed, but as a brother seduced back into the age Christ died to deliver him from.

Paul confronts the Galatians in terms no softer: “You have fallen from grace” (exepesate tēs charitos, Gal 5:4). To fall from grace means you were once in grace. They were severed from Christ (katērgēthēte apo Christou). The verb is surgical, cut off. This happens to real believers who abandon the cross for law or flesh.

Hebrews raises the most chilling warning. Its audience had been “enlightened,” “tasted the heavenly gift,” “shared in the Holy Spirit” — language that unmistakably describes authentic believers, yet it warns of those who parapesontas, fall away (Heb 6:6). They trample underfoot the Son of God and profane His blood (Heb 10:29). Such verbs describe not mere struggle, but full-blown, willful apostasy after having once been sanctified. This is not hypothetical; it is written to wake the sluggish to repentance before it is too late.

Why else would Jesus command churches in Revelation: “Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown” (Rev 3:11) and warn Sardis that names can be blotted from the book of life (Rev 3:5)? If it were impossible to lose the crown or the name, these warnings would be empty theater.

Even Paul himself confesses his fear of being disqualified (adokimos, 1 Cor 9:27) despite preaching to others. Why would the apostle to the Gentiles discipline his body if there were no danger of being cast away?

The imperatives throughout the New Testament are swords of urgency cutting through the lie of unconditional security:

Blepete — take heed lest you fall (1 Cor 10:12)

Prosechete — watch yourselves lest your hearts grow heavy (Luke 21:34)

Kratei — hold fast what you have lest another take your crown (Rev 3:11)

Grēgorēte — stay awake lest He come and find you asleep (Mark 13:33, Rev 3:2)

Menete — abide in me, or you will be cast out like a branch and burned (John 15:6)

If believers could never fall away, why warn them to stand, watch, hold fast, abide, persevere? Why threaten removal, disqualification, shipwreck, cutting off? Why command us to strive, endure, and keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 21) if nothing is at stake?

The cross of Christ is sufficient to save, and His blood is mighty to cleanse, yet Scripture compels us to cling to Him daily, lest we drift back to the darkness He died to deliver us from. Apostasy is not a failure of the cross — it is the refusal to take hold of the cross and endure in faith.

Therefore, let no one deceive you with false assurance. “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us” (2 Tim 2:12). The same Christ who said “No one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28) also warned, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away” (John 15:2).

In the end, the New Testament does not coddle us with unconditional guarantees divorced from perseverance. It confronts us with the crucified Christ — calling us to take up our cross, endure to the end, and watch lest we fall. The verbs do not lie. Apostasy is possible. The stakes are eternal. And the cross remains our only hope if we would finish the race and receive the crown of life.

What say you @Joe? OSAS biblical?

J.

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