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DEFENDING THE BRIDE
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Eternal Security of
Once Saved Always Saved is a False Doctrine.
Salvation is Completed upon
our Entrance into Heaven
Salvation Can Be Lost
While Here On Earth
FALSE SECURITY Verses TRUE SECURITY
PRESUMPTION : And the Danger of Reading into the Bible
SERIOUS SIN CAN SEPARATE THE CHRISTIAN FROM GOD
SALVATION IS NOT
ONLY A PAST EVENT
John 19:30
“It is finished”
SAINT PAUL COULD LOSE HIS SALVATION
Bible Verses Misinterpreted: A list of verses that are often wrongly interpreted to support Once Saved Always Saved. (Not yet available.)
Purpose : The purpose of this page is to make our hope
more secure
by placing it in the validity of the promises of Jesus Christ.
FALSE SECURITY Verses TRUE SECURITY
The false and unbiblical doctrine of being saved by “Faith Alone” while seemingly offering “Eternal Security” actually offers very little security when clearly examined. For example, we sometimes see good Christian men turn away from the Gospel and commit a very serious sin. If we say that committing such a serious sin has no effect on one’s salvation we contradict the Gospel. See Below. If a person who claims to be a Christian because of a “Born Again” experience commits such a sin only to later say the his original “Born Again” experience was not a true one, but that his subsequent one was true, how does he know with infallibly certainty that this is so when he had been convinced that his first experience was true ?
Even if such a Christian does not fall into serious sin how does he know that he will not do so in the future ? He can claim as Peter did that his faith and love will not fail, but the Bible warns against making such a claim. [See Mark 14: 29-31 and the article on Love, section on St. Peter.] True humility leads us to accept how easy it would be for us to fall in the future.
The false doctrine of “Faith Alone” often leads a person to put his faith in his own estimation and evaluation of how true his faith really is. And trusting in one’s own judgment is not secure at all.
The true Biblical position actually offers us much more certainty. We are saved completely by the free gift of God’s grace that is administered to us by the Sacraments as promised by Christ and by remaining in that grace by receiving it and acting in conjunction with it by a Faith working through love, Galatians 5:6. This truth offers us a true peace of mind that is based on the Rock like quality and certainty of the Promises of Christ being true and that His Sacraments would be effective by the Power of the Holy Spirit regardless of the weakness of the Priest who administers it. And our Hope in our Father’s love for us gives us assurance that if we follow the teachings of His Church that He built on Saint Peter that He will offer us the grace to avoid serious sin.
PRESUMPTION
In Jesus’ discourses on the Day of Judgment He warns against being presumptuous about one’s own salvation. He told of how many would come to Him claiming to be saved, but were not.
Matthew 7:13-14,
21-23
“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that
leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is
narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are
few. …
21 Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day
many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast
out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then
will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’ ”
Matthew 25:10-13
“While they [the virgins that were foolish] went off to buy it [oil], the
bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with
him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to
you, I do not know you.’
Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Jesus warns us against judging ourselves or others in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Luke 18:9-14 “He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. ‘Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.” But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’ ”
The Pharisee credited God for his spiritual blessings by thanking Him for them. However, God was displeased with him because he was presumptuous about his own spirituality and he assumed God’s sovereign role as judge.
Also see the Article on Love, section on St. Peter.
1 Peter 5:8-9
“ Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a
roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour. Resist him, steadfast in
faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the
same sufferings.”
SERIOUS SIN CAN SEPARATE THE CHRISTIAN FROM GOD
If we have received Jesus Christ then we have received His gift of eternal life. If we later reject Jesus then we lose that gift of Eternal life.
St. Paul says in Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." But notice what he does not say. He does not say that sin cannot separate us from God. This is why the New Testament constantly warns the believers to avoid serious deadly sin.
Examples:
2 Peter 2:20
“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in
them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the
first.” RSV
1 Corinthians 6:6-20 is addressed to believers and they are warned by St. Paul to avoid sins that would cause them to lose their salvation.
1 Corinthians
6:6-20
“But rather brother goes to court against brother, and that before
unbelievers? … Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather let
yourselves be cheated? Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this
to brothers. Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom
of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor
adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals nor thieves nor
the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom
of God. That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had
yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. … 15 Do you not know
that your bodies are members of Christ?” NAB
Again in Ephesians, Galatians, and elsewhere we find more warnings for to Christians to avoid sins that would lead to eternal damnation. These warnings would not make sense if a person could not lose their salvation.
Ephesians 5:3-8
“But fornication and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named
among you, as is fitting among saints. Let there be no filthiness, nor
silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be
thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one
who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom
of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is
because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of
disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them, for once you were
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light”
RSV
Galatians 5:16,19-22
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the
flesh…19 Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity,
licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger,
selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the
like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…”
Hebrews 10:26-29
“For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth,
there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of
judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries. A man who
has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or
three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved
by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the
covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace ?”
RSV
Hebrews 6:4-8
“For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once
been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become
partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of
God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since
they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to
contempt. For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and
brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated,
receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is
worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned.” RSV
1 John 5:16-17
“If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should
pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is
not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say
that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not
deadly.” NAB
If a person could not lose their salvation these warnings would be meaningless. The breaking of these commandments leads a person to hell, (unless he is subsequently renewed by God’s grace. Cf. Jn 20: 21-23, James 5: 13-16, Lk 15: 23-24, and 1 Jn 5: 14-17.)
Some say that when a person becomes a child of God, a son, he always remains a son so therefore he cannot lose Salvation. Actually the story of the prodigal son proves a person can lose his salvation. He can throw away his inheritance. In this story the wayward son had become DEAD.
Luke 15:32
“It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead,
and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” RSV.
So, even if we remain a son, we can lose our inheritance and become spiritually dead. Because the son repented, he was accepted back into the family.
We are not even our own judge as Saint Paul points out. Philippians 3:11-12 “…if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ (Jesus).”
1 Corinthians 4:3-5
“It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human
tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of
anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who
judges me is the Lord. Therefore, do not make any judgment before the
appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is
hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then
everyone will receive praise from God.” The word “acquitted” is a
translation of the Greek word -DIKAIOO (Strong’s number 1344) which means
justified.
Question :
Do the following verses prove as true the doctrine that we cannot lose salvation ?
John 10:27-28
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of
my hand.”
Answer : No
Three reasons.
1.
The fact that there are thousands and thousands of “Bible Alone” churches each
contradicting each other should give great caution to the idea of trusting in
one’s own private interpretation. Since, the above doctrine contradicts what
the
Church established by Christ teaches, it must be false.
2.
The phrases “eternal life” and “they shall never perish” describe the gifts
given to those who “hear” and “follow” Jesus, the One and only Savior. Only as
long as one hears and follows Jesus do we have those gifts. Jesus has eternal
life by the very essence of who He is, Life itself. The Christian possesses
these gifts of eternal life and of never perishing in a way that is dependent on
Jesus and dependent on remaining in a saving relationship with Him. If a
Christian later rejects Jesus he then loses those gifts.
The early Christians lived in a time when life was hard. Without electricity to keep one’s food from spoiling or without the abundance of clean running water every individual had to be constantly aware of one’s own physical mortality. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Saint Paul Paul lists about a dozen different ways he might have physically died or have been lost (at sea).
Without Jesus Christ the pagans were spiritually dead and spiritually lost. The pagans had many gods. It was so hard to tell if they were pleasing the “right god” at the right time. They even acknowledged the unknown god, to cover that contingency, Acts 17:23.
Jesus gives His followers the gifts of spiritual life and spiritual guidance. We never have to worry about losing our physical life, or of being physically lost, because He gives us these more important gifts of spiritual life and spiritual guidance. In Christ we have security as long as we remain in Christ.
Protestants will often claim a spiritual unity based on their claim to “having a personal relationship with Jesus,” and “being saved by Faith Alone” and by “following the Bible Alone.” However, when they start to define what those vague phrases actually mean the end up splitting into thousands and thousands of denominations.
They have no infallible guidance as to how many books belong in the New Testament, the Bible, or to what the names of those books are. They also have no infallible guidance as to what those books mean (according to their theology) unless they arrogantly assume that only they and their small particular group is sincere in listening to the Holy Spirit.
They are spiritually lost in how to answer many questions. How can a Protestant claim to know that the Bible doesn’t really mean that Baptism really saves us even though the Bible says that it does ?
How can a Protestant claim “to know” that the Bible does not really mean that Jesus gives us His flesh to eat and His blood to drink and that we perish if we do not eat and drink His body and blood when the Bible says that Jesus does do this and that we must eat and drink His flesh and blood ?
God does not want us to be spiritually lost in any way. It is by hearing Jesus’ words and following and trusting in His promises that He gives to the Church He started, that we can have infallible guidance to answer all the important questions we might have.
Christ holds us in his hand (Jn.
10:28) and no one else can forcibly remove us, but we are still free to leave.
When we receive Christ we receive the gift of eternal life, but if we later
abandon our faith in Christ and reject He who is Life, then we also reject His
gift of eternal life.
3.
The misunderstanding of “once saved always saved” is clearly contradicted in
several other scripture passages.
When we are "baptized into Christ" (Rom. 6:3), we receive the gift of adoptive sonship. The parable of the prodigal son teaches us that if we disinherit ourselves then we become spiritually dead. Luke 15:32 "…your brother was dead…" 1 John 5:16-17 "There is such a thing as deadly sin…All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly."
Salvation is an ongoing process.
Philippians 2:12-13
“So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am
present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with
fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in
you both to desire and to work."
Saint Paul begins and ends his discussion on faith using the phrase “the obedience of faith.” Rom 1:5 and 16:26. If we go to a doctor and he tells us to take some medicine and we do not, can we say that we really have faith in what he is telling us to do ? Whenever we sin against God’s will we are saying that we don’t really believe that His will is best for us. Our faith is imperfect in those instances. God perfects our faith through our acceptance of our cross that He asks us to carry.
1 Peter 4:1
“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same
thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin… ” RSV
Romans 11:13-24
“Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. … 19 You will say, “Branches were broken
off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off
because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. So do not
become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural
branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the
severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness
to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut
off. And even the others, if they do not persist in their unbelief, will
be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.” RSV
Therefore, this verse teaches that we could fail in kindness, i.e. love, and be cut off, that is lose our salvation.
Fire is often used in a bad context as below:
Ezekiel 15:6-7
“Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Like the wood of the vine among the
trees of the forest, which I have destined as fuel for the fire, do I make
the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will set my face against them; they have
escaped from the fire, but the fire shall devour them.”
John 15:4-6
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.5 I am
the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is
that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.6 If a man does
not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches
are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.”
Cf. Ezekiel 15:6-7
John 6:56
“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
The word “abide” in the above verses, Jn 6:56 and 15:6, is the same Greek word, Strong’s number 3306, which is sometimes translated as “remain,” or as in this case “abide.” The context makes clear that we must remain, or abide, in Christ because if we do not remain in His grace then we lose that union with Him by which we are saved.
SALVATION IS NOT ONLY A PAST EVENT
Some Protestants understand Justification in the life of the believer as only a past event. Some will quote John 19:30 “…It is finished.” And they will claim that this means that they cannot lose their salvation because it is past tense.
John 19:30 “…It is finished…”
The “it” here cannot be a reference to our Justification because we read in Romans 4:25 “…who was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” RSV. We saw in Hebrews 11: 9, quoted above, how Abraham’s Justification was on ongoing event in his life. James also makes this same point.
James 2:21
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son
Isaac upon the altar ?” RSV
Besides, our salvation cannot be completed because we also read,
Lk 13:32
“(Jesus says)
‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.” NAB
The third day is a reference to Easter Sunday, the day He rose from the dead.
Salvation has past, present, and future aspects in all of our lives. This is why the Bible speaks of it in the past, present, and future tense.
Past tense:
Ephesians 2:8
“For by grace you have been saved through faith…”
Present tense:
1 Peter 3:21
“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you…”
1 Corinthians 1:18
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us
who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Future tense:
Galatians 2:17
“But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be
sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? Of course not!"
Matthew 24:13
“But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.”
1 Corinthians 7:18-19
“Was any one at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek
to remove the marks of circumcision. Was any one at the time of his call
uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision
counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of
God.”
Here, in Corinthians, Saint Paul contrasts the ritual law, circumcision, with the Moral Law of the 10 commandments. What counts is the Moral Law. If he had meant to say that we are justified by faith alone, apart from the good works of keeping the commandments, he would not have spoken this way. The keeping of the commandments is our life long journey of Justification. If we fail in a mortal way, 1 John 5: 16-17, we lose our salvation.
In John Chapter 15 Jesus tells us that we are like branches that must remain connected to Him, the True Vine, or else we will lose our salvation and we will be thrown into the fire to be burned.
John 15:5-10
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.6 If a
man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the
branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.7 If you abide in me,
and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for
you.8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove
to be my disciples.9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide
in my love.10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just
as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.’
In the verses above in the fifteenth chapter of John the English word “abide” in verses 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 is a translation of a certain Greek word that is numbered 3306 in Strong’s Concordance. John uses this same Greek word in John 6:56 where it is also translated as “abide.” In these chapters, 13 through 17, John gives us an account of Jesus’ final evening and Last Supper discourse with His disciples. By using the same word, abide, in John 6:56 Jesus indicates how we are to remain in His Love and to remain connected to Him, the True Vine.
John 6:56
“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
Therefore, unless a person is faithful in attending Mass and continues to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, that individual is not abiding in the manner prescribed by Jesus Christ.
Those who wish to separate faith from good works are taking a position that Saint Paul never takes. Saint Paul not only begins but also ends his discourse on faith in the context of obedience. Saint Paul never separates obeying the moral law, from faith. Christ’s obedience of the moral law does not excuse us from obeying it, rather by obeying it He won the grace for us to enable us to obey it.
Romans 1:5
“through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the
obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations …”
Romans 16:26
“ … but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to
all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the
obedience of faith” RSV
Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” RSV
Romans 6:15-16
“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By
no means! Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as
obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin,
which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
RSV
Thus, we can see that while Salvation can be spoken of as past event, that is, we Christians have already received the gift of eternal life, in order for us to hold onto that gift we must remain connected to the vine and remain in God’s grace by abiding in His Love and His commandments and we must persevere in obedience to the end [Mat 24:13] or else we will lose our gift of eternal life and be cast off into the fire [John 15:6] on judgment day.
SAINT PAUL COULD LOSE HIS SALVATION
2 Timothy 1:12
“and therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I
have believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that Day what
has been entrusted to me.”
But we must remain in His protective care by persevering in faith so that we might receive the reward that He is guarding for us.
2 Timothy 4:18 KJV
“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me
unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever.”
2 Timothy 4:18 RSV
“The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save [“save” - Greek word 4982
] me for his heavenly kingdom.”
Matthew 24:12-13
“And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. But
he who endures [ “endures” - Greek word 5278, sometimes translated as
“perseveres” ] to the end will be saved. RSV
We know that God will do His part, and we can have a moral assurance that we will “endure” or “persevere” to the end, but other passages that I will point out show that it is possible that we will not.
2 Timothy 4:8
“From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just
judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have
longed for his appearance.”
As his earthly life comes to a end he speaks of the "crown" and he gives the reason why he will receive it. It is because he has "kept the faith," but the implication is that if he had not persevered in his faith he would have lost his crown, his salvation. Matthew 24:13 "… the one who perseveres to the end will be saved."
Saint Paul does speak of the crown of righteousness which he will receive, but this is spoken of only just before he is about to be martyred, after he has "finished the race." He speaks this way in order to encourage others to persevere in their faith and hope in Christ.
2 Timothy 1:16-17
“May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often
refreshed me; he was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome
he searched for me eagerly and found me - ”
2 Timothy 4:6-8
“For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure
has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that
Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
Saint Paul clearly states that he could lose his salvation.
We know that Saint Paul is a Christian (see Galatians 2:19-20), but even he
points out how he could lose his salvation if he were to turn from the
Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 Saint
Paul says “ …but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to
others I myself should be disqualified.”
RSV
However, some people will contest that the word “disqualified” refers to Paul loosing his extra merit and glory and does not refer to Paul loosing his salvation. So, the key is to prove what this word means. The word “disqualified” is translated from the Greek word “ADOKIMOS” (Strong's # 96.) Saint Paul makes the meaning of this word clear in his second letter to the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 13:5
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test
yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed
you fail to meet the test!” RSV
Here Saint Paul uses the same Greek word “ADOKIMOS” (#96), except here, in English, it is translated as “fail.” The context is clear. It refers to people who are spiritually lost and without the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
So, the question we must ask is, “What is lost in 1 Cor 9:27 ?” This word “ADOKIMOS” does not modify any reward that Saint Paul might have received, rather it modifies Saint Paul himself. 1 Corinthians 9:27 “ … lest … I myself should be disqualified (ADOKIMOS).” Therefore, St. Paul is speaking in 1 Cor 9:27 above how he could lose his salvation.
In summary, these three observations are unmistakable.
Observation 1:
Saint Paul is a Christian and already has saving grace.
See Galatians 2:19-20.
Observation 2:
The Greek word “ADOKIMOS" (Strong's # 96.) refers to someone who is
spiritually lost and does not have saving grace.
See 2 Corinthians 13:5
above.
Observation 3:
Saint Paul points out that this condition could apply to him if he turns
from the Gospel. See 1 Corinthians 9:27.
We must ask, “What does “ADOKIMOS” modify ?” “ADOKIMOS” does not modify any “rewards” that Saint Paul might have received. “ADOKIMOS” modifies Saint Paul himself.
1 Corinthians 9:27
“ …but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I
myself should be disqualified (“ADOKIMOS”).” RSV
CONCLUSION
Therefore, Salvation can be lost. A true security can be found, not by trusting in our own determination that our own faith is the true kind, but rather trusting in the Love of our Father in Heaven to faithfully guide His Church, and by trusting in the Truth of Promises of Jesus Christ, and by trusting in the Power of the Holy Spirit to effect those Promises.
More Resources
Our faith should not be in our own estimation of the validity of our faith, but rather our faith should be in the Promises, or Oaths, of Jesus Christ. “Sacrament” comes from the Latin word “sacramentum” which means an oath. An oath is a promise that relies on God’s strength and power.
See more about Jesus’ Oaths and Promises – His Sacraments
See Articles at