Part 2: Bible Studies for the Hungry Christian

A course of study for turning students into teachers

Lesson Five: Salvation and Security

In earlier lessons we've looked at the importance of having the right kind of faith in the right Object in order to be saved, and the problem of legalism. Now I'd like to bring up another aspect of the Object and how this relates to legalism and the controversy known as "eternal security" or once-saved-always-saved (OSAS, the opposite of which is sometimes called "conditional security" or NOSAS). Salvation is an important thing to understand, so we can't really spend too much time on it. Let's begin with a look at 1 Corinthians 15:1-19.

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve....

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all others.

It seems obvious here that Paul is saying belief in Christ's resurrection is essential for salvation. The statement in verse 2 about a "vain" faith is in the overall context of the resurrection, and in verse 14 we see it plainly stated that this "vain faith" is unbelief in Christ's resurrection from the dead. Some only look at verse 2 and claim salvation can be lost, but even on its own it doesn't speak of a lost salvation but a faith that was in the wrong object-- a Christ that did not rise from the dead. In other words, if something is done "in vain" it is a waste of time, a doomed effort from the beginning. So these people, if they rejected the resurrection, had a faith that did not save them, because it was not faith in the risen Christ.

Now let's look at another instance where Paul speaks of the Gospel and the Resurrection, Galatians:

1:1-5 Paul, an apostle—sent not with a human commission nor by human authority, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1:6-10 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let that person be under God's curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let that person be under God's curse! Am I now trying to win human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

1:11-12 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any human source, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

3:1-5 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by human effort? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by your observing the law, or by your believing what you heard?

3:6-9 So also Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

5:4-6 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

First we see that the Galatians were believers in the crucified Christ, who then received the Spirit through this belief. But they were being sidetracked by "agitators" who were telling them faith was no longer enough, that they were in danger of being cast away by lack of good deeds, legalistic righteousness. These who were "trying to be declared righteous by the law" were alienated and had "fallen away from grace". Does that phrase mean they were now lost?

And we see in verse 21 a warning to these believers (he had warned these same people before) against practiciing evil which would result in them not inheriting "the kingdom of God". In 6:6-9 we see reference to reaping and sowing, where the one who practices evil reaps "corruption from the flesh" but the one who "sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit".

But notice that Paul keeps referring to them as "brothers and sisters" (see 5:13 for example). Would he refer to the lost as "brothers and sisters"? Hardly. Look now at what he says to the Ephesians:

1:11-14 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

How do we reconcile these passages, when some speak of "not inheriting the kingdom of God" and others say we have been marked and sealed with a down payment that guarantees our inheritance "until the redemption of god's own possession"? The only possible solution is to understand that "not inherit the kingdom of God" does not speak of loss of salvation in this context. Along with many other scriptures that speak of all the unilateral actions of God when we are saved, there is clearly a strong case for the impossibility of loss of salvation. We cannot simply ignore the verses that upset our preconceived views! NOSAS cannot ignore the promises of God and the seal of the Holy Spirit, and OSAS cannot simply ignore the warnings about falling away. So we must conclude that "falling away" does not mean loss of salvation but loss of reward.

Make note of that approach to difficult passages. We first establish clear teachings, and when they seem to be in conflict, we must seek a solution that violates no clear scriptures yet accommodates them all.

Exegesis, the "author hermeneutic" approach to scripture (finding out what the author meant to convey) is not always easy, because as this example illustrates, it takes the study of quite a lot of scripture to see the whole picture. We spend our whole lives in Sunday School but never make good use of the time, preferring instead to endlessly repeat the comfortable and easy surface-scratching that makes us feel religious. This series is about digging deeper, about "ask, seek, knock" as Jesus said. He won't force-feed you, you've got to ask. With Paul I would say,

Eph. 1:17-23 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that can be invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.