Question: Dear Greg,

As a Catholic Christian, I am wrestling with the idea of "once-saved, always-saved." If God gave us the free will to accept or reject his unconditional gift of salvation, don’t we also have the free will to at some point walk away and thus become "unsaved"? I feel that even though we cannot earn salvation, we must continue to live a Christ-like life in order not to lose out.

God bless you and this ministry. It has been extremely helpful to me.

Dave

Answer: Dear Dave,

Yes, Catholics as well as evangelical Protestants usually have a difficulty with what is popularly called "once saved, always saved". Both Catholics and evangelical Christians lean toward the idea that justification is by faith, BUT what we do makes a difference. Some would go so far as to say that salvation is by law and grace – others would not say it, but actually believe and practice such a view.

This is a complex topic – the other view is often referred to as Calvinism – and that view is that salvation is given by grace, and that it is not conditional. That is – nothing we can do earns salvation and nothing we can do helps us keep it.

The problem with thinking that what we do helps earn or keep salvation is that legalism almost always results, and the biblical teaching on grace is marred – or perverted. And grace is central to the gospel. The problem with thinking that nothing we can do earns salvation or helps us keep it is the human tendency to think that we can do anything we want to and still be assured of eternal life.

I think that the answer must be that eternal life – salvation – is by grace – it begins there, it is conferred by grace, and it is maintained by grace. Period. Those who take the view that this means that they can be permissive simply have not been saved – for those who are saved would never habitually live a life of laxity and permissiveness. As the old saying goes, we can attend church for 30 years and still not be a Christian – going to church (or any other physical activity/work/performance) no more makes us a Christian than sitting in a barn will make us a cow.

There are people who think that they are saved – that they are Christians – but thinking and hoping does not make us believers. We are not born (of the flesh) as Christians. We are born of the spirit – we have a personal relationship with God, we trust in Jesus completely for our salvation – that makes us Christians. We are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:8), but we are saved FOR works (verse 10). The cart of obedience to God, of works, or human effort and performance does not pull the horse – the "horse" of grace – the gift of God because of Jesus Christ our Lord – pulls the cart of our obedience, which follows along afterwards as the natural and inevitable fruit of what God has already done in our lives. Yes, we will live a Christ-like life if we are saved – but the question is "why," "how"? How are we able to live like Christ, where does this effort come from? It is not humanly generated, for nothing we do will ever be enough to save us initially, or keep us in God’s good graces. If we think and believe that, we are open to all kinds of manipulation, which is not of grace, or the freedom that Christ gives those who accept him as Lord and Savior.

Hope this helps, Dave.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht