Dr. Craig Keener is a leading New Testament Evangelical scholar. He has published commentaries on Matthew, John, Acts, Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, and Revelation. He is a Professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is an Evangelical Arminian.
A friend recently sent me a link (see here) to his April 28, 2015, article entitled, “Once-Saved-Always-Saved? Maybe Not.”
In the article, he indicates that we all know people who were once zealous Christians “who no longer even claim to be Christians; some, in fact, claim to be something else.”
He points out that “Calvinists and Arminians may disagree on whether a person was provisionally converted or not [emphasis added], but they both agree that only those who persevere to the end will be saved [emphasis added].” Notice the future tense in will be saved. Keener distinguishes between present provisional salvation and future secure salvation. He then says, “But ‘once-saved-always-saved’ as it is commonly taught in many churches is neither Calvinism nor Arminianism.”
Notice that Keener speaks of being saved provisionally. The word provisional means “providing or serving for the time being only; existing only until permanently or properly replaced; temporary” (dictionary.com).
Keener is saying what I’ve maintained for years: neither Calvinists nor Arminians believe in once-saved-always-saved (OSAS), at least as it is “commonly taught in many churches.” Free Grace churches say that once a person believes in Jesus, he is saved once and for all. He cannot lose his salvation even if he fails to persevere. But that is not what Calvinists or Arminians say.
Most Evangelicals say that only those who persevere in faith and good works will make it into glory.
Keener alludes to Free Grace people when he writes, “Many teach a cheap version of ‘Once-saved-always-saved,’ wherein anyone who professes conversion remains in Christ no matter what happens.” Of course, we do not speak of “anyone who professes conversion” or even “anyone who professes faith in Christ.” We speak of anyone who believes in Christ for everlasting life (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; 1 Tim 1:16). But Keener rejects that, too. He later says, “The idea that someone who professes conversion will share eternal life even if they do not persevere as believers in Christ is another belief that is comforting—and dangerously false” (emphasis added). He equates being a “believer in Christ” with “professing conversion.” Keener’s issue is not with whether one professes faith in Christ but does not actually believe in Him. His issue is that believers will only gain final salvation if they persevere to the end of their lives.
After discussing warning passages in Hebrews and 2 Peter, Keener then says, “For some people with less self-confidence (sometimes including myself), such warnings are unnerving.” I think that anyone who believes that we must persevere in faith and works to avoid eternal condemnation will find the warning passages in the New Testament unnerving. I wonder how anyone could be confident in his eternal destiny if he believed that falling away from the faith would result in an eternity of torment in the lake of fire.
Keener begins the last paragraph of his article by sashaying around the issue at hand: “The warnings are instead for those tempted to fancy that we are saved by a single act of prayer or physical washing rather than by Christ, who treat salvation only as a cheap fire escape instead of rescue from being alienated from God.” Of course, the issue is not a single act of prayer or baptism. The issue whether a single act of believing in Christ for everlasting life guarantees that one is secure forever, as Jesus promised in John 11:26 and many other texts. But Keener rejects that, too.
He calls such faith “a cheap fire escape.” He contrasts that with “rescue from being alienated from God.” What he means there is that if we live in fellowship with God, we keep the provisional salvation initially given to us. But if we become alienated from God once again, then we lose that provisional salvation.
His penultimate sentence is misleading: “It is God’s act in his Son’s death and resurrection that saves us, provided that we accept his gift, i.e., believe this good news.” Where is perseverance in that statement? Evidently, the reader is to understand that statement in the context of earlier statements Keener made.
The final statement is a rather obscure summary of what he said in the article: “His gift is eternal life in his presence, an eternal life that begins when we truly believe—welcoming a new life in Christ.” Notice “when we truly believe,” which is defined as “welcoming a new life in Christ.” Based on what he wrote earlier, the person who will be finally saved at the end of his life is one who perseveres in welcoming a new life in Christ. The one who will gain final salvation is he who lives out the kind of godly life that Jesus wants him to live.
OSAS is true. The Lord Jesus guaranteed it (John 5:24; 6:35; 11:26). At the very moment of faith, the believer has everlasting life, is guaranteed he will not come into judgment regarding everlasting life, and he has passed from death into life (John 5:24). Perseverance is not required for OSAS to be true. The fact that most Calvinists and all Arminians don’t believe that shows us that the fields are white unto harvest. We have work to do.
Phil
This is the type of confusing gospel I run into so frequently. Dr. Keener’s message is sometimes vague and sometimes self contradictory – if it is examined carefully. Thank goodness the real message is clear and understandable!
Alvin
Romans 4:5. But to him who DOES NOT WORK, but believes in Him who justifies the UNGODLY, his FAITH is accounted FOR righteousness.
This is what eliminates boasting of any kind. Works have nothing to do with the righteousness that has been given to faith. If it did it would have to be there from beginning to the end.
The righteousness that has been given to faith, that faith SHOULD produce fruits of righteousness. But, if it doesn’t it is still faith that has been given righteousness before God apart from any works.
We’re to add to this faith if we’re to have an ABUNDANT entrance, but if we were to ADD NOTHING it would still be faith that has been given righteousness, it just wasn’t profitable under the sun.
It would be seen as a dead faith before men, but God is able to make us stand because He has seen faith in the heart.
Even if we are faithless He remains faithful.
(Romans 3:21-28;4:1-2,6; 2 Cor 9:10; Romans 1:17 the one justified by faith should live 2 Peter 1:5-11; 1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Tim 2:11-13,19-21)
Jo Ann
Oh, my, I just discovered I have his ‘Bible Background Commentary’ in my Olive Tree Bible app. I shall have to read it with much discernment! This is a very helpful article.
Jerry Weinhausen
Jo Ann,
I used Keener’s BBC in Bible College without being affected by doubts about my eternal security. On the contrary, I found his collected thoughts to very helpful in understanding difficult texts. Lord willing, you won’t run into anything to cause doubts.
Vernon K. Lockner
I believe in once saved always saved, but the Bible teaches that true faith in Christ always perseveres to the end. Jesus taught that you can receive the word with joy, believe for a while, but in time of temptation fall away Luke 8:13. Falling away is not saving faith. The just shall live by faith, Rom. 1:17. If a professing christian is not living by faith, then he is not saved and not just. A true christian lives by faith, Rom. 1:17, and he dies in faith, Heb. 11:13. If a professing christian permanently draws back from the Lord, that means he never was saved, and he draws back unto perdition, Heb. 10:39. Those truly saved do not draw back unto perdition, Heb. 10:39. The Bible teaches that the Lord keeps His own. He keeps us believing and persevering not just for a moment in time, but until we make it all the way home. Isn’t that what a Good Shepherd does? We could never keep ourselves in our own strength, it is His strength and power not ours, Phil. 1:6; Phil. 2:13; 1 Cor. 1:8; 1 Thess. 5:24; Jude vs. 24; Gal. 2:20.
Alvin
Vernon, what your not understanding is there is two sides. God didn’t make us robots, even though He expects us to be a slave of righteousness.
Romans 6:16
Do you not know to whom YOU PRESENT YOURSELVES slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness.
Remember Paul died Romans 7:9 that is in his fellowship with Christ.
1 Cor 3:15
If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet as through fire.
This isn’t the norm but is a possibility or it wouldn’t be in Scripture, and Scripture would be a lie and we know that’s not true~!
Timothy Grady
Vernon ,
Are you certain that you are born again ?
We await your clear elucidation of precisely what it is a person must believe – and an objective level of necessary works – in order to certify ‘salvation’.
Tim Fohey
Vernon I respectfully disagree. There would not be warnings in scripture about fullfilling the lust of the flesh if it were not possible to do so. Galatians 5:16-17. It’s not talking to unbelievers it’s talking to the brethren. Also if you want to talk about people persevering in good works. Look at Matthew 7:21-23. These people thought their good works proved they were saved. But they were relying on their works to be saved. They had never simply believed in Jesus for eternal life. That is a dangerous place to be in. To be sure God wants us to serve him and if we do he will honor us. John 12:26.
Mike
it’s not a cheap fire escape, it’s a free (to us) one! It’s not cheap grace, God paid for it with his own life!
Brady
Vernon, Theologian Jody Dillow was once asked by a co-worker (who strongly denied that the Bible teaches the existence of the carnal Christian):
“Jody can you show me even one verse that proves that a born again believer will not persevere in a life of good works until the final hour.” I said, sure and turned to the following words from Christ, “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches other to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. “
He goes on to say, “Jesus had been accused of abolishing the Law. To the contrary, He says that even the least important laws must be obeyed. He says that the individual in this verse will be “in” the kingdom, that is, saved; but he has not only disobeyed even the least of these commandments, but he has also actively taught others to do the same! He himself not only “disobeys” the Law (abolish) but he actually causes the little ones to stumble (as in Matt 18:6). He is a dangerous teacher for he is saying that God said things He did not say, thus incurring the judgement of James 3:1. He is a saved person, but will have the lowest status. He finished life a failure – he is a carnal Christian.”
Kelley Easley
Thanks for that comment, Brady…I’ve read that passage many times before, but never zeroed in on the fact that the saved yet errant teacher makes it into the kingdom of heaven! So illuminating! May I ask which Jody Dillow book that excerpt came from?
Vernon K. Lockner
Timothy Grady, I am saved. I am being saved. And I will be saved. You can believe in vain, 1 Cor. 15:2. If I, or you, fall away, you and I never had saving faith to begin with. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” 1 Cor. 10:12. Read 1 Cor. 10:1-12. Christian salvation is not a fire insurance policy, or a one time moment. It is an eternal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Not wanting to clog Bob’s blog (Hey, that rhymes) any who want to engage in respectful discussion, my email is:
Locknervernon98@gmail.com
Michael
Vernon, you said, “If I, or you, fall away, you and I never had saving faith to begin with.” Because you have tacitly admitted that it is possible for you to fall away, how can you say that you are saved?
Timothy Grady
Thanks for the invite Vernon .
I’ll simply reboot my earlier questions . You have skated by them several times .
It seems that anyone who looks to their subjective criteria (behavior/attitude/performance/fruit/repentance/works)
to verify their ‘election’ , faces an insurmountable problem . They cannot objectively offer an infallible measure of exactly how ‘good’ anyone needs to be to prove a doubtless ‘election’ .
Vernon , can you objectively and infallibly tell us how good is good enough ?
Your view logically eliminates certainty of His guarantee (John 3:16,5:25,6:47,11:24-27) . Certainty of His guarantee – apart from all subjective criteria – is the message of life .
Not to ever have believed that is tantamount to unbelief .
David Ostroot
I am confused on the Arminian view since they talk about “truly believing” which is a Calvinist term for a belief that God causes to persevere. I know they don’t believe that so I’m not sure what they mean for “true belief”. It seems they hold that one can have true belief but salvation is belief plus works. How do Arminians avoid the charge of salvation by works?
KEN TAMASHIRO
Hi Pastor Bob,
As I was reading this I noticed many well-meaning Christian Pastors and Laymen make this common mistake that will seem very unnerving to the reader as he reads his bible, …that is He does not look at the Historical Circumstances of what is being addressed in Scripture.
An example would be the Book of Hebrews. In there the purpose was to avert many Messianic Jews from abandoning their Faith in Christ and rejecting openly that Jesus was a Fake Messiah and returning back to Judaism to the Sacrifices offered to God because Christ Blood was that of a man and not from Gods Son.
The same problem arises with 1st. John that seems to question the veracity of a Believer by his lifestyle, …rather John Letter was addressing the problem of some Christians being swept away into Doetcism / Gnosticism that basically denied Jesus as Savior and Sinning does not affect you spiritually because your flesh and spirit are separate entities.
The problem I see is that many people read it at face value from Gods word and make the wrong conclusion, thus you have Provisional Salvation. The Enemy revels in destroying one’s Faith in Christ by misdirecting the innocent Believer down the wrong road and wrong Doctrine prevails.
Grace and Peace to You,
Ken Tamashiro
Tim Fohey
Thanks Bob, great blog. I appreciate so much what you guys are doing at Faithalone.org. I definitely think we as “grace people”(I think I heard Zane use that term before in a video)have our work cut out for us. Sometimes I don’t even know where to begin.I have talked to a lot of churched people who held a lordship position. I was either met with indifference or dismissiveness. Sometimes it would lead to arguments and I would just give up not wanting to have conlict. A big thing I run up against are people’s traditions. I used to belong to a nazarene church from about age 12 into my late 20″s. I was saved before that when I was just a kid and then started attending this nazarene church. I hadn’t been discipled after I was saved so I didn’t really understand much. Later thru the radio ministry of Charles Swindoll, I heard teaching and learned much about things I had never heard before. Anyways I said all that to say that I think it’s hard for people to break free from their tradition even if their tradition goes against scripture. Thanks again & God bless.
jon tretsven
If only we could come up with even one scriptural example of a believer (someone called just by God even after their death); someone who did not persevere in good works yet God called them righteous. Because even one clear example would destroy the teaching of the need for perseverance.
But we could and can. Lot is probably the best example. The scripture records no good choice by him, and several bad ones, after reaching the Promised Land with Abraham (pick several events in Genesis 11-14 and also and especially in 19 in Sodom).
Yet in the New Testament we read in 2 Peter 2:7-8 NASB:
And if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),
jon tretsven
Oh, by the way, there’s plenty to lose; just not eternal life once received by faith.
Larry Newman
One of the problems compounding the problem of using the phrase “the one who perseveres to the end” is that people add their own home-grown definition of “perseveres.” One author thinks it means perseveres doing good works. Another author thinks it means perseveres in loyalty. Another author thinks it means perseveres in faith. People are sticking in definitions of their own, to make it mean whatever of man’s contribution to salvation they want it to mean, or think they can succeed at contributing as Christians. And then! They think that’s OK because they want to say God helps them, gets all the glory for their good things, etc. Like the Oscars, “I couldn’t have done it without the help of ….” They want congratulations, bottom line! Which they “graciously” share!
KEN TAMASHIRO
Hi Pastor Bob,
It is a scary thought if Jesus offered only a tentatively; conditional; probationary Salvation. Eternal Life would be a joke and it would frustrate many a serious believer in Christ.
I looked up the word Provisionally
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/provisionally
providing or serving for the time being only; existing only until permanently or properly replaced; temporary: a provisional government. accepted or adopted tentatively; conditional; probationary.
But if we looked at our Sanctification process as a Provisional time period to grow in the Grace and knowledge of Christ and to be conformed into his image until we are called home, then the proper understanding of Scripture can come into play.
Grace and Peace to You,
Ken Tamashiro
KEN TAMASHIRO
What I meant about Provisional Time period is a play on words that meant this short life on earth is temporary and the opportunity to grow will give us the possibility to Rule and reign with Christ Forever in the future.
Brady Pollitt
Vernon, you fail because of you mix HUMAN reasoning in or added to what Scripture only says AND refusing to ACCEPT what and where Scripture plainly SAYS Jesus had ONLY “one” condition and that was faith alone that secures one’s destiny to heaven. Take a CLOSE look at John 3:16. John 3:16 is a POWERHOUSE against falsehoods. * John 3:16 is not just a truth among other truths. Rather, it sets a question mark against all other claims of faith. Look at what ALL it says most overlook or refuse to believe/accept.
Brady Pollitt
Vernon,
1. John 3:16 tells you who ALL can be saved (Nicodemus and the world/who so ever believes in Christ).
2. It tells you WHEN a person is saved( the very moment one believes in Christ for everlasting life, salvation is said NOT to be a process, but a “present” POSSESSION).
3. It tells HOW a person is saved(by one ACT of ONLY “intellectually”) believing in Christ alone for everlasting life.
4. And it tells you ONCE one believes in Christ they shall “NEVER” perish (once saved always saved, CAN’T lose your salvation).
What a powerful, powerful verse John 3:16. Rom. 11:29 (irrevocable).
John 3:16 never ever mentions repentance, baptism, confession, nor even to believe Jesus death, burial, and Resurrection nor any type of moral reform or good works, but has only ONE condition, Faith alone in Christ is enough Jesus said and said many times in the book of John.
* But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Gal. 1:8, What part of that don’t YOU understand???
**There are OVER 100 passages in the Bible which say that the one and only condition of everlasting life is believing in Jesus.
Alvin
John 3:16 Test for any person or Church.
For God so loved the world.
Does God love every human being?
That He gave His only begotten Son.
Is God’s provision for everyone?
And has everyone’s sins been taken away by Jesus the Lamb of God?
That whosoever believes in Him.
Does believe simply mean to be convinced that John 3:16 is true?
Shall not perish.
Can the one who believes ever perish in the Lake Of Fire?
But has everlasting life.
Has the one who has believed passed from death into life, and can never lose eternal life?
Fact: The one who has believed Jesus in John 3:16 has drank the living water and will never thirst…..Praise God~!