The Truth Of Eternal Salvation & The Falsehood Of OSAS.

The Truth Of Eternal Salvation & The Falsehood Of OSAS.


The scriptural doctrine of eternal salvation is often misconstrued for what some call 'OSAS' (Once Saved Always Saved), which is a false and unscriptural doctrine.

A very thin line exists between the two & it's a very subtle one; and it lies in the difference between trusting in salvation as a thing in itself received by the saved(a gift which cannot be lost), and trusting in the saviour himself as the author of eternal salvation.

Eternal salvation is not an end reached in the believer, but an end realised & perfected in Christ for the believer, thus 1st Timothy 4:10 says "Christ is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe" & Hebrews 5:9 says "being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him".

In 1st Timothy 1:1 we see that Jesus Christ is our hope(the hope of them that believe), and according to 1st Thessalonians 5:8 & Philippians 3:20-21 we are to put on for a helmet, the hope of salvation and eargely await/look for the savior from heaven who shall change our vile bodies.

The true conviction & confession of the believer in Christ is not once saved always saved(OSAS), for such a dictum is false and there is no scripture that supports such a thought.

The true conviction & confession of the believer in Christ is rather that God has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ(1st Thessalonians 5:9).

The true conviction & confession of the believer in Christ is that we are not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them who believe unto the saving of the soul(Hebrews 10:39).

The true conviction & confession of the believer in Christ is not that he cannot fall (ie.infallible) but that God is able to keep him from falling & to present him faultless/blameless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy
(Jude 1:24).

Was Peter a tare(false believer) or wheat(true believer)?
Peter was a wheat(a true believer) as clearly implied in the Lord's word concerning how satan desired to have him, to sift him as wheat.
Could Peter's faith fail? Yes! But the Lord said i have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. Luke 22:31-32.

The true confession of the believer is that like Peter, the Lord Jesus is able to sustain and keep his faith from failing; and indeed the true believer goes on believing unto the saving of the soul and is not lost, not because he cannot depart from the faith or be lost/cut off like the natural Olive branch(Israel), but because he genuinely believes in him who is able to save to the uttermost, all that truly come to God by him(See Romans 11:20-22 & Hebrews 7:25).

1st Corinthians 11:31-32 says if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged but when we are judged, we are chastened/disciplined of the Lord, lest we be condemned with the world.

There is no condemnation in Christ but can the believer in Christ fall from Christ(grace) into condemnation with the world?
Yes! To saints in Galatia who had been begotten & started their walk with God in the Spirit, having received the Spirit by the hearing of faith, Paul could say "Christ has become of no effect unto you(you are deprived of all profit from Christ as separated from him); whosoever of you are now being justified by the law; you have fallen from grace". Galatians 3:2-3; 5:4.

Also Hebrews 12:15 admonishes us to Look/watch diligently lest any man fail(or lest there be anyone falling behind) of the grace of God;

If there is no possibility of the believer in Christ falling into condemnation as to become condemned with the world, why does the Lord go through the pains of chastening and disciplining us lest we be condemned with the world?
If the danger/threat of condemnation with the world is not real/possible, then the Lord will not take such severe measures of chastening us in order to save us from what is not possible/real in the first place.

If as believers saved by grace, we are always safe and saved such that with us, lies no possibility of falling and becoming condemned with the world, why then do we have to believe that Christ is able to keep us from falling & to save us to the uttermost?

In the false OSAS doctrine, the trust is essentially in salvation as a thing in itself that has happened to the believer or as a gift the believer has received that cannot be lost and which thus makes him infallible, as he cannot fall from the grace of that which he received freely.
However in the scriptural doctrine of eternal salvation, the absolute trust is in Christ alone as the author of eternal salvation, and abiding faith in Him as the only eternal security.

With OSAS there is no need for the test of faith as there is no possibility of a departure from the faith. If salvation once received by the believer can never be lost, why then should the faith of the believer be tested? Why the need for the fight/conflict of faith?

The truth however, is that the test of faith and time happens to all who profess faith in Christ, and at the end, that which abides is proven to be true for the mark of what is true is that it abides till the end.

In conclusion, the true ones are those who believe unto the saving of the soul(Hebrews 10:39), those who take heed to themselves lest they fall(1st Corinthians 10:12), those who do not deny the possibility of a fall but believe that God is able to keep them from falling and to present them blameless unto his coming(Jude 1:24); those who believe that Christ is a Highpriest who is able to save to the uttermost, all who come unto God by Him.

The true ones believe in eternal salvation not as an end reached in themselves who believe, but an end reached in Christ who is the hope of them that believe, thus they put on for a helmet, the hope of salvation(1st Thessalonians 5:8) and they look for the savior from heaven who shall change our vile/sinful bodies(Philippians 3:20-21).

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