“Once Saved Always Saved”?

Is the saying Once Saved, Always Saved biblical? On its own, the saying is biblical—in the sense that once a person is truly saved in Jesus Christ, then he will always remain saved.

However, the saying Once Saved, Always Saved is commonly misunderstood to mean that once a person is saved, he will always remain saved even if he lives sinfully or stops believing in Jesus. This is not biblical.

In order to be saved, we must believe in Jesus. However, just because a person says that he believes in Jesus does not mean that he truly believes in Jesus. If a person does not have true saving faith in Jesus, then he is not saved—even though he says that he believes in Jesus. What does it mean to have true saving faith in Jesus?

True Saving Faith Pervades

Firstly, true saving faith results in righteous living. To be clear, we are not saved by doing good works. Rather, we can only be saved by believing in Jesus. Nonetheless, if a person truly believes in Jesus, then he will do good works—not in order to earn salvation, but as a result of salvation.

Ephesians 2:8–10 says,

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God. ₉ It is not from works, lest anyone should boast. ₁₀ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ unto good works which God has prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.

Notice that our salvation is “not from works”, but “unto good works”. This means that we are not saved on the basis of doing good works, but if we are truly saved, then we will do good works.

However, if a person claims that he believes in Jesus, but he does not do good works, then is he saved? No, he is not. James 2:8 says,

What use is it, my brothers, if a person says that he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

James’ rhetorical question indicates that if a person does not do good works, then he does not have true saving faith. A person can say that he believes in Jesus, but if he does not do good works, then it shows that he does not truly believe in Jesus, and so he is not saved.

True Saving Faith Persists

Secondly, true saving faith will not stop permanently. If a person truly believes in Jesus, then he will continue to believe in Jesus until the end. Of course, a truly saved person may sometimes struggle with doubt and unbelief, but he will eventually come back to believing in Jesus.

Hebrews 3:14 says,

For we have become sharers of Christ, if indeed we hold the beginning of the assurance firm until the end.

Notice that the writer did not say that we will become sharers of Christ. Rather, he said that “we have become sharers of Christ.” The perfect tense here denotes an action that was completed in the past, but has results continuing into the present time. Thus, “holding the beginning of the assurance firm until the end” is not a condition for salvation. Rather, it is evidence that a person is truly saved.

To be clear, we can only be saved by believing in Jesus. Therefore, if a person stops believing in Jesus, then he is not saved. However, did he lose his salvation? No, he did not. First John 2:19 says,

They went out from us, but they were not from us. For if they had been from us, then they would have continued with us. But they went out, so that it would become clear that they all are not from us.

Therefore, if a person stops believing in Jesus, he does not lose his salvation. Rather, it shows that he was never saved because he never had true saving faith in Jesus.

Conclusion

If a person is truly saved, then he will live righteously and he will continue to believe in Jesus until the end. However, if a person lives sinfully or stops believing in Jesus forever, then it shows that he was never saved in the first place. Therefore, instead of “Once saved, always saved,” it would be clearer to say, “If saved, always saved.”