Once Save Always Saved?

Otherwise known by the acronym, "OSAS," this is an erroneous belief among protestants, in particular among the, "bible-only" Evangelical and fundamentalist groups.

Unfortunately for them, it appears nowhere explicitly written in the Bible, and it was never taught before the Bible existed. It came about after the protestant reformation got started, from the mind of one man, as we'll see here in a moment. 

To me, the odd part is this: Here we have people who reject anything that doesnt explicitly appear in the Bible, letter for letter. But this concept of OSAS isn’t there that way; it had to be built-up from cherry-picked bits of scripture to suit the argument. Yet, its a cornerstone of these sects.

So let's do a little forensics on this.

✅ 1. Did Jesus teach OSAS?

No, I'm afraid not. In the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly emphasized that we must remain in faith and obedience until the end.

Examples:

Matthew 24:13 – “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

John 15:6 – “If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”

✓ This shows that salvation is not a one-time event, but results from an ongoing relationship that must be preserved through choice and action.

✅ 2. Okay, well, where did this idea come from?

Well it wasn't from the early, pre-biblical Church. If you examine, in full context, the letters of St. Paul or the Acts of the Apostles, which detail the period long before the Bible existed - its clearly not there. Rather, quite the opposite is the case.

The early Christians and Church Fathers taught that perseverance, i.e., continuing in faith and good works in the name of Christ, is necessary for salvation.

To get to OSAS via Scripture, you have to pick and choose among the verses of the Bible...something the Apostolic and subsequent churches could never have done, since there was no Bible back then! So it was never part of pre-reformation Christian doctrine...and it still isn't taught by The Church, now.

So how'd it start? It began during the early reformation (1500s) with John Calvin.

He taught the doctrine of “Perseverance of the Saints,” which is part of the five points of Calvinism (TULIP).

Here's what he put down: If God has chosen you (predestination), you cannot lose salvation. Basically, you're a, "saint" from the beginning, if chosen, no matter what. Among Baptists and Evangelical groups, this is often called, "Eternal Security."

The later Baptist groups that I'm familiar with, at least, have fabricated a further work around of their own:

"But, if you didn't really mean it when you accepted Jesus Christ into your life,...or you did mean it, but don't 'live right,' thereafter, well, it's all null and void."

So, "predestined salvation" exists in their mind, BUT, you have to voluntarily accept it...and you can lose it if you didn't really mean it. That's how I've had it explained, anyway.

For me, its a head-scratcher. I mean, if it's already destined, why do you have to take it, at all, like some carnival prize? 

And if you can lose it by not being sincere, or not living as they deem proper, we are back to persevering in Jesus fashion, and you're left to wonder... "How can you say it exists at all?"

It's a spun around assembly of conflicting ideas that dont really make a lot of sense. Maybe you just have to not question it, and then it works?

Seems that way.

✅ Catholic and Orthodox teaching: What The Church has ALWAYS taught on this matter.

First, let's be clear on one thing:

The Catholic Church is not a, "bible-only," church. It never has been and it doesn't profess to be.

Yes, The Catholic Church compiled, assembled, codified and made available the Bible that everyone uses. And it is a key part of the teachings of the Catholic Church, since they put it together.

But,  the Catholic Church is an APOSTOLIC CHURCH first and foremost...a Church that traces its origins back to the Apostles of Christ, and the church that Jesus Christ, Himself, set into motion.

So, from the earliest centuries, starting with the Apostles, The Church has affirmed that a person can fall from grace through mortal sin, or rejecting faith and the grace of Jesus Christ.

If you need a biblical reference for this - even though it pre-dates the Bible by 350 years or so - they base this on verses like Hebrews 6:4-6, and Hebrews 10:26-27.

Glory to GOD forever in JESUS CHRIST Name🙏😇

Amen!

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