If there is one word which causes the most confusion in Christianity today about the nature and conditions of our eternal life, it is this word “saved.”
Once Saved, Always Saved
Take for example, the debate over “Once Saved, Always Saved.” Those who teach this view have some verses which seem to indicate “salvation” lasts forever, but those who are opposed to “Once Saved, Always Saved” point out numerous verses which say that “salvation” depends on continued obedience, faithfulness, and good works.
The debate over “Once Saved, Saved Saved” is easily solved, however, when we realize that almost none of those verses which talk about “salvation” are actually talking about eternal life. We can hold to eternal security while still affirming that most verses that talk about “salvation” affirm a conditional deliverance from some sort of temporal and physical calamity.
James 2 – Faith Alone Does Not Save
Then there is the whole debate which rages over the statement in James 2 that faith alone does not save. What a confusing text! But it is not nearly as confusing once we realize that to be “saved” in James 2 has nothing whatsoever to do with gaining eternal life and going to heaven when we die.
Women Will Be Saved Through Childbearing
And we must not forget the statement by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:15 that women will be saved through childbearing. Due to a misunderstanding of the word “saved” this verse has been tragically used by some misogynistic authoritarian male religious leaders to require women to remain barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, because otherwise, they cannot be “saved.”
Key Calvinist Texts Misunderstand the word “Saved”
As we study Calvinism, we will see that a large number of the texts used to defend Calvinism depend on a faulty understanding of the word “saved.”
Due to the fact that it is understood to be referring to eternal life and going to heaven when we die, numerous texts are misinterpreted and misapplied so that what should be understood as a passage that encourages and instructs us on how to live our lives so that we can experience God’s life now becomes a passage on how to live our lives so that we can prove that we will have eternal life in the future. We will see this as we go through the various texts in future posts.
What does it mean to be saved?
What then is the definition of “save” or “salvation”? It means “deliverance.” Most of the time, this deliverance has nothing to do with gaining eternal life or going to heaven when we die, but instead, refers to some sort of temporal deliverance from calamity.
This deliverance might be physical, psychological, emotional, relational, spiritual, or financial. There are, of course, eternal consequences which we can be delivered from as well, such as a loss of reward at the judgment seat of Christ, but we will reserve this discussion for a later post.
Have these three posts on the words saved and salvation helped you understand what the Bible means by these terms? Are there any texts which mention “salvation” that you have questions about? Let me know in the comments below and maybe I can write a post on these passages later.
“saved through childbirth” is my favorite verse to show that “saved” can not in EVERY passage refer to the usually understood definition, “obtaining eternal life through faith in Christ”
Yes, that is a good one. And so many get so confused about that verse. Matthew 8:25 is even more obvious, where the disciples in the boat cry out, “Lord, save us!” Do they want eternal life? No. They want to be saved from drowning.
I wouldn’t say the debate over once saved always saved is easily solved, because there are dozens of verses that seem to say a person can lose salvation.
If you go to my site AlwaysSaved.com and visit the NOSAS Analyses page, you will find plenty of verses that seem to show a loss of salvation, but there are some OSAS verses as well.
Jeremy if you could please write an Article about my site on your web page that would be awesome.
Alwayssaved,
Thanks for the link to your site. In future posts, I will try to address some of the verses that seem to say that a person can lose their “salvation.” I think you will discover that the “salvation” in view is not eternal life at all.
Thanks. Sometimes I feel like defending OSAS really is an uphill battle when you look at all the verses against it.
Jeremy it just hit me like a bolt of lightning i am so excited about this thought that salvation has nothing to do with eternal life but is speaking of losing the ability to be an overcomer in Christ.Having been there as a carnal christian i always believed in Jesus but i felt i didnt have the power to live a christian life so i felt like a hippocrite i was still subject to sin and sinful desires.So in that sense i had never received salvation because i had never been an overcomer in the first place.So i can see how a christian could lose there salvation having once walked by faith but that doesnt effect there eternal life in Christ.Just so others know i am now walking by faith and am an overcomer i know what it is like to experience the power of the holy spirit and to not be overcome by my old nature that is what Jesus wants us all to experience rather than being a victim of the enemy.Whether we are an overcomer or not doesnt effect our eternal life.brentnz
Yes, to understand the meaning of the word save we have to look at the context, but since the cross those who believe the gospel are reconciled to God, our sins are forgiven, we are baptized into the body of Christ, we are indwelt and sealed with the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption when we get our new bodies (and more). Salvation affects our present and future.
Craig that was exactly my understanding however if we believe that in that traditional sense a person could lose there eternal life by there actions by not walking in the Lord which i dont think is right as eternal life is a free gift from God not based on works.Jeremys definition is that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ to eternal life.I believe the term salvation has the meaning to be saved not necesarily to eternal life but saved from ourselves Christ gives us the power to be transformed into his likeness or to be Christ like.In the eternal picture our actions determine how we are rewarded from God although its not the motivation of the reward but because we love the Lord.regards brent
What an elegant explanation. Thanks for a thoroughly enjoyable series.
Short and sweet, Cathy. I simply wish to echo your observation!
Thanks, Cathy and Gerrie. I enjoy writing on this topic, and am thrilled that others enjoy reading about it and interacting with one another about these issues.
To preserve God’s freedom (to do whatever He wants) we have to at least allow for the possibility that God would finally let someone stray far enough to not go and bring him/her back.
That said, I do believe that we can trust in God’s promises (to forgive us, love us, and give us eternal life with Himself).
Thanks.
Steve,
Good point. This is one area I struggle with. Will God force a person to keep eternal life if they genuinely want to discard it after they have received it? I don’t know.
Everything we read in the Bible surely has to absorbed and considered in line with our experience of God – for those of us who have travelled with God for a long time this experience (I hope) bears out a loving, caring, intimately involved Father whose example in the life of Jesus is all about love – tough, body-taking-the-brunt-of -whatever-life-throws, with the deeper soul fixed to God’s promises of what lies beyond. Salvation for me is about being saved from the physical, temporal life and its perspective and being embraced into an awareness of something deeper, higher and infinite.
In my journey at the moment I am so aware that each day draws me into stuff that is not ‘real’ – and also offers me glimpses of what is – relationship and connection. The challenge of the moment for me is to distinguish between the two – the ‘real’ and the world imposed whatever. (And I might just add that Facebook seems to have a grain of reality in it in my opinion and should not be dismissed as it sometimes is by people)
Salvation is how God draws me back to the real and holds me there.
Maybe these thoughts are relevant….?
Yes, these are challenges. You are describing the process of sanctification, I think, as nobody can absorb or consider all the Bible has to say. We also need to learn to focus on what is truly real and eternal, not only temporary and passing.
Of course, the things of this world are real as well. To say otherwise is to begin to travel down the road toward dualism.
The key is to bring the spiritual and the physical together into a perfect union, as was done in Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God on earth.
Thank you for this word of warning and I will be careful to consider it as Rob Bell ‘Everything is Spiritual’ made sense some years ago now. Not going to ‘Church’ is a vulnerable position if it separates us from teaching and lining ourselves with the Truth – this forum is part of my Church at the moment so I value thoughts to challenge me on the journey. Not going to ‘Church’ seems also to be where a lot of people are as God (maybe) reveals His vision for a new pathway (Brian McLaren We Make the Road by Walking) that is accessible for all those who have supposedly turned away, the Prodigal story has thoughts here but that’s for another day!
Thank you. I value the posts and the comments.
I never heard Rob Bell’s talk or read that book by McLaren. You are right though, that blogs and interacting with people online can be part of your church experience. It isn’t perfect fellowship, but it can be one method or mode of fellowship. Thanks for commenting! I value each and every one.
I have a question and an anecdote. First the question: If the angels, who have been in the presence of God, have worshiped God, and served God…can turn their back on God…can man once saved not do the same?
Second the anecdote, I have linked to an interview of Charles Templeton by Lee Strobel. Templeton a famous evangelist and friend of Billy Graham, who in later life rejected God, becomes emotional when confronted with Jesus two months before his death. It doesn’t prove anything, but I found it interesting. Was Templeton saved when leading thousands to Christ? Did Templeton truly reject God? Only God knows the heart…
https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/328-a-skeptic-reflects-upon-jesus-christ
Whew! Good question. This troubles me a bit too.
I would say that the angels never had eternal life, and that eternal life, once given, cannot be removed, not even by God.
Now, is this true? I think so, but am not certain.
Regarding Templeton, yes, I have read that interview before. As you say, only God knows his heart, but according to the theology I currently hold, I would not at all be surprised if Templeton has eternal life.
I have a hard time believing that God would bring into his presence someone who as a lifestyle openly denies Him, openly has rejected and cursed Him. I understand that people have periods in their lives when they think they are lost, or as Peter did in haste “reject” God. Does this mean that anyone who has given their lives to Christ and rejects Him to live a life of sin and open destruction to Christ will be absent from the body, and in the next breath praising the very God they say they do not believe? I find that whole idea unbelievable.
Once that is questioned, then the logical next step is to say they never were saved in the first place which in many cases I find equally hard to believe. Is it so hard to accept that God will never allow someone to be snatched from His hand, yet will allow them to walk away? In the case of Templeton he spent many years rejecting God in the most public manner doing great damage to the kingdom of God.
Living in the bible belt I believe that the “once saved” teaching, so ingrained in the culture, may actually doing more to send people to hell than heaven. Everyone down here thinks they are “saved” due to cultural expectations. Walk an aisle, say the magic words, and you are eternally saved. One more baptism and conversion to report to headquarters with little or no shepherding to follow. I can’t tell you how many people I have shared with thinking they were lost due to their lifestyle observed, who have responded to my witness with something like: “Oh I’m saved, I’m just back-slidden”.
I had a good discussion this morning with my wife about this. She thinks (and I agree) that nobody who comes to understand the love and grace of God would ever reject Him or decide they no longer want God in their lives. There are, of course, those who reject God and say they no longer want Him in their life, but they do so from a place of great hurt and pain in their life, which they (wrongly) believe was caused by God. So they reject God from a place of bad theology.
God, knowing this, does not take eternal life away from them, because they are rejecting Him out of ignorance and bad theology. God knows that if they truly understood who He was and what He was like, they would not want to be separated from Him.
I have observed that many are really rejecting the church, as they know it, and the people they have known who identify as “Christians” who have been much less than kind and loving.
Jeremy in theory eternal life i believe cannot be discarded once given there are two choices to enter into Gods kingdom or to reject God and be thrown into the lake of fire.The same consequences are in effect now when we choose God we choose life when we choose sin we suffer the consequences of death to our body soul and spirit.But the choice is always ours.brentnz
Really loving this series Jeremy!! A lot of what your saying is resonating with things I’ve been thinking and been questioning but you’ve thought about it and understand it a lot more than me and its been very helpful reading these posts. I constantly feel in need of saving, as someone with longterm metal health struggles, i feel constantly in need of God’s deliverance from my feelings and circumstances, and reading this post has felt quite empowering in that sense. I know one day Christ will return to make things right, but what God can and does do right now is important to me.
Simon,
Thanks for the comment and encouragement. It is helpful to know that not all of God’s blessings and promises are reserved for the afterlife, but that many forms of deliverance and salvation are for this life as well.
We must be careful not to assume that God will always heal us or help us out of financial trouble (that is not what we are saying), but He will be with us in and through these trials as they come.
Simon excellent comments we have been give the holy spirit as our empowerer when we are weak that is for today salvation means he gives us the power to overcome what is seeking to overcome us in this life we have the assurance that we have eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ..In his strength we are more than conquerers though we are weak we are strong in Christ and in him we shall prevail.brentnz
God is the only one that can give eternal life and this life is given through His Son who is the person of Jesus Christ by way of the Blood that Jesus shed on Calvary’s Cross. That Blood has to be applied to one’s life in order for one to receive eternal life. There are many things that affect eternal life for an individual. God gave His Blood through the Son. We have to deny ourselves and give our total being to God through His Son. We have to repent of sin in our life and receive Jesus in our heart. This is where deliverance begins; delivered from the power of darkness to the Power of Light. We have a choice in life. The Power that God gives is His Spirit and this is a Gift to each one of us for repenting of sin and receiving His Son. The first step each one of us should do is to be water baptized, although I realize there are cases where this is not possible. God can forgive. He knows our heart. We have to yield ourselves over to Him. This *has* to be a life long walk. Any time we stray from the path of righteousness, we have to repent and get back in good standing with God…remember, God Almighty controls your destiny. We have to love Him first and then others as ourselves. God holds us accountable for the lives we live and how we follow the lead of His Spirit. Blasphemey of the Holy Spirit is unforgiveable. Don’t forget that God is not mocked…whatsoever we sow, that shall we also reap. Everlasting life is free to all who believe. A believer is a doer of God’s Word. Faithfulness is a must!!! God says you didn’t choose Me, I chose you. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
“And we must not forget the statement by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:15 that women will be saved through childbearing.”
Then.. what to think about this verse ?
Because there are Christian women who suffer a lot during this childbearing and can sometimes die from giving birth to a child.. How are they saved on that matter ?
I hope you can give me an answer :/
Tiluen the verse that a women is saved through childbearing is prophetic in the sense that Jesus was born of a woman and he was the one to crush the serpents head and would save mankind from sin.brentnz
You have to look at the context of a word to find its meaning. The word “saved” in the Bible doesn’t always refer to being saved from our sins. When Peter cried “Lord, save me” in Matthew 14:30 he wasn’t crying out to Jesus to save him from his sins, but to save him from drowning.
In the context of 1 Timothy the most likely interpretation that takes into account the immediate context is that, rather than abandoning their intended roles by demanding teaching and authoritative positions in the church, women will find true fulfillment through childbearing. Paul is saying God calls women to be faithful, helpful wives, raising children to love and worship God and managing the household wisely (1 Timothy 5:14; Titus 2:3–5). While this view is not without its difficulties, it appears to harmonize best with the context and with the remainder of Scripture.
Jeremy,
In your book “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus, you write on page that “Purely from Gods perspective, sin isn’t that big of a deal.” Its hard for me except that the rape, abuse and murder of especially little children, let along adults, doesn’t make god rage with anger at the perpetrator. God may feel bad about how perpetrator destroyed his or her life but I would think what they did would be a huge deal to god. Please clarify your point. Hopefully I’m misunderstanding you.
Thanks so much,
Larry
The statement has received a lot of pushback. I wish I had clarified a bit. God is deadly serious about sin, which is why there is so much in the Bible against sin. He wants, desires, and commands that we stop sinning. But the question is “Why?” It is NOT because our sin makes God hate us, or that God cannot be with us or near us if we sin. From God’s perspective, our sin does nothing to quench or limit His infinite love for us. That is what I meant….
So then why does God want us to stop sinning? Because He loves us, and sin hurts us, and He doesn’t want to see the object of His love get hurt.
Sorry. Forgot to put the page number of your book. Page 50.
Hello, do you have examples of where the word saved in the Bible is referring to a temporal physical, saving rather than eternal salvation? I am struggling with Calvinism and I’m trying to do my research to better understand it for myself. Thank you so much.