The Perseverance of the Saints

After a few posts of a programmatic nature, we dive into a specific material issue in theology. Why not a sticky one that hits home for many of us?!

The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is a crystallization of the belief that genuine Christians cannot (or at least do not) turn away from the faith and so forever cut themselves off from Christ. This is a major issue with which many believers are wrestling and it’s not difficult to discover why that’s the case. So many of us have seen a friend or loved one who seemed to be following Christ meander away from the narrow path of discipleship. Inevitably, we ask, “What’s happened to them? Were they a genuine Christian and are they now genuinely an object of God’s wrath? Were they never truly ‘in’ and thus have only shown their true colors?” Pastors need an extra measure of clarity here. What would you say to the concerned parishioner who is worried about a friend or family member’s faith? What would you say to the person who himself or herself seems to be flirting with apostasy? How would you respond when someone turns away after you’ve invested time and energy and prayer in their spiritual health?

We find different answers in different pockets of Protestant Christianity. The Reformed and Presbyterian traditions have argued that genuine Christians cannot (or at least do not) apostatize. Upon examining the life of a person who seemingly has rejected Christ, they are likely to say either that he or she never was a true believer or that they have not truly turned away and ultimately will come around. This is, briefly, the Calvinistic perspective on things. Wesleyans and Methodists have argued that genuine Christians can and tragically sometimes do turn away from the Lord and thus fail in the end to inherit salvation. So they are ready to say that someone who has apparently apostatized may well have been a genuine Christian and now is not. This is, briefly, the Arminian perspective on things. Biblical texts have been used to support both positions. Romans 8:28-39, for example, has been said to point toward the Calvinistic view. The warning passages of Hebrews have been used to support the Arminian position.

Before we go any further, it’s important to note two pastorally significant features common to both views (at least in their theologically robust forms). First, only if we persevere in faith for all our days will we in the end inherit salvation (see Mt 10:16ff.; 1 Cor. 9:24ff.; 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 4:6-8; Heb. 6:1-8; 10:19-39; for the Greek geeks out there, see Jas. 2:5 where the kingdom is promised to those who continually love God [present participle w/ imperfective aspect]). This is to confront some of the ways in which “eternal security” and “once saved, always saved” can be misconstrued. Rightly understood, the phrase “eternal security” indicates the belief that God makes sure we press on in faith, not that we can make a profession of faith only to abandon it and still somehow receive salvation. Thus I think it’s preferable to speak in terms of the “perseverance of the saints.” The validity of this belief is what we’re exploring in this post. Note also that the requirement of perseverance is different from saying we must perform x number of good deeds to be accepted by God. Perseverance is simply a matter of ongoingly fearing and trusting the Lord, which of course will produce all sorts of good deeds over the long haul. Second, if a believer were truly to reject the faith and become alienated from Christ, he or she would forego the hope of salvation. In other words, we’re not talking about missing out on a few extra perks in the life to come (a 40” vertical with the resurrection body instead of a 48”); we’re talking about missing out on salvation itself and the enjoyment of God’s presence in the new creation. With the stakes so high, we need to help one another persevere to the very end! Hence the exhortation of Hebrews 10:24-25: “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Now for a proposal. My own view is that genuine Christians can turn away but don’t turn away. I appreciate how Millard Erickson unpacks this way of looking at the topic, especially when he offers the helpful illustration that I’ll adapt here. If a couple has a child whom they want to keep from wandering into the danger of the street, they could either simply build a fence around the yard that would make it physically impossible for the child to leave or they could so train up the child that she learns not to leave the safety of the yard. Erickson believes that the latter option depicts how God works with his sons and daughters in the life of faith. Rather than simply removing the danger of apostasy, God effectually instructs and equips us so that we continually choose not to reject him. Strictly speaking, we can turn away, but God sees to it that we don’t.

What would this mean for our interpretation of pertinent biblical texts? I think it helps us take seriously the teaching of Jesus in John 6 and 10. In particular, at one point in John 6, Jesus says that it’s his responsibility not to lose those whom the Father gives to him (Jn. 6:39). This seems to indicate (as D. A. Carson argues in his commentary on the Gospel of John) that, if someone turns away from the faith, Jesus has not fulfilled the will of the Father. If we believe Jesus always does the will of the Father (see Jn. 8:29), and if this is the correct interpretation of John 6:39, then genuine Christians do not apostatize.

Erickson’s view also helps us take seriously the warning passages of Hebrews. The threat of apostasy is a true danger and such stern warnings are actually part of God’s program for prodding us to remain in the faith. Yet we still have one issue to deal with: biblical texts that apparently name Christians who have turned away (e.g., 1 Tim. 1:19-20; the “some” of Heb. 10:25). My view is that we don’t have enough insight into their spiritual condition to say with certainty that they were genuine Christians. This could be viewed as a sore spot for the position advocated here, but I think it’s at least a viable explanation. And it should be noted that we are seeking the position that best explains what we find in Scripture (even if some questions may remain). I think this position has fewer problems than one that denies the perseverance of the saints and has to grapple with, say, John 6:39.

How does all of this look when related to our questions about friends who are straying? The perspective outlined here leads us to say that a person who seems to have turned away either never genuinely embraced the gospel or did so but is in a fleeting phase of rebellion and will come around. Either way, we do well to pray for them and encourage them to press on. Here I think the Calvinistic view is actually more hopeful than the Arminian, for the Arminian may need to say that the person was a genuine Christian and now has so hardened their heart that they cannot turn back to God (Heb. 6:4-6).

What do you make of it?