Permanent Salvation

Asher Chee |

Permanent Salvation is the teaching that if a person is truly saved in Jesus Christ, then he will always remain saved. A person who is truly saved will never lose his salvation because he will not permanently stop believing in Jesus with true saving faith. Our salvation is permanent because it is based on God’s purpose, which cannot fail.

Predestined for Salvation

Regarding our salvation, the Apostle Paul wrote,

Ephesians 1:11–12 ESV In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

“Obtaining an inheritance” implies salvation. We are saved because God has predestined us to be saved. The Greek word for “predestine” here is the verb proorizō, which means to set boundaries beforehand so that the intended result will happen. If God has predestined that something will happen, then it will surely happen!

This same word for “predestine” is used in Acts 4:27–28, where the first Christians prayed to God, “for truly in this city there were gathered together... both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (ESV) The first Christians knew that everything that happened was a result of God’s predestination—including people’s sins against God.

In this context of God’s predestination unto salvation, Paul says that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Everything that God predestines will surely happen because God actively works to cause all things to happen according to what he wants—including our salvation.

Foreknown for Glory

In another place, the Apostle Paul wrote,

Romans 8:28–30 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

“Being glorified” here implies salvation, since only those who are saved will be glorified at the Resurrection (vv. 17–25). Even though our glorification is in the future, the Apostle Paul did not use the future tense. He did not say, “Those whom he justified he will also glorify.” Rather, he used the aorist tense, which in this context denotes past time. We know this because all the other verbs in the series are all in the aorist tense, and all clearly denote past time: “he foreknew”, “he predestined”, “he called”, “he justified”, and here, “he glorified”. The Apostle Paul was so sure about the believer’s future glorification that he spoke of it as though it were as good as done.

Notice the order of salvation here: For every person who is truly saved in Jesus Christ, God foreknew him, predestined him, called him, justified him, and will glorify him. Every person who has been justified will also be glorified. There are no exceptions. The original Greek text is actually emphatic about this: “Those whom he justified, them he also glorified.” We are justified by faith, that is, when we believe in Jesus Christ (5:1). Once that happens, glorification is inevitable. There is no possibility that a person was justified at one time, but then later on lost his salvation such that he will not be glorified at the Resurrection.

Given by the Father

Jesus likewise spoke about salvation in relation to God’s will:

John 6:37–39 ESV All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

“Coming to Jesus” here means to believe in Jesus with true saving faith. Notice what Jesus said in verse 37: “All that the Father gives me will come to me.” There are no exceptions. There is no possibility that the Father gives a person to Jesus, but he will not believe in Jesus for salvation. Thus, if God gives a person to Jesus, then that person will surely come to Jesus with true saving faith.

Next, Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Why? Jesus explained in the next verse: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me”—referring to God the Father. What is the will of the Father? Jesus tells us: “That I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day.” That is salvation! In other words, the will of God the Father here is that every single person whom he gives to Jesus will be saved, and that not even one of them will be lost.

If Jesus loses even one person whom the Father gives to him, then he would have failed to do the will of the Father. Therefore, in order for Jesus to do the will of the Father, he must guarantee the salvation of every single person whom the Father gives to him. This involves ensuring that each one of them has true saving faith in him until the end. Can Jesus fail to do the will of the Father? Of course not. Jesus cannot and did not fail to do the will of the Father.

Drawn to Jesus

Take a look at what Jesus said a few verses later:

John 6:44 ESV No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Notice how Jesus describes our ability to come to him for salvation: “No one is able to come to me.” There is not even one person who is able at all to come to Jesus. Then, how can people come to Jesus? Jesus explains: “unless the Father draws him.” The expression “unless” indicates that the only person who will come to Jesus is the person whom the Father draws to Jesus, and when the Father draws a person to Jesus, that person will surely come to Jesus (v. 37).

Look at what Jesus said next: “And I will raise him up on the last day.” The “him” here refers to the person whom the Father draws to Jesus. Every person whom the Father draws to Jesus will be raised up unto eternal life on the last day. There are no exceptions. There is no possibility that:

Therefore, if the Father draws a person to Jesus, then that person will surely come to Jesus with true saving faith, and be saved in the end.

Conclusion

From beginning to end, salvation is fully the work of God. Yes, salvation is received through faith; we must truly believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved. However, even that true saving faith does not come from ourselves, but from God!

If God had left us to our own free will, we would never have chosen to believe in Jesus. It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul wrote:

Ephesians 2:8–9 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; the gift is of God; not from works, lest anyone should boast.

The word “this” refers to the entire preceding statement: “by grace you are saved through faith.” This means that the whole salvation experience is a gift from God! Therefore, we cannot take credit for the salvation, nor the grace, and no, not even the faith! No one can boast, “I believed!” because even that did not come from ourselves, but from God.

Moreover, since true saving faith will continue until the end, then even the ability to continue believing in Jesus does not come from ourselves, but from God! Jude wrote:

Jude 24–25 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you before the presence of his glory blameless with gladness. To the only God, our saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, greatness, dominion, and authority, before every age, and now, and unto all the ages. Amen.

The word for “keep” here means to guard, as a protective military guard; to watch over, as a vigilant watchman. If a person is saved in Jesus Christ, then he will never stumble completely because God vigilantly watches over him, and actively guards him against stumbling. Therefore, our salvation is permanent because God actively keeps us from stumbling, and not ultimately because we maintain our own salvation by our own free will. Again, if God had left us to our own free will, then we would have completely stumbled and stopped believing in Jesus a long time ago.