This post jointly discusses the doctrines known as perseverance of the saints and assurance of salvation. Perseverance of the saints teaches that once a believer is regenerated and justified, they can never lost their saves statue. Assurance of salvation teaches that a believer that has confidence in their faith, they can be assured that they currently saved (but not necessarily in the future, depending upon whether there is perseverance of the saints.
It is instructive to examine these two doctrines as they developed over time. Little was written about these issues until St. Augustine’s Treatise on the Gift of Perseverance in the early fifth century. He viewed these issues in the context of predestination of the elect and concluded that the regenerated elect are certain to persevere and never lose salvation. Augustine believes that baptism resulted in regeneration, but the elect receive a second gift of perseverance that assures salvation. The regenerated non-elect are predestined to fall away from faith and therefore lose salvation. According to Augustine, the elect are assured of salvation but in this life a regenerated person can never know if he is one of the elect and can therefore not be assured of personal salvation.
Roman Catholicism is for the most part in full agreement with Augustine. Baptism results in regeneration, but salvation can be lost through unrepented mortal sins. The predestined elect are assured of salvation, but you cannot know in this life with assurance if you are one of the elect apart from special revelation. This doctrine was formalized at the Council of Trent in 1546 with the statement, “No one, so long as he lives in this mortal life, ought to be presumptuous about the deep mystery of divine predestination as to decide with certainty that he is definitely among the number of the predestined.”[i]
Lutheranism is similar in believing that baptism results in regeneration, the predestined elect are certain to persevere, and that non-elect true Christians can fall away from faith and lose salvation. However, Lutheranism is somewhat more optimistic with regards to assurance. If you prayerfully reflect on God’s Word and promises in Christ, you can be certain of your present state of grace, but this is no assurance that you might not fall from grace in the future.
The Reformed position on these issues is based on unconditional election (the U in TULIP) and perseverance of the saints (the P in TULIP). It differs from Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism in that once an elected person is regenerated, this regenerated state can never be lost. However, in the visible church it is not possible with certainty to determine whether others are truly regenerated or not. But someone who is truly regenerated, as with Lutheranism, can prayerfully reflect on God’s Word and be certain of this regenerated state. Furthermore, since regeneration cannot be lost, a person who becomes certain of his regenerated state also has assurance of salvation.
Jacobus Arminius was uncertain whether a regenerated person could fall from grace. This uncertainty was documented in the Five Articles of Remonstrance that states that this possibility is likely but needs to be further investigated by an examination of Scripture. In any case, eternal salvation requires continued faith. If faith is lost, salvation is also lost. John Wesley essentially adopted the Arminian position and believed that it is likely that a regenerated person can fall from grace since he could not find anything in Scripture that teaches the contrary. Wesley did think that Paul and many others has assurance of their salvation, but that this does not mean that everyone can enjoy such assurance.
All of the above positions are primarily based on different interpretations of Heb 6:4-6:
“For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”
A plain reading of this verse shows that those who have been made partakers in Holy Spirit and are in a state of repentance can fall away. Furthermore, if they fall away, they can never be restored to a state of repentance. Interpretations of this verse are primarily based on whether it is referring to true believers or false believers, and whether it is referring to the loss of salvation or the loss of heavenly reward. Major views can therefore be classified as a true believer’s actual loss of salvation, a true believer’s hypothetical loss of salvation, a true believer’s loss of rewards, and a false believer not obtaining salvation.
The true believer’s actual loss of salvation is supported by strong arguments, as it understands the terms used as they are commonly understood. That is, being enlightened, tasting the heavenly gifts, and partaking in the Holy Spirit means that one is regenerated. Falling away refers to apostacy, a willful rejection of the gospel message and a corresponding rejection of Christ. The biggest weakness of this interpretation is that is seems to contradict other passages that teach that salvation cannot be lost. For example, Jesus says, ““Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (Jn 5:24; see also Jn 10:28-30; Rom 8:28-30; and Eph 4:30). In this view, it is also not clear why it is impossible for a person that loses their faith to regain it.
The true believer’s hypothetical loss of salvation solves the problem of other verses implying perseverance but has several difficulties of its own. First, a broader reading of the warning passages in Hebrews shows that they are referring to specific people who have forsaken or abandoned the Christian community. This is described as “the habit of some people” (Heb 1-0:25). Second, it seems unlikely that the author of Hebrews would so forcefully warn Christians about something that is an impossibility.
The true believer’s loss of rewards also avoids the problem of other verses implying eternal security for the saved. But the warnings in a broader reading of Hebrews seems to describe a punishment that is much more severe than the loss of heavenly blessings. “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries” (Heb 10:26-27). Furthermore, if Christians can lose blessings due to a lack of commitment of faith, why would it be impossible for them to be restored again to repentance? This seems to be at odds with how Hebrews describes believers. “For we have become partakers of Christ if we keep the beginning of our commitment firm until the end” (Heb 3:14).
The last major position is that Heb 6:4-6 is not referring to true believers who have been saved. This view has the strengths of not conflicting with other verses assuring perseverance and in interpreting the consequences of apostacy in their commonly-understood meanings. However, this position requires one to believes that unsaved people can be characterized as enlightened, tasting the heavenly gifts, and partaking in the Holy Spirit.
The doctrine of perseverance and assurance is difficult, especially in the practical Christian life. Saved people are promised to experience the fruits of the Spirit, including joy and peace. But experiencing joy and peace can be difficult if you are unsure whether you will spend eternity in heaven or hell. In terms of perseverance, anxiety can result from the possibility of losing salvation. In terms of assurance, anxiety can result from the possibility that you are not saved in the first place. For example, Reformed theology teaches limited atonement (the L in TULIP), that Christ died only for the elect. How can someone have assurance that they are part of the elect? The Reformed churches of Scotland struggled mightily with this issue. Consider the Scottish theologian and minister John McLeod Campbell. As a minister, Campbell noticed that a large number of his congregants were extremely anxious about the assurance of their salvation. In response, Campbell began to preach universal atonement such that anyone who hears and believes the gospel is assured of salvation. This was very comforting to his congregation, but Campbell was eventually deposed for heresy by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
[i] The Church Teaches: Documents of the Church in English Translations, by John Clarkson, et. al. (tr.),St. Louis: Herder,1955: 238.
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