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Once Saved, Always Saved?: A Study in Perseverance and Inheritance
The majority of Evangelical view is that once someone has accepted Christ as Saviour they are guaranteed salvation. But is it safe to assume that once we are saved, we are saved for always?
David Pawson investigated this through biblical evidence, historical figures such as Augustine, Luther and Wesley, and evangelical assumptions about grace and justification, divine sovereignty and human responsibility. He asks whether something more than being born again is required so that our inheritance is not lost. This book helps us to deicde whether 'once saved, always saved' is real assurance or a misleading assumption. The answer will have profound effects on the way we live and disciple others.
David Pawson investigated this through biblical evidence, historical figures such as Augustine, Luther and Wesley, and evangelical assumptions about grace and justification, divine sovereignty and human responsibility. He asks whether something more than being born again is required so that our inheritance is not lost. This book helps us to deicde whether 'once saved, always saved' is real assurance or a misleading assumption. The answer will have profound effects on the way we live and disciple others.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1996
86 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 26, 2020
Excellent book, well written, easy to understand. Highly recommend it for all believers.
December 23, 2013
Very good book on the subject!
February 15, 2022
Fantastically revealing. Our mission for the 21st century set in motion by a brilliant teacher.
#Need_a_bigger_book for all the things unsaid...
#Need_a_bigger_book for all the things unsaid...
September 13, 2012
Loved the book. Written with conviction and clarity.
September 6, 2024
Can we really be so sure of our systems of theology or thought?
An absolutely brilliant thesis which shook me to the core. David stuck very closely to Scripture and presented his case convincingly. I remain undecided about OSAS in a Calvinistic sense, however I cannot and should not ignore the warnings Scripture.
An absolutely brilliant thesis which shook me to the core. David stuck very closely to Scripture and presented his case convincingly. I remain undecided about OSAS in a Calvinistic sense, however I cannot and should not ignore the warnings Scripture.
March 27, 2024
This book is a relief in that it addresses the doctrine of eternal salvation (going to heaven) despite what one does or does not do. One can say Pawson's conclusions on the theme are sound. Faithfulness rather than "once saved, always saved" wins the day.
September 20, 2018
It is a book that makes the reader have a long hard think. Essential reading for any professing Christian.
April 7, 2020
A must read!
December 14, 2023
Brilliant
Clear, concise, Biblical! Not to heavy for a laymen and heavy enough for a keen theologian. An encouraging read for a believer wrestling with the doctrines of calvinism.
Clear, concise, Biblical! Not to heavy for a laymen and heavy enough for a keen theologian. An encouraging read for a believer wrestling with the doctrines of calvinism.
April 8, 2025
This book has some errors, but overall it is a great delight. Pawson is sovereign in teaching biblical truth, especially when it comes to masterfully defending (the doctrine of) Free Will.
PROS
+ Quote: "Works of the Flesh or Works of the Law are enemies of the G‑spel and detract from the grace that alone can save us. Both smack of do-it-yourself religion, which retains human pride. G-d wants to see righteousness in us, not our but His. He is not demanding it from us but offering it to us, in Christ. All this is true, but not the whole truth. If we are not careful we can develop an allergy to 'works' in any shape or form and this could blind us to the positive NT statements about 'works'. For a start, we may not be saved by works, but we are certainly saved for 'good works'."
+ He is one of the very few teachers who correctly interprets what many call the Double Predestination of Pharaoh. But it would have been interesting to go deeper, and to have seen exactly how Pharaoh provoked the hardening of his heart.
The hardening of his heart was not a product of random selection. It was a product of the pre-existence of professional witchcraft already at the time of Joseph (Gen 41:8). Only after Pharaoh responded to the first miracle with witchcraft (he directly commanded it!), his heart was instantly hardened (Exo 7:13, foreseen in Exo 4:21, 7:3). He then successfully repeated the first 3 miracles through witchcraft (Exo 7:11-12, 7:22, 8:7). While the magicians had already surrendered ('It is the finger of THEOS', Exo 8:18-19), Pharaoh's heart became harder and harder while clinging to witchcraft. Though Pharaoh was raised for the role of the oppressor, he did not come into condemnation without deserving it. He had the choice before his heart initially hardened. THEOS foresaw this from the beginning of the world. He did not predestine him to witchcraft, but foresaw his condemnation after he would actively commit witchcraft. Foreknowledge is THEOS knowing beforehand what we can only know after we will make the respective free-will decisions. It is perfectly just (Eze 33:17-20).
+ Quote: "Atonement is provided for accidental falls but none for wilful and deliberate disobedience. [...] Deliberate persistence on a sinful course after enlightenment cannot be atoned for, even by the cross of Christ."
CONS
- He understands Justification as a one-time process, although there are several passages that clearly imply a future aspect of it, and even Calvinists such as John Piper have come to see this.
- He references the woman caught in adultery, although it is well-known that this passage from John 7:53-8:11 does not belong in the Bible.
- Paul is the author of 14 (2 x 7 also agrees with biblical numbers), not of 13 books of the Bible, as explicitly confirmed by many early historians and scholars. Only Tertullian, Gaius of Rome, Hippolytus and the great heretic Origen ob- and rejected the authorship of Paul.
- He seems to teach that we ought not to obey the Moral Law concerning the Weekly Sabbath, which would be a highly problematic teaching: "Canaan was a type, a shadow, as was the Weekly Sabbath, of the real 'rest' which G-d wants to give to overburdened people (Christ's own invitation to 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest' is its fulfillment)".
While the Weekly Sabbath is certainly also a shadow, this does not mean that its primary function has vanished.
Paul not only observed the seventh-day Sabbath himself, he taught Jews and Gentiles / Greeks / 'Worshiping Proselytes' on the Weekly Sabbath day at least on 11 occasions (Act 13:14, 27, 42-45, Act 16:12-13, Act 17:2, Act 18:4-11). Decisive is the fact that this most often happened outside of Israel. This is especially remarkable when considering that he left the new converts in Ephesus behind, when he had to hurry back to Israel for celebrating Ceremonial Sabbaths such as Pentecost (as a local Jew only and only until the fall of the Temple).
PROS
+ Quote: "Works of the Flesh or Works of the Law are enemies of the G‑spel and detract from the grace that alone can save us. Both smack of do-it-yourself religion, which retains human pride. G-d wants to see righteousness in us, not our but His. He is not demanding it from us but offering it to us, in Christ. All this is true, but not the whole truth. If we are not careful we can develop an allergy to 'works' in any shape or form and this could blind us to the positive NT statements about 'works'. For a start, we may not be saved by works, but we are certainly saved for 'good works'."
+ He is one of the very few teachers who correctly interprets what many call the Double Predestination of Pharaoh. But it would have been interesting to go deeper, and to have seen exactly how Pharaoh provoked the hardening of his heart.
The hardening of his heart was not a product of random selection. It was a product of the pre-existence of professional witchcraft already at the time of Joseph (Gen 41:8). Only after Pharaoh responded to the first miracle with witchcraft (he directly commanded it!), his heart was instantly hardened (Exo 7:13, foreseen in Exo 4:21, 7:3). He then successfully repeated the first 3 miracles through witchcraft (Exo 7:11-12, 7:22, 8:7). While the magicians had already surrendered ('It is the finger of THEOS', Exo 8:18-19), Pharaoh's heart became harder and harder while clinging to witchcraft. Though Pharaoh was raised for the role of the oppressor, he did not come into condemnation without deserving it. He had the choice before his heart initially hardened. THEOS foresaw this from the beginning of the world. He did not predestine him to witchcraft, but foresaw his condemnation after he would actively commit witchcraft. Foreknowledge is THEOS knowing beforehand what we can only know after we will make the respective free-will decisions. It is perfectly just (Eze 33:17-20).
+ Quote: "Atonement is provided for accidental falls but none for wilful and deliberate disobedience. [...] Deliberate persistence on a sinful course after enlightenment cannot be atoned for, even by the cross of Christ."
CONS
- He understands Justification as a one-time process, although there are several passages that clearly imply a future aspect of it, and even Calvinists such as John Piper have come to see this.
- He references the woman caught in adultery, although it is well-known that this passage from John 7:53-8:11 does not belong in the Bible.
- Paul is the author of 14 (2 x 7 also agrees with biblical numbers), not of 13 books of the Bible, as explicitly confirmed by many early historians and scholars. Only Tertullian, Gaius of Rome, Hippolytus and the great heretic Origen ob- and rejected the authorship of Paul.
- He seems to teach that we ought not to obey the Moral Law concerning the Weekly Sabbath, which would be a highly problematic teaching: "Canaan was a type, a shadow, as was the Weekly Sabbath, of the real 'rest' which G-d wants to give to overburdened people (Christ's own invitation to 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest' is its fulfillment)".
While the Weekly Sabbath is certainly also a shadow, this does not mean that its primary function has vanished.
Paul not only observed the seventh-day Sabbath himself, he taught Jews and Gentiles / Greeks / 'Worshiping Proselytes' on the Weekly Sabbath day at least on 11 occasions (Act 13:14, 27, 42-45, Act 16:12-13, Act 17:2, Act 18:4-11). Decisive is the fact that this most often happened outside of Israel. This is especially remarkable when considering that he left the new converts in Ephesus behind, when he had to hurry back to Israel for celebrating Ceremonial Sabbaths such as Pentecost (as a local Jew only and only until the fall of the Temple).
September 23, 2022
ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED? is a thoughtful, well-reasoned study of the concept of Christians and eternal security, more popularly known as "once saved always saved." Author David Pawson carefully explores a myriad of Scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments which deal with the issue, making a strong case that believers may indeed lose their salvation. Pawson raises many solid points and presents them with logic and lucidity, but his book falls short of five stars due to a pair of notable flaws. First, he often gets sidetracked into theological questions that are not really the subject of this study, such as the nature of God's ongoing relationship with Israel and whether or not God actually knows the future. These digressions soften the author's focus on the issue at hand and, as some of his opinions in these other matters are quite controversial in their own right, may raise more questions in the minds of his readers than Pawson realizes. Second, he frequently argues that mainstream English Bible translations handle various passages in an unsatisfactory manner, and thereby sometimes supplements a traditional rendering with his own in order to better make a point. Pawson is not the only Bible teacher to argue that sometimes a particular verse could be translated better, but the frequency with which he does so is jarring and may produce some skepticism in his readers. But overall the author has given us a fine look at a very divisive--one might even say inflammatory--issue, and while Pawson's convictions are never in doubt, he presents them with admirable grace and even dedicates the book to some who are staunchly entrenched on the opposite side of the debate. ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED? is definitely a worthwhile read for all believers and if nothing else should succeed in inducing its audience to turn back to the Scriptures and make doubly sure of what they really believe about the nature of salvation and the question of eternal security.
May 12, 2023
Very good book. Highly Recommend. It for sure has changed my life and have changed my view on soteriology. I had so many questions that the book answered. It helped me to view that my Christian walk and not just a one time thing and then I’m done but that’s it’s a race and that endurance with Gods help is needed. He doesn’t share his opinion but he shares what the scriptures says about the issue. One of my favorite books.
February 6, 2023
Is it true that all who at one time confessed belief in Christ OSAS?
David Pawson does a good job opening the scriptural texts that justifiably demand a larger responsibility from us as Christians to pursue the lifelong goal of discipleship vs a confession of faith with a "business as usual" return to the world. Scripture articulates that the Lord expects us to live out our salvation in faithfulness, relationship and service. God has provided ample illustration for us to consider the seriousness of that expectation, as well as, His enabling and encouraging a call to action. This book respectfully challenges the OSAS doctrine which is a part of many mainstream denominations.
David Pawson does a good job opening the scriptural texts that justifiably demand a larger responsibility from us as Christians to pursue the lifelong goal of discipleship vs a confession of faith with a "business as usual" return to the world. Scripture articulates that the Lord expects us to live out our salvation in faithfulness, relationship and service. God has provided ample illustration for us to consider the seriousness of that expectation, as well as, His enabling and encouraging a call to action. This book respectfully challenges the OSAS doctrine which is a part of many mainstream denominations.
July 23, 2011
A very interesting read on perhaps one of the most debated issues in christianity... Calvinist or Arminian... This book is strongly arminian in approach, and gives very good coverage on the historical and theological background for Arminian beliefs. The author also does take time to explain some calvinist arguements, but really doesn't do so in depth since this is not his goal (to debate). I guess this book is a good read if you want to get a fuller picture of both sides of the arguement... now to get my hands on a book which adopts the calvinist position... :)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews