{"id":24453,"date":"2010-12-06T11:13:46","date_gmt":"2010-12-06T18:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/?p=24453"},"modified":"2023-08-29T11:19:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:19:00","slug":"what-is-the-churchs-position-on-falling-from-grace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/what-is-the-churchs-position-on-falling-from-grace\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Church\u2019s position on falling from grace?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the Church\u2019s position on falling from grace?\u00a0Some say that backsliders were never saved in the first place. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Church of God (Seventh Day) does not promote the doctrine of eternal security. This teaching affirms that those who enjoy true forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ can never lose this favored status before God.<\/p>\n

In its classical form, this doctrine equates with the last of the five points of Calvinism, a system emphasizing God\u2019s choice (before the world began) of certain persons to be saved through Christ (see p. 7 of the May-June BA). For Calvinists, the divine selection is confirmed by Christ\u2019s limited atonement on the cross, by the Spirit\u2019s irresistible call to the elect, and finally, by the perseverance of those elect saints in their faith to the end.<\/p>\n

Perseverance in faith and holiness (i.e., eternal security) is the logical conclusion to Calvinism\u2019s first four points. It supports the second sentence of our question above: Those who abandon faith merely show that their profession was always counterfeit, that they were never among the truly elect. If God predestined them to eternal salvation at the start and His grace toward them is ultimately irresistible, how could they ever finally lose it?<\/p>\n

CoG7, however, has never embraced the model of predestination attributed to John Calvin. Rather than atonement being limited to the elect, we understand that Christ died for every man (1 Tim. 2:6; Heb. 2:9b; 1 John 2:2), that salvation is had by anyone who trusts Him and follows on via repentance to obedience. All gospel hearers are free to choose their response, as the \u201cwhosoever\u201d verses of the New Testament suggest (Luke 12:8; John 4:14; Acts 10:43; 1 John 5:1; Rev. 22:17). We also understand that those who once freely chose Christ remain free to choose whether they will, or will not, continue to trust and obey Him, and that God honors their choice.<\/p>\n

Our answer thus far has been mostly related to the theoretical issues of Calvinistic thought and human freedom. Now we turn to a more directly biblical answer. The most compelling arguments against the doctrine of eternal security are the several scripture texts that warn against the loss of right standing with God.<\/p>\n

Each of the following texts states or strongly implies the possibility of persons dropping out somewhere along the way from initial saving faith to final redemption:<\/p>\n