In Defense of OSAS – Why "Once Saved, Always Saved" Is the Heart of the Gospel

[Judas Thomas]

The doctrine of Once Saved, Always Saved (OSAS) is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented teachings in the Christian faith. Critics often claim that it encourages sin, ignores repentance, or contradicts church tradition. Some even call it "Gnostic" or "cheap grace."

But OSAS is not a modern invention, nor is it a license to sin. It is a profound expression of the depth of God’s grace, the security of Christ’s finished work, and the freedom of the believer in the New Covenant.

Let’s take a closer look.


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1. The Biblical Foundation for Eternal Security

The clearest testimony comes from Christ Himself:

> “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
— John 10:28



Notice the words: eternal, never, no one. Not even you can snatch yourself from His hand. That’s security, not presumption.

> “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
— John 5:24



He has eternal life. Not "might have." Not "as long as he behaves." The transfer from death to life is permanent.

> “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
— Ephesians 2:8–9



If salvation is not from works, how could it be lost by works?


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2. Is Grace Conditional? Then It’s Not Grace.

If our salvation depends on maintaining obedience, then the Gospel becomes a contract, not a gift.
You’d be back under law: perform or perish.

That’s not Good News.

The Apostle Paul was clear:

> “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
— Galatians 3:3



You didn’t earn it. You can’t keep it by effort. The same God who saved you is the one who keeps you.


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3. But What About Apostasy?

What about those who “fall away”? Scripture gives two answers:

1. They were never truly born again



> “They went out from us, but they were not of us…” (1 John 2:19)
Outward faith can mimic real regeneration. Only God sees the heart.



2. God disciplines His children, not disowns them



> “The Lord disciplines those he loves…” (Hebrews 12:6)
Falling into sin invites correction, not rejection.




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4. OSAS Is Not an Excuse to Sin

True believers don’t want to abuse grace. Why?

> “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him.”
— 1 John 3:9



A new heart means new desires.
A Christian may stumble, but he no longer walks in the same direction.


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5. Historical and Theological Witnesses

Luther: Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone.

Calvin: The elect will persevere because God preserves them.

The Catholic Church, even with its emphasis on mortal sin, still teaches that God’s mercy is greater than human failure.


The early Church saw salvation as a secure covenant, not a fragile agreement.


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6. Without OSAS, God Becomes a Tyrant

Let’s be honest: If God saves you, but lets go of you the moment you mess up, that’s not a loving Father—that’s a judge with a short fuse.

If salvation can be lost, we live in fear, not faith.

> “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”
— 1 John 4:18



OSAS doesn’t make God weak. It shows He is strong enough to carry us, even when we fall.


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7. The Cross Is Enough

Jesus doesn’t need to die again every time you sin. He died once for all.

> “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
— Hebrews 10:14



Your justification is not in progress. It is finished.


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Conclusion

Without OSAS, the Gospel becomes fear-based religion.
With OSAS, it becomes what it was always meant to be: Good News.

God is not calling you to walk a tightrope. He is calling you to trust in a finished work.

Once saved, always saved – not because we hold on to God, but because He holds on to us.

> “If we are faithless, He remains faithful – for He cannot deny Himself.”
— 2 Timothy 2:13

 

[BeforeThereWas]

I've seen the arguments against OSAS indeed lapse into the absurdity of this belief we have in the solidity of our salvation allegedly leading to rank enjoyment of sinful pleasures and acts, et al.

Strangely, those who subscribe to that never talk about their own sins that they commit every day like all the rest of us, as if this one doctrine somehow has the effect of alcohol even though we ALL are still living in these bodies of death...that everlasting salvation, no matter what, is a matter of becoming more subject to sin than to the perfection within the Power of God's sanctifying work in the lives of all true believers.

The idea that fear for the loss of salvation somehow makes one less inclined toward sinful pleasures is itself rooted only in the sin of fleshly pride.

Dare we all be honest, the idea that we must apply personal effort to retain what was given without any measure of merit or work on our part, that compounds a state of inner turmoil against the inner peace the Lord's presence within us is supposed to provide so that we are then set loose to enjoy the freedom from the unsaved status within which we once lived.

Satan doesn't want us to live on in Christ with the understood assurance of Christ's salvation of our souls. It's to Satan's advantage to continue trying to divide the body of Christ along doctrinal lines such as this, thus tempting some to believe that they are saved and retain their saved status on the basis of personal effort, which was once the case before the fall of Israel and will be the case after the rapture of the body of Christ from this earth.

The intellectual vacuum in theological understanding within the minds of the works-based crowd is staggeringly morbid to say the least; with them believing what amounts to God being prone to have failed millions of time every day in His sanctifying Power in the lives of all truly saved people alive on this earth.

The Protestants who believe in loss of salvation should easily join with the works-based religions such as the RCC, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, et al, and mesh right in comfortably with equally miserable people who live in constant fear and doubt for their ultimate salvation. What a horrid existence, especially in the prideful state each day of thinking that one has not lost his salvation on account of having dealt with each sin they knowingly commit by asking for forgiveness before dying in that moment to later be tossed into Hell. What they fail to realize is the effect of all the sins of which they are not aware that they commit each and every day. They believe that some blanket prayer at the end of the day covers it all like a magical incantation.

I could go on and on about the absurdities resulting from the false doctrine of salvational loss because of how hypocritical that doctrine really is in the face of reality and biblical teaching when reading scripture without all the manic (eisegetical) injections of things that simply aren't there. The attacks against what they term as OSAS are then seen for the desperate departures from proper, biblical hermeneutics that they are.

BTW

 

[Eternally Grateful]

I find it add that God time and time again shows the means to restorations is the shedding of blood

Starting all the back to genesis God showed it now our power (fig leaves) it’s in work (animal skin)

He then gave us a law and said if we want to meet Hod by own own merit we must confirm and obey every word. If we even stumble in one part as James did we are guilty of all

An impossible standard no one can keep

Sadly man does not trust God completely so in pride they think they are ok. They water down the law or Made a different law and then lower the standard saying do your best

Our best is not good enough. As Jesus did why do you call me good no one is good but God (they did not get the hint and sadly many today do not either)

If my faith is not in my hope based on hearing the word. That I have eternal life which God promises before Time began

Then I have no hope

If my hope Is in my works my deeds My righteousness then again, I have no hope

Only a false reality that will never come true

 

[Davy]

Man's OSAS doctrine is NOT Biblical. Don't be deceived brethren, because some of those churches on that doctrine like to claim there is NO MORE NEED FOR REPENTANCE of future sin. Some of them no longer even hold Communion with Christ. I've even had some of their followers ask me what Communion is!

Look at what Lord Jesus said with how to pray...

Luke 11:1-4
11 And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

2 And He said unto them, "When ye pray, say, Our Father Which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
KJV


If OSAS were true, then there should never been any future need to pray for forgiveness of sin. Yet Lord Jesus put that in the prayer He gave His disciples, and us, His Church. That means HE KNEW we would still slip up and commit future sin, and need to repent and ask forgiveness.

And the 1 John 1 Chapter is a Lesson on what to do when we catch ourselves in a future sin. We are to repent, and ask Jesus forgiveness. And He is Just to forgive us and cleanse us.

So don't be fooled when the OSAS crowd start bringing up the idea of being saved by God's Grace only, for that specific point is indeed true, our works do not save us, but that does not mean we are not to have works in Christ, which is a natural byproduct of our Faith.

 

[BeforeThereWas]

Man's OSAS doctrine is NOT Biblical. Don't be deceived brethren, because some of those churches on that doctrine like to claim there is NO MORE NEED FOR REPENTANCE of future sin. Some of them no longer even hold Communion with Christ. I've even had some of their followers ask me what Communion is!

Look at what Lord Jesus said with how to pray...

Luke 11:1-4
11 And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

2 And He said unto them, "When ye pray, say, Our Father Which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
KJV


If OSAS were true, then there should never been any future need to pray for forgiveness of sin. Yet Lord Jesus put that in the prayer He gave His disciples, and us, His Church. That means HE KNEW we would still slip up and commit future sin, and need to repent and ask forgiveness.

And the 1 John 1 Chapter is a Lesson on what to do when we catch ourselves in a future sin. We are to repent, and ask Jesus forgiveness. And He is Just to forgive us and cleanse us.

So don't be fooled when the OSAS crowd start bringing up the idea of being saved by God's Grace only, for that specific point is indeed true, our works do not save us, but that does not mean we are not to have works in Christ, which is a natural byproduct of our Faith.

The error of this post is its blanket condemnation of all belief in everlasting salvation apart from works of the flesh and the mind. The mindset behind blanket denials for the seal of Holy Spirit upon us is itself steeped in human pride and fleshly earning of not only continued salvation, but inevitably goes back to the point of salvation itself having been earned. The opponents of what they call OSAS will deny this is the case, but it is in vain that they do so.

So, for those who are interested in learning what scripture says about this, then simply ask. Read the scriptures like the Bereans, and let Holy Spirit instruct you rather than listening only to your false teaching "pastors" and others here in the forums. We of the OSAS crowd don't expect you to listen to us, but ONLY let the word of God speak for itself, and you following the leading of Holy Spirit.

BTW