Eternal Security

Eternal security is definitely a core doctrine and important to get saved because we need to know Christ paid for all sins.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

Opponents

Here a statement from Pentecoastal/Charismatic preacher called Tom Brown from El Paso, Texas:

Although God definitely promises to do his part to keep us saved to the end, this does not mean that we do not have a part to play. God promises eternal security, but not unconditional eternal security. Nearly all God's promises are conditional; that is, they are dependent in part on us for their fulfillment. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH? It is important that we go to the Bible—and the Bible alone—to see what God says about this important subject. This article is going to prove that salvation is a free gift of God, and must be maintained by holiness and bearing good fruit. There are two important aspects of being saved. First, salvation as it relates to the sinner. A sinner experiences the new birth by accepting Christ. There is nothing a sinner could do to earn the new birth. The new birth, which the Bible calls salvation, is a free gift. The second aspect of salvation relates to the born again Christian maintaining his salvation. He maintains it through holiness and bearing good fruit. Someone might argue and say, "You are teaching that salvation must be earned through good works." No, I'm not. Salvation is free, but keeping it is costly.

Yes, Mr. Brown, you ARE teaching salvation by works, by saying you are saved by grace, but kept saved by works. " And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Romans 11:6)

Here a statement from Dan Corner from Evangelical Outreach in Washington, Pennsylvania in one of his sermons:

"Now all through the Bible, we see warning after warning after warning after warning, of what sin can do to a believer! But this is absolutely positivly neglected and swept under the rug by the teaching of eternal security! Eternal security teachers proclaim amazing things about sin."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z75fvBsG98&feature=youtu.be&t=1m10s

Corner thinks that all eternal security teachers taught a free pass to sin. What blasphemy! Of course we warn of sins. He warns of spiritual consequences, that a Christian could lose the Holy Spirit, people like Charles F. Stanley - which he also quoted in this sermon - still warn of physical and mental consequences.

Interesting also, what he writes on his website:

All sins are not the same in their effect on our souls. Some sins are greater than others (Jn. 19:11). There is eternal sin (Mk. 3:29), while others are not. Another type of sin is uniquely against our bodies, while other sins are outside our bodes (1 Cor. 6:18). 1 Jn. 5:16 declares there is a sin that does not lead to death while there is a sin that leads to deatg. Sins such as worry (Phil. 4:6), unthankfulness (Col. 2:7, 3:15; Lk. 17:11-18) and not being completely humble and gentle (Eph. 4:2) are not included in any of the lists of sins that will send people to the lake of fire, even if they were once saved. However, other sins certainly will send any person to hell if they die unrepentant, even a person who was once saved. (See 1 Cor. 6:9,10; Rev. 21:8; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5,6; Jude 7; Rev. 22:15; etc.). Sinless perfection is not scriptural. In fact, sinless perfect is dangerous! How? Because people who have deceived themselves to believe they are sinless and don't sin anymore will not confess or repent of their sins to be cleansed (1 John 1:9)!

https://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/christian-beliefs.htm

Let's check John 19:11:

"Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin."

Interesting how Dan Corner interpreted this verse. A verse that takes place when Jesus was nailed on the cross. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they commited the greatest sin by rejecting him.

Mark 3:29:

"But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation."

We should know that the only way this sin can be committed today is by rejecting Christ.

What about 1st John 5:16?

"If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it."

Let's look at Romans 6:16:

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

It's very clear what it says. A life of sin is a shortened life. God doesn't hate sin without a reason. He wants to be well and not sick.

Also, read 1st Corinthians 6:9-12 in context:

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."

See? If the Apostle Paul tells that all things are lawful for him - even though not all are good for him -, then he told there's nothing he can do to lose his salvation!

Corner also could have quoted Romans 8:6:

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

I am 100 percently sure this verse talks about spiritual death in his opinion. But the Greek word for death in this verse is "thanatos", which means "death comprising all the miseries arising from sin...". There are two deaths, Spiritual Death which leads into the Lake of Fire and physical death, the form of death we all know in this earthly system. And appearantly, there is also a third form, Carnal Death. 1 Timothy 5:6 pretty explains it:

"But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth."

Clear words. This person lives like (s)he was spiritually dead even though (s)he isn't ("...while she liveth").

This also explained the Parable of the Prodigal Son, with which Corner tried to proof that a Christian could lose his salvation:

"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." (Luke 15:24)

Even after all, the son was still his father's son. And we know not all people are God's children.

And if you read John's Epistles, you find out they talk about fellowship, not salvation. And of course it contains one of the greatest promises (1 John 5:13):

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

Only past sins forgiven?

Romans 3:25 sounds controversial: "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."

This sermon may help a lot:

I was wrong on Hebrews 6:4-6

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6)

Many born-again Christians teach that it means that those people rejected the Gospel. However the Greek word for "been once enlightened" is "phótizó", which means "have become Christians". So those people actually got saved. Also, they were made partakes of the Holy Ghost.

But you can see that they key word is "impossible", in the Greek it's also the same, the word is "adunaton". As you can see, if a person could lose his salvation, he could NEVER get it back. In that case it was a done deal, you are going to hell. Is that grace? Of course not. So you see, this controversial passage actually confirms the eternal security for the Church Age.

PS: Dan Corner has a crazy claim about Hebrews 6:4-6, saying it was about the unpadorable sin. I have no idea what makes him think that.