Eternal Security is the biblical doctrine that once a man is saved, he will never again, and can never again, be lost. Jesus taught that those who believe in him "shall never perish," but still some Christians continue to teach otherwise.

I recently had a lively discussion with a gentleman who does not believe in Eternal Security. He believes that while a Christian does not 'lose' his salvation, he can 'reject' it by an act of his will. He believes that salvation is a gift that can be returned.

I disagree with his thinking for several reasons. Mainly because "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance," and salvation is God's biggest, most "unspeakable gift." But also because accepting Christ has consequences that CANNOT be undone however vehemently you change your mind. Like jumping off a bridge, and then changing your mind half way down, you can't undo becoming part of the Body of Christ. You can't un-write your name from Lamb's Book of Life. You can't un-adopt yourself from God's family. You can't un-unite yourself with Christ's Spirit. You can't un-forgive your sins that have been washed away by the Blood of Christ. You can't switch your citizenship back to the kingdom of Satan. You just can't.

If salvation is impossible with man, how much more is the idea of un-salvation!

For my relevant friends: If Bella changes her mind AFTER Edward bites her, too bad, so sad! Bella's decision to become an immortal vampire can't be changed just because she gets tired of being hard as granite. Her very cellular structure and DNA have been altered by something beyond her. (Twilight Series by S. Meyer)

This should not come as a surprise to us; there are other decisions that are eternal and un-doable. Having a child, for example. Once that child is conceived, he/she will exist for eternity. What if you choose to 'change your mind' and reject the child after conception? As certain as the love of God, the child will still exist tomorrow. What about death? If you choose to commit suicide or murder, can the act be undone? No. Births and deaths are final. They cannot be undone.

Well, salvation is both a new birth, and a death. It is a new life with a new starting point. The old life is GONE, and can't be retrieved. It is a death -- a death to the world, to the flesh, and to self. Praise God! It cannot be undone!

What about John's infallible logic?

In 1 John 2:19, John tells us, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

He very plainly says that there are two, and only two, types of believers. There are those believers who continue with the church, and those 'believers' who depart from the church. Those who do NOT continue with us, John states that they left in order to SHOW ('make manifest') that they weren't really Christians to begin with. Those who do continue with us, are true believers.

Paraphrase: "Sure, they went out from us, BUT they weren't really of us anyway. How do I know? If they had really been of us, they would NO DOUBT have continued with us. You see, they walked away from the faith so that everyone would SEE that they weren't really Christ's to begin with."

This is the correct understanding of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. It is NOT that believers must continue believing in order to be saved, but rather that TRUE believers are the ones who will persevere. Those who do not persevere were NEVER believers to begin with!

St. John's logic is indisputable. Once a believer is saved, he is, NO DOUBT!, forever saved. If he 'falls away' from the faith, 'rejects' Christ, and actually becomes antichrist (see the context); he was never saved to begin with. Like Daniel Everett, the 'missionary' who was converted by a tribe of Amazon Indians, his very rejection of Christ proves that he NEVER knew Christ.

Just about every parable of Christ dealt with Possessors and Professors. Possessors are those who are truly saved. Professors are those who profess to be saved, but aren't really. Whether it's a parable where some virgins possess oil in their lamps, and others don't, or a parable about wheat and tares, the parables of Christ address the same issue as 1 John 2:19.

So the question is not 'Can a believer reject Christ and lose his salvation?' The question is 'Are you truly saved?'

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Cor. 5:17