Essay:When Scripture Challenges What We Have Always Believed (Nehemiah Maxwell)

The Biblical Case Against Unconditional Eternal Security

This theological essay presents an interpretation of biblical passages concerning salvation, perseverance, and apostasy. Christians hold different views on these questions. The arguments below represent the author's understanding of Scripture.

Introduction: Are We Willing to Examine What We Believe?

There are beliefs we may hold for many years without seriously questioning them. Perhaps we learned them as children, heard them repeatedly from the pulpit, or received them from teachers we deeply respect.

But what happens when we encounter a passage of Scripture that appears to challenge something we have always believed?

Do we examine the passage carefully, or do we immediately look for a way to defend our existing understanding?

This question brings me to the doctrine commonly expressed in the words, "Once saved, always saved."

Those who hold to unconditional eternal security believe that a person who has genuinely received salvation through Jesus Christ can never ultimately be lost. Some teach that salvation remains secure even if a believer later abandons the faith. Others believe that God will certainly preserve every genuine believer so that none will finally abandon Christ. Although these explanations differ, both maintain that someone who was truly saved cannot ultimately be lost.

I do not believe that conclusion agrees with the full teaching of Scripture.

I believe salvation is entirely by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. I believe He is faithful, powerful, and fully able to keep those who trust in Him.

But I also believe Scripture teaches that a person who has genuinely believed can later turn away from Christ through unbelief and ultimately be lost.

This does not mean that every sin or spiritual failure causes someone to lose salvation. Peter denied Jesus three times, yet the Lord restored him. God's mercy is real, and His grace is sufficient for those who repent.

The question before us is something far more serious:

Can someone who genuinely belongs to Christ later abandon Him through unbelief and be lost?

I believe the biblical evidence gives us reason to answer yes.

I recognize that faithful Christians disagree on this question. My purpose is not to question their sincerity or diminish their love for Christ. It is to present the Scriptures that have led me to reject unconditional eternal security and explain why I believe they must be taken seriously.

Jesus prayed:

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." — John 17:17 (KJV)

Our responsibility is not to make Scripture agree with what we believe. It is to make sure what we believe agrees with Scripture.

1. An Exception in the Prayer of Jesus

One passage that caused me to look more closely at this subject is John 17:12.

Shortly before His arrest, Jesus prayed to the Father:

"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."

Consider that statement.

Jesus declared that He had kept those whom the Father had given Him.

Then He said:

"None of them is lost, but the son of perdition."

The son of perdition was Judas Iscariot.

What caught my attention was the exception.

Jesus did not simply say that none had been lost. He mentioned Judas.

Why?

If we understand His statement as an absolute declaration that no one given to Him could ever be lost, what are we to make of the exception Jesus Himself included?

Now, someone defending unconditional eternal security may respond that Judas was never genuinely saved.

There is biblical evidence supporting that interpretation. John 6:64 says Jesus knew from the beginning who did not believe and who would betray Him. John 6:70 records Jesus saying that one of the Twelve was a devil. John 13:10–11 also indicates that Judas was not clean.

These passages provide serious reasons to question whether Judas ever possessed saving faith.

I acknowledge that.

Being chosen as an apostle does not necessarily mean Judas had been born again. Nor should we assume that everyone given to Jesus for His earthly ministry was given to Him in precisely the same sense as those described elsewhere in John's Gospel.

But the wording of John 17:12 still deserves examination.

Why did Jesus include Judas in His statement about those He had kept?

I do not claim this verse alone proves Judas was once saved. Scripture does not explicitly establish that conclusion.

Nevertheless, the exception is significant enough to raise a question, especially when considered alongside other passages concerning falling away.

And God's foreknowledge of Judas's betrayal does not, by itself, establish that every person who later abandons Christ must always have been without genuine faith.

To settle that broader question, we must examine what Scripture says about believers, unbelief, and the possibility of departing from God.

2. Christ's Promise to Keep His Sheep

Before examining the warnings, we must consider one of the strongest promises concerning the security of believers.

In John 10:27–29, Jesus declares:

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."

I believe this promise wholeheartedly.

No enemy is stronger than Christ. No power can overcome His protection.

But notice how Jesus describes His sheep:

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."

Hearing His voice and following Him are part of His description.

Those who defend unconditional eternal security argue that the words "they shall never perish" guarantee the final salvation of every genuine believer. Those who believe in the perseverance of the saints further maintain that Christ will ensure His sheep continue following Him.

That is a serious argument and should not be dismissed.

But does the promise that no one can snatch Christ's sheep from His hand also establish that someone who genuinely follows Him can never subsequently reject Him?

Being taken away by another power and turning away through unbelief are not necessarily the same thing.

That distinction alone does not prove a believer can fall away. It does, however, show why we must examine the warnings alongside the promises.

The question is not whether Christ is able to keep His people. He certainly is. The question is whether Scripture teaches that a person can abandon the faith through which he belongs to Christ.

This brings us to the book of Hebrews.

3. A Warning Addressed to Brethren

Hebrews 3 begins with these words:

"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." — Hebrews 3:1

Notice how the writer addresses his readers.

He calls them holy brethren and partakers of the heavenly calling.

Then, in verse 6, he writes:

"But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."

The writer connects belonging to Christ's house with holding fast until the end.

He then reminds his readers of Israel's experience in the wilderness.

The Israelites had witnessed God's mighty works. They had been delivered from Egypt and had experienced His provision. Yet many hardened their hearts through unbelief.

Then comes the warning:

"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." — Hebrews 3:12–13

Look carefully at the progression.

Sin deceives.

The heart becomes hardened.

Unbelief takes hold.

And the writer warns about departing from the living God.

He is not speaking casually. He urges believers to watch over one another so that their hearts will not become hardened.

Then verse 14 declares:

"For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end."

Again, continuing in faith is central to the argument.

Those who believe that all genuine Christians will persevere understand these verses as teaching that perseverance reveals who truly belongs to Christ. They also argue that God uses such warnings to keep His people faithful.

That explanation deserves consideration, especially because verse 14 can be read as describing continued faith as evidence of genuine participation in Christ.

But I believe we must also ask what the warning is intended to communicate to its readers.

The writer addresses them as brethren. He warns that an evil heart of unbelief can lead to departure from the living God. And he uses Israel's experience to show the seriousness of unbelief.

Hebrews 3:19 concludes:

"So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."

The writer is not merely recounting Israel's history. He is using that history to warn his Christian readers.

Hebrews 4:11 reinforces the connection:

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."

The deliverance of Israel from Egypt is not identical to regeneration under the new covenant. But the writer deliberately draws a lesson from Israel's unbelief and applies it to those hearing his Christian message.

If unbelief prevented the wilderness generation from entering God's rest, why should believers treat warnings against unbelief as though they carry no genuine danger?

Hebrews does not leave that question unanswered. The writer continues to warn about falling away.

4. Those Who Were Enlightened and Then Fell Away

Hebrews 6:4–6 describes people who were once enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, became partakers of the Holy Ghost, tasted the good Word of God, and experienced the powers of the world to come.

Then the writer speaks of their falling away.

These are remarkable descriptions.

The passage does not describe people who knew nothing about God or had never experienced the things associated with Christian faith.

It describes people who had received extraordinary spiritual privileges.

The question is whether those experiences included genuine salvation.

Those who defend unconditional eternal security argue that someone may experience the blessings of the Christian community, receive spiritual knowledge, and even witness the Spirit's work without being born again.

That is a possible interpretation. The passage does not explicitly use the words born again.

But consider the language the writer chooses.

What does it mean to become a partaker of the Holy Ghost?

What does it mean to taste the heavenly gift?

And why does the writer describe falling away after such experiences in such severe terms?

Hebrews 6:9 adds another consideration. After issuing the warning, the writer expresses confidence concerning his readers and speaks of things accompanying salvation. Those who believe the people described in verses 4–6 were never genuinely saved point to this distinction.

That argument deserves attention.

Nevertheless, I believe the descriptions in verses 4–6 are too substantial to dismiss without careful examination. The passage must be read alongside the writer's other warnings about departing from God.

Hebrews 3 warns against unbelief.

Hebrews 6 warns concerning falling away after profound spiritual experiences.

And Hebrews 10 raises an even more pointed question about someone described as sanctified by the blood of Christ.

That passage deserves particular attention.

5. Sanctified by the Blood of the Covenant

Hebrews 10:28–29 declares:

"He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"

I want to draw particular attention to these words:

"Wherewith he was sanctified."

The writer speaks of someone who treats the blood of the covenant as an unholy thing.

Yet he also says that this person was sanctified by that blood.

What does that mean?

Earlier in the same chapter, Hebrews 10:10 declares:

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Then verse 14 states:

"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."

Now return to verse 29.

The writer speaks of someone who treats with contempt the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified.

That raises a question I believe we cannot afford to overlook.

If sanctification through Christ's sacrifice is associated with His saving work earlier in the chapter, why should we automatically understand sanctification by His blood in verse 29 as something entirely different?

The word sanctified can have different uses in Scripture. It can refer to being set apart, and not every use of the word necessarily means that someone has experienced regeneration.

Those who defend unconditional eternal security may therefore argue that verse 29 describes an outward covenant relationship rather than genuine salvation.

A less common interpretation understands the one being sanctified as Christ Himself, rather than the person being warned. However, I believe the more natural reading is that the writer is describing the person who treats the covenant blood with contempt. The remaining question is whether that sanctification refers to genuine salvation or an outward covenant relationship.

Some also understand the reference to sanctification differently because Hebrews 10:14 says Christ has perfected forever those who are sanctified.

These objections deserve careful examination.

Hebrews 10:14 certainly teaches the lasting effectiveness of Christ's sacrifice. I do not question that. But the question before us is whether this promise also establishes that someone who has genuinely received the benefits of that sacrifice can never subsequently reject Christ. I believe the warning in verse 29 must be allowed to speak alongside the promise in verse 14. We should not assume that one cancels the significance of the other.

But the explanation must arise from the passage itself, not merely from a desire to protect a doctrine.

Hebrews 10 repeatedly connects sanctification with Christ's sacrifice. In verse 29, the writer uses that same language while warning about someone who treats Christ's blood with contempt.

If this sanctification refers to the saving work of Christ, then the argument that the individual was never genuinely saved becomes difficult to maintain.

We would be dealing with someone who had received a genuine saving benefit through Christ's sacrifice and subsequently rejected that sacrifice.

And notice the seriousness of the warning.

Hebrews 10:26–27 declares:

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."

The context is not simply an isolated failure or an ordinary struggle with sin.

The writer is warning against a deliberate rejection of Christ and His sacrifice.

Notice also the comparison with Moses' law.

If rejecting God's law under the old covenant could bring severe judgment, the writer asks how much greater the punishment would be for rejecting the Son of God.

This is not an argument that grace makes rebellion harmless.

It is a warning that rejecting Christ carries the gravest consequences.

I believe Hebrews 10:29 is among the strongest passages challenging the claim that everyone who ultimately rejects Christ must necessarily have been without genuine salvation from the beginning.

The writer's description of sanctification by Christ's blood demands more than a passing explanation.

And the comparison with Moses brings us to another important passage.

6. When a Righteous Person Turns Away

In Ezekiel 18, God speaks about personal responsibility, repentance, and the consequences of turning away from righteousness.

He first explains that a wicked person who turns from sin and does what is right shall live.

Then, in Ezekiel 18:24, He declares:

"But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die."

Consider what God says.

The person is described as righteous.

Then the person turns away from righteousness.

He practices wickedness.

And God declares that his former righteousness will not protect him from judgment.

The principle is clear: a person's former righteous standing must not become a reason to presume that subsequent rebellion carries no consequences.

Ezekiel was addressing Israel under the old covenant. We should not automatically equate every reference to righteousness or life and death in that setting with regeneration and eternal salvation under the new covenant.

But that distinction does not make the principle irrelevant to Christians.

In fact, the writer of Hebrews himself shows us how Old Testament judgments can serve as warnings under the new covenant.

He uses Israel's unbelief in Hebrews 3 and 4.

And in Hebrews 10, he compares punishment under Moses' law with the more severe consequences of rejecting Christ.

This is important.

We are not inventing a connection between the Old Testament and the Christian life. Hebrews makes that connection.

Ezekiel warns that a righteous person who turns away cannot presume upon former righteousness.

Hebrews warns that rejecting Christ after receiving the knowledge of the truth carries severe consequences.

The circumstances are different, but the spiritual warning is consistent.

God's earlier dealings with His people teach us that turning away from Him is never something to take lightly.

7. The Command to Abide in Christ

Jesus gives another important warning in John 15.

He describes Himself as the true vine and His disciples as branches.

Then He declares:

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." — John 15:4

The word abide means to remain or continue.

Jesus is not merely speaking about beginning a relationship with Him.

He commands His disciples to remain in Him.

Then He warns:

"If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." — John 15:6

Those who believe in unconditional eternal security often understand the removed branches as people who were outwardly connected to Christ but never possessed genuine saving faith.

That interpretation must be considered. The illustration itself does not explicitly settle the spiritual condition of every branch.

But the command and warning are unmistakable.

Jesus commands His disciples to abide in Him.

And He warns about the consequences of not abiding.

When we read John 15 alongside Hebrews 3 and Hebrews 10, a consistent concern emerges.

Hebrews warns against departing from the living God.

Jesus warns against failing to remain in Him.

Hebrews describes the seriousness of rejecting Christ's sacrifice.

Jesus describes the consequences of separation from the vine.

I believe these warnings should be understood as genuine calls to continue in Christ, not merely as descriptions of what could never happen to someone who truly belongs to Him.

8. Those Who Escaped and Became Entangled Again

Second Peter 2:20–21 adds another dimension to the discussion:

"For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them."

Peter describes people who escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Yet they became entangled again and were overcome.

Their latter condition became worse than their former condition.

Those who defend unconditional eternal security point to the illustrations that follow: a dog returning to its vomit and a washed sow returning to the mire.

They understand these illustrations as evidence that the individuals' inward nature was never transformed.

That interpretation has contextual support.

But Peter's description of their escape through the knowledge of Christ must also be taken seriously.

The passage does not explicitly settle whether these individuals experienced regeneration. Nevertheless, it reinforces the seriousness of turning away after receiving the knowledge of Christ.

And it adds another warning to the larger biblical picture.

9. Can Someone Fall from Grace?

In Galatians 5:4, Paul writes:

"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."

Paul was addressing people who were being drawn toward seeking justification through the Law rather than relying upon Christ.

He did not treat that change as spiritually insignificant.

He described it as falling from grace.

Earlier, in Galatians 3:3, he asked:

"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"

Paul appeals to their beginning in the Spirit while warning against a different basis of acceptance before God.

It is true that a congregation may contain people who have never genuinely believed. But that possibility should not cause us to dismiss Paul's language about beginning in the Spirit and falling from grace.

His concern is the danger of abandoning dependence upon Christ.

This agrees with the emphasis we have already encountered in Hebrews and John 15.

Continuing in Christ matters.

10. Those Who Stand by Faith Must Continue

Romans 11:20–22 provides another warning.

Paul speaks of branches broken off because of unbelief and others who stand by faith.

He declares:

"Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off."

Notice two statements:

"Thou standest by faith."

And:

"If thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off."

The immediate context concerns Israel and the Gentiles in God's saving purposes. The olive tree illustration has a corporate dimension and should not automatically be treated as direct proof that an individual can lose salvation.

Nevertheless, Paul's warning is clear.

Those who stand by faith must not become proud or presume upon their position.

Unbelief led to branches being broken off.

And Paul warns against the same danger.

Once again, the necessity of continuing is emphasized.

11. What About Those Who Went Out from Us?

One of the strongest objections to the position I am presenting comes from 1 John 2:19:

"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."

John explains that certain people who departed from the Christian community had never truly belonged.

Those who defend unconditional eternal security understand this as establishing a general principle: anyone who permanently abandons Christ was never genuinely saved.

But does John's statement about these particular individuals necessarily establish that conclusion concerning every person who could ever turn away?

I do not believe it does.

John could correctly identify those who departed as never having truly belonged without proving that no genuinely saved person could ever abandon the faith.

The broader claim must be tested against the other passages.

And that brings us back to Hebrews 10:29.

If someone was sanctified by the blood of the covenant, what grounds do we have for insisting that this person could never have experienced genuine salvation?

That question must be answered from the text.

We should not allow one passage to silence another.

Nor should we assume that every warning concerning apostasy must refer to people who were never saved.

The question is not whether some people who abandon the Christian faith were never genuinely saved. Scripture shows that this can be true. The question is whether Scripture teaches that it must be true in every case.

I do not believe it does.

12. God's Promises and Our Responsibility

Those who believe in unconditional eternal security also appeal to God's promises concerning the preservation of believers.

Philippians 1:6 declares:

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Romans 8:38–39 likewise declares that neither death, life, angels, powers, things present, things to come, nor any other creature can separate believers from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

These are wonderful promises.

I believe them.

God is faithful. His saving work is not weak or uncertain.

And Romans 8 presents a powerful account of God's saving purpose, extending from His calling to the final glorification of His people.

Those who believe that all genuine believers will persevere understand these promises as guaranteeing their final salvation.

That is an important interpretation.

But we must also consider what Paul says about the believer's response to God's work.

In Philippians 2:12–13, he writes:

"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

God works in His people, and His people are called to respond.

I do not believe His promises should be interpreted in a way that makes the warnings against unbelief unnecessary.

Nor should the warnings cause us to doubt His faithfulness.

Both belong to Scripture.

God's power to keep us is certain. But I believe His Word also warns us against abandoning the faith through which we receive His saving grace.

13. Salvation by Grace Does Not Make Continuing Faith Unnecessary

An important misunderstanding must be addressed.

When I say that believers must continue in faith, I am not teaching that salvation is earned through human effort.

Ephesians 2:8–9 declares:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Salvation is God's gift.

We cannot earn it.

But receiving salvation through faith does not make continuing faith irrelevant.

Colossians 1:21–23 is especially important.

Paul addresses people who had once been alienated from God but had now been reconciled through Christ's death.

He then speaks of their presentation before God as holy and blameless, adding:

"If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard."

Notice the order.

Paul speaks of people who have been reconciled.

Then he speaks of continuing in faith.

Those who believe that every genuinely saved person will persevere understand continued faith as evidence that reconciliation was genuine.

But I believe Paul's conditional language deserves its full weight.

He connects their final presentation before God with continuing in the faith.

And this agrees with the repeated warnings we have examined.

Hebrews warns against unbelief and departure from God.

Jesus commands His disciples to abide.

Paul warns against falling from grace.

And Colossians connects reconciliation with continuing in faith.

These passages do more than teach that faith is important at the beginning of the Christian life.

They emphasize the necessity of continuing in that faith.

I believe salvation is entirely by grace, but I do not believe grace makes the abandonment of faith spiritually harmless.

14. What I Believe the Biblical Evidence Establishes

We have examined Christ's promises, the warnings in Hebrews, the teaching of Jesus concerning abiding, and the warnings given by Paul and Peter.

What conclusion should we draw?

I believe the evidence establishes several important truths.

First, salvation is God's gift, received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It cannot be earned through human works.

Second, Christ is fully able to preserve those who trust in Him. His power and faithfulness are not in question.

Third, Scripture repeatedly commands believers to continue in faith and warns against unbelief, falling away, and departing from God.

Fourth, some of these warnings describe people in terms that suggest more than an outward religious profession. Hebrews speaks of participation in Christ, profound spiritual experiences, and sanctification through the blood of the covenant. Colossians addresses people described as reconciled to God.

Fifth, I do not believe Scripture establishes that every person who ultimately abandons Christ must necessarily have been without genuine salvation from the beginning.

Those who believe in unconditional eternal security may argue that the warnings are means God uses to preserve His people, and that genuine believers will therefore certainly persevere.

I recognize that explanation.

But I believe the combined testimony of Scripture more naturally supports the conclusion that a person who has genuinely believed can subsequently abandon Christ through unbelief and ultimately be lost.

That is why I reject unconditional eternal security.

This conviction does not lead me to believe that every struggling Christian is lost.

Peter denied Christ, yet he was restored.

The Lord is merciful and calls His people to repentance.

There is a difference between struggling with sin and ultimately rejecting the One who saves us.

The danger Scripture warns against is not that Christ is unable to keep His people.

It is the seriousness of turning away from Him.

Conclusion: Let the Scriptures Speak

I began with a question:

Can someone who genuinely belongs to Christ later abandon Him through unbelief and be lost?

After examining these passages, I believe the answer is yes.

But I want to return to one statement that stands at the heart of my conclusion.

Hebrews 10:29 speaks of someone who treats as unholy the blood of the covenant "wherewith he was sanctified."

Earlier in the same chapter, the writer connects sanctification with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

That raises a question which, in my judgment, cannot simply be set aside:

If a person was sanctified by the blood of Christ, why must we assume that person was never genuinely saved?

I recognize that there are different interpretations of this passage. But I believe its wording provides substantial support for the possibility that someone who has experienced Christ's saving work can subsequently reject Him.

And Hebrews 10 does not stand alone.

Hebrews 3 warns brethren against departing from the living God through unbelief.

Hebrews 6 warns concerning falling away after extraordinary spiritual experiences.

Jesus commands His disciples to abide in Him.

Paul warns against falling from grace and calls reconciled believers to continue in faith.

Ezekiel declares that former righteousness does not provide unconditional protection when someone turns away, and Hebrews itself shows how Old Testament judgments can instruct Christians.

Taken together, these passages present a warning I believe we must not explain away.

I do not deny the promises of God.

I rejoice in them.

Christ is able to keep His sheep. God's grace is sufficient. His faithfulness is beyond question.

But I cannot accept an interpretation of those promises that, in my understanding, removes the genuine danger expressed in the warnings.

Nor can I accept that every person who ultimately turns away must necessarily have been without genuine salvation from the beginning.

For these reasons, I believe unconditional eternal security does not agree with the full testimony of Scripture.

I recognize that other Christians reach a different conclusion. They should be free to present the biblical evidence supporting their understanding, just as I have presented mine.

My desire is not to win an argument at the expense of truth.

It is to understand and faithfully proclaim what God has revealed.

The Bereans were commended because they searched the Scriptures to determine whether the things they heard were true (Acts 17:11).

That is the example I want to follow.

And if Scripture shows that something I have believed is mistaken, I want to be willing to receive correction.

The psalmist prayed:

"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." — Psalm 119:18

May that be our prayer as well.

Truth remains truth, and God's Word must have the final say.

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Author: Nehemiah Maxwell

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV).