Have you ever been in discussion with someone of an opposing view? As you talk you may give them the time to make their points and then you will make a rebuttal. When you speak to someone who believes a doctrine unfounded in the Bible, how might you correct it? With the Bible a common thing that I have found when discussing the error of Perseverance of the Saints or “Once Saved Always Saved,” is that when confronted with the Word that disproves this doctrine, they will resort to this statement, “He/she was not saved in the first place.” So how might we answer that?
In Acts 8:4-24, we read of the account of Philip’s preaching in Samaria. Simon believed and was baptized into Christ (cf Acts 8:13;Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). However, when he saw that Peter and John were able to give the gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, he offered money to buy it. Peter did not tell him to be baptized so that his sins would be remitted. He had already become a Christian. So now this is the case of a Christian sinning. How does a Christian receive forgiveness and restoration? “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee” (Acts 8:22). Repentance and confession is what it takes a Christian to receive forgiveness. John wrote, “but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7-9).
All things considered, we have no reason to believe that Simon was never a Christian. To say this is a sign of desperation to defend an unbiblical doctrine with an unbiblical response. What if we were talking about a soldier in the United States Army? An oath was administered, he signed papers, and he was given orders to report; what happens if he does not report? He is absent without leave (AWOL). How is one AWOL? If he is a soldier that does not report. What is the consequences of going AWOL? “If a member deserts but returns to military control of their own free will, they risk losing all pay, reduction to the lowest enlisted grade, dishonorable discharge, and confinement for two years. If they desert during a time of war, a court-martial can legally order life in prison, or even death.” Can a private citizen such as myself be jailed, court-martialed or dishonorably discharged? No, one cannot be discharged from something to which they were never joined. Simon was joined to Christ when he obeyed the Gospel (cf.8:13). So when he sinned by asking to buy the gift he had no part in, he needed to repent and confess his sin via prayer to God.
This is just one of many answers to a doctrine that simply cannot be true as it would make the overwhelming conditional statements regarding salvation to be false. Moreover, the repeated warnings against apostasy would be pointless. If you belong to a church which teaches this, please consider what other things you have been taught wrong.
Grace and Peace,
R.D. Beavers
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