The Reformed view of saving grace is that it cannot be lost. All therefore who truly believe must and do, according to Reformed theology, per­severe to everlasting life. This view is controverted by classic Romanist and Arminian dogmatics. A typical Romish statement, for example, in the Council of Trent's Canons and Decrees, is to the effect:

If any one saith that a man once justified can sin no more, nor lose grace, and that therefore he that falls and sins was never truly justified ... let him be anathema.Sess. 6, ch 15

Similarly, Lutheran and Remonstrant state­ments of belief are to the effect that persons once regenerate may, by grieving the Spirit or neglecting grace, eventually fall away altogether from God and so suffer eternal perdition (see Confession of Remonstrants, xi 7; Formula of Concord in loc.).

It should be appreciated that the point of disagreement between Reformed and Arminian writers is not whether the elect may be lost (which neither side believes) but whether the regenerate may be lost (see A. A. Hodge, Outlines of Theology, p 543). In the clearest terms Calvinists have affirmed that once a person is saved, he is always saved. All who are regenerate will persevere, therefore, according to classic Reformed theology; whereas all who are regenerate will not necessarily persevere, according to Romanist, Lutheran and Arminian theologians. This is the gist of a long-standing and familiar debate and it might seem to be a work of supererogation to refer to these well-worked areas of theological discussion at this particular period in time.

There are good reasons, however, for believing that Calvinists in our day would do well to recheck and re-examine certain of their cherished corollaries relative to this fundamental article of belief which we term Final Perseverance.

Multiformity of Aspect⤒🔗

In the first place we would do well to remind ourselves that (as with all other subjects) biblical and theological subjects are capable of being viewed from more than one aspect. Thus, for example, the doctrine we most frequently subsume under the title of Regeneration may be viewed quite validly as also an aspect of Sanctification. Paul clearly does so in Romans chapter 6 and we are familiar with John Murray's phrase 'Definitive Sanctification' as a convenient term to denominate the specific form of Sanctification to which Paul is alluding in that chapter. Similarly, the Christian man may be considered to be 'dead unto sin' so far as his relationship to sin as a native sphere is concerned, and yet he may be also said at the same time to be 'sold under sin' so far as his present inability to perform the good he wills is concerned. ¹ Or, to take a third example, the believer may be said to be 'justified by faith without the deeds of the law', and at the same time he may be said to be justified by works, and not by faith only.² The former statement is made from the standpoint of a writer who has to counter the threat of Legalism; the latter is made by an apostle who is called on to expose the danger of Antinomianism. Paul and James both teach that the only instrumental cause of Justification is saving faith; but James' concern is to distinguish saving faith from types of faith which neither save nor justify. The difference in their treatment of the subject of Justification arises from the different standpoint and aspect of each writer.

This multiformity of aspect is relevant to the subject of Final Persever­ance. Indeed, it is acutely relevant to it, and that for one or two reasons. For one thing, because, whilst we as Calvinists fully assert and maintain the doctrine of the Final Perseverance of the saints, yet we no more know who real and elect saints are than do Romanists or Arminians. Like them, we can only form a judgment as to who real and elect saints are on the basis of what we regard to be relevant criteria. But we cannot in this life ever pretend to infallible certainty in particular cases. Rather, we must leave room for the possibility that some whom we regard as saints are not truly so, and vice versa. Furthermore, pastoral experience soon teaches us that the fallen human soul is so much the subject of curious quirks and whimsical aberrations of judgment that those Christians who are boldest in their certainty of salvation are sometimes the least entitled to be so. On the other hand, timid and doubting Christians who are clearly spiritual may sometimes judge themselves unfit to profess the faith at all. The former illustrate the problem of presumption; the latter remind us of the difficulties inherent in the kindred subject of Assurance. Reference was made a little earlier to the corollaries which Calvinists may cherish and which relate to the doctrine of Final Perseverance. To some of these we may now turn.

Perseverance and Comfort←⤒🔗

It is an inescapable conclusion, and one which Calvinists rightly draw, that the doctrine of Final Perseverance affords and ought to afford us much comfort. Put in the form of a syllogism it is the most elementary logic to argue as follows: 'Those who are saved by Christ may derive comfort from that thought; you and I are saved by Christ; therefore we may enjoy the comfort which that thought gives'. The logic is sound and the conclusion is warranted.

We must not forget, however, that there is more to be said. Supposing you and I backslide, are we still warranted to draw comfort from the doctrine of Perseverance? Shall we say, 'Though I have sinned in this and that way and am living at a great distance from God, still I have no fear for my eternal security. I am a Calvinist'.

Surely such a corollary would be precarious and presumptuous. Without in any way denying that the regenerate will all assuredly be preserved to eternal glory, we do have to remember that regeneration is not a nonentity. It does not leave men in sin as others are nor does it leave backsliders content to wallow in the world whilst they put a pillow of ease under their heads in the shape of the doctrine we are considering.

Hell doubtless contains many Calvinists who cherished the Doctrine of Perseverance just as — alas! — it must hold many Romanists and Arminians who did not.

Whoever commits sin unrepentingly, be he Calvinist or Semi-Pelagian, is neither to be regarded as regenerate nor as elect and it is bad practice to teach otherwise. Sin is wickedness and 'there is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked', whatever their notional theology may be.

Perseverance and Professions of Faith←⤒🔗

Another corollary concerns the credit to be given to professions of faith and those who make them.

All professions of faith afford joy to us. But we must refrain from proffering hasty assurance to converts. It is proper for us to encourage young converts with the hope of glory. But interwoven with the hope and encouragement there must be the thread of warning lest they turn back. In the judgment of charity we believe such and such a profession of faith to be genuine. 'Love believeth all things, hopeth all things'. But such hope and belief are not absolutely devoid of fear lest they should go back from Christ (see Colossians 1:21-23).

One practical aspect of this necessary and wholesome fear is that we shall not pay too much attention to the statistics concerning those who profess faith during campaigns of mass evangelism. God allows many of the reprobate to profess Christ.

But there is a less obvious aspect which is, if possible, still more awesome and mysterious. It is that we may cling tenaciously to the doctrine of Final Perseverance and yet at the same time we may legiti­mately view our own personal profession of faith with something akin to uncertainty. Perhaps this is an aspect of New Testament teaching which has been all but forgotten.

It might be convenient to frame the following question. Did Paul doubt his own perseverance? The way we answer that will go a long way towards teaching us how fully we understand the corollaries involved in the subject of Final Perseverance.

In answering this question we can all rapidly amass a great number of texts from Paul to show that he was fully assured of his own salvation: the Damascus road experience, 'I know whom I have believed', and many passages to the same effect.

But the same Paul who so glowingly affirms his assurance of future glory at certain times allows us to see another side of his outlook too. Not only does he say that he has not yet apprehended (Philippians 3:13) but, much more to the point here, he takes certain rigorous steps to discipline himself, lest by any means, after he has preached to others, he himself should be a castaway! (1 Corinthians 9:26, 27). The term 'castaway' (adokimos in Gk) evidently refers to ultimate and total rejection rather than to mere loss of popularity or usefulness. Charles Hodge, for one, so understands it and he comments on the verse as follows:

...This devoted apostle considered himself as engaged in a life-struggle for his salvation ... It is only those who are conscious of this constant and deathly struggle with sin, to whom this assurance is given ... It is the insolent and self-indulgent Christian who is always in doubt.

Here, then, we have another of those mysterious inward experiences of God's people on earth. Not only do they glory in their deliverance from sin but they also groan because of their bondage to it. Furthermore, not only do they entertain high spiritual hopes and assurances of their own future glorification with Christ but they also have a jealous suspicion of themselves lest they should be the occasion of their own stumbling and falling — falling even from grace and salvation itself.

It might, of course, be said in reply that Paul's care to discipline himself lest he should prove a castaway (1 Corinthians 9:27) was not a fear of the actual but of the hypothetical, much as he elsewhere says he could wish that he were accursed from Christ for his brethren's sake, the Jews (Romans 9:3). In this passage of Romans 9, Paul uses the imperfect tense to express what is a hypothetical wish. He could wish, were it proper or possible to do so, he means. This is his profound, selfless love expressing itself in words which must stagger us all.

But in 1 Corinthians 9:27, even on the supposition that Paul is afraid merely of the hypothetical, it is quite clear that the fear was a very real thing to him and that it exercised a salutary power in his life, constraining him to great watchfulness and self-control. In summary, we must surely say that Paul did, in some sense, doubt the certainty of his own persever­ance. At least, he regarded his salvation as a thing not yet fully possessed and so to be striven for with great exertion, bearing in mind that many have set sail who yet have made shipwreck before they have reached the haven.

A Mark of Grace←⤒🔗

More positively we may say that this fear of being adokimos or castaway is one of the great hallmarks of those who are elect and who finally do persevere. All who lack it are possessed of a sickly presumption which needs correcting from the pulpit or which — may God forbid — they will have to unlearn by the sad experience of falling.

Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.                       1 Corinthians 10:12

It must be explained that this fear of apostatizing, as Charles Hodge shows above, in no way prevents the believer from enjoying strong assurance. But while sin is in us we dare not forget our folly, our frailty, our fallibility, and our past falls. We fear ourselves, we stand by grace alone. If Demas can forsake and the apostle Judas Iscariot fall away, what might we not do, if we are not prevented?

The Nature of Gospel Conditions←⤒🔗

There is a further aspect to this subject which needs to be clarified if confusion and misunderstanding are to be avoided. It is the nature of Gospel conditionality. However strongly we, as Calvinists, state the certainty of perseverance, we mean only that the regenerate will per­severe. Further, we mean that they will persevere because in them only will be fulfilled the conditions necessary to perseverance.

There are conditions to be fulfilled if Heaven is to be ours. 'He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved' (Matthew 24:13). 'We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our profession steadfast unto the end' (Hebrews 3:14). If we do not endure we shall be lost, therefore. And if we do not hold our profession to the end we shall not be made partakers of Christ. The conditions must be fulfilled and no book of the Bible perhaps puts warnings before us so devastatingly as the Epistle to the Hebrews with its repeated descriptions of what it means to apostatize.

The whole subject, then, turns on the question: What is the nature of gospel conditions? The Arminian explains by saying that the believer's own will is the ultimate factor. He may will what is in fulfilment of the promise and thus be saved, or he may not, in which case he will be lost.

Happily he is wrong. Gospel conditions are suspended on the faithful­ness of God and not upon the ability of the Christian. God works effectually in all the regenerate, giving grace to sustain them in faith, holiness and obedience. When they fall He recovers them. When they stray He brings them back. When they err He corrects them. All this He does for His own Name's sake, as the God who has promised salvation to them in Christ before the world began. Others besides the elect may have great appearance of faith and carefulness but they will never persevere, just as they have never even made a true start at all. But the elect will at last look back and say: 'Thou hast wrought all our works in us' (Isaiah 26:12). Not the least of these works will be the keeping us in a state of grace.

There is profound need in our times for us to re-emphasize that professing Christians must take all diligence to persevere in the faith. The doctrine of Final Perseverance affords rich comfort to believers. It presents a strong challenge to regard our quest for Heaven as the one and all-engrossing preoccupation. Night and day let us fight and labour on, till we exchange this world for a better. Only then will our arduous perseverance be consummated with perfect rest in Christ forever.