Perseverance: Objections to the Doctrine

Perhaps you have some questions about this doctrine.  Or maybe you have heard some objections that you just don't know how to respond to.  Rather than ignoring or dismissing these questions or objections we can go to Scripture and wrestle with them.  In the next few posts, I will lay out a few common objections and seek to analyze them biblically.

Objection 1: It Leads to Moral Laxity
The objection goes something like this: If we tell people that God will not lose any that belong to Him, won't that lead some to not pursue holy living?  While it is true that this doctrine can be misconstrued by some (especially those who say, "Once saved, always saved" and leave it at that), the doctrine does not promote unholy living.  That would be a straw man version of the doctrine (i.e. a description that does not accurately present it so that it is made weaker and easier to argue against).

In fact, the doctrine teaches not only that God preserves those who belong to Him, but it also states that those who truly belong to Him will persevere in the faith.  This doctrine takes seriously the commands of Scripture to pursue holiness, for without holiness no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).  "As we have noted, the Bible teaches that God does not preserve us apart from our watchfulness, prayer, and persevering faith" (Hoekema, 245).

The allegation that this doctrine may promote sin (or at least cause Christians to shirk the duty of pursuing holy obedience to the Lord) is similar to what Paul faced when he taught justification by faith alone.  Some people would object with, "Are you saying we should go on sinning so grace may abound?" (paraphrase of Rom. 6:1).  He responds by saying, "NO WAY!" (paraphrase of Rom. 6:2).  Christians are ones who died to sin when they were united to Christ (Rom. 6:2-3). 

This same truth applies here, for the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is saying that true Christians will endure to the end.  A true Christian is one who has died to sin.  Therefore, for the Christian, this doctrine will not promote ungodly living.  Rather, if rightly understood, it will encourage godly living so that the believer will persevere in the faith and have the blessed assurance of salvation that comes with this growth in holiness.

(Note: I have relied heavily on Anthony Hoekema's book "Saved by Grace," pages 245-ff in dealing with objections to the doctrine).