The heretical doctrine of “once saved, always saved”, also known as the perseverance of the saints or eternal security, is a novel invention born from theological ignorance and wilful misreading of the Holy Scriptures. It is a dogma foreign to the mind of the early Church, repugnant to the witness of the Saints, and dangerous to the souls of those who embrace it. This idea, largely promoted within certain Calvinist and Evangelical Protestant circles, suggests that once a person has been “saved” or justified before God, they can never forfeit that salvation—regardless of future sins, apostasies, or abandonment of the faith. Such a notion is not only unbiblical; it is spiritually lethal. Certain sects have their own variations and spin on this teaching—some worse than others.
The Orthodox Church, holding fast to the Apostolic Faith, utterly rejects this teaching. It is the product of a theological framework divorced from Holy Tradition, the Sacramental life, and the correct interpretation of the Scriptures. The Fathers of the Church never taught such a view. It is an innovation that is absent from the first 1,500 years of Christian belief. The ignorance that gave rise to it is twofold—ignorance of the nature of salvation as synergy—our cooperation with divine grace—and ignorance of the manifold biblical exhortations to perseverance, watchfulness, and repentance.
Let no one deceive himself. The Holy Scriptures are not silent concerning the possibility of falling away. The words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself render the doctrine of “eternal security” untenable. “Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away… 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” (John 15:2,6). This speaks not of pagans, but of branches in Him—Christians—who do not continue to bear fruit. They are cut off, cast out, and burned. Would our Lord speak thus of those who supposedly can never be lost?
Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, likewise thunders against such complacency. “Be not high-minded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not you… otherwise you also shall be cut off” (Romans 11:20–22).
He was not speaking to unconverted Jews or idolaters but to baptised Christians in Rome. He warned them not to fall into presumption. If they ceased in faith and virtue, they too would be “cut off.” Again, he said, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:27). If even Saint Paul feared being disqualified, who among us dares to claim immunity from perdition?
The Epistle to the Hebrews clearly refutes “once saved, always saved”. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift… if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh” (Hebrews 6:4–6). These are not nominal Christians. These are the regenerate, the baptised, those who have partaken of “the heavenly gift.” And yet, it says they may fall away. And such a fall may be irreversible. We read from the same epistle: “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38).
The spiritual life is not a certificate handed to us once, never to be revoked. It is a race we must run, a battle we must endure, a vineyard in which we must labour until the last breath.
The Holy Fathers speak with one voice against this pernicious error. Saint John Chrysostom warns the Church: “The nature of man is somehow a thing slothful, and easily declining to perdition, not by reason of the constitution of the nature itself, but by reason of that sloth which is of deliberate choice. Wherefore it needs much reminding.” (Homily 18 on the Gospel of John) And again he says, “The cause was the listlessness of him who was injured, and his want of temperance and vigilance.”
The Philokalia is replete with the writings of those who laboured night and day in asceticism—not because they doubted God’s mercy, but because they knew the human capacity to fall.
The Canons of the Church do not support any once-for-all salvation. Why would the Church call the faithful to Confession, to penance, to fasting, to Eucharistic preparation, if there were no real possibility of falling away and being damned?
The practical consequences of “once saved, always saved” are disastrous. It breeds spiritual laziness, removes the fear of God, and diminishes the call to holiness. It fosters a mentality in which sin is shrugged off as irrelevant to one’s eternal destiny. The Lord says, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). But the man who believes he cannot fall no longer trembles at his sin. Such a person has rejected the Cross, where daily struggle is the mark of the disciple. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Why daily? Because salvation is not a static possession—it is a living union with Christ that must be nurtured, guarded, and endured.
The Orthodox Church teaches that salvation is not a moment, but a life—a process of theosis, of being united with God in Christ. It begins in baptism, continues through faith, repentance, sacramental life, and good works, and is consummated in the age to come. Saint Paul himself said, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Why fear and trembling, if it were already secure? We are saved in hope (Romans 8:24), not in complacency. Our assurance lies not in presumption, but in faithfulness. We do not trust in a past decision—we trust in Christ Himself, moment by moment.
The doctrine of “once saved, always saved” is a spiritual lie—a soothing but deadly whisper that contradicts the Word of God, the witness of the Fathers, and the teachings of the Church. It is not love to comfort someone in a delusion that may damn them. True love warns the sinner, calls the backslider to repentance, and urges the believer to endure to the end.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13). He did not say ‘he that prayed once.’ Not ‘he that made a decision at a revival tent.’ But he that endures. To the end.
Let all who claim the Name of Christ take heed. The narrow path is not a paved road of once-and-done belief—it is the daily struggle of faith, repentance, obedience, and love. Anything less is a betrayal of the Gospel and a denial of the Cross.
Let us, therefore, strive with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. For only those who fight the good fight and finish the race shall receive the crown.
May God bless you +
Fr. Charles
3 August 2025
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