Election, Covenant, Apostasy, and the Warning of Israel Next, we go back to the beginning. We've spent the first four articles following the development of a doctrine. We watched the early Christian understanding of perseverance develop through the centuries. We followed Augustine. We followed the Reformation. We followed Calvin. We watched perseverance become increasingly connected with election. We followed Dort, Westminster, Owen, the nineteenth century, the Plymouth Breth

Security, Perseverance, Apostasy, and the Warning Passages We have spent the first three articles following a historical trail. We started with the earliest Christians. We followed the development of Christian teaching through Augustine and the medieval church. We watched the Reformation reshape the discussion. We followed Calvin, Dort, Westminster, Owen, the nineteenth century, the Plymouth Brethren, dispensationalism, and eventually the modern doctrine commonly called “once

How “The Saints Will Persevere” Became “Once Saved, Always Saved” In the first article, we asked what the earliest Christians believed about falling away. In the second, we followed the theological development from Augustine to Calvin and watched an important change take place. The question gradually moved from: Can a believer fall away? to: Who is a true believer? And eventually: If someone is truly elect, regenerated, and united to Christ, can that person finally fall away?

From Augustine to Calvin—and the Changing Meaning of Salvation Security In the first article, we asked a deceptively simple question: Did the earliest Christians believe that a person who genuinely entered the Christian faith could later turn away? The evidence did not give us the simple answer many modern Christians might expect. The earliest Christian writers repeatedly spoke about perseverance, falling away, repentance, restoration, and the danger of apostasy. They certain

What was Paul actually discussing? There is a verse in Romans that is often presented as if it settles the Sabbath question: “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”— Romans 14:5 The argument usually goes something like this: Paul says one day is optional. The Sabbath is a day. Therefore the Sabbath is optional. It sounds simple. But before we make Romans 14 carry that conclu

For nearly 500 years, most Protestants have inherited theological categories that were forged during the Reformation. Most Catholics have inherited categories that were formalized at Trent. Very few Christians realize that many of the questions they ask about salvation were framed by those historical debates. Why This Matters Every Christian today inherits a theological tradition, whether they realize it or not. When most believers ask questions like: * Why are some people lo

The sixteenth-century Reformation rightly redirected the church to the biblical doctrine of justification by faith, but its primary debates centered on how the benefits of Christ's work are applied to the sinner rather than what makes Christ's representative work just according to Scripture. The Reformers emphasized that Christ's death actually accomplished salvation. In response, the Council of Trent emphasized the believer's inward transformation rather than justification b