I was raised in a denomination that routinely teaches Once Saved , Always Saved ( OSAS ) . I believed it for many years . And then I almost went to hell . How can we summarize the several ways that a Christian really could destroy their own salvation process by sin unto death if unwise or deceived ? Our entire being is not completely saved until we stand before Him ! God cannot give His grace in any circumstance that would require Him to become a liar to do so !
We were saved in our spirits . We are being saved in our souls . We shall be saved in our bodies . We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is ! ( 1 John 3:2 ) Once a Saint realizes that OSAS rationales all fail the hamartiology ( Study of Sin ) test , how can we simplify killing sin unto death ? The wages of sin are death , and the Saint who profanes The Blood from the heart loses access to that Blood . The seal of the Spirit cannot function in an individual who is no longer eligible for The Blood . I will refer the reader to other posts on this blog for details . Clarity in hamartiology ( sin typology ) is best realized in properly balancing 1 John 5:16
16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
- This brother MUST be in Christ ; A Christian due to 2 Cor 6:14 – 16 and 1 John 1:5 . A child of light ! Indwelt by the Spirit of God !
- The life given for sin NOT unto death must be eternal , as this brother is not being raised from the dead . Even so, REPENTANCE is necessary ! This passage addresses life all the way through eternity ! That’s the point of Christianity … to be IN CHRIST forever !
- The sin unto death must also be viewed throughout eternity , as the Bible is consistent , not random and chaotic ! This is the second death in the lake of fire ! Irredeemability ! This would not be merely physical death , else why discourage one from praying after they are beyond mortal flesh ? Their destination is decided by then ! Neither would any be discouraged from praying for physical health in this life ! See James 5: 14 – 16 !
- Again , this brother MUST be a Christian , as the Apostle John would in no way discourage the lost from praying to God to get honest about their sin ! Or else , the Great Commission would be confused and seemingly nullified under some circumstances . Jesus said to preach the gospel to EVERY creature ! ( Mark 16:15 , compare to Col 1:23 )
- Critically , we must note what the Bible does NOT say . This passage does NOT say that God EVER gives a Saint LIFE for sin unto DEATH !
- Thus, lack of encouragement for a former Saint to pray about killing sin unto death reflects the loss of salvation . This former brother – now irredeemable as satan himself – has committed killing sin that creates an impasse with God , who has no way to cleanse sin that profanes The Blood . Christ will not be crucified the second time ! ( Heb 6:4-8 ) God can only judge this ! See Heb 10: 26 – 31 and 2 Pet 2: 20 – 22 . Peter reveals there is NO way to escape the pollutions of the world but that one was once washed by the received Blood of Christ !
- The Greek words for sin ( Hamartia ) and death ( Thanatos ) are the same in 1 John 5:16 as in James 1: 14 – 16 . Check Mounce Reverse Interlinear N.T. on Bible Gateway Dot Com .
Hamartiology at its Worst : Finding Out the Hard Way
Salvation can be destroyed by a Saint as follows :
Rejecting Christ from the heart to give one’s heart back to sin and iniquity ; a hard departure into carnality . 2 Pet 2:20 – 22
Rejecting Christ from the heart due to a spirit of offense . Heb 10: 26 – 31 and Matt 11: 6
Rejecting Christ from the heart by means of a fundamental death of faith ; unbelief , as in shipwreck of faith . 1 Tim 1:19
Any avenue that a Saint chooses to reject Christ from the heart ALWAYS results in the same thing . Turning away from Christ like that is by default to turn preferentially once again to the ways, person, and life of self ; a SINNER ! This makes Christ less preferable and LOWER than a sinner , presumptuous sin reproaching the Lord ! ( Num 15:30 ) We must never forget that part of Christ is His Blood ! And thus , the one who rejects Him for self makes the Blood of Christ LOWER than the blood of a sinner ! A LIE that God MUST judge ! This PROFANES The Blood as in Heb 10: 26 – 31 !
The Saint who is deceived by OSAS into thinking that He cannot lose salvation , yet sins like this from the heart , is sinning presumptuously , in which case his presumption becomes COUNTERFEIT FAITH !
Other means by which a Saint can destroy his salvation :
Willfully unrepentant, deliberately DEFIANT unforgiveness carried beyond mortal flesh . This also puts Christ below the level of a sinner as in Heb 10: 26 – 31 , which alludes to the continuum of defiance such that beyond some point one profanes ( Greek : Koine ) The Blood .
Direct blasphemy of the Holy Spirit ( Matt 12 : 31 – 32 ) . This sin makes The Blood of Christ pointless , for what does The Blood buy for the Saint ?
In Conclusion:
An informed life of abiding, reverential repentance and holiness unto God by the enabling of the Spirit while rejecting sin unto death is the best plan ! That’s the path neither to the left , nor to the right ! The exact ideal sheep typology portrayed in John 10: 27 – 30 in the spirit of Deut 5:29 and John 5:14 ! Yes , there are types of sheep ; contrast Bereans with Thessalonicans ; Laodiceans with Philadelphians !
If we err , never commit more than sin NOT unto death ; Or unwillful sin as in Rom 7: 20 ! For sin unto death forces God to demonstrate that He can’t deny Himself ; He is NOT lower than a sinner ! He cannot adopt a lie . He is not being mean ; He is being God . He cannot be less than Holy ; He cannot be less than True !
Maranatha !
So if you are worried this sin was committed then there’s absolutely nothing to be done?
God alone is Judge . He ONLY will know if a Saint has done this sin fully FROM THE HEART ; or if a lost person elects to exit this life rejecting Christ . In my OWN case , through ignorance , double – mindedness , and a spirit of offense , I allowed myself in a moment of exasperation to SAY something unwise to God that was NOT by heart of hearts . I lost Holy Spirit for 4 months of HORROR and was only NARROWLY able to be restored ! Only because God saw it had NOT been my heart of hearts to say that ! There are some , God ALONE knows them , who will sin like that with heart FULLY ENGAGED and thus render themselves lost again forever and irredeemable as satan himself ! My responsibility is to warn and educate , to preserve vulnerable Saints ! And , if possible , to reach the lost for Christ like ANY other Saint ! God bless you !
Please pray for me. I have sinned horribly and feel I have lost the Seal and my salvation. I have repented but I am afraid. Esp since we’re in end times. God bless you all.
Marie, I am glad to pray for you ! Remember that the devil LOVES to trick Saints into thinking they have destroyed their salvation when actually they are just significantly backslidden ! I have seen multiple restorations ! See the blog post about ” Restoring Salvation: Aid for the Near Loss of Salvation ” and consider prayerfully if this applies to you. An outright loss of the Spirit is FAR WORSE than backsliding ! You can’t go just by your feelings ; they are changeable and at times misleading ! Do your best to repent of any known sin . Try talking to a qualified christian counsellor . I hope that you are active in a good, Bible believing church . Draw close to Jesus in your prayers and devotions. There is ALWAYS something to thank Him for ! Try to have a couple seasoned christian friends whom you can share and pray with. Believe and receive Christ, give Him your heart and surrender to His Lordship. Never quit Him ! God bless, Author.