Having systematically dismantled the first four pillars of Calvinism (at least in my feeble opinion), we arrive at the final tenet, a doctrine deceptively cloaked in the language of security but founded upon the works of man: Perseverance of the Saints. Each preceding point—Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, and Irresistible Grace—has been weighed in the balances of Holy Scripture and found wanting. Now, we shall subject this final falsehood to the same unerring standard and demonstrate that the believer’s eternal hope rests not on his own perseverance, but on God’s preservation.
The Doctrine Defined: Perseverance vs. Preservation
The Calvinist system culminates in the teaching that all who are truly elect will inevitably persevere in faith and good works until the end of their lives. The Westminster Confession of Faith states that the truly saved “can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace: but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.“
This doctrine leads adherents to certain conclusions:
- Only those who endure in faith are considered true saints.
- Those who do not persevere are deemed to have been lost all along.
- Even true believers who backslide must return to faithfulness before death to prove their election was genuine.
Herein lies the critical distinction. Perseverance of the Saints emphasizes the believer’s outward endurance and performance as the necessary evidence of salvation. In stark contrast, the biblical doctrine of Eternal Security (or Preservation) emphasizes God’s keeping power. Our security rests entirely on God’s faithfulness and the finished work of Christ, not on our performance.
The Calvinist teacher Arthur Pink laid bare the works-based nature of this doctrine when he wrote: “There is a deadly and dangerous heresy being widely propagated today to the effect that if a sinner truly trusts Christ as his personal Savior, no matter how he lives afterwards, he cannot perish. That is a satanic lie.” This statement reveals that, in their system, salvation is not only obtained by faith but must be maintained or proven by works.
The Language of Scripture: Preservation
The Bible does not speak of the saints’ perseverance for salvation; it speaks of their preservation by God. The word “perseverance” appears only once in the King James Bible, in the context of prayer, not eternal security (Ephesians 6:18).
Scripture, instead, uses the language of preservation:
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.“
- 2 Timothy 4:18: “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.“
- Jude 1: “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.“
Perseverance implies human effort and hangs the weight of eternal destiny on the believer’s ability to hold on. Preservation depends entirely on an outside party—the Lord Himself. My security rests not in my ability to hold fast to God, but in His unbreakable promise to hold fast to me.
Ironically, the latter ends up giving God the credit that the Calvinist intended for God to have, while the Calvinist position shifts the ultimate credit to man and away from the Lord. How contradictory that those who thunder most loudly about “divine sovereignty” should construct a system where man’s perseverance becomes the hinge upon which salvation ultimately swings—leaving the Almighty to wait anxiously, as it were, to see whether His children possess sufficient stamina to cross the finish line.
Scripture’s Refutation of Perseverance
The Bible is clear that genuine believers can and do fail, sometimes grievously, without forfeiting their salvation. The Apostle Paul warned Timothy that “in the latter times some shall depart from the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1) and that some, through the love of money, have “erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10). He even spoke of professing believers who “erred concerning the faith” (1 Timothy 6:21). He lamented that “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10). These are not descriptions of false professors but of believers who have strayed.
Consider the biblical examples:
- Lot: Though he lived a compromised life in Sodom and ended in shameful incest, the Apostle Peter calls him a “just” man, vexed by the filthy conversation of the wicked (2 Peter 2:7-8). His behavior was deplorable, but his standing before God was secure.
- David: He was a man after God’s own heart, yet he committed adultery and murder. While he suffered severe consequences for his sin, his relationship with God was never in question.
- Peter: He denied the Lord Jesus Christ three times with cursing and swearing. Yet Christ had already prayed for him, “that thy faith fail not” (Luke 22:32), assuring his ultimate restoration, after his failure.
- The Corinthian Believers: Paul addressed this church, rife with carnality, division, and gross immorality, as those who were “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Their ungodly behavior did not nullify their position in Christ.
If perseverance in righteousness were required to prove one’s salvation, no believer could ever have assurance. Salvation would become a matter of works, directly contradicting Christ’s promise that believers “shall never perish” (John 10:28) and “shall not come into condemnation” (John 5:24).
The Foundation of Our Eternal Security
The believer’s security is not rooted in his own faithfulness but in the immutable character and work of God.
It is based on God’s Character: He has promised, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). This is an unconditional promise from a God who cannot lie.
It is based on Christ’s Finished Work: Salvation rests on what has already been accomplished. When Jesus cried, “It is finished” (John 19:30), the work was complete. “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Christ did not obtain a temporary or probationary redemption, but “eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12).
It is based on the Spirit’s Sealing: After believing the gospel, we are “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession” (Ephesians 1:13–14). This seal is God’s guarantee, and we are sealed “unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30), not until the day we fail.
A Confidence Built on Christ
The Calvinist doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints, as with Calvinism as a whole, must be rejected. It contradicts the promises of scripture, makes salvation dependent on human works, destroys assurance, and denies the finality of Christ’s sacrifice.
We embrace instead the biblical doctrine of Preservation. Our confidence is not in our ability to persevere, but in God’s power to preserve. We are kept, not by our own persistence, but “by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (1 Peter 1:5). This glorious truth does not lead to licentiousness but motivates holy living out of love and gratitude. It is the grace of God that both saves us and teaches us “that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11–12).
This security is absolute. As the Apostle Paul said, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).
Pastor Thomas Irvin
George County Baptist Church
Lucedale, Mississippi
