The subject of OSAS came up in an internet group I belong to. The group leaders say they believe in OSAS and I definitely agree with that. But they say if a born again believer thinks a Christian could walk away from God, then they don’t believe the whole truth of the Bible, are making God out to be a liar and therefore, they are lost. I personally don’t believe a person is lost just because they don’t subscribe to OSAS just as I don’t believe a person is lost if they believe in a mid-trib rapture. What do you think?
In all these areas of faith plus works I have a problem attributing any part of our salvation, whether it be attaining it or maintaining it, to our own behavior. In addition to denying the promises of the Bible (2 Cor. 1:21-22, Ephes 1:13-14, etc) someone who believes we can either lose or relinquish our salvation by actions we take after we’re saved is essentially making himself ultimately responsible for being saved.
When you look at how differently the Lord feels about the quality of our efforts than we do (Isaiah 64:6), you can see that nothing we have to offer could ever measure up to His standards. Even our best effort is woefully inadequate. How then can we contribute anything to the equation? To me, a person who rejects OSAS is basically admitting that they either already are, or soon will be, irretrievably lost. Because if the Son of God’s death wasn’t enough to get the job done, how on Earth can they expect to add anything to that?
A person who believes in eternal security and is a mid-tribber is simply mistaken, and will go in the rapture with the rest of us. But a person who denies OSAS is saying, “Don’t worry Lord, I can finish the job for you. I’ll take it from here.” In whom does that person’s faith ultimately rest? I’m glad that the Lord can sort that out, because I certainly can’t.