What is the difference between eternal security, once saved always saved, and perseverance of the saints?

I believe you are incorrect-again.

A born-again believer cannot become "unborn" because spiritual birth is a divine, irreversible act of God. The Bible consistently teaches that salvation is a permanent transformation rather than a temporary condition. Those who truly believe are sealed, preserved, and eternally secure in Christ.

1. Spiritual Birth Is Permanent
In John 3:3-7, Jesus describes being "born again" (γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, gennēthē anōthen) as a spiritual birth from above. Just as physical birth cannot be undone, neither can spiritual rebirth.

John 10:28-29: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." The Greek "οὐ μὴ ἀπόλωνται" (ou mē apolōntai) is a double negative, meaning absolute negation—they will never be lost.

1 Peter 1:23: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." The new birth comes from incorruptible seed, meaning it cannot be undone.

2. 2 Peter 2:20-22: Does It Teach Loss of Salvation?
The passage in 2 Peter 2:20-22 does not describe true believers losing salvation but rather false converts who never truly belonged to Christ:

"A dog returns to its own vomit" and "A sow... returns to wallowing in the mire" both emphasize that these individuals never had a new nature—they merely cleaned up outwardly but remained unchanged.

Compare with 1 John 2:19: "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us."

The passage states they had "knowledge of the Lord", not that they were regenerated.

Many can have knowledge without salvation (*Heb_6:4-6; Mat_7:21-23).


3. True Believers Are Sealed and Kept by God

+Ephesians 1:13-14: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth... ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." The Greek word for sealed (σφραγίζω, sphragizō) means a mark of permanent ownership.

+Philippians 1:6: "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

+Romans 8:38-39: Nothing, including our own choices, "shall be able to separate us from the love of God."


A truly born-again believer cannot become unborn.
2 Peter 2:20-22 refers to false converts, not true believers.
True salvation is an irreversible act of God, sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Please show me how 2 Peter is referring to NOT TRUE BELIEVERS.

2Pe 2:18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world - This does not necessarily mean that they had been true Christians, and had fallen from grace. People may outwardly reform, and escape from the open corruptions which prevail around them, or which they had themselves practiced, and still have no true grace at heart.
Please read the verses again.

It's becoming silly how we don't even understand what Jesus or Paul or Peter wrote.

THEY ESCAPED THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS.
What does this mean?

THEY ARE AGAIN ENTANGLED.
What does this mean?

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER HAD THEY NOT KNOWN RIGHTEOUSNESS.
What does this mean?

Righteousness means TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD.
Peter is saying THEY WERE RIGHT WITH GOD.
I do believe that if you're RIGHT WITH GOD it means you're born again.

THEY RETURNED TO THEIR VOMIT.
What had they left that they RETURNED to it?

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world,.... The sins of it, the governing vices of it, which the men of the world are addicted to, and immersed in; for the whole world lies in wickedness, and which are of a defiling nature: the phrase is Rabbinical; it is said (q),
see above.
"he that studies not in the law in this world, but is defiled בטנופי עלמא, "with the pollutions of the world", what is written of him? and they took him, and cast him without:''
these, men may escape, abstain from, and outwardly reform, with respect unto, and yet be destitute of the grace of God; so that this can be no instance of the final and total apostasy of real saints; for the house may be swept and garnished with an external reformation; persons may be outwardly righteous before men, have a form of godliness and a name to live, and yet be dead in trespasses and sins; all which they may have
NO. It states that they were RIGHTEOUS.
Much like the five wise and five foolish virgins.
Right...they 5 weren't ready either.
I think it would behoove us to be ready.
By OBEYING GOD.
 
The jews were apposed to OSAS because they believed they could be good enough. and they live for God and because of their works God would save them.

Gods requirment is perfection. If you commit one sin, your unworthy and lost forever. Unless you are saved.

Only one person who ever walked the earth was worthy of salvation. And he took his own righteousness and hung on a cross.
Oh for goodness sake EG.
Stop with the WE HAVE TO BE PERFECT.
 
Some do, I do not ~ what I do teach is that each and every child of God is preserved in Jesus Christ, for time and eternity!

Jude 1:1​

“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:”

Our life is hid with Christ in God...that's pretty safe if you ask me....about as safe as one can be.

Colossians 3:3​

“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Later...Rb
I agree.

IF we're IN JESUS....
otherwise if we do not abide we're cut off like a branch and thrown into the fire.
John 15:6
 
It's becoming silly how we don't even understand what Jesus or Paul or Peter wrote.

THEY ESCAPED THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS.
What does this mean?

THEY ARE AGAIN ENTANGLED.
What does this mean?

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER HAD THEY NOT KNOWN RIGHTEOUSNESS.
What does this mean?

Righteousness means TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD.
Peter is saying THEY WERE RIGHT WITH GOD.
I do believe that if you're RIGHT WITH GOD it means you're born again.

THEY RETURNED TO THEIR VOMIT.
What had they left that they RETURNED to it?
@GodsGrace what is the problem?

Were These People Saved?
The key question is whether the individuals described in 2 Peter 2:19-21 were genuinely saved. The text does not definitively declare that these people were true believers, and several reasons suggest they were never truly saved--

"Escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge": They had a cognitive understanding of Christ but were not said to have genuine faith. The word "knowledge" (ἐπίγνωσις, epignosis) in this context indicates an intellectual awareness rather than a saving, transformational faith.

Backsliding and Overcoming-The fact that they were entangled again in the world and overcome by sin suggests that they did not persevere in the faith. True believers are preserved by God’s power (1 Peter 1:5) and are kept safe from falling away.

Worse end than beginning-The warning about their worse end indicates that they had not experienced the fullness of salvation-if they had been truly saved, they would not have fallen away.

Better not to have known-This suggests that knowledge of the truth without true conversion leads to greater guilt. Those who have merely had exposure to the gospel but have not genuinely been transformed are in a worse condition than those who have never heard.

Thus, it seems likely that these individuals were never truly saved but were part of the larger group of professing believers who did not possess genuine, saving faith. They might have professed faith and experienced some outward changes but never experienced true conversion. Their apostasy reveals that their initial response to the gospel was not one of genuine regeneration.


Second Peter 2:20 is often cited as proof text by those who believe salvation can be lost.

However, a comprehensive reading of the whole chapter and a comparison with the rest of Scripture suggest otherwise. The focus here is primarily on the negative impact false teachers have on the body of Christ. Even genuine Christians can stumble into sin, especially when they are recent converts (Galatians 6:1–2).

Additionally, Jesus’ parable on the four soils illustrates the difference between mere intellectual assent and wholehearted commitment. Merely rejoicing at the message is insufficient if no fruit is ever produced (Matthew 13:1–23).

We can understand Peter’s anger toward the false teachers. False teachers who deny Christ lead a polluted life and deceive others. The church’s responsibility is to nurture individuals in the truth, such that the unconverted become believers, baby Christians grow, and growing Christians maintain devotion.

False teachers undermine this mission with their falsehoods and ungodly conduct. Peter does not provide specific examples of the destructive heresies propagated by these false teachers, but we can glean hints from his contemporaries like Paul, Jude, and John.

False teachings in the first century included the following:

• Legalism, as exemplified by Jews who insisted that salvation required adherence to certain Jewish customs like circumcision (Acts 15:1–29; Galatians 5:2–4).
• Gnosticism, which emphasized secret knowledge, practiced asceticism, and denied Jesus’ incarnation (Colossians 2:8–10; 1 Timothy 4:1–5; 1 John 4:1–3).
• Licentiousness and immoral living (Jude 1:3–16).

Are you unsure re YOUR salvation IN Christ Jesus?

Please don't cite this passage as a proof text that salvation can be lost.

Thanks.

J.
 
Oh for goodness sake EG.
Stop with the WE HAVE TO BE PERFECT.
Why would I stop saying the truth?

Its the truth. If you want to earn salvation. you have to be perfect. (this is what the law states)

Thats why we need to be saved.

People who claim we can lose salvation claim we do not have to be perfect. we can still commit sin and earn salvation. That's not true.

And what amazes me, is these same people say we who believe in OSAS say we can live in sin and not lose salvation.

Its like politics today in the United States. The accusers are the ones who do the very thing they are accusing the other side of doing
 
Where do we start>

I've been waiting for @mailmandan to post some verses proving that OSAS is correct theology...
but we'll do yours in the meantime.
John 3:
14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Agreed. Notice that BELIEVE is always in the present tense.
We must believe in Jesus at the time of our death...
not 25 years earlier and then fell into a life of sin...
which would be OK under the theology of OSAS.
17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Agreed.
Believe in him (faith) the result. You will never perish, and you will live forever. you are not condemned
do nnot believe, you are already in a condemned state
Post some verses that state that YOU WILL NEVER PERISH no matter what...
which is what OSAS teaches.

What you're posting is correct for as long as WE BELIEVE in Jesus...we will not perish.
BELIEVE, again, is in the present tense.
John 3: 36He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Agreed again. I post this all the time.
The second part.....HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IN THE SON...is correctly translated as HE WHO DOES NOT OBEY THE SON....
because in Greek to NOT BELIEVE is synonymous with TO NOT OBEY.

But no matter. I agree.
If we BELIEVE in the Son we have everlasting life.
If we DO NOT believe in the Son the wrath of God is upon us.

So....
IF we stop believing, we will have the wrath of God on us.
2 Timothy 2:12
12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;

If God denies us, we will be like those in Matthew 7 that He did not know.
We will become lost.
Again, Faith = eternal life. lack of faith = wrath of God.
Agreed.
So what if someone loses their faith?
Some in 2 Peter 2:20-22 did just that:

20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.
22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."


John 4: 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Agreed. Those that drink of the water of Jesus will never thirst.
But we must keep drinking that water and not turn away or fall away from Jesus.
Paul speaks about falling away in many verses:
1 Timothy 4:1
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
Jesus said:
Matthew 24:10
10 "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.


We should at least heed the words of Jesus.
In faith ask. God will give you living water. and you again will never perish.
Of course. If someone is asking for living water,,,he's still saved and seeking God's help.
John 5: 24;“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
Once again, Faith only, will never come to judgment, but is alive (born again)
Agreed.
And, again, we read the present tense of the word BELIEVE.
We must be believing at the time of our death.
BELIEF = FAITH
NO BELIEF = NO FAITH

In Matthew 24:10 Jesus said that some will fall away.

John 6: 35And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Again, In faith. see and believe. nothing else is required. you will never hunger, never thirst, never perish, be raised and have eternal life
Nothing else is required?

Thanks for stating that.

@mailmandan says we do good works but out of love....
at least he thinks we need to do good works ---- for whatever reason.

YOU don't even think we need to do good works.

Interesting.
I'm still looking for a verse that states that all we need to do to remain saved is to believe in Jesus and nothing else.

This is a belief known as SOLA FIDE....which is believe ONLY by Calvinists and some rare denomination that teaches
what is called cheap grace or easy believism.

JESUS said:
Luke 9:23
23 And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily * and follow Me.


We should hear the words of Jesus.
 
Then they have Eternal security, osas, or whatever you want to call it.

Otherwise,. they have security in self

No. Being in christ means being born of Him, Adopted by iom, redeemed by his blood. made alive in him. which is done by faith

No EG.
Being IN CHRIST has already been defined by Jesus:

John 15:1-6
1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2 "Every
branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 "
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot * bear fruit of itself unless * it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless * you abide in Me.
5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing *.
6 "If
anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
What is Jesus saying here:
1. God will take away branches that do not bear fruit.
2. Unless we are abiding in Christ we cannot bear fruit.
3. If we do not abide in Christ...we will be thrown away as a branch, dried up, and burned.

Sounds like we need to CONTINUE to abide in Christ
and like we need to BEAR FRUIT.



No. they are not necessary, that would be putting us under law.
Not sure what you're referring to...
but good works/deeds are demanded of us throughout the NT.
THIS IS NOT THE LAW.

Those who are born of Him obey him, it is not necessary, it is a result.
Fine. So clearly state that those that are saved must obey God.
Or maybe you think it's not necessary?

We love others because he first loved us, not because we have built the capacity to love ourselves. Obedience is the result of salvation. not a prerequisite to keep your salvation. because you could never be good enough.
It is a prerequisite to KEEP your salvation.
see John 15

Jesus said:
John 5:28-29
28 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,
29 and will come forth; those
who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
Paul seems to agree:
Romans 2:6-8

6 who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:
7 to those who by
perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
8 but to those
who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.


To those who do not obey the truth...wrath.
 
then they have conditional life not unconditional life

You could not give birth to yourself. Your mother had to bore you. You can not unbirth yourself

A dog returns to his vomit because he was still a dog. Not because he was born again, made a new creature and turns into a dog again
Scripture twisting.
Man-made reasoning.

Peter said the dog RETURNED to his vomit.
Yes...he was still a dog.
BUT he RETURNED TO HIS VOMIT.

He returned to the life he lived BEFORE.
If a person is returning to something...
it means he was doing it before...
then left it...
and is RETURNING TO IT.

Simple English.
 
Why would I stop saying the truth?

Its the truth. If you want to earn salvation. you have to be perfect. (this is what the law states)

Thats why we need to be saved.

People who claim we can lose salvation claim we do not have to be perfect. we can still commit sin and earn salvation. That's not true.

And what amazes me, is these same people say we who believe in OSAS say we can live in sin and not lose salvation.

Its like politics today in the United States. The accusers are the ones who do the very thing they are accusing the other side of doing
You make up your own definitons of what I state.

No time for this.
I don't even understand what you're saying above.
 
@mailmandan

So,,,where are those verses that state that all we have to do is believe in Jesus,
do nothing, and still be saved??

There aren't any.

Jesus left us with commands.
We are to obey God.

If we don't follow the commands of God,,,
if we don't obey God....

we will forfeit our salvation,,,
just as Jesus, Paul and all the writers state.

Just as the church has believed from the beginning.

OSAS is a NEW invention,,,,just like Calvinism is.

NEW INVENTIONS are wrong because the Apostles and those they taught were NOT taught the invention that
just came about recently.

OSAS is one of them.
 
@GodsGrace what is the problem?

Were These People Saved?
The key question is whether the individuals described in 2 Peter 2:19-21 were genuinely saved. The text does not definitively declare that these people were true believers, and several reasons suggest they were never truly saved
"Escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge": They had a cognitive understanding of Christ but were not said to have genuine faith. The word "knowledge" (ἐπίγνωσις, epignosis) in this context indicates an intellectual awareness rather than a saving, transformational faith.
It states that they escaped the defilement of the world through knowledge of JESUS....LORD AND SAVIOR...
those with mental knowledge do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Jesus is Lord and Savior ONLY TO THOSE BORN AGAIN.

Even demons believe in Jesus...
but He is NOT their Lord and Savior.

Backsliding and Overcoming-The fact that they were entangled again in the world and overcome by sin suggests that they did not persevere in the faith.
NO. You're reading your own concept into the scripture.
Stick to what it says...which is what I'm doing.

They were entangled AGAIN.....
THEY WERE ENTANGLED.
THEY BECAME FREE BY JESUS BEING THEIR LORD AND SAVIOR.
THEY BECAME ENTANGLED AGAIN.

AGAIN...they returned to a PREVIOUS STATE.
It's just plain English.

And OF COURSE, they didn't PERSEVERE in the faith....
that's why they're not saved anymore.

WE MUST BELIEVE....CONTINUE TO BELIEVE....BE BELIEVING....
You like tenses...what does this mean?

Can we believe for a time and then stop believing?

Jesus said we can.
Luke 8:13 THEY BELIEVED FOR A WHILE AND THEN FELL AWAY.

Jesus said that
not me.
True believers are preserved by God’s power (1 Peter 1:5) and are kept safe from falling away.
What is a true believer?
Is it different from a believer?
Can I tell someone I'M A BELIEVER...
or do I have to say I'M A TRUE BELIEVER???

If we're kept safe from falling away...
Why do Jesus and Paul speak of falling away?

Paul speaks about falling away in many verses:
1 Timothy 4:1
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
Jesus said:
Matthew 24:10
10 "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.

Worse end than beginning-The warning about their worse end indicates that they had not experienced the fullness of salvation-if they had been truly saved, they would not have fallen away.
Not replying to this nonsense.
Sorry.

"The fullness of salvation." you say.....
Kind of like A TRUE BELIEVER.

Better not to have known-This suggests that knowledge of the truth without true conversion leads to greater guilt. Those who have merely had exposure to the gospel but have not genuinely been transformed are in a worse condition than those who have never heard.

NO. Better to have known means that the persons would have been better off never knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior rather than to know Him and THEN FALL AWAY FROM THEIR FAITH.
Matthew 10:15
15 "Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
S and G didn't hear about Jesus.
But those in 2 Peter DID hear about Jesus and understood He was their Lord and Savior...
and then they DENIED Him.
2 Timothy 2:12
If we deny HIM....He will deny us.

Thus, it seems likely that these individuals were never truly saved but were part of the larger group of professing believers who did not possess genuine, saving faith. They might have professed faith and experienced some outward changes but never experienced true conversion. Their apostasy reveals that their initial response to the gospel was not one of genuine regeneration.
Well, a woman can't be slightly pregnant.
She's either pregnant or she's not.

A person cannot be slightly born again.
They are either born again or they are not.

The persons in 2 Peter were clearly born again....
unless we wish to make up a different definition.

Maybe we need to ADD SOMETHING to having faith to be born again??
Maybe just having faith isn't enough??
What should we add to faith Johann?

I seem to have learned that all we need to become born again is to believe Jesus is our Lord and Savior.
Second Peter 2:20 is often cited as proof text by those who believe salvation can be lost.

However, a comprehensive reading of the whole chapter and a comparison with the rest of Scripture suggest otherwise. The focus here is primarily on the negative impact false teachers have on the body of Christ. Even genuine Christians can stumble into sin, especially when they are recent converts (Galatians 6:1–2).

Additionally, Jesus’ parable on the four soils illustrates the difference between mere intellectual assent and wholehearted commitment. Merely rejoicing at the message is insufficient if no fruit is ever produced (Matthew 13:1–23).

We can understand Peter’s anger toward the false teachers. False teachers who deny Christ lead a polluted life and deceive others. The church’s responsibility is to nurture individuals in the truth, such that the unconverted become believers, baby Christians grow, and growing Christians maintain devotion.

It doesn't matter WHY someone falls away...
both JESUS and PAUL taught that we could fall away and gave us many warnings to keep the faith.
False teachers undermine this mission with their falsehoods and ungodly conduct. Peter does not provide specific examples of the destructive heresies propagated by these false teachers, but we can glean hints from his contemporaries like Paul, Jude, and John.

False teachings in the first century included the following:

• Legalism, as exemplified by Jews who insisted that salvation required adherence to certain Jewish customs like circumcision (Acts 15:1–29; Galatians 5:2–4).
• Gnosticism, which emphasized secret knowledge, practiced asceticism, and denied Jesus’ incarnation (Colossians 2:8–10; 1 Timothy 4:1–5; 1 John 4:1–3).
• Licentiousness and immoral living (Jude 1:3–16).

Are you unsure re YOUR salvation IN Christ Jesus?

Please don't cite this passage as a proof text that salvation can be lost.

Thanks.

J.
Where are you getting the above from?
So now I'll go to google and google up some stuff on those that believe in NOSAS....
is this how it works?

Here, watch this...it'll be good for everyone reading along.
I thank another member for posting this most terrific video:


 
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