Is eternal security a “license” to sin?

Answer

The primary objection to the doctrine of eternal security (the belief that salvation cannot be lost) is that it allegedly permits individuals to live however they please and still be saved. While this may be “technically” accurate, it is not the case in practice. A person who has genuinely been saved by Jesus Christ will not lead a life characterized by continual, deliberate sin. It is important to differentiate between the conduct expected of a Christian and the actions necessary to obtain salvation.

The Bible clearly states that salvation is solely by grace, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone (John 3:16;Ephesians 2:8-9;John 14:6). The instant a person genuinely believes in Jesus Christ, they are saved and secure in that salvation. It is unscriptural to suggest that salvation is obtained through faith but then must be upheld by deeds. The apostle Paul confronts this issue in Galatians 3:3 when he questions, “Are you so foolish? After starting with the Spirit, are you now trying to achieve your goal by human effort?” If we are saved by faith, our salvation is also sustained and guaranteed by faith. We cannot merit our own salvation. Therefore, we cannot earn the preservation of our salvation. It is God who upholds our salvation (Jude 24). It is God’s hand that securely holds us (John 10:28-29). It is God’s love from which nothing can separate us (Romans 8:38-39).

Any rejection of eternal security fundamentally implies a belief that we must uphold our own salvation.Salvation by our own good works and efforts is completely contrary to salvation by grace. We are saved because of Christ’s merits, not our own (Romans 4:3-8). To suggest that we must obey God’s Word or live a godly life to uphold our salvation implies that Jesus’ death was insufficient to atone for our sins. Jesus’ death was entirely adequate to cover all our sins—past, present, and future, both before and after salvation (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Does this imply that a Christian can live however they please and still be saved? This is essentially a theoretical question because the Bible clearly states that a true Christian will not live however they please. Christians are new creations, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christians exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), not the deeds of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). 1 John 3:6-9 explicitly states that a genuine Christian will not persist in sin. In response to the claim that grace encourages sin, the apostle Paul affirmed, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2).

Eternal security is not a permit to sin. Instead, it is the assurance of knowing that God’s love is certain for those who have faith in Christ. Knowing and understanding GodGod’s incredible gift of salvation achieves the opposite of granting a permit for sin. How could anyone, aware of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us, proceed to lead a life of sin (Romans 6:15-23)? How could anyone who comprehends God’s unconditional and assured love for those who have faith, take that love and reject it? Such an individual is not showing that eternal security allows them to sin, but rather that they have not genuinely received salvation through Jesus Christ. “No one who remains in him continues to sin. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him” (1 John 3:6).