Having believed in the permanence of salvation for 46 years, Dan Gallagher recently changed his mind to believe in what he calls continuance in faith–the idea that those who fail to continue in faith can be lost. The whole process took about fourteen years from when a book introduced him to a number of verses that are difficult to interpret from a once-saved-always-saved perspective. Here is his account of how he came to a new understanding on this issue and why he thinks it’s so important.
—— Links ——
- Email Dan Gallagher at djgallagher777@gmail.com
- His ministry is called Lean on Jesus and you can follow him on his podcast, YouTube, facebook, or at leanonjesus.com
- Listen to more Restitutio interviews here
- Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
I thought this was quite interesting. Although I worship at a place who has once saved always saved as part of their doctrine, I have never quite understood why one would think in that fashion. After all, John 15 v 5 states from the NIV “I am the vine and you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” The KJV is a bit different in that it says “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Although Jesus certainly is metaphorically speaking when saying he is a vine and we are the branches, it should appear clear from the rest of the verse that there is a “condition.” The NIV uses the word If which would indicate there is something else besides remaining. OSAS seems to make a point of saying there is nothing but remaining left for you once you accept Jesus, but this verse in scripture clearly states with either the word “if” or the statement “He that abideth” in the KJV making clear that there are possibilities of not abiding even though Jesus has stated that we are the branches, but it also requires continuance in abiding in him. I agree with Dan Gallagher and enjoyed the interview. Blessings to you all.
Bearing fruit or not is vastly different from being saved or not. While I agree with the point you are making, you might want to look deeper into this issue.
I found a section in Romans that has a stronger statement regarding being saved, but even that leads me to look even deeper. FYI:
Rom 11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Rom 11:19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Rom 11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Rom 11:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Rom 11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Great show! Thanks Sean. I truly believe that the ‘once saved always saved’ doctrine coupled with the ‘say the sinners prayer’ or ‘ask Jesus into your heart’ nonsense, has led to a multitude of people with a false assurance of a salvation they have never actually possessed.
Good place to start: http://focusonthekingdom.org/articles/ifs.htm
After losing sight of dispensations and the grace administration in the Bible, the next loss is going to be the nine manifestations of the spirit, then fruit of the spirit.
Dan and Sean, your big error: Failing to understand that “salvation” has a two fold use, we have the promise of salvation now (Rom 10:9-10) and yet now we are to “work-out/manifest/evidence our salvation.” Like our “sanctification” we are spiritually holy in Christ, yet we are to “be holy as He is holy.” There is the spiritual reality, now but not yet, AND there is the PRACTICAL reality of renewing the mind.
A one-time decision of person in the Bible can have lasting consequences. For example Rom 10:9-10.
BTW, God bless LHIM for doing the Bible Lands tour with John Schoenheit. I’ve been there, done that, it is great. LOve and peace in Christ Jesus.
Not been my experience
what a sad doctrine to be deceived into believing.
Once saved always saved, is not a doctrine that has a firm foundation in Holy Scripture.
If a Christian, after further Bible study, still wishes to believe in it, that is his/her choice, but it would be wisdom not to preach it.
I’m amazed that some people are able to trust in their own flesh and works for salvation. Jesus Christ died ONCE for ALL sins, past, present, and future. The Crucifixion was an ugly, painful, ordeal. Not something to be trifled with. Believe what you wish, you will anyway, but how dare anybody judge another’s salvation. It’s our righteousness through Christ, that God respects, not our own flesh, regarding salvation.
Understanding the vine and branches and who Jesus was referring to helps a lot. In Romans chapters 8,9,10,11 the Apostle Paul addressed all three groups of people, Jew, Gentile and Born- againers ! He finishes in chapter 11 by saying UNLESS the Gentiles ‘continue in God’s goodness’ they too, like the Jews, will be cut off or separated. The question of course is how does a Gentile ‘continue’ in God’s goodness ? It can only mean to be saved, born again. Why ? Because to become ‘saved’ or ‘born-again’ is THE ONLY WAY to be assured one will NEVER be separated from God !! ( Romans 8:38,39 ) This is the way to understand what the chapters are saying, otherwise, they all make no sense and contradict each other, God Bless, Allan Woodhouse http://www.ministryofword.org
There is no other way to show the reality of salvation but by continuance living by faith. The thought that after recieving salvation and that is enough, is not really enough at all. We need to continue in faith with the assurance of salvation in our mind and heart but need to be realistic. Continuing In Faith is not the condition to get saved but a way of living that is totally giving imporfance to Christ , God , and living according to the teaching of our Lord Christ.The advantages of this is really wonderful because your life is no longer like that of the gentiles or a believer who lived life in immorality or in opposition to the teaching of Christ. We need to bear fruits , fruits that will last. It is the fruit of living in CIF. Living our Faith in accordance to the teaching of Christ. It is dangerous to have a false hope and false assurance which later on teach us to be living life in contrast to Christ ‘ s teaching. Remember Romans 8:29, saying that our God wants us to conform to the likeness of His son.
I am disappointed that Dan Came to this conclusion because it is incompatible with the Gospel doctrine concerning the gift of Eternal life.
Eternal LIFE, Everlasting Life, Eternal Salvation, and Eternal Redemption is 100 percent BIBLICAL. Once you are saved you cannot be taken from YAH’s hands. Eternal Security (as it is called) is Biblical. It cannot rightly be called the gift of eternal life if it is not eternal. That notion is illogical and incompatible with scripture.
I have debated this numerous times with people that do not understand what constitutes a saved person vs. someone who is only on the way to salvation. They don’t understand the difference between the unbiblical idea that one can lose their salvation vs. the Biblical teaching that a saved person can lose out on rewards.
The attack on the gift of “eternal life” is a Satanic attack contrived to make prospective converts give up and not come to the place of full surrender of their will to the will of YAH and His Son.
The verses people use to attack the doctrine of eternal life are easily explained and harmonized with the scriptures that teach eternal life, but I have yet had one so called preacher or scholar give me an answer to the scriptures I present to them that PROVE the doctrine eternal life, a.k.a. Eternal Security. They ignore those scriptures because they cannot harmonize them with their belief. I don’t ignore their so called proof texts and I explain them and harmonize them. Not doing so leads to confusion and contradictions, and we all know there can be no contradictions in the Bible.
If a person claims to be a Christian and murders or leaves the faith, the Bible says they were never in the faith in the first place. The Holy spirit will continually be working on and in the conscience and consciousness of the believer and to resist the spirit makes live very difficult for the believer, but they don’t lose their salvation. The spirit always works to bring believers who fall away back to obedience to the will of YAH.
What a person REPENTS from is rebellion against YAH. Unbelief is rebellion, and all sins are rebellion against YAH. A believer is one who is no longer living consciously and willingly in rebellion against YAH. They may still rebell and have some sin in their lives, but that is normal. The Bible teaches us that anyone that thinks they don’t sin is a liar and the truth is not in them. But when YAH looks at the believer he sees Yahshua in them, and he is our righteousness before YAH.
No one gets saved and goes to Heaven by being good enough and no one who has repented and received the spirit of YAH and His Son will be snatched out of Yahshua’s hands. He said: I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Wow a gift is a gift. He paid the price once. That simple. Christ did it. we go to the throne of grace not works or judgement. I pray that you do not burden upurself down to think whether your good or fathfull enough for the kingdom. You are once you confess jesus as lord and believed god raised him from the dead. You now a partaker with incorruptible seed. Jesus also took part the same. He calls us brothers. We have the dad. See ya in the Kingdom
Greg, Does the gift negate your freewill choice to turn from God and reject him at a later point? Every point you raised in your comment was throughly examined in our paper and shown to be falacious. I would highly recommend that you re-read the section in 1 Peter 1:23 that you refered to when you mentioned the “incorruptible seed.” It is clear in the context that the “Word” is the incorruptible seed which is what we have been born again”by” or “through,” not the new birth. And while we may disagree that a person can accept of reject the “gift of salvation” after they have recveived it, I am sure we agree that a person must remain faithful (allegiant) to the King. Stay allegiant, and I have no doubt I will see you in the Kingdom.
Hey Sean, hey Dan,
I agree with you both because of the fact that those who don’t remain in Jesus will be thrown like a branch into the fire (John 15) and that we Gentile Christians can be grafted in where Christian Jews had fallen (though they can be grafted back in if they don’t continue in their unbelief) according to Romans 11.
My question is, because in Matthew Chapter 13 the parable of the hidden treasure follows the parable of the sower, (and also the parable of the good and bad seed and the one about the kingdom like a mustard seed), is that also saying that we should guard our seed, that is, the Word of God in us (Luke 8:11), so that it is protected? To sell everything we have, to protect and hide the key to salvation Mark 1:15 from having the effects of the bad seed from the Adversary, rocky places, and thorns? But it also says that (Matthew 13:23) “the one who was sown on the good ground, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit, and yields, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” It reminds me of Jesus Christ’s explanation of us being attached to the vine and bearing fruit! To me this makes sense that we protect our seed, that is, the Word of God in us, so that our journey with the Word of God is dug into good ground and that we can remain in union or fellowship with Jesus Christ and bear fruit.
I am grateful for this interview guys! But also is there any group of artists that you know of that make biblically sound music? I am trying not only to protect my ears, but to listen to Christian music that can help me in my walk following Jesus Christ to give glory to the Father.
Thanks! 🙂
The Word is God all encompassing: The Word – God’s promise. The Word – every name of God and name of Jesus with His different characteristics. The Word – Sword of the Holy Spirit. The Word made flesh – Jesus. The Word – I Am. I know I am saved. I continued in sin for a longer season than should be accepted. It broke my heart when I sobered up and saw the Light. I want to help people not to get caught up in sin. The consequences of continued sin is what Jesus died for us to be free from. To sin and turn from sin takes intervention in the form of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit. I grieved the Holy Spirit. My heart was broken over it. I felt dead inside in my grief over the too long continued sin I was then reading about in Hebrews 6 and in Hebrews 10. I was not able to lie to myself anymore. I knew right from wrong better. I was back to my senses that I gained when saved age 29. 20 years prior. I vowed to God never to mock Him as I did when I blatantly disregarded the Holy Spirit 3 times as He spoke to me very clearly. I even acknowledged Him in my head. I was aware of Him. Now, I hate the idea of myself continuing in deliberate sin while the Holy Spirit says flee. The Word is everything! That’s all. I just needed to say that publicly. The Word is everything. Also, I am grateful to God. He kept me when He did not have to. 🦋
I find it amazing, how that so many people want to debate and dispute the area of salvation. Is it eternal salvation or is it NOT? If what Jesus accomplished for us is a thing of assurity, who in their right mind would even consider that Jesus had done only a temporary and conditional job? You might ask, “am I saved right now, at this very moment, or is this something that I still must do to merit a future accomplishment?” Truely, your having accepted Jesus as your Lord should hold in it that you “WILL BE” spared from the wrath to come. So, in fact, you are NOT at all saved, YET. So why all this discussion? Can anyone know weather Jesus will allow you to escape the wrath of Yahweh? And, which of us wishes to call each of them liars, simply because they have their personal doubt? “Did God REALLY say?”… and, “it is written” are what you must choose from. When you made this decision, did you have conferred upon you that you were now no more than an appendage of the vine, a plant, to be plucked off just before your receiving the slated promise, or did you have a BIRTH into a family by God’s powerful act upon your rapidly perishing existence? A plant doesn’t cry out, “Father!, I love you!” — Instead of changing your family relationship to this eternal being, You should change your conditional arrangement with the institution that uses fear and wondering on you to keep you in their pew! God set you free to love Him, but doctrines of men only bind and keep you from that freedom in Christ. And, if you can’t abide freedom in Christ, you can go your putrid own way, and you’ll still be saved to see Jesus, but it’s doubtful there will be much joy for you in the Eternal Kingdom, having resisted him in this current evil world.
If a believer in Jesus for salvation told me right before I was going to accept Him as my Savior that I could lose this PROMISE, I would have to think: Why do I want to be “born again” if I can be pulled out of this PROMISE for something I do wrong down the line?! It’s expected that I continue forward but if I “slide back” in some sin, He never leaves me even if I leave Him!!!! Many verses say that. Ask for discernment on the matter, please.