The Tension Between the Promise and the Warning Passages

Published: April 1, 2009, 6:30 p.m.

The issue of eternal security is one of the most hotly debated topics in the history of Christian theology. Many believe that those who suffer from a lack of assurance promotes anxiety and a chronic uncertainty that leads to a preoccupation with oneself, one's fears, and one's failings. This lack of assurance leads to a paralyzed and feeble faith. At the other end of the spectrum, many believe that those who "know that they know that they know" they are saved with no threat of losing that salvation tend to live a life of moral laxity leading to a fatal spiritual apathy. Is it possible to avoid both extremes? There are two types of passages that the student of the Bible must strive to understand in order to come to an accurate position on this subject. First, there are passages that seem to clearly indicate a simple understanding of the absolute eternal security of the believer. However, the same individuals who spoke and recorded the divinely inspired promises also spoke and wrote divinely inspired statements that we call "warning passages." Perhaps there is a way to read both passages and allow both types of passage to stand without committing "exegetical death by a thousand qualifications."