Apostasy, Falling Away
(Once Saved Always Saved is a False Doctrine)
Bible study on apostasy: falling away, "once saved always saved."

1 Cor. 10:12

Christians must take heed lest they fall.

Christians must take care that they do not fall away from the living God (cf. Heb. 3:12; 6:4-8; 10:26-39; 11:15-16; 12:15). They must obey and work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12).

Christians can stray from the truth (Jas. 5:19).

Some Christians in the first century had already strayed from the faith (1 Tim. 6:21).

Christians who stray from the truth are sinners (Jas. 5:19). If they turn back to God, they are saved from death (Jas. 5:19-20).

Not only can a Christian fall away, but he can cause a brother to stumble (Rom. 14:13, 21).

Christians can come short of the grace of God.

Esau is an example of one who came short of God's grace, when he sold his birthright for a single meal (Heb. 12:16).

If we come short of God's grace and we're lost in hell for eternity, we will not be able to repent and be restored to God (Heb. 12:17).

2 Th. 2:1-3

The resurrection will not come until after the falling away.

The falling away (i.e., the apostasy) was at work in the First Century (2 Th. 2:7; cf. 2 Tim. 2:18).

Some people turned aside after Satan (i.e., fell away) during the First Century (1 Tim. 5:15; 6:21).

The apostle Paul knew that he could be lost after having been saved (1 Cor. 9:27; Phil. 3:12-14).

Gal. 5:4; Heb. 12:15

Christians can fall from grace.

Christians who have been hindered from obeying the truth have fallen from grace (Gal. 5:4, 7).

A believer (Christian) falls away by not holding fast his confidence and the boast of his hope until the end (Heb. 3:6). He has an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God (Heb. 3:12). He is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:8, 13, 15).

Christians who do not endure but throw away their confidence will not receive the promise (Heb. 10:35-39).

The branches in Jesus that do not bear fruit are taken away, cast into the fire, and burned (Jn. 15:1-6). They do not keep Jesus' commandments (Jn. 15:10).

1 Tim. 4:1-3

Some people will depart from the faith in the later times; giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods (cf. Col. 2:16-23; 1 Tim. 6:21; Jas. 5:19-20).

Some Christians wander away from the faith because they love money (1 Tim. 6:9-10).

2 Tim. 3:1-9

Perilous times will come in the last days. Men will have a form of godliness but deny its power. We must turn away from them.

Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse; therefore, the falling away will grow worse and worse (2 Tim. 3:13).

False prophets and false teachers lead some Christians away form God by exploiting them with deceptive words (2 Pet. 2:1-22; cf. Eph. 20:28-30).

The people who are untaught and unstable twist the Scriptures to their destruction (2 Pet. 3:16).

1 Tim. 4:6-10

Christians must be nourished in the words of faith the sound doctrine. They must reject false doctrines exercising themselves to godliness to avoid departing from the faith.

Christians must take care that they are not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin having an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God (Heb. 3:6-15).

If a brother strays from the truth, the one who turns him back will save his brother's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins (Jas. 5:19-20).

2 Tim. 3:10-11

Christians must be careful to follow the apostles' doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, and afflictions.

2 Tim. 3:16-17

Christians must carefully follow the Scriptures.

Christians must be diligent to enter heaven, lest they fall away (Heb. 4:11).

Christians must be diligent, lest they fall short of God's grace (Heb. 12:15). Christians must be diligent to make their calling and election sure (2 Pet. 1:10). Christians must be careful not to fall from their own steadfastness being led away with the error of the wicked (2 Pet. 3:17-18).

Christians must exercise their senses to discern good and evil by becoming skilled in the word of righteousness (Heb. 5:12-14).

Heb. 6:4-6

If Christians fall away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God.

Heb. 10:26-31

When Christians sin willfully, they trample the Son of God under foot, count the blood of the covenant by which they had been sanctified a common thing, and insult the Spirit of grace.

Christians can throw away their confidence (Heb. 10:35).

Christians can shrink back to destruction (Heb. 10:39).

Also, see GRACE. Christians can fall from grace.