📖 Biblical Definition
Eternal security, properly understood, is the doctrine that God preserves His elect unto final salvation. It rests not on human willpower but on God's sovereign faithfulness. Jesus declared, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). Paul affirms that "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). The ground of perseverance is not our grip on God but His grip on us. The golden chain of Romans 8:29-30 moves from foreknowledge to glorification with no link broken. Those who appear to fall away were never truly regenerate: "They went out from us, but they were not of us" (1 John 2:19).
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Webster 1828 does not contain a combined entry for "eternal security."
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Under PERSEVERANCE, Webster notes: "In theology, continuance in a state of grace to a state of glory." This reflects the Calvinist understanding that genuine saints persevere because God preserves them.
📖 Key Scripture
• John 10:27-29 — "My sheep hear my voice... I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
• Romans 8:29-30 — "Those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."
• Philippians 1:6 — "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
• 1 John 2:19 — "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us."
• Jude 1:24 — "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Eternal security has been distorted into a license for carnal living.
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The popular "once saved, always saved" slogan, as commonly understood, is a dangerous distortion of the biblical doctrine. Many treat it as a guarantee that a one-time prayer secures heaven regardless of subsequent life, belief, or obedience. This is not eternal security; it is presumption. The Reformed doctrine of perseverance teaches that the truly saved will persevere -- that is, they will continue in faith and repentance, not because of their own strength but because God sustains them. A person living in habitual, unrepentant rebellion against God has no biblical basis for assurance. Perseverance is the evidence of election, not a license to sin. "Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure" (1 John 3:3).
Usage
• "Eternal security does not mean you can pray a prayer at age twelve and live like the devil for fifty years -- it means God will not let His true children do that."
• "The perseverance of the saints is really the preservation by the Savior -- our security is in His faithfulness, not our performance."