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CAN SAINTS APOSTATIZE?

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 20, 1879

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 53, No. 8.

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CAN SAINTS APOSTATIZE?

By S. Osborn

ELD. S. OSBORN.
THE doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints, or the impossibility of apostatizing, as taught by Richard Beard, D. D., Professor of Systematic Theology in Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tenn., is based upon the fact that Christ is the Christian’s “Advocate and Intercessor.” “Lectures on Theology,” vol. ii., pp. 486, 488. He says:—
“As Christ loved the sinner so much as to suffer and die for him, he loves the Christian inconceivably more, and will not suffer him to be finally lost.”
Now while all Christians can agree with the first part of the proposition as above expressed, all cannot so readily agree with the conclusions and deductions drawn therefrom. For if Christ’s love for the Christian is so great that it will forbid the possibility of apostasy, why not forbid the possibility of backsliding or sinning at all? Certainly the backslidden state of the Christian is not so agreeable, nor sin committed by him so necessary to his spiritual growth, that Christ could allow it on this ground. Neither does the Saviour take any pleasure in sin at all. Then I ask again, Why does not the unbounded love of Christ forbid sin in any form in the Christian?
This seems to me to destroy at once the very idea of the final perseverance of the saints. It is replied, “This will destroy the free agency of man.” I answer, Would it not destroy free agency just as much to turn his will to keep him from a final fall, as to prevent him from sinning at all? It surely would.
To support the above proposition many texts are adduced. We will examine the leading ones.
Rom. 8: 32–35: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
This text is triumphantly quoted to sustain the foregoing theory. The first point they make is, that the love of Christ is so great that none of these things can separate his love from us; second, that none of these things can separate us from the love of God, etc. It is evident that if Christ’s love will not be separated from us, nor ours from him, we can never fall; but is this true in an unconditional sense? We can learn something on this from the connection. Notice the contrast Paul draws between the carnal and the spiritual mind. Verse 1 states that “there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.” Verse 4 states the same in substance. Verse 9 states the reason they are not in the flesh. It is because the Spirit of God dwells in them. Next he says, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
But it is asserted that the once truly converted man will always have Christ’s Spirit. Let Paul answer. Verse 13: “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Notice the condition. Read also 2 John 8, 9: “Look to yourselves that we lose not those things which we have gained [margin], but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”
It is still asserted that they will abide. Then we ask what sense there would be in the caution. It reminds me of the man who left his infant child in his house and bolted and barred every door, so that it was impossible for him to get out, and then, looking in through the crack of the door, said, Unless you stay in there you will be devoured.
The same contrast is kept up to verse 38, and then Paul says: “I am persuaded,” etc.; (that is, if we have the Spirit and walk in it) none of these things will “separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Verse 39. Thus all depends upon continual condition on our part.
John 10: 27–29: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
This text is considered incontrovertible. The main points in it are these: 1. Sheep (believers) hear the voice of the shepherd; 2. They follow him; 3. Thus following and being obedient to him, they will never perish nor destroy themselves; 4. No one shall pluck them out of the Father’s (or the shepherd’s) hands.” p. 496.
True, if every requirement thus named is complied with, they are safe. But this text proves too much for our friends; for it makes no allowance for backsliding (and they say the converted man can backslide); but if they continue to follow Christ as the text contemplates, then surely they are safe. Now let us consider this carefully in the light of other texts. John 1: 11: “He came unto his own [that is, his sheep], and his own received him not.” Here it is stated that the Jews were his own, but they would not receive him. Now if the Jew, being Christ’s, fails to receive him, and thereby suffers rejection, why not the Gentile too? They both have the same natures. The same idea is contained in Matt. 21: 43. They were his people sufficiently to have the kingdom, but on account of their lack of fruits they were rejected, and the kingdom was taken from them. Again, John 6: 66: “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” Notice the following: 1. They were Christ’s disciples, the same as sheep; 2. They walked with him for a time; but the idea of eating the flesh and blood of our Saviour, as taught in verses 53 and 54, was too much for them, and they finally apostatized; for it is said they “walked no more with him.” This seems to me to be conclusive on this point.
Job 17: 9: “The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.”
The claim here put forth is that if a man is once righteous, he will always remain so; and that if a man once has clean hands, they will never become dirty. How contrary this is to the daily experience of every one, we all very well know. But let Job himself decide this matter. Job 9: 30, 31: “If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch and mine own clothes shall abhor me.” This needs no comment. Again, Eze. 33: 18: “When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.” This shows that they can turn from their righteousness, and even die in that condition. The facts are, if the righteous continue to do their duty, they will hold on; but failing to do their duty, they will drift back so far as to die and be lost.
John 4: 13, 14: “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
The point in this is, that the water that Jesus gives will not be followed by thirst; but it is intended as a description of experimental religion. “It is a well—a fountain not affected by heat or drought, but springing up unto everlasting life.” p. 500.
We can agree with our author so far as the agency of Christ is concerned. But to make this text help his theory, he must show that once drinking is sufficient, and then that Christ does the rest. This is so contrary to facts and the faith of this people in other respects, that he will not attempt it.
It seems that in all the texts brought forward to support their theory, they overlook the fact that they only describe the agency of Heaven for the salvation of men; that is continual and unceasing. God is “not willing that any should perish.” 2 Pet. 3: 9. Hence Christ on his part withholds not a particle of the water of life from any one that will drink of it. Therefore these texts in the widest latitude of meaning only half prove the point.
Ps. 94: 14: “For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.”
This is like the rest. It is all on the part of God alone. Right here let us look at the agency of man in this matter. 2 Chron. 15: 2: “And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah, and Benjamin. The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” Again, 1 Chron. 28: 9: “And thou, Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy fathers, and serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind; for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.” This shows the other side. It is a testimony that the child of God may be finally lost.
(To be Continued.)