Are Those Who Are Once Saved, Always Saved? by Scott Mixon

Many sincere religious people believe that once a person has been redeemed by Christ, it is impossible to sin, fall from God’s grace and be lost. However, the Bible does not teach that a believer has total security. The Bible prophesied some would sin and fall away in 1 Timothy 4:1. In fact, there are numerous Bible passages that refute the theory of "once saved, always saved."

God is consistent and emphatic about His expectations and the consequences of not remaining faithful. In Ezekiel 18:24 we read, "But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds, which he has done, will not be remembered for his treachery, which he has committed, and his sin, which he has committed; for them he will die."

In Hebrews 3:12-14, brethren are exhorted to guard against departing the living God with a heart of unbelief. In verses 15-19, the Hebrew writer continues to emphasize the seriousness of the warning by using the Israelites, who perished in the wilderness because of their unbelief, as an example. As stated in Hebrews 4:1 and 11, we too can have the promise and then fall short of it. Satan is looking to devour the Christian who has become over confident, I Peter 5:8. II John 1: 8-9 tells us, "watch yourselves that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward."

The Bible provides many examples of Christians who fell from grace. In Act 8:5-24, we read of Simon who practiced sorcery in Samaria. In verse 13, Simon believed and was baptized.

Simon wanted to purchase the gift of imparting Holy Spirit in verses 18-20. Paul rebuked Simon for his sin and described him, in verse 23, as being in the "gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity." We can conclude from verse 23 that he was then in a lost condition.

Another example is that of Ananias and Sapphira. In Acts 4:32, we read, "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul." Ananias and Sapphira were members of the congregation. Acts 5:1-11 describes how Ananias and Sapphira lied to God about the sale of their property and God struck both of them dead for their sin.

Other examples of Christians who fell from Grace include Hymenaeous and Alexander. Paul describes Hymenaeous and Alexander, in I Timothy 1:19-20, as shipwrecked in their faith and he delivered them to Satan for their blasphemy.

Supporters of "once saved always saved" have responded to examples like that of Simon the sorcerer and others with the position that, if they fall away, they weren't saved in the first place. However, Jesus illustrated that it is possible for one to believe temporarily in the parable of the sewer, Luke 8:11-15. Hebrews 6:4 and II Peter 2:20-22 also confirm that Christians, by there own choice, can fall back into a sinful life style and be lost. Jesus said in Luke 9:62, "No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

God loves us very much. In Romans 8:35-39, we read that nothing can separate us from that love. However, Romans 8:35-39 does not teach that we can never be separated from salvation in Christ by our own actions. Not providing for your family in I Timothy 5:8, the love of money in I Timothy 6:10 and false teaching in II Peter 2:1; 3:17 are all examples of how our actions can separate us from Christ.

In Romans 7: 14-25, Paul wrote of the struggle between good and evil within himself. "I find then the principle of evil is present within me, the one who wishes to do good." For this reason, Paul wrote, in I Corinthians 9:27, that he "buffeted his body lest he become disqualified." He wrote in I Corinthians 10:12 to "take head lest ye fall". In Galatians 5:4, Paul told brethren "You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." If "once saved always saved" were true, there would have been no need for Paul to write two thirds of the New Testament warning Christians about the consequences of sin.

Our Salvation in Christ is not based on one action but the consistent attitudes and actions of our new life. Saving faith is one faith that follows God’s word and brings forth fruit, Luke 8:15. "If we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remained no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries," Hebrews 10:26-27.

Instrumental Music in Worship: Final Notes bu Jeff Himmel

In three past articles we've studied the issue of instrumental music in worship through the writings of historians and religious leaders from the third century through modern times. To summarize: Early Christians sang in worship because that alone is what Christ authorized them to do. They recognized instrumental music as a relic of the Mosaic system. There was no recorded use of it until the 7th century-and no widespread acceptance of it until the 13th. When the Reformation came, most of those who left Catholicism abandoned the practice as unscriptural. Musical instruments were not used in most Protestant denominations until the early 1800s.

Everything's different now. The majority of modern "Christian" religious groups use musical instruments in worship-anything from a simple piano to a full orchestra. Many people mistakenly think it's a long-established practice in Christianity. It would never occur to them to question it. So when folks like me object to it, they think we're - well, sort of weird.

Frankly, whether or not people have been using musical instruments in worship for very long is not what's important. Nor is it whether or not Luther, Calvin, or any other scholar supported their use. Nor is it how disciples in the second or third century viewed them. These things are enlightening, but they are only the words and deeds of uninspired men and are a sandy foundation on which to build (Matthew 7:24-27). They only reflect the real issue at hand: Has Christ authorized His disciples to use instrumental music in praising Him?

To answer the question, many go to the pages of the Old Testament, where Miriam and the women of Israel praised God "with timbrels and with dances" after the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 15:20), and where the psalmist wrote of praising God with trumpets, lutes, harps, timbrels, dances, stringed instruments, flutes, and cymbals (Psalm 150). But Christ came to fulfill that old covenant (Matthew 5:17-18), and he died to replace it (Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 9:15; 10:9). The Old Testament is no longer binding; it is not our standard of authority. The New Testament is what will judge us (John 12:48). And it says not one word of playing instruments in worship.

". . . be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:18-19).

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms" (James 5:13).

"What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding" (1 Corinthians 14:15).

New Testament passages about singing discuss just that: singing. No references to instruments are made. Some think the word "psalm" includes instruments. But if instruments are necessarily implied in the word, then God is telling us that we must use them at least part of the time. I have yet to hear anyone affirm that. "Psalm" does not imply musical instruments, nor does "making melody" (the verb form of "psalm") in Ephesians 5:19. Paul says there that it is the heart with which melody is made. The spirit and the voice are the only instruments implied.

When all is said and done, it is a question of Divine authority. Worship is devotion to God. Its purpose is to honor and please Him. What appeals to our tastes or gives us pleasure is not the issue. Had God merely said, "make music," we would be free to make whatever kind we like (and I'd probably be in the band). But He has told us to sing, and that is the only thing we can do with full assurance of His approval. To add musical instruments, however we might enjoy them, is to "exceed what is written" (1 Corinthians 4:6); it "goes to far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ" (2 John 9). It is a dangerous assumption that puts souls at risk. Let's be content instead to do what God commands and "worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

Instrumental Music in Worship: More Voices by Jeff Himmel

In two past articles we've reviewed statements of both historians and early religious writers concerning music in worship. Both attest that singing was the only kind of music in Christian worship for centuries. The Roman Catholic church began adopting musical instruments during the Middle Ages, but that hardly closed the debate on their use. The Greek church in the East continued to reject them; and even as late as the sixteenth century there was enough protest within the Roman church that the Council of Trent (1545) came very close to abolishing their use (Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia, II, 1702).

The sixteenth century also saw the dawn of the Protestant Reformation, and with it a renewed vigor of opposition to instrumental music as unscriptural. That opposition continued in many denominations for several hundred years. Consider the words of a few major figures from the Reformation era and the denominational religious world. Some of them may surprise you.

Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536), Dutch scholar: "We have brought into our churches a certain operose and theatrical music; such a confused, disorderly chattering of some words, as I hardly think was ever heard in any of the Grecian or Roman theatres. The church rings with the noise of trumpets, pipes and dulcimers; and human voices strive to bear their part with them . . . Men run to church as to a theatre, to have their ears tickled" (Comments on 1 Corinthians 14:19).

Martin Luther (1483-1546), reformer and founder of what is now the Lutheran Church: "The organ in the worship is the insignia of Baal" (Mcclintock & Strong's Encyclopedia, VI, 762).

John Calvin (1509-1564), another reformer, founder of modern Prebyterianism: "Musical instruments in celebrating the praises of God would be no more suitable than the burning of incense, the lighting up of lamps, and the restoration of the other shadows of the [Mosaic] law . . . Men who are fond of outward pomp may delight in that noise; but the simplicity which God recommends to us . . . is far more pleasing to Him" (Comments on Psalm 23).

John Wesley (1703-1791), an Episcopal and a founder of Methodism: "I have no objection to the instruments in our chapels, provided they are neither heard nor seen" (Quoted by Adam Clark).

Adam Clark (1762-1832), Methodist commentator: "I am an old man, and an old minister; and I here declare that I never knew them [musical instruments] productive of any good in the worship of God; and have had reason to believe that they were productive of much evil. Music, as a science, I esteem and admire: but instruments of music in the house of God I abominate and abhor. This is the abuse of music; and here I register my protest against all such corruptions in the worship of the Author of Christianity" (Commentary, IV, 686, on Amos 6:5).

Charles Spurgeon, renowned nineteenth century Baptist preacher: "We do not need them [musical instruments]. They would hinder rather than help our praise. Sing unto Him. This is the sweetest and best music. No instrument like the human voice. . . . What a degradation to supplant the intelligent song of the whole congregation by the theatrical prettiness of a quartet, the refined niceties of a choir, or the blowing off of wind from inanimate bellows and pipes! We might as well pray by machinery as praise by it" (Comments on Psalm 42:4).

Andrew Fuller, another Baptist scholar of the 1800s: "The history of the church during the first three centuries affords many instances of primitive Christians engaging in singing, but no mention (that I recollect) is made of instruments. (If my memory does not deceive me) it originated in the dark ages of popery, when almost every other superstition was introduced. At present, it is most used where the least regard is paid to primitive simplicity" (Complete Works, III, 520).

Questions on the Confession of Faith and Form of Government of The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (1842): "Question 6. Is there any authority for instrumental music in the worship of God under the present dispensation? Answer. Not the least, only the singing of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs was appointed by the apostles; not a syllable is said in the New Testament in favor of instrumental music nor was it ever introduced into the Church until after the eighth century, after the Catholics had corrupted the simplicity of the gospel by their carnal inventions. It was not allowed in the Synagogues, the parish churches of the Jews, but was confined to the Temple service and was abolished with the rites of that dispensation" (55).

Why is all of this important?

All these quotes represent a very definite view on music in worship: in the New Testament age, instrumental music is without God's approval. I wonder what these men would think if they could see what their modern counterparts are up to. Today the vast majority of Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist, and Baptist churches (and any number of others) use instrumental music. Why has their belief and practice changed so much in just the last couple of centuries? Is it due to some new revelation from Heaven? If not, then what has caused it?

Next time: the rest of the story

Instrumental Music in Worship: Voices from the Past by Jeff Himmel

Last week we took a look at what history books say about instrumental music in Christian worship. Their testimony is summed up by Anglican writer Joseph Bingham: "Music in churches is as ancient as the apostles, but instrumental music not so" (Works, III, 137).

Singing was the only form of music in worship for hundreds of years after the time of Jesus and His apostles. Not only do historians confirm it, but also early Christian writers. Here’s what some ancient disciples had to say.

Justin Martyr (A.D. 139): "The use of [instrumental] music was not received in the Christian churches, as it was among the Jew, in their infant state, but only the use of plain song. . . . Simply singing is not agreeable to children [the aforementioned Jews], but singing with lifeless instruments and with dancing and clapping is. On this account the use of this kind of instruments and of others agreeable to children is removed from the songs of the churches, and there is left remaining simply singing."

Tertullian (c. A.D. 200): "Musical concerts with viol and lute belong to Apollo, to the Muses, to Minerva and Mercury who invented them; ye who are Christians, hate and abhor these things whose very authors themselves must be the object of loathing and aversion."

Eusebius (A.D. 260-340): "Of old at the time those of the circumcision were worshiping with symbols and types it was not inappropriate to send up hymns to God with the psalterion and kithara . . . But we in an inward manner keep the part of the Jew, according to the saying of the apostle . . . [Romans 2:28f]. We render our hymns with a living psalterion and a living kithara, with spiritual songs. The unison voices of Christians would be more acceptable to God than any musical instrument" (Comments on Psalm 92:2-3).

Chrysostom (A.D. 345-407): "Just as the Jews are commanded to praise God with all musical instruments so we are commanded to praise him with all our members — the eye, the tongue, ear, the hand. These instruments were then allowed because of the weakness of the people, to train them to love and harmony" (Comments on Psalm 150).

Some Roman Catholic churches began using instrumental music (usually an organ) during the Middle Ages. But the practice was largely opposed as unscriptural and was slow to gain acceptance. Not until the 1200s could it be found in widespread use. And even then the Catholic scholar Thomas Aquinas wrote, "Our church does not use musical instruments, as harps and psalteries, to praise God withal, that she may not seem to Judaize" (Bingham’s Antiquities, III, 137).

All right, so why is all of this important?

"It is evident . . . that the post-apostolic churches did not worship with musical instruments because they recognized that the practice was part of an out-worn system that ended with the coming of Christ. For them, the use of such instruments was not an advance, but a step back in history" (Paul Earnhart in Christianity Magazine, 9/87, 10).

No, these men of old were not divinely inspired. But if they so clearly believed instrumental music to be unauthorized and inappropriate in New Testament worship, how is it that so many professing Christians today see no problem with it?

Next week we’ll hear the statements of leaders and scholars from the Protestant Reformation and beyond. Some of them may surprise you. Stay tuned!

Instrumental Music in Worship: The Voice of History by Jeff Himmel

The Spring Warrior Church of Christ doesn’t use musical instruments in worship to God; we just sing. To many folks in the religious world, that’s something new and unusual. But did you know that for centuries after Christ’s time, Christians just sang in their worship assemblies? It is playing instruments that is relatively "new." Don’t take my word for it; listen to the voice of historians.

Donald Grout in History of Western Music, a standard music history textbook: "Hymn singing is the earliest recorded musical activity of the Christian Church" (13).

Emil Nauman in The History of Music: "There can be no doubt that originally the music of the divine service was everywhere entirely of a vocal nature" (I, 177).

Paul Henry Lang in Music in Western Civilization: "The development of Western music was decisively influenced by the exclusion of musical instruments from the early Christian Church" (53-54).

The New Oxford History of Music: "The Christian community held the same view, as we know from the apostolic and post-apostolic literature: instrumental music was thought unfit for religious services; the Christian sources are quite outspoken in their condemnation of instrumental performances" ("The Music of Post-Biblical Judaism", I, 135).

Lars Qualben in A History of the Christian Church: "Singing formed an essential part of the Christian Worship, but it was in unison and without instrumental accompaniment" (112).

The Catholic Encyclopedia: "The first Christians were of too spiritual a fibre to substitute lifeless instruments for or use them to accompany the human voice. Clement of Alexandria severely condemns the use of instruments even at Christian banquets . . ." (X, 651). "For almost a thousand years, Gregorian chant without any instrumental or harmonic addition, was the only music used in connection with the liturgy" (X, 657).

The New Catholic Encyclopedia: "The rejection of all musical instruments for Christian worship is consistent among the Fathers [early Christian writers]. They were associated with pagan, orgiastic rites" ("History of Sacred Music", X, 106).

Voices and Instruments in Christian Worship, published by The Liturgical Press: "From the standpoint of ritual action, liturgical music can only be monodic and vocal. Throughout nearly ten centuries of its history, Christian worship was in principle, and nearly always in fact, celebrated una voce ["one voice"— unanimously] and a capella [without instrumental accompaniment, lit. "as the chapel"]. . . . The abundance and clearness of the texts in which the Fathers of the Church have discussed the questions can leave us in no doubt about the content and firmness of their teaching: musical instruments are to be excluded from the worship of the New Alliance" (142, 150).

The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia: "There is no record in the NT of the use of instruments in the music worship of the church. In this regard, early believers followed the practice of the Hebrew synagogue music" ("Music", 1163).

John Giradeau, professor at Columbia Theological Seminary (Presbyterian USA): "The church, although lapsing more and more into defection from the truth and into a corruption of apostolic practice, had no instrumental music for 1200 years . . . The Calvinistic Reformed Church ejected it from its services as an element of Popery [Roman Catholicism], even the Church of England having come very nigh to its extrusion from her worship. It is heresy in the sphere of worship . . . The historical argument, therefore, combines with the Scriptural and the Confessional to raise a solemn and powerful protest against its employment" (Instrumental Music, 179).

Why is all of this important?

God’s word. History in itself is no authority for religious practice, but these statements do indicate what Christians for centuries understood God’s instructions to be. The New Testament tells us to sing praises to Him (see Colossians 3:16). History shows that early Christians did just that — they sang. Instrumental music of any sort was not used in worship for several hundred years after New Testament times. Why? More importantly, why has it come to be so widely used now? What has changed — God’s will or man’s attitude toward it?

Next week we’ll look at what some early religious writers had to say about musical instruments in worship.