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This answer was taken from Jimmy Swaggart's book Straight Answers to Tough Questions.
Basically there are two schools of thought on the matter of security for the Believer. One is Calvinism and the other is Armenianism. Both are based on Scripture, but their conclusions diverge dramatically. Calvinism emphasizes the sovereignty of God and His Divine prerogative. Armenianism stresses man’s free will and responsibility.
The doctrine of unconditional eternal security accepts the Calvinistic perspective and states that once a person has been saved and accepts the atoning Blood of Jesus Christ, he can never be lost afterward no matter what he might do.
The Armenian view is that man has a free will and it is the free will of man which determines his condition. According to his free will, he determined to accept Christ when the Holy Spirit moved upon his heart. As well, free will coupled with the Grace of God maintains his position in Christ; however, if he so desires, God forbid, he can through his free will elect to cease believing what got him in, which is faith in Christ and what Christ did at the Cross. If that happens he will then revert from a saved condition to a lost condition.
Without question God is sovereign and this sovereignty allows Him full latitude in any area whatsoever. At the same time, though, God is always consistent. This means that God, although He has the power to do anything, will never abrogate His nature or His righteousness. We can therefore determine His predictable reaction by reviewing Scripture. Any doctrine demanding capricious or arbitrary action by God, contrary to other areas in the Word, can be assumed to be errant.
CAN A BELIEVER CEASE TO BELIEVE AND THEN BE LOST?
Yes, a Believer, if he so desires, can cease to believe in Christ and what Christ has done for us at the Cross. That done, and if they continue in that vein, they will be eternally lost. As stated, it is free will that gets one in. The Scripture says:
“And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. (This presents the cry of the Holy Spirit to a hurting, lost, and dying world. What the Holy Spirit says should also be said by all Believers.) And let him who hears say, Come. (It means if one can “hear,” then one can “come.”) And let him who is athirst come (speaks of spiritual thirst, the cry for God in the soul of man). And whosoever will, let him take the Water of Life freely (opens the door to every single individual in the world; Jesus died for all and, therefore, all can be Saved, if they will only come)” (Rev. 22:17).
As free will gets one in, free will can get one out and keep one out, if that is what the person so desires. Some claim that if a person is truly saved, then they won’t want out.
That most definitely is the case with me and millions of others; however, there are some unfortunately, who for whatever reason, elect to turn their back on Christ and what He did at the Cross. Never forget, the loss of Faith, is the loss of the soul.
BIBLICAL EXAMPLES
The Word of God records any number of personalities who were at one time in the Grace of God, but who subsequently fell from Grace. After their fall from Grace, these individuals were lost.
LUCIFER- Lucifer was once without sin and walked perfectly within the Grace of God. Read Ezekiel 28:12-19, where the fall from Grace of Lucifer is so poignantly described, and his ultimate end so graphically revealed.
ANGELS- Then, there are the uncounted millions of Angels created by God. Of these, one-third rebelled and chose to follow Lucifer in his insurrection against God. Every one of these became destined, at that moment, to join Lucifer ultimately in the fiery pit (Mat. 25:41).
ADAM AND EVE-Our first parents were created in God’s Grace and Favor (Gen. 1:26-31). And, what happened? They fell from Grace and lost the eternal residence they would have enjoyed if only they had obeyed God and walked in His Statutes. Adam was a son of God (Lk. 3:38) but he lost his son-ship, through transgression. No specific mention is made anywhere within the Word of God of Adam or Eve’s subsequent salvation from sin.
NADAB AND ABIHU- These two men, Nadab and Abihu, were sons of Aaron – God’s anointed, who served as the first High Priest of the Children of Israel after the captivity. Yet, as recounted in Leviticus 10:1-2, they disobeyed God. And, what was their instantaneous end? They were destroyed by fire from God.
KORAH, DATHAN, AND ABIRAM- These three, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebelled against God. Korah was a Levite, actually a Priest, an incense bearer before God in the worship services of the Israelites. And, what happened to him and his fellow rebels? They were cast into the pit and, consequently, eternally lost, because of their decision to turn away from God.
MANY TURNED AWAY FROM GRACE
Turning to the New Testament we find, in St. John 6:66, that many of the faithful – the very Disciples who worked personally with our Lord – turned away from His Grace and walked with Him no more. In Luke 8:13, the words of our Saviour Himself tells us that many, in times of temptation fall away after receiving the Word.
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA
Just the other day a radio Preacher stated that Ananias and Sapphira were saved, and even though they lost fellowship with God, they still went to Heaven upon their deaths. This Preacher was, as well, a proponent of the doctrine of unconditional eternal security.
To accept the concept that Ananias and Sapphira died saved, just doesn’t conform to God’s principles as laid out in the balance of His Word. It is stated unequivocally in Acts 5:3-4, and 9, that they lied to God and the Holy Spirit. And, what is the fate of liars according to God’s Word? In Revelation 21:8, we are told that liars are to be cast into the Lake of Fire. What happens to those cast into the Lake of Fire? Revelation 20:10 says they shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever. According to God’s Word, the fate of Ananias and Sapphira is quite different from that described by the radio Preacher.
HYMENAEUS AND ALEXANDER
In I Timothy 1:19-20, Paul refers in passing to Hymenaeus and Alexander. He states that they, though once being in the faith, have made their faith shipwreck by putting it away.
We are admonished in many places throughout the Bible to avoid the special wrath God has reserved for those who turn away after coming to know the Light. In the Old Testament (Ex. 32:33), the Lord said, “…whosoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of My Book.” In Deuteronomy 30:17-20, He said, “…But if your heart turn away…you shall surely perish…” In Ezekiel 3:20-21, we are told, “When a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity…he shall die in his sin…”
Jesus spoke (Mat. 5:13) of the salt which has lost its savor. What is it good for? Only to be cast out. In John 8:31, our Lord said, “If you continue in My Word you are My Disciples…” In Galatians 5:4, Paul accused some in the Churches of Galatia of having “fallen from Grace.” In I Timothy 4:1, he said “expressly…some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils.”
Peter said, “Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you shall never fall.” He also said (II Pet. 2:20-22), “If, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse…than the beginning.”
Those who do not overcome will have their names blotted out of the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5; Ex. 32:32-33; Ps. 69:28).
Believers can have eternal security if they claim it on God’s terms, not on the terms of man. Thankfully, the terms of our Lord are not hard at all. In fact, Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Mat. 11:30). Faith alone is required, but it must be Faith in the correct object, and that correct object is “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified” (I Cor. 1:23).
