Q. The man who wants to be our new pastor was preaching on unity and said there is a lot of division because of eternal security and we ought not let it divide us. He said it’s okay to agree with churches who do not believe in eternal security. He said that people who believe in conditional security are probably closer to the Lord because they are afraid of losing their salvation. According to him, those of us who believe that once saved we’re eternally secure are more likely to take our salvation for granted and not be as close to the Lord. Personally, I don’t see how living in fear of not being saved makes one closer to the Lord.
A. The way for all churches to get along and be in unity is for everyone to agree to accept the Word of God as it’s written. I know Eternal Security is not a “salvation issue” but like you I think conditional security denies the sufficiency of the Lord’s death and resurrection. It contradicts several clear verses about our security in the Lord (Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 cor. 1:21-22 and others), adds human works to God’s grace, and ultimately makes us responsible for our own salvation.
Agreeing to disagree is one thing, but when we start watering down our beliefs in the name of unity, we’ve gone too far. Jesus didn’t say, “I am the way, the consensus, and the life.” He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).”
