Let's take a look at the pillars of O.S.A.S teaching......

Romans 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let's look at the Romans passages first........

Now Romans 8:1 is commonly quoted as a text for once-saved, always-saved. Almost always, you will hear the first part of the phrase referenced. Of course this is a wonderful promise, if taken in its entirety and not broken up. Notice there is no condemnation to the one who "walks NOT after the flesh, but after the Spirit". If that is true, then the opposite must also be true for those who DO walk after the flesh. The whole chapter 8 is devoted to living a life led by the Spirit and not the flesh. In between the two above passages I quoted are some other strong verses about living after the flesh and Spirit accordingly.

Romans . 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace

Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 8:13 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. 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God

To merely build a theology on part one of verse one of chapter 8, is to not rightly divide the Word of Truth. The whole chapter is devoted to the wonderful promise of peace to the one who DOES NOT walk after the flesh, but is led after the Spirit!

Now let's examine the other passage in Romans Chapter 8..........

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The first thing that should jump out at us, is that these are all external things mentioned. True, no OUTSIDE force can separate us from the love of God. But that does not negate our free will.

Notably absent from verse 35 are the words iniquity and sin. The psalmist said "if I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me". It is written in "Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear"

The passage also speaks about the love of God. The scriptures are very clear, that even the unsaved are loved by God. That in itself, is no promise that they will endure until the end. For example:

Psalm 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PASSAGE:

Mark 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 10:22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Note especially in verse 21 that Jesus LOVED him, and YET we have no evidence that the man ever repented of his sin.

NOW LET'S LOOK AT JOHN

JOHN 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand

It would only be fair to present both sides of the argument, so that's why we've included these passages in the article. So let's look at the common intrepretation of this verse by o.s.a.s teachers.

They would put special emphasis on the phrase "no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand". Let's talk about that. We at Liberty Community Church are in complete agreement with this truth. No MAN (or external force as in Romans 8) can take you from the hand of GOD. But note that it does not say that a man can't get up and leave of his own free will. Remember the prodigal son. Both brothers were with the father, and yet when the prodigal decided to leave, the Father didn't make him stay. Yes, He was waiting with open arms to receive him again, but the point is HE (the prodigal) WAS ABLE TO WALK AWAY!

Many o.s.a.s teachers also emphasize the phrase "I give unto them eternal life" as a proof text for o.s.a.s. The reasoning behind this is that the word "eternal" used there would indicate it is done forever. But they neglect the preceding verse 27 which says His sheep "FOLLOW HIM". So one can safely assume that if they don't follow HIM, they are not present possessors of eternal life. It is important to remember the words of John:15 where it shows that JESUS is the one who IS ETERNAL LIFE, and only those who "abide" in him are able to possess eternal life. Take a look....

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing

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