Perseverance of the saints, sometimes called preservation of the saints, is a Calvinist doctrine that asserts that the elect will persevere in faith and ultimately attain salvation. This concept was first developed by Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th century, based on the idea of predestination by predeterminism. In the 16th century, John Calvin and other reformers incorporated this idea into their theological framework. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is rooted in this specific understanding of predestination and remains a central tenet of Reformed theology today.
Definition and terminology Definition The doctrine of perseverance of the saints asserts that the elect will persevere in faith until the end of their lives and ultimately achieve salvation. Those who are truly born again are the elect who will persevere to the end.
Terminology The alternative term "preservation of the saints" emphasizes God's role in determining the elect's perseverance. Conversely, "perseverance of the saints" highlights the human act of perseverance, which is a consequence of God's preservation. However, "preservation of the saints" is a broader concept that can describe how God preserves the elect, whether deterministically or not. The non-deterministic view, known as "conditional preservation," refers to God protecting the believer’s relationship with Him from external forces, contingent upon the believer’s continued faith.
Because one practical interpretation of the Calvinist doctrine of "perseverance of the saints" leads to "eternal security", over time, the term became synonymous with the doctrine itself. By the early 20th century, "eternal security" was used as a strict synonym for "perseverance of the saints". However, given the theological significance of the term "eternal security" in common usage, it's important to distinguish them. Indeed, some Calvinist theologians reject the use of "eternal security" for their doctrine of perseverance, as do proponents of non-Calvinist forms of eternal security.
History Augustine's doctrine of perseverance
Before his conversion to Christianity in 387, Augustine of Hippo (354–430), adhered to three deterministic philosophies: Stoicism, Neoplatonism and Manichaeism. After his conversion, he taught traditional Christian theology against forms of theological determinism until 412.
During his conflict with the Pelagians, however Augustine seemed to reintroduce certain Manichean principles into his thought, a shift notably influenced by the controversy over infant baptism. His early exposure to Stoicism, with its emphasis on meticulous divine predeterminism, also shaped his views. According to Manichean doctrine, unborn and unbaptized infants were condemned to hell due to their physical bodies. Augustine asserted that God predetermined parents to seek baptism for their newborns, linking water baptism to regeneration, and ultimately predetermining which infants are damned and which are justified.
Augustine had to explain why some baptized individuals continued in the faith while others fell away and lived immoral lives. He taught that among those regenerated through baptism, some receive an additional gift of perseverance () enabling them to maintain their faith and preventing them from falling away. Without this second gift, a baptized Christian with the Holy Spirit would not persevere and ultimately would not be saved. Augustine developed this doctrine of perseverance in (). While this doctrine theoretically gives security to the elect who receive the gift of perseverance, individuals cannot ascertain whether they have received it.
Proponents of Augustinian soteriology before the Reformation Between the 5th century and the Reformation in the 16th century, theologians who upheld Augustinian soteriology, included: Gottschalk (c. 808–868), Ratramnus (died 868), Thomas Bradwardine (1300–1349), Gregory of Rimini (1300–1358), John Wycliffe (1320s – 1384), Johann Ruchrat von Wesel (died 1481), Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498) and Johannes von Staupitz (1460–1524).
Development of the Calvinist doctrine of perseverance
John Calvin (1509–1564) among other Reformers, was deeply influenced by Augustinian soteriology. The soteriology of Calvin was further shaped and systematized by Theodore Beza and other theologians. It was then articulated during the Second Synod of Dort (1618–1619) in response to the opposing Five Articles of Remonstrance. The Calvinist doctrine of perseverance is present in Reformed confessions of faith such as the Lambeth Articles (1595), the Canons of Dort (16181619) and the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646).
Doctrine
A consequence of the Calvinist doctrine of predestination Orthodox forms of Calvinism view God's providence as expressed through theological determinism. This means that every event in the world is determined by God. As the Westminster Confession of Faith put it: "God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatever comes to pass."
Concerning salvation, Calvin expressly taught that it is God's sovereign decision to determine whether an individual is saved or damned. He writes "By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death." Indeed, human actions leading to this end are also predetermined by God. In accordance, Calvin held to the doctrine of perseverance of the saints, contending for the unconditional preservation of the elect.
Practical interpretations of the doctrine of perseverance of the saints Practical interpretation rejecting an absolute assurance of salvation According to Calvinism, apostasy is not possible for those who are true Christians. However, being a true Christian is only demonstrated by perseverance to the end. This arises because there are instances where individuals appear to come to God but later display definitive apostasy. To address this phenomenon, Calvinist theologians have postulated that common grace might include effects that cannot be distinguished from effectual calling and subsequent irresistible grace. About that issue, Calvin formulated the concept of a temporary grace (sometimes called "evanescent grace") that appears and works for only a while in the reprobate but then to disappears. According to this concept, the Holy Spirit can create in some people effects which are indistinguishable from those of the irresistible grace of God, producing also a visible "fruit" in their life. Temporary grace was also supported by later Calvinist theologians such as Theodore Beza, William Perkins, John Owen, A. W. Pink and Loraine Boettner. This suggests that the knowledge of being a true Christian is theoretically not accessible during life. Thus a first interpretation of the doctrine of perseverance of the saints acknowledges explanations of apparent apostasy like "evanescent grace," which avoids offering to the believer absolute assurance of salvation during life. Several Reformed theologians have expressed a non-absolute assurance of salvation view.
Practical interpretation supporting an absolute assurance of salvation
Calvin heavily drew upon Augustinian soteriology. However, both Augustine and Luther, an Augustinian friar, held that believers, based on their own understanding, cannot definitively know if they are among the "elect to perseverance." Despite Calvin's inability to offer a clear rationale, he was more optimistic than Luther regarding this possibility. Calvin suggested that some assurance of being an elect might be possible. This possibility of assurance, based on personal introspection, was also expressed by later Calvinist theologians. It was mentioned in the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646). In the 18th century, Hyper-Calvinism encouraged introspection as a means for adherents to determine their election. The concept persisted into the 19th century. This assurance forms the foundation of unconditional eternal security within Calvinist circles.
The process leading to eternal security unfolds as follows: Initially, the believer must embrace the Calvinist system, emphasizing unconditional election and irresistible grace. Subsequently, through self-examination, they must discern the spiritual influence of the Holy Spirit. This introspection may lead to a faith in their own predetermined election. In this context, the concept of the perseverance of the saints may prompt the believer to believe in their irresistible perseverance.
Because this practical interpretation of the doctrine of "perseverance of the saints" leads to "eternal security", within Reformed Christianity, the term has become synonymous with the doctrine itself over time. By the early 20th century, "eternal security" was used as a strict synonym for "perseverance of the saints". However, in broader Protestantism, "eternal security" often carries a distinct meaning. It's then important to differentiate the two due to their respective theological significance.
Groups such as the Primitive Baptists, originating in Georgia in the early 20th century, officially embraced this form of eternal security due to their strong Calvinist beliefs.
Historical acknowledgment of the interpretations In Calvinist circles two practical interpretations emerge regarding "perseverance of the saints": One interpretation accepts explanations of apparent apostasy such as "evanescent grace," which does not offer believers absolute assurance of salvation during life. The other interpretation rejects these explanations, asserting that believers, through introspection, can know with absolute certainty that they are elect, thus allowing belief in eternal security. These two perspectives were already observed in the 16th century. Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609), a pastor of the Reformed Church, encountered both perspectives stemming from the doctrine of perseverance of the saints. He labeled the first perspective "despair" () and the second "security" (). This "eternal security" interpretation of perseverance of the saints was also explicitly condemned by the Council of Trent (1545-1563).
Objections Perseverance of the saints hinders assurance of salvation The doctrine of perseverance of the saints can suggest that a believer have some assurance of final salvation. However, this interpretation faces criticism for its perceived inconsistency. In orthodox Calvinism, while the elect will persevere to the end, believers cannot know they are elect until they persevere to the end. This reality, regardless of explanations for definitive apostasy, undermines the practical utility of "perseverance of the saints," hindering assurance of salvation. This critique has been advanced by various non-Calvinist sources, including proponents of free grace theology, and advocates of conditional preservation of the saints, such as Arminians.
Inconsistencies in explaining definitive apostasy Within the perseverance of the saints framework, the phenomenon of definitive apostasy is generally explained by Calvinist theologians by the "evanescent grace" concept. This concept implies that the Holy Spirit voluntarily gives temporary faith and related "fruits". Non-Calvinist Christians find this explanation contrary to the revealed character of God and inconsistent with the overall revelation.
The eternal security interpretation introduces a tension in the subject of faith