John Chrysostom on Perseverance & eternal security
Yes — real apostasy is possible
no one shall be able to take this power from us, unless we are the first to deprive ourselves of it.
THE POSITION
Sonship is given at baptism and can be thrown away, and only its holder can throw it away. He preaches at length against the baptized who go "back after our baptism to the oldness we before had," and warns hearers that with a promise of rest still open some of them may yet come short of it. He balances the warning with hope — as long as it is "To-day," no one should despair — but he never suggests the fall is impossible.
12 But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
4 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Archbishop of Constantinople and the most prolific preacher of the patristic era — the largest surviving body of Greek expository preaching is his. This entry rests on the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers translations of his homilies on Romans, 1 Corinthians, John, Hebrews and 2 Thessalonians, together with the Instructions to Catechumens.
Cite this page
"John Chrysostom on Perseverance & eternal security", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/chrysostom/perseverance (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/chrysostom/perseverance).