R.C. Sproul on Perseverance & eternal security
No — the genuinely saved will certainly persevere
"Those who are genuinely converted will not lose their salvation, because we believe that if you have it you never lose it. And if you lose it, you never had it. As John said, those who went out from us were never really among us." — "Perseverance of the Saints: Foundations
THE POSITION
The genuinely converted cannot lose their salvation: "if you have it you never lose it, and if you lose it, you never had it." Prefers the term "preservation" to "perseverance," locating the guarantee in God's action rather than the believer's effort or felt dedication. Reads Hebrews 6:4-6 as a hypothetical, ad hominem warning tied to the Judaizer controversy, not a real case of a regenerate person losing salvation.
19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.
15 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Founder of Ligonier Ministries and teaching elder in the PCA. Chaired the drafting committee for the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy; best known for The Holiness of God and for popularizing Reformed theology — the five solas and TULIP — for a lay audience.
Cite this page
"R.C. Sproul on Perseverance & eternal security", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/sproul/perseverance (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/sproul/perseverance).