Editing Perseverance of the saints (section)

==Doctrine==
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=== A consequence of the Calvinist doctrine of predestination ===
Orthodox forms of Calvinism view God's [[Divine providence|providence]] as expressed through [[theological determinism]].{{sfn|Helm|2010|p=230|ps=. "[I]t is reasonable to conclude that although Calvin does not avow determinism in so many words, he nevertheless adopts a broadly deterministic outlook."}}{{sfn|Helm|2010|p=268}}{{sfn|Clark|1961|pp=237-238|ps=. "God is the sole ultimate cause of everything. There is absolutely nothing independent of him. He alone is the eternal being. He alone is omnipotent. He alone is sovereign."}} This means that every event in the world is determined by God.{{sfn|Alexander|Johnson|2016|p=204|ps=. "It should be conceded at the outset, and without any embarrassment, that Calvinism is indeed committed to divine determinism: the view that everything is ultimately 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."{{sfn|Westminster Assembly|1946|loc=ch. 3}}

Concerning salvation, Calvin expressly taught that it is God's [[Sovereignty of God in Christianity|sovereign]] decision to determine whether an individual is saved or damned.{{sfn|Calvin|1845|loc=3.21.5}}{{sfn|Calvin|1845|loc=3.23.1|ps=. "Those therefore whom God passes by [does not elect] He reprobates, and that for no other cause than He is pleased to exclude them."}} 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."{{sfn|Calvin|1845|loc=3.21.7}} Indeed, human actions leading to this end are also [[Predeterminism|predetermined]] by God.{{sfn|Sproul|2011|p=37|ps=. "If God has decided our destinies from all eternity, that strongly suggests that our free choices are but charades, empty exercises in predetermined playacting. It is as though God wrote the script for us in concrete and we are merely carrying out his scenario."}} In accordance, Calvin held to the doctrine of perseverance of the saints, contending for the unconditional preservation of the elect.{{sfn|Davis|1991|p=217}}

===Practical interpretations of the doctrine of perseverance of the saints===
==== Practical interpretation rejecting an absolute assurance of salvation ====
According to Calvinism, [[Apostasy in Christianity|apostasy]] is not possible for those who are true [[Christians]].{{sfn|Pink|2001|pp=39, 47, 58}} However, being a true Christian is only demonstrated by perseverance to the end.{{sfn|Grudem|1994|loc={{zwnj}}|p=860|ps=. "[T]his doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, if rightly understood, should cause genuine worry, and even fear, in the hearts of any who are “backsliding” or straying away from Christ. Such persons must clearly be warned that only those who persevere to the end have been truly born again."}} 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, [[John Calvin|Calvin]] formulated the concept of a temporary [[Grace in Christianity|grace]] (sometimes called "evanescent grace") that appears and works for only a while in the [[reprobate]] but then to disappears.{{sfn|Calvin|1961|p=66|ps=. "[T]hose who appear to live piously may be called sons of God; but since they will eventually live impiously and die in that impiety, God does not call them sons in His foreknowledge. There are sons of God who do not yet appear so to us, but now do so to God; and there are those who, on account of some arrogated or temporal grace, are called so by us, but are not so to God."}}{{sfn|Calvin|1961|pp=151-152}}{{sfn|Calvin|1845|loc=3:24:8|ps=. "Sometimes, however, he communicates it also to those whom he enlightens only for a time, and whom afterwards, in just punishment for their ingratitude, he abandons and smites with greater blindness."}}{{sfn|Calvin|1963|p=76|ps=. "[...] I do not see that this is any reason why He should not touch the reprobate with a taste of His grace, or illumine their minds with some glimmerings of His light, or affect them with some sense of His goodness, or to some extent engrave His Word in their hearts. Otherwise where would be that passing faith which Marks mentions (4.17)? Therefore there is some knowledge in the reprobate, which later vanishes away either because it drives its roots less deep than it ought to, or because it is choked and withers away."}}{{sfn|Davis|1991|pp=217-218}} According to this concept, the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] can create in some people effects which are indistinguishable from those of the irresistible grace of God,{{sfn|Calvin|1845|loc=3:2:11|ps=. "Experience shows that the reprobate are sometimes affected in a way so similar to the elect that even in their own judgment there is no difference between them. [...] [T]he Lord, the better to convict them, and leave them without excuse, instills into their minds such a sense of goodness as can be felt without the Spirit of adoption [...] Therefore, as God regenerates the elect only for ever by incorruptible seed, [...] there is nothing to prevent an inferior operation of the Spirit from taking its course in the reprobate. [...] Thus we dispose of the objection, that if God truly displays his grace, it must endure for ever. There is nothing inconsistent in this with the fact of his enlightening some with a present sense of grace, which afterwards proves evanescent."}} producing also a visible "fruit" in their life.{{sfn|Calvin|1845|loc=3:2:11-12|pp=478-479|ps=. "[Some reprobates are] just as a tree not planted deep enough may take root, but in the process of time wither away, though it may for several years not only put forth leaves and flowers, but produce fruit."}} Temporary grace was also supported by later Calvinist theologians such as [[Theodore Beza]], [[William Perkins (theologian)|William Perkins]],{{sfn|Keathley|2010|p=170|ps=. "The doctrine of temporary faith, a notion first formulated by Calvin but later developed by Beza and William Perkins, further intensified the problem of assurance in Calvinist and Puritan theology. According to them, God gives to the reprobate, whom He never intended to save in the first place, a “taste” of his grace. Based on passages such as Matt 7:21–23; Heb 6:4–6, and the parable of the Sower, Beza and Perkins attribute this false, temporary faith to an ineffectual work of the Holy Spirit."}} [[John Owen (theologian)|John Owen]],{{sfn|Gribben|Tweeddale|2022|p=402|ps=. "[...] Owen readily admits that the Spirit occasionally induces a partial illumination of the gospel truth, which might produce some conviction of sin and reformation of behavior. [...] For whatever its superficial resemblance to genuine conversion, it nevertheless falls short of that reality and explains the phenomenon of an apparently temporary illumination famously described in Heb. 6.4."}} [[A. W. Pink]]{{sfn|Pink|2009|pp=18-19|ps=. "Scripture also teaches that people may possess a faith which is one of the Holy Spirit, and yet which is a ''non-saving one''. This faith which we now allude to has two ingredients which neither education nor self-effort can produce: spiritual light and a Divine power moving the mind to assent. Now a man may have both illumination and inclination from heaven, and yet not be regenerated. We have a solemn proof of this in Hebrews 6:4-6."}} and [[Loraine Boettner]].{{sfn|Boettner|1932|loc=ch. 14|ps=. "In addition to what has been said it is to be admitted that often times the common operations of the Spirit on the enlightened conscience lead to reformation and to an externally religious life. Those so influenced are often very strict in their conduct and diligent in their religious duties. To the awakened sinner the promises of the Gospel and the exhibition of the plan of salvation contained in the Scriptures appear not only as true but as suited to his condition. [...] This faith continues as long as the state of mind by which it is produced continues. When that changes, he relapses into his usual state of insensibility, and his faith disappears."}} This suggests that the knowledge of being a true Christian is theoretically not accessible during life.{{sfn|Walls|Dongell|2004|pp=201-202|ps=. "What is truly remarkable here is that persons who receive this partial and temporary illumination appear for a time to be truly elect but in fact aren't. They are deluded by a false hope. This dreadful possibility is what haunts Calvinists who struggle with the assurance and certainty of salvation."}} 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.{{sfn|Calvin|1961|p=126|ps=. "Men preposterously ask how they can be certain of a salvation ''which lies in the hidden counsel of God''. I have replied with the truth. Since the certainty of salvation is set forth to us in Christ, it is wrong and injurious to Christ to pass over this proffered fountain of life from which supplies are available, and to toil to draw life out of the hidden recesses of God." (Emphasis added)}}{{sfn|Keathley|2010|p=171|ps=. "John Bunyan’s ''Pilgrim’s Progress'' has blessed multitudes of Christians, but his spiritual autobiography, ''Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners'', is disturbing. He recounts how, in his seemingly endless search for assurance of salvation, he was haunted by the question, “How can I tell if I am elected?”"}}{{sfn|Keathley|2010|p=164|ps=. "Michael Eaton [quotes the Calvinist preacher Asahel] Nettleton: “The most that I have ventured to say respecting myself is, that I think it possible I may get to heaven.”"}}{{sfn|Paton|2013b|ps=. "You ask me: Michael, do you know you are saved? My answer: yes. You ask me: Michael, do you have assurance? My answer: yes. You ask me: Michael, why do you believe you are saved? My answer: because today I am still believing. But I have to test this all the time, as I am not infallible. I could have a false faith, but I don’t believe I do. This ninety percent assurance will have to do."}}

==== Practical interpretation supporting an absolute assurance of salvation ====
[[File:Portrait of John Calvin, French School.jpg|thumb|Anonymous (17th century) Portrait of [[John Calvin]]|327x327px]]
Calvin heavily drew upon [[Augustinian soteriology]].{{sfn|McMahon|2012|pp=7–9|ps=. "This is why one finds that every four pages written in the ''Institutes of the Christian Religion'' John Calvin quoted Augustine. Calvin, for this reason, would deem himself not a Calvinist, but an Augustinian. [...] Christian Calvinist, should they be more likely deemed an Augustinian-Calvinist?"}}{{sfn|McKinley|1965|p=19}} However, both [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] and [[Martin Luther|Luther]], an [[Order of Saint Augustine|Augustinian friar]], held that believers, based on their own understanding, cannot definitively know if they are among the "elect to perseverance."{{sfn|Davis|1991|p=213|loc={{zwnj}}|ps= "Unlike Calvin and those in the later Reformed tradition, however, Augustine does not believe that the Christian can in this life know with infallible certitude that he is in fact among the elect and that he will finally persevere."}}{{sfn|Davis|1991|p=216|ps= "Whether the believer, now in a state of grace, would remain in grace to the end was for Luther an open question."}}{{sfn|Christie-Murray|1989|p=89}} Despite Calvin's inability to offer a clear rationale,{{sfn|Calvin|1961|p=126|ps=. "Men preposterously ask how they can be certain of a salvation ''which lies in the hidden counsel of God''. I have replied with the truth. Since the certainty of salvation is set forth to us in Christ, it is wrong and injurious to Christ to pass over this proffered fountain of life from which supplies are available, and to toil to draw life out of the hidden recesses of God." (Emphasis added)}} he was more optimistic than Luther regarding this possibility.{{sfn|Davis|1991|loc={{zwnj}}|p=217|ps=. "Calvin, however, has greater confidence than Luther and the Catholic tradition before him that the believer can also have great assurance of his election and final perseverance."}} Calvin suggested that some assurance of being an elect might be possible.{{sfn|Davis|1991|p=217|loc={{zwnj}}{{zwnj}}|ps="[For Calvin, when the Church father Gregory the Great] “teaches that we are aware only of our call but unsure of our election, he is badly and dangerously in error.”"}} This possibility of assurance, based on personal introspection, was also expressed by later Calvinist theologians.{{sfn|Keathley|2010|p=167|ps=. "The post-Reformation Calvinists and Puritans held to a [...] view which saw assurance as a grace given subsequent to conversion and discerned by careful self-examination."}} It was mentioned in the [[Heidelberg Catechism]] (1563){{sfn|CRC|1988|p=19|loc=Lord's Day 7, Q. 21|ps=. "True faith is not only a knowledge and conviction that everything God reveals in his Word is true; it is also a deep-rooted assurance, created in me by the Holy Spirit, through the gospel, that out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ, not only others, but I too, have had my sins forgiven, have been made forever right with God, and have been granted salvation."}} and the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646).{{sfn|Westminster Assembly|1946|loc=ch. 18, art. 2|ps=. "This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces [...]."}} In the 18th century,{{sfn|Ellis|2008|loc=ch. Conclusion}} [[Hyper-Calvinism]] encouraged introspection as a means for adherents to determine their election.{{sfn|Toon|2011|p=144|ps=. "Hyper-Calvinism led its adherents to hold that evangelism was not necessary and to place much emphasis on introspection in order to discover whether or not one was elect."}} The concept persisted into the 19th century.{{sfn|Britain|1827|loc=vol. 1|p=302|ps=. "Election, then will be like a threefold cord let down from heaven, which the believer has a right to view as his eternal security, never to be broken- and which will draw (not drag) him sweetly through sanctification of the Spirit, and a cordial belief of the truth, into the haven of eternal rest."}} 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 in Christianity|Holy Spirit]]. This [[introspection]] may lead to a faith in their own [[Predeterminism|predetermined]] election. In this context, the concept of the perseverance of the saints may prompt the believer to believe in their irresistible perseverance.{{sfn|Stanglin|2018}}{{sfn|Keathley|2010|p=172|ps=. "The later Calvinists and Puritans employed two syllogisms, the [[Practical syllogism (theology)|practical syllogism]] and the mystical syllogism, in their attempt to ascertain assurance by way of logical deduction. [...] The practical syllogism is as follows: Major premise: If effectual grace is manifested in me by good works, then I am elect. Minor premise (practical): I manifest good works. Conclusion: Therefore, I am one of the elect. But how does one know the minor premise of the practical syllogism is true for him? The Puritans attempted to answer this question by an introspective self-examination using the mystical syllogism. The mystical syllogism is as follows: Major premise: If I experience the inward confirmation of the Spirit, then I am elect. Minor premise (mystical): I experience the confirmation of the Spirit. Conclusion: Therefore, I am one of the elect."}}

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.{{sfn|Johnson|2008|pp=21-22|ps=. "It is common to hear the term “eternal security” used basically as a synonym for “the perseverance of the saints”. [...] However, the term “eternal security” is often used in a very different and unbiblical way [...] Hence, in common usage, the term “eternal security” can sometimes refer to a doctrine diametrically opposed to the Reformed doctrine of perseverance."}} By the early 20th century, "eternal security" was used as a strict synonym for "perseverance of the saints".{{sfn|USBC|1941|p=252|ps=. "The first change in the Articles of Faith dealt with the Calvinistic doctrine of "eternal security." It was changed from saying that "all who are regenerated and born again by the Spirit of God shall never finally fall away," to "all who are regenerated and born again by the Spirit of God, and endure to the end, shall be saved.""}} However, in broader Protestantism, "[[eternal security]]" often carries a distinct meaning.{{sfn|Johnson|2008|pp=21-22|ps=. "It is common to hear the term “eternal security” used basically as a synonym for “the perseverance of the saints”. [...] However, the term “eternal security” is often used in a very different and unbiblical way [...] Hence, in common usage, the term “eternal security” can sometimes refer to a doctrine diametrically opposed to the Reformed doctrine of perseverance."}} It's then important to differentiate the two due to their respective theological significance.{{sfn|Grudem|1994|p=860|ps=. "[W]e see why the phrase eternal security can be quite misleading. In some evangelical churches, instead of teaching the full and balanced presentation of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, pastors have sometimes taught a watered-down version, which in effect tells people that all who have once made a profession of faith and been baptized are “eternally secure.”"}}

Groups such as the [[Primitive Baptists]], originating in Georgia in the early 20th century,{{sfn|Kurian|Day|2017|loc=ch. Primitive Baptists}} officially embraced this form of eternal security due to their strong Calvinist beliefs.{{sfn|Garrett|2009|p=212}} 

==== Historical acknowledgment of the interpretations ====
In Calvinist circles, thus, two practical interpretations emerge regarding "perseverance of the saints": One interpretation accept 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.{{sfn|Purkiser|1972|p=74|ps=. "In the majority of cases, however, the doctrine of eternal security is not grounded on the Calvinistic dogma of unconditional predestination. While all who teach eternal security are frequently called "Calvinists," actually the greater portion of them are no more than 20 percent Calvinistic."}} 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" ({{langx|la|desperatio}}) and the second "security" ({{langx|la|securitas}}).{{sfn|Stanglin|2018}} This "eternal security" interpretation of perseverance of the saints was also explicitly condemned by the [[Council of Trent]] (1545-1563).{{sfn|Routledge|1851|loc=Session 6, ch. 16., Cannon 16|ps=. "If any one shall say, that he will for certain, of an absolute and infallible certainty, have that great gift of perseverance unto the end, unless that he have learnt this by a special revelation; let him be anathema."}}{{sfn|Davis|1991|pp=218-219}}