Why The Warnings?

"And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister." (Col. 1: 21-23 nkjv)

The above text, like so many others similar to it, say that if a believer does not persevere or continue in the faith, or abiding in Christ, etc., that he was never saved in the beginning and that he will not be saved in the end. However, the bible affirms that perseverance is a gift of God and that true believers will be kept from falling from salvation. 

In the several public oral debates I have had on the question of whether true believers could lose their salvation I was often challenged by my opponents who said that my view on eternal security made the numerous warnings about falling from grace, or not abiding in Christ and so being cut off, not enduring, etc., meaningless.

Arminian Argument on Losing Salvation

Proposition: The biblical warnings to believers about persevering are meaningless if they do not imply that a believer may not persevere and thus lose salvation.

Does the bible warn believers of being lost if they apostatize?

In my rebuttal to this line of argument I have often brought up the case of the apostle Paul and his being ship wrecked at sea. I pointed out 1) how God predetermined that in the shipwreck that was sure to come that none would be lost, and 2) how this did not prevent Paul from both warning those on the ship and commanding them to do something in order to keep them and those on board from being destroyed by the shipwreck. Notice the story as given in the Book of Acts.

"9 Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." 11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there. 13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete. 14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon. 15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. 16 And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. 17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. 18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. 19 On the third day we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands. 20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. 21 But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22 And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26 However, we must run aground on a certain island." 27 Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land. 28 And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29 Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved." 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off. 33 And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you." 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat. 36 Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. 37 And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship. 38 So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea. 39 When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible. 40 And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore. 41 But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves. 42 And the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, 44 and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land." (Acts 27: 9-44 nkjv)

These verses show that God had predestined that the 276 persons on board that ship should survive the tempest and shipwreck. Yet, that fact (which Paul knew and was persuaded of) did not keep Paul from giving warnings and telling the ship's crew to do certain things to survive. Conclusion? The warnings and the commands of Paul were means God used to bring about the end God had decreed. So, the same is true with salvation from sin and death. God has predestined that believers will be saved and yet God, through his messengers, did not let knowledge of this fact keep them from warning believers to do or not do certain things in order for their final salvation. Was it possible that any be lost in the shipwreck? No.

The warnings in Scripture, such as those found in the book of Hebrews, are not necessarily meant to suggest that salvation can be lost, but rather to motivate believers to actively pursue a life of faith and obedience, and because predestination does not exclude God's use of human means and making the things predestined conditional upon some act or choice of men. 

Keep in mind that the warnings are also directed towards those who profess faith but do not truly believe, and are intended to show that their falling away reveals their lack of genuine salvation. The warnings serve as a safeguard against taking salvation for granted and becoming complacent in one's faith. They encourage believers to remain vigilant and actively pursue a life that reflects their commitment to Christ. 

The Bible’s warnings against apostasy exist because there are two types of religious people: believers and unbelievers. The warnings are means to bring about the perseverance of true believers and to manifest that those who fall away were never saved to begin with. Wrote the apostle John in confirmation of this truth:

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us." (I John 2: 19 nkjv)