Of course they are . Have you listened to John Piper?
I'm waiting for the Calvinist to say otherwise ?
you do come across as somewhat arrogant and I am probably not the first person to tell you that
I don't care, actually, how much you think you know. What Calvinists teach here is that you cannot be lost and that is what you find when you do research on the TULIP acronym
P - Preservation of the Saints
The last of the five points of Calvinism teaches that
God preserves His people so they can never be lost. To put it simply, it means this: "Once you are saved, you are always saved."
God's Word is full of proof for this beautiful truth. And though many deny it, and tell you that you can be lost and saved many, many times, and therefore can never be sure of your salvation, the Bible says otherwise. Talking about His elect sheep, Jesus said: "And I give them eternal life; and they shall
never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (
John 10:28). See
John 6:39, 17:2, 11,12;
Romans 8:37-39;
II Tim. 1:12; 4:18, etc. etc.
Some object to this doctrine because it supposedly makes men "carnally secure" in their salvation. That is, if I know nothing can make me go to hell once God has saved me, I will "live like the devil." There have been some who have used this beautiful truth as an excuse to live like the devil. But they are not Christians. Nor do they understand this truth. Because this truth also implies "PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS." Those who never fall away are
saints. They are
holy. And they are given power to live holy lives. They "continue in well-doing." Anyone who says he can "live like the devil" has not experienced the saving power of Christ and does not know the meaning of
Philippians 1:6, "He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." God will continue working good works in us until Christ returns. Don't think otherwise.
Is there any hope for Christians without this doctrine? We don't need to be "scared to heaven." We need comfort. Because we know that if it were up to the Christian to remain saved, he would never be able to do it. You know yourself!!!! There is no power in me apart from God's grace.
Rev. Barry Gritters
Even when the P is interpreted as perseverance rather than preservation, it is STILL meant as OSAS. Following is from THE CALVINIST CORNER, written by and for Calvinists.
Perseverance of the Saints:
You cannot lose your salvation. Because the Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied salvation, those thus saved are eternally secure. They are eternally secure in Christ. Some of the verses for this position are John 10:27-28 where Jesus said His sheep will never perish; John 6:47 where salvation is described as everlasting life; Romans 8:1 where it is said we have passed out of judgment; 1 Corinthians 10:13 where God promises to never let us be tempted beyond what we can handle; and Phil. 1:6 where God is the one being faithful to perfect us until the day of Jesus’ return.
