Once Saved Always Saved Versus Saved Losing Salvation
Scripture says salvation cannot be lost: 1 Peter 1:3-5; Ephesians 1:13-14; John 10:27-29; John 6:37-40; Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:38-39; 11:29. Scriptures also say salvation can be lost: 1 Corinthians 9:27; 2 Peter 2:20-22; Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-29; John 15:1-6; Romans 11:17-22.
Even before Calvin and Arminius, Christians historically choose a side and then deploy eisegesis to refute the opposition.
As scripture never contradicts itself, both positions must somehow be true.
However, that is impossible to conceive within the classic Catholic division of living humanity into two groups: the “saved and unsaved”. Chronologically, that division of humanity is only true of the dead, not all still living to whom the scriptures are written.
In the parable of the Sheep and Goats is the key to resolving the paradox. Three groups of humanity are alive: The Saved “My Brethren” and the other two groups Undetermined until death or Judgment, the Sheep and Goats.
Only when read in context is this detail evident. Judgment begins first with the house of God (1 Pet. 4:17), the “disciples of all the nations” (Mt. 28:19) who failed to commit to Christ before the Rapture, are the Sheep and Goats now being judged if their actions during the reign of the Antichrist proved they “received Christ” vicariously by coming to aid of Christians (“these [seated with Christ] my brethren”), during the Great Tribulation:
32 “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 “And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right hand,`Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 `for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 `I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,`Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 `When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 `Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “And the King will answer and say to them,`Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand,`Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 `for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 `I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying,`Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 “Then He will answer them, saying,`Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt. 25:32-45 NKJ)
Until this judgment, three groups existed. The Saved (my brethren), those potentially saved (the sheep), those who lost the opportunity to be saved by falling away (the goats).
Therefore, scripture proves the Catholic division of humanity into two groups misstates the chronology of salvation. Not until death or judgment, do only two groups of humanity exist.