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How to use this casebook

This is a working library, not a book you read from front to back. It is organized so that you can find the text or the question you are dealing with, see the strongest version of the other side, and follow the argument into the rest of Scripture.

The shortest path

If you have fifteen minutes:

  1. Read The one-page summary.
  2. Read The vine and the branches.
  3. Read Hebrews 10:26-31.
  4. Read The two errors.

That is the case in miniature: the central text, the key warning, and the pastoral balance.

The two halves

The argument has two halves, and they are meant to be read together.

Part One — The OSAS case, text by text

The proof-text index takes the texts commonly used to support OSAS — John 3:16; 5:24; 6:37-40; 10:28-29; Romans 8; Ephesians 1; Philippians 1:6; 1 John 2:19; and others — and asks what they actually say. Each page states the OSAS reading at its strongest, identifies the premise the reading needs, and tests it against the text and the canon.

Part Two — The warning texts, text by text

The warning-text index takes the passages that warn believers about falling away, being cut off, shrinking back, and failing to inherit the kingdom — John 15; Hebrews 3; 6; 10; 12; Romans 11; 1 Corinthians 9-10; Galatians 5; Colossians 1; 2 Peter 2; and others — and reads them in context.

Part One without Part Two produces a one-sided assurance. Part Two without Part One produces fear. The case is the whole canon.

The supporting sections

  • The case — the arguments for OSAS as arguments, not just as a pile of verses.
  • Abiding — a close reading of John 15:1-11, the center of the case.
  • Evidence and assurance — the genuine marks of the new birth, and how to have assurance without presumption.
  • Practice — abiding daily, yielding to the Spirit, deliberate sin and Hebrews 10, repentance, community, and pastoral conversations.
  • Answers — responses to the standard rejoinders.
  • Voices and history — the early church, Arminius, Wesley, Shank and Marshall, the Free Grace controversy, and other traditions.
  • Reference — glossary, Scripture index, Greek notes, comparison chart, reading list, FAQ, and scope statement.

How each text page works

Every text page follows the same shape:

  1. The text — the passage, quoted in context.
  2. The OSAS reading — the strongest version of the other side.
  3. The problems — numbered arguments from syntax, context, and canon.
  4. The abiding reading — what the text positively teaches.
  5. What this does and does not prove — honesty about scope.
  6. Further reading and See also.

The "what this does and does not prove" section is not a formality. It is the most important part of the page. It tells you what the argument can bear and where it would be overreach.

Notation

  • ESV is the default translation. Where another translation is used, the page says so.
  • Greek words are transliterated and glossed: menō ("remain").
  • "OSAS" is used as the name of the family of views, not as a slur. The different strands are named on What OSAS claims.
  • "Conditional security" is the position of this casebook: secure in Christ while abiding in Christ.
  • "Apostasy" means a settled abandonment of Christ, not a single sin or a season of doubt.

If you hold OSAS

Read What OSAS gets right first. The casebook is not trying to persuade you that you are not a Christian, or that God is weak, or that salvation is by works. It is arguing that the New Testament's promises are given to those who continue, and that the warnings are real.

Then read the strongest pages against your view: John 10:28-29, Romans 8:28-39, 1 John 2:19, and Hebrews 6:4-8. If the casebook's answers are thin, say so. The argument should be able to survive contact with the best exegesis on your side.

If you are afraid

If you are reading this because you are afraid you have lost your salvation, do not start with the warning texts. Start with Assurance without presumption, Repentance and restoration, and When a believer falls. The warnings are real, but they are not meant to drive a repentant sinner away from Christ. The desire to return is itself a sign that the door is open.

If you are teaching or in a small group

  • Read the text aloud before reading the page.
  • Ask the group to state the OSAS reading in their own words before critiquing it.
  • Use the "what this does and does not prove" section to keep the discussion honest.
  • End with the practical question: What would it look like to abide this week?

A five-week study outline:

  1. Week 1: What OSAS claims; the method; John 15:1-11.
  2. Week 2: Part One — the security texts (John 10; Romans 8; 1 John 2:19).
  3. Week 3: Part Two — the warning texts (Hebrews 3; 6; 10; Romans 11).
  4. Week 4: The evidence of new birth and assurance (1 John; Galatians 5).
  5. Week 5: Practice — yielding to the Spirit, repentance, community, and conversation.

A note on tone

The casebook argues, but it does not want to wound. If you are talking to a person who holds OSAS, assume they love Jesus and want to honor the Bible. Ask questions before making claims. Concede what is true. And remember that the goal is not to win the argument; it is to help each other abide in Christ.

See also