In Ephesians 5, Paul likens the union of Christ and the church with that of a husband and a wife. Paul says,  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ~ v. 31-32

In fact, there are numerous places in the New Testament where our union with Christ through the saving grace of God is spoken of in marriage terms. It shows up, not only in the epistles but also in the parables and teachings of Jesus, as well as in the book of the Revelation, where it is a major theme. Furthermore, it is difficult to miss when reading the Old Testament, as it is often the illustration used by the prophets in relation to God and his people, Israel. This same theme is carried over into the New Testament as it relates to Christ and his church.

Within the context of the concept of marriage between God and his people we find other truths such as discipleship, and denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily to follow Jesus. None of which have any importance in relation to salvation as preached within the OSAS (once saved always saved) gospel, which is not the gospel but another.

Referring to OSAS as another gospel may sound extreme to some, but there is a sect of Christianity which believe that OSAS is in fact, the gospel.

OSAS is no more biblical than the idea of once married, always married. Marriage requires commitment. It is not a one night stand with no commitment. The real tragedy of the OSAS gospel is that it patterns the union of our faith in God after that of a one night stand,  but the whole counsel of scripture teaches that salvation is a marriage, not a benefit to be received by shacking up for a brief time.

Now, some may find the illustration of shacking up offensive, but the reality is that is exactly the message that the OSAS gospel conveys. This false gospel sets forth the notion that you have the benefits of being married to Christ for all eternity, even if you live in spiritual adultery your entire Christian life.

Some of the proponents of the OSAS gospel actually think that if you believe your salvation is dependent on your ongoing faithfulness to Christ then you aren’t really saved. Now I want you to think about that. Imagine being told that you are not saved if you believe that you must continue to be faithful to Christ. This is evident in the following comment that I recently read elsewhere: “…if you don’t believe in OSAS, then you’re Not Saved because you are Trusting in your Works to get you to Heaven.”

Claiming that a person is not saved if they don’t believe the OSAS gospel, is like saying a man is not truly married if he is faithful to his wife. The real tragedy of the OSAS gospel is that it sets forth salvation as a contractual transaction. You have the benefits of marriage without the commitment to faithfulness. This ideology comes through in the comment cited above. The OSAS gospel is about the benefit of going to Heaven, and not about true cleansing from sin so that we might serve God faithfully as a redeemed people.

In Luke’s gospel the Holy Spirit spoke through Zacharias (the father of John the baptist) concerning the promised Salvation which was to come through the Messiah.

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. ~ Luke 1:67-75

Notice that the salvation prophesied by the Holy Spirit through Zacharias looks nothing like the salvation of the OSAS gospel, which is transactional for the purpose of going to Heaven, even if you choose to become a reprobate, and an apostate toward the faith afterwards.

According to the OSAS gospel, God is contractually obligated to bring you to Heaven in exchange for a one time believing experience, even if you don’t serve him, follow him, and you choose to live in sin by hardening your heart against him. 

This false gospel is patterned, not after marriage, but after the moment of passion in which two people have intimacy, committing fornication. I was recently told by a Pastor who teaches this gospel, “Those who believe in Christ ONE time have eternal life forever.” His point was that it does not matter how a person lives afterwards, he is eternally secure even if he later renounces the faith that he once embraced. In fact, his comment was in defense of his view that those who once believed, but afterwards become apostate to the faith are still going to Heaven.

This is not marriage, it is shacking up. It is not commitment, it is a one night stand, and that is exactly why the OSAS view is a false gospel and should be completely rejected. Neither the prophets in the Old Testament, nor the apostles in the New Testament ever set forth a salvation with no commitment. The only exception would be those who cry out for mercy at death’s door like the thief on the cross.

Salvation belongs to the bride, not a harlot!

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  ~ Ephesians 5:25-27