The reason we advocates of conditional security are so passionate against eternal security is that it is an invitation to sin and a license to continue sinning. Consider the following remark which has been attributed to Charles Stanley: “No matter what you do as a child of God, you are forgiven. You say, ‘Murder?’ Forgiven. ‘Stealing?’ Forgiven. ‘Adultery?’ Forgiven. ‘Worshiping idols?’ Forgiven.” I know that runs counter to Romans 6:1-2, but the idea is still out there and it promotes a worldly and immoral lifestyle.
As an example, consider the problem (sin) of cheating on your taxes. This is a crime under our laws and it is also stealing, a clear violation of the Eighth Commandment. Let's say you are a pastor who does a funeral. Afterward, a relative of the deceased gives you an envelope containing $100 cash. This stipend is taxable as income under the Internal Revenue Code. However, there is no paper trail and the chances of getting caught not reporting it are zero. This is a secret between you and God.
If you believe in conditional security, you are not only fortified by a moral sense of right and wrong. You are also haunted by the possibility of going to hell if you should die with this unforgiven sin. The problem of sin and its impact on your eternal destiny is always at the surface of your rational thought process. You will in all probability report the $100 on your tax return.
If you believe in eternal security, you are still fortified by that moral sense of right and wrong. However, the temptation to cheat is greater because there are no eternal consequences for cheating or refraining from cheating. The problem of sin is probably buried somewhere beneath the surface of your conscious thought process. And that is why, in my opinion, there is so little said about sin in our Baptist churches today. With the doctrine of eternal security, it has no impact on your eternal destiny. Therefore, the condemnation of sin takes a back seat to evangelism and “feel good” topics.
I have had wide exposure to Church of Christ thought and a limited exposure to Catholic thought, both of which reject the doctrine of eternal security. Both of these groups are definitely a lot more concerned about sin than we Baptists are. The importance of avoiding sin is an integral part of their programs at all levels and I would assume it is because they take to heart passages such as Galations 5:19-21.
19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
So, are believers in eternal security sinning by their belief? Certainly not. Are they more likely to take a lackadaisical attitude toward the problem of sin in their lives? Probably so. Unfortunately I fear many will avoid thinking about sin in their lives until it is “everlasting too late” (an old Church of Christ idiom).
