Joseph Prince: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39) – nothing means nothing!” Really? – Conversation between George Ong and Peter Kho (Dated 16 Mar 2025)
Important Clarification
between the Perseverance of the Saints
and Joseph Prince’s Once Saved Always Saved doctrine:
Let me clarify
that the ‘Perseverance of the saints’ doctrine
is both similar to
and yet crucially different
from Joseph Prince’s
unconditional eternal security doctrine.
They are similar in that both believe
that a believer can never lose his salvation.
But there is a discernible and crucial difference
between them.
Joseph Prince believes that a believer
is only saved by justification.
But the ‘Perseverance of the Saints’ doctrine
believes that both justification and sanctification
are essential for saving faith.
In other words, a believer is saved
not just by saying the sinner’s prayer (justification),
but he must also show that he is saved
by the evidence of a sanctified life.
That is the critical difference.
That makes the ‘Perseverance of the saints’
a true doctrine of the gospel,
whereas Joseph Prince has removed sanctification,
which is an essential part of saving faith
from the salvation equation
– thereby making his justification-only gospel
a false gospel that doesn’t save.
So while I disagree with some portions
of the ‘Perseverance of the saints’ doctrine:
1) that one can never lose his salvation
– because I believe one can.
2) if one falls away from the faith,
he is never a believer to start with
– while I believe that can happen,
that is only one scenario.
The other scenario is that one can be a true believer
and yet fall away from the faith,
but I fully agree
with the ‘Perseverance of the saints’ doctrine
that both justification and sanctification
are essential for salvation.
Next, the ‘Perseverance of the saints’ doctrine
can never be opened to abuse
– that if a so-called Christian
starts acting like a non-Christian
over the long haul (no sanctification evidence),
this doctrine is likely to declare this person
as an unbeliever who doesn’t possess true saving faith.
But Joseph Prince’s once saved always saved doctrine
is open to abuse
– by declaring that someone is once saved always saved
just after he had said the sinner’s prayer
that person would think
since I am once saved always saved,
I may do what I like and still be considered a believer
because Joseph Prince had already declared
that I am once saved always saved
the moment I said the sinner’s prayer.
Note: Joseph Prince didn’t preach this morning.
(This article was also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.)
In His book, Meditate Devotional,
regarding Romans 8:38-39
Joseph Prince wrote:
“Are you persuaded and convinced the way
the apostle Paul wrote
is that as a child of God,
nothing, not even your sins…
can ever separate you from the love of God?
… God’s Word proclaims in no uncertain terms
that nothing can separate you from His love.
Nothing means nothing!”
“Isn’t it strange that free choice which is allowed to be exercised when receiving the faith, is disallowed to be exercised when one decides to leave it?”
(George Ong)
“Isn’t puzzling how one can be prevented from leaving the faith with the same free choice that he has entered into?”
(George Ong)
“Can a man who entered into salvation out of his own free choice be now forced to love God because he couldn’t get out?”
(George Ong)
Rev George Ong