How does Proverbs 2:21-22 not disprove "once saved, always saved"?

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It is problematic to spiritualize verses too quickly. Recall that the Proverbs were written by Jewish people living in the Jewish homeland of Israel under the Mosaic Covenant--not the New Covenant spoken of by Ezekiel and identified by Jesus at the Last Supper.

This proverb is speaking about upright and wicked people living in the land of Israel at that time. Proverbs are general wisdom also--not incontrovertible truths. Some upright people died young, and some wicked people live to be quite old.

So, again, this is a general proverb that identifies that those who live righteously are often rewarded with long life. The wicked, however, often receive God's judgment in various forms or are just exposed to greater risks for various reasons.

This has nothing to do with the New Covenant.

Upvote:0

Doesn't Proverbs 2: 21-22 disprove “once saved, always saved”?

Proverbs 2:21-22 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

I see three ways to look at these verses.

  1. Practical. In context the preceding verses talk about the dangers of visiting the local prostitute specifically and fornication generally. Here the penalty might be seen as immediate in terms of Levitical consequences.

Leviticus 19:20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

  1. Kingdom. In this perspective "dwelling in the land" could refer to entrance into the Kingdom. Here the pursuit of unrighteousness could be seen as a bar to entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

  1. Heaven. If one takes "the land" to mean heaven, being "cut off" as a result of wickedness seems to support a loss of access to heaven. However, it also opens the salvation by works can of worms.

What can complicate the interpretation of verses that use the word righteousness or perfect in particular with regard to the Old Testament is that righteousness was imputed by faith.

Romans 4:21-22 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

I see the wickedness that is cut off as unbelief. Those that do not trust in God can often be identified by their preoccupation with fornication. To me these verses do not speak so much to the issue of salvation, but rather to the issue of living by faith.

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Upvote:7

It depends what you mean by "once saved, always saved" (OSAS).

That is usually a catch phrase of the Free Grace brand of evangelicals (Zane Hodges, Charles Stanley, et al.). That sort of doctrine is refuted better with regard to a James 2-type argument that true faith necessarily results in good works.

The other brand of evangelicals that OSAS might apply to is Calvinists, but their doctrine is that God himself keeps his elect from falling away or being unfaithful and that any final apostasy implies the person wasn't truly saved to begin with.

See the Wikipedia's perseverance of the saints for a discussion of both types.

As for the passage in Proverbs, Narnian nailed it -- you're applying it in spiritualized way to OSAS without much warrant. There are plenty of real problem passages for OSAS such that you don't need to bend this one into service.

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