Monday, April 27, 2026

It is the 27th of April 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

Happy Monday- as is our custom here at the almanac, I take a question from you and try to give an answer- you guys are great at sending in questions- send in a few in the next day or two for a mailbag show this weekend- we can have some fun with your questions.

 

I got an email a week or so ago from Teryl- great question, but no location given… and thus, I will assign Teryl a location… let’s go with Forks of Salmon, California- there in the top of my great state…

 

Teryl had a theological question that I’ll throw the Church History hat on to help her think through- she wrote:

 

“Recently, in a Bible study at my church, my Pastor stated that we can walk away from our baptism and thus be lost. PS Lutheran, Missouri Synod.

I'm praying about this and wrestling hard with it. In the song, it says, "Prone to wander Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love. " I know this is me. I have turned my back on the church and even on my Savior at times. I perhaps just "feel" that He is constantly wooing, calling, restoring, reforming, compelling, constraining me. If the above statement is true from my Pastor, how can any of us make it safely home?”

Teryl- you have jumped into a pretty big historical question here- we’ll treat it that way and pastorally. You might see people debating this question, and you’ll hear things like “once saved always saved” or “the perseverance of the Saints”- this is pretty common in Reformed and some evangelical circles. You can trace this back, if not to the various texts used (John 6, John 10, Romans 8, Philippians 1), it's present in St. Augustine, who is working through the implications of a salvation that is won, applied, and kept through the grace of God alone.

 

The Roman Catholic church will eventually disagree with Augustine and teach that one cannot assume they are saved- in fact, at the Council of Trent, the sin of presumption was made anathema. To say “I know I’m saved” with certainty would be a sin.

 

In Reformed circles, the issue comes up with the Arminian controversy in the Netherlands- this is where the so-called “5 Points of Calvinism” come from- and the 5th is perseverance of the saints.

 

Teryl- you mentioned that you were surprised that your Lutheran pastor said you CAN lose your salvation, and this has always struck Reformed Christians and some evangelicals as perplexing. Ironically, for the Lutherans, the belief that one can walk away comes down to the doctrine of Free Will- that’s right- you don’t have it when it comes to choosing God- but you do have it the other way. In other words, the Lutheran Confessions don’t teach that someone “can’t lose” their salvation- if someone really, really wants out, God will let them out. Think of salvation like a gift someone puts in your pocket- you didn’t earn it- but you can put it on the ground and leave it behind if you so choose.

 

Teryl- I think this is where theology and history, but also practical pastoral wisdom, are helpful for all of us. As a Protestant, I do think that assurance is possible and even beneficial- but assurance in what? Have I responded appropriately to the gospel call? Or that I’m better today than I was last week?

 

It’s assurance that Christ means what he says- that he has come to save the lost, and I am amongst them. A Lutheran might sound “arminian”- that is, that it’s up to you to “keep the faith”- but it’s really more of a good Lutheran lack of concern for internal consistency. If you are afraid that you are prone to wander, that’s a good sign you haven’t wandered too far. The best answer to this question is to sit with the person asking and ask, “Why are you asking this? Are you afraid you may have sinned your way out of the kingdom?” And then we can have a conversation. There’s a spectrum of beliefs, historically, on this question, and if anything, it shows us that it’s a contested doctrine- it can get tricky- and I advise a reading of the parable of the sower for some wisdom- but ultimately, talk to your pastor and friends- where would being too presumptive hurt us? Where might we cling when we’re afraid our grip is slipping? Come to Jesus- not breaking the bruised reed or putting out the flickering wick…

 

Thanks, Teryl, hopefully you can dive into this more- talk with your pastor and friends about the hope we have when we fear we might be wandering- not an uncommon issue for Christians!

 

Send me your questions at danv@1517.org for an upcoming show.

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Psalm 100:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;
 come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.
 It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
 we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
 and his courts with praise;
 give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
 his faithfulness continues through all generations.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 27th of April 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man with a healthy disdain for internal consistency as the guide to truth- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man partial to Cheesequake, New Jersey, for a summer home- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.