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John Calvin, 1509-1564 (pictured above), is credited for coming up with the teaching of predestination, which teaches that God predestines some to be saved, and others to be lost. The Bible does teach that God will never cease loving us and that His love is stronger than any of our enemies who would try to steal, or "pluck" us out of God's hand. But nowhere does the Bible teach that we aren’t free to leave Christ if we choose. In fact, one of the core teachings throughout the Bible is that man has a completely free will to choose.

The Once Saved Always Saved doctrine, also known as the Perseverance of the Saints, was originally a Calvinist teaching. It asserts that once a person is “born of God” nothing can change and that person is saved from then on because of what Romans 8:39 says. (see text above) Now, this doctrine is predominate in many evangelical Protestant churches. Baptist pastor and author Charles Stanley wrote, “even those who walk away from the faith have not the slightest chance of slipping from His hand.” He goes on to say “You and I are not saved because we a have an enduring faith.”