Does Matthew 24:13 imply that salvation can be lost? Text “But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.” — Matthew 24:13 Immediate Context Matthew 24 is the first half of the Olivet Discourse. Jesus is answering the disciples’ two interwoven questions (24:3): (1) “When will these things happen?” (the destruction of the Temple, fulfilled in A.D. 70) and (2) “What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” From 24:4–14 He surveys the entire church age, climaxing in a global proclamation of the gospel (v. 14). Verse 13 sits inside that sweep as a pastoral encouragement to endure mounting opposition, deception, and persecution (vv. 9–12). Literary and Eschatological Setting 1. Dual horizon: near term (Jerusalem, A.D. 70) and far term (the climactic Tribulation preceding Christ’s Parousia). 2. Covenant-judgment language: “endure” echoes Daniel 12:12, where saints “wait and reach the 1,335 days.” 3. Corporate perspective: Jesus speaks of communities under siege, not merely isolated individuals. Range of ‘Saved’ (σῴζω) in Scripture • Physical rescue: Matthew 8:25; 14:30; Acts 27:31. • Eschatological deliverance: Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9. • Present spiritual salvation: Ephesians 2:8. Which sense dominates here? Jesus has just warned of martyrdom (v. 9) yet says many will be “killed.” Plainly physical survival is not guaranteed. The contrast is between apostates whose love grows cold (v. 12) and genuine disciples whom God carries safely through to ultimate, eschatological deliverance. Perseverance vs. Possibility of Loss Scripture consistently holds two complementary truths: 1. God preserves every true believer (John 6:39; 10:27-29; Romans 8:30; 1 Peter 1:5). 2. True believers persevere in faith and holiness (Hebrews 3:14; 1 John 2:19). Matthew 24:13 teaches the second without negating the first. Perseverance is the evidence, not the meritorious cause, of salvation. Harmony With the Whole Counsel of God • Jesus promises unfailing security: “No one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). • Paul grounds assurance in God’s irreversible verdict: “Those He justified He also glorified” (Romans 8:30). • Peter links the two strands: believers “are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). God’s power (preservation) operates through faith (perseverance). Warning Passages as Divine Means Biblical warnings (Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31) are instruments the Spirit uses to keep the elect vigilant. They function like road signs on a mountain pass—indispensable for arriving safely yet not implying the road ends in a precipice for those who heed. Historical Manuscript Witness Matthew 24:13 is uncontested across the earliest witnesses: Papyrus Oxy. 2 (𝔓 80, 3rd cent.), Codex Vaticanus (Β), Codex Sinaiticus (א), and Codex Washingtonianus (W). The uniform wording underscores that the verse has carried a single, stable meaning from the start. Early Church Echoes • Polycarp (c. A.D. 110) admonished believers to “stand fast…that you may be glorified in the last day.” • Irenaeus linked endurance with God’s sovereign grace: “Those who are truly born of God endure unto the end, receiving the incorruptible crown.” Neither father taught the loss of genuine salvation; both saw perseverance as its hallmark. Common Misreadings Addressed 1. Works-based salvation? The text says “will be saved,” not “will earn salvation.” Endurance is fruit, not wage (cf. Matthew 7:17-20). 2. Hypothetical perfectionism? Endurance is directional persistence, not flawless performance (see Peter’s failures yet ultimate faithfulness, Luke 22:32). 3. Universal tribulation survivors? Physical survival cannot be the criterion, for countless martyrs “endured” precisely by dying in faith (Revelation 12:11). Pastoral and Missional Implications • Assurance: Confidence rests in Christ’s finished work and promised keeping, not in fragile self-effort. • Vigilance: True assurance breeds watchfulness, not complacency. • Evangelism: The gospel call remains urgent—only those in Christ possess both the preserving power and the incentive to endure. Conclusion Matthew 24:13 does not teach that a regenerate believer can lose salvation. It declares that genuine disciples, kept by God’s power, will manifest persevering faith amid tribulation and thereby reach the eschatological deliverance God infallibly secures. Far from undermining assurance, the verse fortifies it, wedding divine preservation and human perseverance in one seamless promise: “the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.” |
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