This is Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig. Today, the Doctrine of Salvation,

Part 20. For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonable faith.org.

Today, we want to continue our discussion of an Armenian perspective on perseverance of the saints. And we want to ask

how the Armenian understands the warnings of Scripture against apostasy. The Armenian takes

these warnings at face value, and hence to involve a very real danger. It really is possible

for a regenerate Christian to fall away from Christ and to lose his salvation. First,

these warnings, the Armenian will point out, are written to Christian believers.

The persons to whom the warnings are addressed are not merely nominal Christians. These

aren't people who are, in fact, unsaved. Consider the book of Hebrews, for example. The book of Hebrews was

written to Jewish Christians who, under the threat of persecution, were tempted to renounce Christ

and go back to Judaism. This leads the author of the book of Hebrews to issue

very stern warnings about they're doing such a thing. Hebrews 3 and verse 1 describes his readers

as holy brethren who share in a heavenly call,

and he invites them to consider Jesus, the apostle, and high priest of our confession.

So he refers to his readers as holy brethren, and he says that they share in this heavenly call.

Look at verse 6 of chapter 3. He says, Christ was faithful over God's house as a son,

and we are his house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope. Here, he says that we are

indwelt by Christ. We are the temple of Christ. He lives in us. We are his house. But he says, this is the case only

if we hold fast to our confidence and pride in our hope. Look then at verses 12 to 14, he says,

Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you

to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today,

that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ if only

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