Perseverance of the saints is a point of doctrinal division between Roman Catholic and Protestant Christian churches. The term refers to the Protestant belief that grace, when given by God, is sufficient to persist in the believer until death.

The Protestant Doctrine

Perseverance of the saints - their certain continuance in a state of grace. Once justified and regenerated, the believer can neither totally nor finally fall away from grace, but will certainly persevere therein and attain everlasting life.

This doctrine is clearly taught in these passages, John 10:28, 29; Rom. 11:29; Phil. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:5. It, moreover, follows from a consideration of (1) the immutability of the divine decrees (Jer. 31:3; Matt. 24:22-24; Acts 13:48; Rom. 8:30); (2) the provisions of the covenant of grace (Jer. 32:40; John 10:29; 17:2-6); (3) the atonement and intercession of Christ (Isa. 53:6, 11; Matt. 20:28; 1 Pet. 2:24; John 11:42; 17:11, 15, 20; Rom. 8:34); and (4) the indwelling of the Holy Ghost (John 14:16; 2 Cor. 1:21, 22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14; 1 John 3:9)."

The Roman Catholic View

On the other hand, the Roman Catholic Church maintains that grace requires human will as well as the gift of God, and therefore, as it is put by the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia

"Canon 22 (Si quis dixerit justificatum vel sine speciali auxilio Dei in accepta justitia perseverare posse, vel cum eo non posse, anathema sit), by teaching that the justified cannot persevere without a special help of God, but with it can persevere, not only condemns both the naturalism of the Semipelagians and the false supernaturalism of the Reformers but also clearly implies that the power of perseverance is neither in the human will alone nor in God's grace solely, but in the combination of both, i.e., Divine grace aiding human will, and human will co-operating with Divine grace. The grace in question is called by the Council "a special help of God", apparently to distinguish it both from the concurrence of God in the natural order and habitual grace, neither of which were denied by the Semipelagians. Theologians, with a few exceptions, identify this special help with the sum total of actual graces vouchsafed to man."

In the Roman Catholic view, the believer's will must be involved at every moment, and believers are not automatically granted perseverance until death.

Failure to Persevere

For Protestants, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is not inconsistent with the truth that the believer may nevertheless fall into grievous sin, and continue therein for some time. (See Backslide .) However, in the younger Protestant churches those who truly fail to persevere (those who become apostate) had never truly been born again, while all who are born again will persevere.

For Roman Catholics, grace requires a constant accord of will between the believer and the divine.