I recently did a funeral for a church member who suffered from dementia and significant memory loss in the last few years of his life. As I prepared his funeral message, I realized I could share good news that other theological traditions would find it difficult to proclaim. You see, both Calvinists and Arminians would normally say that salvation depends on persevering in faith until death. And that is bad news for people living with dementia.
Now, Calvinist and Arminian theologies of perseverance differ slightly.
For the Calvinist, perseverance is a sign of having “saving faith” (or “gift faith”) versus “temporary faith” (or “natural faith”). God guarantees the elect will persevere in faith until death. If anyone stops believing, even near the end of their life, that shows they were never really saved to begin with.
For the Arminian and Wesleyan, people must choose to persevere in faith until death to be saved. The initial moment of faith gives you an initial justification, but to be finally saved you must believe until the end of your life; otherwise, you lose your salvation.
Either kind of perseverance theology is hard to reconcile with the problem of Christians who suffer from severe memory loss. If these pastors were consistent, they would have to say that anyone who has stopped believing before death is not saved—including people living with dementia.
Of course, I would be shocked if any Calvinist or Arminian pastors consistently applied their theology to someone with dementia. We instinctively know that conclusion must be wrong. I imagine that those pastors would say that dementia is an exception, or a mystery, and that persevering in conscious faith until death is somehow not required for such patients. Whatever their answer, that exception is very difficult to reconcile with their perseverance theology.
But as a Free Grace preacher, I can be consistent. It doesn’t take years of faith to be saved. We believe that people are saved the moment they believe in Jesus. Perseverance is a discipleship issue, not a salvation issue.
Jesus compared believing in Him to drinking water. It was not like earthly water, where you drink, then get thirsty, then have to drink again and again and again until you die. Drinking Jesus’ “living water” was different:
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14).
Earthly water requires a lifetime of drinking to be satisfied. But drinking Jesus’ water is different. The contrast implies that it only takes one drink of the water Jesus gives for it to become a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John later identifies this living water with the Holy Spirit (John 7:37–39). One drink, and Jesus guarantees you will never thirst again.
That is good news for those living with dementia and a comfort to their families.
When I did Lawrence’s funeral, I could say, without fear of self-contradiction, that since Lawrence had believed in Jesus in his youth, he had, in that very moment, become united to Christ, and therefore forgiven, justified, reconciled, regenerated, and guaranteed future resurrection and eternal life. Lawrence was saved the moment he believed, and while dementia took many things from him, it could never take away his salvation.
If someone with dementia has believed in Jesus, they were saved in that moment. Their salvation does not depend upon continuing to believe until death. Jesus will remember that person in His kingdom whether or not, near the end of their lives, they can still remember Him.ly follows or not.ain and again, but because you need to hear again and again what He’s done for you once-for-all.
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Shawn Lazar (DPT, McMaster Divinity College) is the pastor of Gateway United Baptist Church in Denton, TX. Purchase his book One-Point Preaching here and his latest book Once Saved Always Saved? here.
