一、凡上帝在祂愛子裡收納、有效呼召、且藉祂的靈成聖的人，不可能完全從恩典中墮落，也不可能以墮落為最終的結局；反要持守這地位， 堅持到底，在永恒裡得救 。
Those whom God has accepted in his Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere in it to the end and be eternally saved (a).
二、聖徒這樣持守， 並非由於他們自己的自由意志， 乃是因為揀選的元旨不會改變， 這揀選的元旨是出於父上帝白白的、不變的愛；耶穌的救贖之工和代求的效力；聖靈與上帝的道住在他們裡面，恩典之約的本質。 這些都不但使聖徒得以保守， 也使聖徒的持守是真實的，是不會失敗的。
The perseverance of the saints does not depend upon their own free will, but on the unchangeableness of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father (b); on the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ (c); on the continuing presence of the Spirit and the seed of God within them (d); and on the nature of the covenant of grace (e). These are grounds of the certainty and infallibility of their perseverance (f).
三、然而聖徒仍可能因為撒但和世界試探，殘留在聖徒內心的敗壞仍甚囂張，聖徒忽略使他們得以持守的管道，以致陷入大罪， 並且暫時陷溺於其中， 因此使上帝不悅， 使聖靈擔憂， 在某種程度上失去恩典和安慰， 心變剛硬， 良心受傷， 傷害並絆倒他人， 自取暫時的審判.
Nevertheless, they may – through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the pervasiveness of the corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means by which they are to be preserved – fall into grievous sins (g) and for a time continue in them (h). In so doing they incur God’s displeasure (i) and grieve his Holy Spirit (k); some measure of God’s graces and comforts is taken from them (l); they have their hearts hardened and their consciences wounded (n); they harm others and give them occasion to sin (o), and bring temporal judgments upon themselves (p).
