Can someone lose their salvation? If yes, how, and if no, why?

The apostle John wrote us a wonderful promise from God: John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Does this mean that once we accept Jesus in our heart by faith, and thus are saved, that we can do anything even immoral things, and we still will be saved? Let’s see what the Scriptures says about this.

1 Tim 4:1: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

This text shows that Christians can loose their salvation if they follow deceiving spirits.

2 Peter 2:20-22: “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.'”

The apostle Peter indicates clearly here that it is worst for someone who has accepted Jesus in his life to return to his old ways than “not to have known the way of righteousness”. Why? The book of Hebrews explains this for us.

Heb 6:4-6: “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”

This text describes Christians who not only accepted Jesus by faith into their life, but also personally tasted God’s Holy Spirit. What happens to them if they “fall away’? This text is clear. It is impossible for them to be brought back to repentance, and thus obtain eternal salvation, because they did sin against the Holy Spirit. They have lost it!

Heb 10:26-28: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”

Here we see clearly that once we have accepted Jesus in our life, we just can’t go on living as if He did not exist, and “deliberately keep on sinning”. What would be the result if you did? Would you still obtain eternal salvation? The Bible says that these will have “a fearful expectation of judgment”. There again, they have lost their salvation.

The apostle Paul confirms this in 1 Cor 15:1-2: “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”

In other words, if someone does not hold on firm to God’s word, he/she has “believed in vain”.

An example that one can loose his/her salvation is King Saul. He was chosen by God to be the first king of Israel. He was filled with God’s Spirit at first (1 Samuel 10 6), but because of his pride and evil actions, never repenting from what he did wrong, eventually God’s Spirit departed from him 1 Sam 16:14 “Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul…” NIV King Saul had been saved, but he lost his salvation due to his unrepentant heart. How sad!

These texts clearly contradict the theory of “Once saved, always saved”. This theory is simply not Biblical. Will you trust in our Lord and give your life to Him? Don’t spoil what blessings you have received from Him. Don’t let yourself be dissuaded by the philosophies of our world. Only God can give you eternal salvation and will give you the strength to hold on till the end. All you need to do is trust in Him and accept Him fully in your life. Will you do this now? Come to Him now by answering the Saviour’s Call.

Rob Chaffart

___________________________________________________ Wow, wouldn’t it be great if God would just come sit down with you, take your face in His hands, and just spell it out as to whether or not you could lose your salvation?

Well, the reality of it is that He has given us His Word and instructed us to ” Study to show yourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  And as many as people choose to answer this question will probably be as many different thoughts and perspectives there will be.

My advice would be that each of us search our heart and the scriptures to see what God says concerning salvation then to follow the conviction of our heart, not condemning one another when our convictions don’t always align.

Maybe the best place to start in answering the controversial question would be in looking at what it takes to get saved in the first place.

Romans 10:13 ” For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

But just how do we do that?

Ephesians 2:8 ” For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Here’s a thought, if salvation is a gift of God and not anything I can do so that I cannot boast in doing it, does it stand to reason that I can’t do anything to lose it either?  Let’s look further.

Romans 10:9 ” That if you shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shall be saved.”

I can’t “earn” my salvation, it is a gift of God.  My only act of obedience and submission is confessing with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believing in my heart that God raised Him from the dead.  

John 10:27-30 ” My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of  my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”

I notice that it doesn’t say, ” and they shall never perish, unless they lose their salvation,” 

Obviously when God gives a gift it is for keeps. And when we committ ourselves to Christ we are not only in His hand but in the Father’s hand as well. We are promised eternal life without perishing…period.

And finally a scripture that, to me, sums the coined phrase ” Once saved always saved”

Romans 8:38-39 ” For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I am persuaded, just as Paul, that our salvation is here to stay. And if someone returns to a life of sin and death after having proclaimed salvation I would have to wonder if they’d ever truly accepted Christ to begin with. This is not to say that I question the salvation of anyone who returns to sin after proclaiming accepting Christ as Savior because we are all human and capable of pulling a prodigal, but prodigals return home where they belong and the Father doesn’t disinherit them but waits expectantly for their return.   In His Love,

Crystel

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I believe that one can lose their salvation, speaking from a Scriptural standpoint. Here are some examples of this (unless otherwise noted, Scriptural references are from the NIV):

2 Peter 2:20-22: “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.’”

1 Cor 15:1-2: “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”

Again, this is a promise that Christians will be saved if they persevere in their faith. A person who knows Christ, but falls away from Him cannot claim that they were ignorant of the Gospel message. By rejecting Jesus, they are committing an unpardonable sin, and it is unpardonable because of their refusal to accept God’s forgiveness. Revelation 3:5 also states that a person’s name may be blotted out of the Book of Life.

However, many who believe in the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” will question how a person can lose their salvation in light of passages such as this: John 10:26-28 “but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” What I believe about this, though, is that there is nothing one person can actually do to rob another of their salvation. However, a saved person can, of their own free will, choose to turn their back on God. God desires all to be saved, but He leaves the choice to follow Him up to us.

If you have backslidden and want to change your life, I invite you to visit the Savior’s Call at http://www.answers2prayer.org/saviours_call.html We will be happy to pray for you and offer you guidance. God Bless.

Your sister in Christ, AJ 

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I do believe that the Bible does teach eternal security, and one cannot lose his or her salvation, after one truly becomes a child of God.

1. BECAUSE OF THE TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE SALVATION. “Eternal life” (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 5:11); “full assurance” (He. 6:11; Col. 2:2); “strong consolation” (He. 6:18); “hope … sure and steadfast” (He. 6:19).

2. BECAUSE OF WHAT WE ARE. All of the following are spoken of in the present tense; this is the present condition of each true believer (1) Forgiven (Ro. 4:7; 1 Jn. 2:12). (2) Justified (Ro. 5:1,9; Tit. 3:7) (3) Risen with Christ (Ro. 6:3-6; Col. 3:1,2). (4) Reconciled (Ro. 5:10). (5) Accepted in the beloved (Ep. 1:6). (6) Saved (Ep. 2:8,9; 2 Ti. 1:9). (7) Citizens of Heaven (Ph. 3:20). (8) Children of light (1 Th. 5:5). (9) Not of the world (Jn. 17:16). (10) Elect (1 Pe. 1:2). (11) Born again (1 Pe. 1:2,23). (12) New creation (2 Co. 5:17). (13) Complete in Him (Col. 2:10). (14) Sanctified once for all (He. 10:10). (15) Perfected forever (He. 10:14). (16) Passed from death unto life (1 Jn. 3:14). (17) Sanctified in Christ (1 Co. 1:2). (18) Light in the Lord (Ep. 5:8). (19) A child of God forever (Ro. 8:15; Ga. 4:4-7; 1 Jn. 3:1). (20) Made fit for Heaven (Col. 1:12).

3. BECAUSE OF WHERE WE ARE. (1) In the heavenlies with Christ (Ep. 2:5-6). (2) In God’s family (Ga. 3:26; 1 Jn. 3:2). (3) Translated into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13). (4) Brought near (Ep. 2:13).

4. BECAUSE OF WHAT WE HAVE. (1) Peace with God (Ro. 5:1). (2) Eternal life (Jn. 3:16). (3) Sealing of the Holy Spirit (Ep. 1:12-14). (4) All spiritual blessings (Ep. 1:3). (5) Access to God (Ep. 2:18). (6) An Advocate with the Father (1 Jn. 2:1-2). (7) Eternal redemption (He. 9:12). (8) Forgiveness of sins (Ep. 1:7; Col. 1:14; 2:13). (9) Mercy (1 Pe. 2:10). (10) Eternal glory (2 Ti. 2:10). (11) Everlasting consolation (2 Th. 2:16). (12) An Intercessor in Heaven (Ro. 8:34).

5. BECAUSE OF WHAT IS PAST. (1) The law of sin and death (Ro. 8:2). (2) Death and wrath (Col. 3:3; Ro. 6:11; 1 Th. 5:9). (3) Condemnation (Jn. 5:24). (4) Night and darkness (1 Th. 5:5).

6. BECAUSE OF OUR PROMISES. (1) The glory of God (Ro. 5:2). This speaks of Christ’s kingdom glory (2) Redemption of the body (Ro. 8:23-24; Ph. 3:21). (3) Never perish (Jn. 10:27-28). (4) Predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ (Ro. 8:28- 29). (5) Shall appear with Christ in glory (Col. 3:3-4). (6) Not appointed to wrath but to salvation (1 Th. 5:9). (7) Delivered from the wrath to come (1 Th. 1:10). (8) Incorruptible inheritance (1 Pe. 1:4). (9) He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Ph. 1:6). (10) Shall never die (Jn. 11:26). (11) Glorious liberty of the children of God (Ro. 8:21). (12) God shall confirm you unto the end (1 Co. 1:8). (13) Eternal inheritance (He. 9:15). (14) Shall be saved from wrath (Ro. 5:9). (15) Cannot be separated from God’s love (Ro. 8:31-39).

May God richly bless you.

Steven Miller

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Yes one can!

Mt 7:21-23 says: “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to then, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers’.”

St. Paul in Philippians 2:12 says: I am working out my salvation in ‘fear and trembling’ with a hopeful confidence – but not with a false guarantee.

The Lord wants obedience from us. We cannot just say in words that we believe in the Lord and then not obey His commands and go out and do evil. For if we truly believe in the Lord and do evil then we are liars and don’t believe from the heart. The Lord knows our hearts and knows without us saying one word if we are honest with our beliefs. Then on that day of judgment, He will make the decision whether or not we will join Him in His heavenly kingdom. MAY ALL BE BLESSED!

Love And Blessings  DeeDee

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There are verses interpreted to say you can lose your eternal security and there are chapters interpreted to say one can not lose your eternal security. Furthermore, there is no talk of being born again again, but the phrase eternal salvation is used in Hebrews. Finally, when God enters into a blood covenant, it is unbreakable. The Old testament was a covenant conditional on our actions. The New Covenant is unconditional. This is so foreign to us that we do not even realize that breaking the hymen on our wedding night is the perfect example of entering into a blood covenant that is eternal. God passed between the blood with His covenant with Abraham. The man passes between the blood when he seals the covenant with his wife in the first act of sex- the consummation for the marriage. Have you passed thru the blood of Jesus?

Now here is the clincher: to pass thru the blood of Jesus you must commit to always following Him. That is, to always do His will; everything He tells you personally and Biblically. If you do the will of God thru Jesus throughout your whole life, then the eternal security argument is a moot point, for you will have proven to all that you indeed entered the kingdom of heaven when you made the decision to give your life to Jesus!

Todd Shilt, permission to cut & paste my whole response granted to all

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Yes.The soul that sinneth it shall die. Ezekiel 18:20

That will be the fate of all who feel no need of Jesus as their Saviour .Ezekiel 18:31,32

We cannot be saved and choose to sin, because the wages of sin is death and the gift of God is Eternal Life. Romans 6:23

We have to choose one or the other there is no middle ground. .Joshua 24:15

We are not ‘once-saved-always-saved’ it is a moment by moment experience.John14:14-17

When we accept Jesus and love Him like He loves us we have no desire to sin and break His Law. Psalm 42:1

We prove our love to Him and the world by our obedience. Jesus says “If you love me keep My Commandments” John`14:15

Jesus says “Go and sin no more!” John 8:10-12

God bless

Noeline