Can Salvation Be Lost ?

As a pastor I am occasionally confronted with this question in one form or another. I have met many dear Christian brothers and sisters who are confused and troubled by this very serious doctrinal question. Most of them have come out of denominations whose doctrine teaches that one can, in fact lost their salvation. Others simply have come across verses of Scripture on their own that raise this troubling question. So let’s think this through.

Often the whole debate stems from our experience, or our observations. Either we don’t have the same “feeling” we once had, or we continue to struggle with sin, or wesee someone who does. These are valid concerns, especially when they affect our belief concerning whether or not we can rest in being kept secure in Christ. As with any issue that we debate from the Bible, we have to be sure to look at Scripture as a whole, and not form our views on one or two isolated passages. Whereas the Bible contains verses that seem to point to both views (that you can and cannot lose your salvation), we need to ask, “is there an explanation that is consistent with Scripture as a whole?”.

The best-known Scriptures that speak to this issue are John 6:37-40; 44 and John 10:28-29. Additionally, John 1:12-13 points to the role of regeneration in our eternal security; and 1 Peter 1:3-9 which points to how we are kept even as our faith may be tested. As I read Scripture as a whole, we do find passages that cause fear and trembling, and we are told in Philippians 2:12 to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” – not a call to work for our salvation, but to never take it for granted, being mindful that God saved us for a greater reason than our own escape from the fires of hell, so we should take it serious!   I also see in Scripture, the concepts of the New Birth (Regeneration) and Adoption. Just as a child (of blood descent or adopted) cannot be un-born from their earthly family, neither can a truly regenerate child of God lose their place in God’s family. Both logic and Scripture support that. 

The concept in question is commonly expressed in a variety of ways. Some use the phrase “once saved always saved”, while others use the term “eternal security”. Reformed theologians centuries ago, coined the phrase “Perseverance of the Saints”. In short, this means that those who are truly in Christ (saints) may still sin, but ultimately will continue and persevere in sanctification until the end. Correctly understood, Perseverance is not a way to earn salvation, but is the evidence of genuine conversion (a regenerate heart). If you’ve read much of my stuff, you know that I most align with the Reformed position on many key issues.   

Trusting in God’s gracious provision for the forgiveness of sin does not ensure that we will never sin. Those who say that salvation can be lost or forfeited in some way suggest that can happen by either a sliding into a habitual pattern of sin, or by some outright “in God’s face” rejection of His grace – kind of like returning a nice Christmas gift to Walmart. I just have to ask – what person who ever understood God’s gracious provision in light of the judgment we deserve, could even want to do that ? It seems to me that if we truly understand the amazing gift we’ve been given that we would value it far too much to flippantly decide we no longer want it. On the other hand, if someone never understood the true nature of grace, I have to question whether it was even possible that they had salvation in the first place (that includes my belief that regeneration is a prerequisite to belief in Jesus and the salvation His finished work on the cross provides). 

It is not my purpose in this short blog space to persuade anyone to change their view on this (even though I hope some people do). In spite of my desire for people to figure this out, I have always held to the notion that very few people ever change their views as a result to persuasion, but rather as a result of being challenged to think and study the issue for themselves, and to do so from Scripture – not from “official denominational doctrine”. So hopefully what I have said along with these few concluding thoughts will be helpful in just that way.

         Thoughts About The Security Of Our Salvation

1. Perfection is not attainable in this life, even for the regenerate (born again person)
2. A professing Christian can’t lose their salvation unless they never had it in the first place
3. If a person has a regenerate heart, then they will persevere
4. Both the unregenerate, and the regenerate inhabit the Church, and both will sin. However the regenerate will repent and will not stay in habitual sin
5. The unregenerate person is comfortable in their sin and enjoys it, while the regenerate person may sin but will be troubled by their sin and desire to change
6. Some who claim / profess to be saved are not. This is the result of a flawed faith and/or improper understanding of grace & gospel. It is possible to make a mental assent that looks like faith, apart from regeneration
7. Fear of hell doesn’t neccessarily get people into heaven, but love for God shows that heaven has gotten into us.