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Can We Lose Our Salvation?
It is often taught today that we can lose our salvation. It is understandable that this doctrine exists with the free-will doctrine because if we believe we have gotten ourselves saved, then it would seem logical that we could do something to lose that salvation. Wonderfully, the Bible teaches that once we have become saved we are eternally secure in Christ. We will first look at the Bible's teaching on eternal security. Then we will look at the verses that are commonly offered as proof that we can lose our salvation and examine what they are really teaching.
The Elect Are Sanctified
We have to remember that once we become saved we are perfected forever:
"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14)
Those that are sanctified are the ones who were chosen to salvation from the beginning, the elect:
"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
Every sin that the sanctified elect have committed and ever will commit were paid for by Christ. Therefore, they no longer stand condemned:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1)
The Elect Are Justified
We must be justified to become saved, and we are not justified by following the commandments of God:
"Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20)
Rather, we are justified by faith:
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law." (Romans 3:28)
Our faith is a gift from God:
"who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (2 Timothy 1:9)
God does not give faith to His elect and then take it away.
The Elect Are Sealed
As soon as we are saved we are sealed with the Holy Spirit:
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." (Ephesians 1:13)
Once we are sealed we are sealed until the day of redemption:
"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30)
The Elect Are Born Of An Incorruptible Seed
A true believer is born again of an incorruptible seed:
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1 Peter 1:23)
Since we are born again of an incorruptible seed it should come as no surprise that our salvation is incorruptible and cannot not fade away:
"To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." (1 Peter 1:4)
This is why we read that our inheritance is eternal:
"And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." (Hebrews 9:15)
All believers receive eternal life at the point of salvation:
"He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)
A fair question one might ask is, "Well, then why do we even bother with refraining from sin?" You see, if we are truly born again then we will no longer want to sin. We will have a constant desire to keep God's commandments:
"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1 John 2:3-4)
Sadly, many are taught, "Now look, you're saved, but you better watch out. You better keep God's commandments because if you don't then you're going to lose your salvation and end up in hell." The Bible doesn't teach that. We keep the commandments of God because we love to keep them, not out of fear that we might lose our salvation. When we understand that our salvation is entirely God's work and when we understand that Christ had to specifically pay for the sins of the elect it is easier to understand that our salvation is permanent. To lose our salvation would mean that God changed His mind and undid some of the work that was performed on the cross.
Where we can easily get confused is when we look at someone and assume they are a true believer because of the decent moral life we see them living. Then if we see them slide away from that moral lifestyle and slip back into a life filled with sin we might say, "Oh, they must have lost their salvation." There is a parable in Matthew 13:3-23 (see The Parable of the Seed) that tells us that individuals such as this did not lose their salvation, but rather they likely were never saved to begin with.
More than just what we see around us, the doctrine that we can forfeit our salvation is also accompanied with some verses that are frequently offered to support it so let's take a look at those. After all, we have to examine our beliefs in light of the whole Bible...
Hebrews 2:1
"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."
When presented in its original English translation this verse does not actually cause much confusion. However, later translations have installed confusion in the minds of their readers. The New American Standard translation reads, "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."
The true meaning of this verse isn't speaking directly of salvation. It is simply stating that we should keep studying the Word of God so that we will always be conscious of it and desire to follow it. If we put the Bible on a shelf and let it collect dust we will fail to grow spiritually and maybe even regress a little.
Hebrews 3:14
"For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end."
We have to read this verse in light of the rest of Scripture. God is not declaring what someone must do in order to remain saved. Rather, He is indicating the mark of a true believer. He is saying that if we hold fast until the end then that is indicative that we truly are saved:
"But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Matthew 24:13)
Hebrews 6:4-6
"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."
We should pick up the context of this. Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 are talking about national Israel which was in the wilderness in the days of Moses. They were eating of the heavenly bread. They had repented in the sense that they had left Egypt. They were partakers of the Holy Spirit in the sense that God the Holy Spirit overshadowed them in the clouds in the day and a pillar of fire at night. They were enlightened in the sense that Moses was there teaching them about God's law. But we read in Hebrews 3:17-19 that most of them perished in the wilderness because of unbelief. Their knowledge, their enlightenment, the fact that they were in the presence of the Holy Spirit benefited them in no way as far as their salvation was concerned because these things were not accompanied by faith.
And so today, if someone grows up under the hearing of God's Word, if someone grows up in the presence of true believers, and in the presence of God as He operates he might be very familiar with the Bible. He might have God's salvation plan outlined perfectly. But none of these things will matter in so far as his salvation is concerned if they are not accompanied by faith.
Philippians 2:12
"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."
This verse should not be understood as, "Work so that you may keep your salvation," but rather, "Work so that you may show your salvation."
Galatians 5:2-4
"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."
The phrase that is often focused on is, "ye are fallen from grace." This is very similar to the phrase we find in Hebrews 12:15:
"Look diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God..."
The Greek word translated as "fail" is hustereo which is translated in other parts of the Bible as "come short", "be behind", "lack", "be in want", and "suffer need." So the implication in Hebrews 12:15 is not that someone has lost their salvation but rather that this person has come short of the grace of God. They were never saved to begin with.
The phrase in Galatians 5:4 is also to be understood this way. We can see this by picking up the context from the previous verses which are talking about those who are trying to be saved by works. Anyone who believes they can be saved by following God's law (and therefore making Christ of no use) has fallen short of the grace of God.
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