Can a True Christian Lose Their Salvation?
This is a topic that is very dear to my soul, because I
personally struggled with this doctrine early on in my Christian walk.
Since then, however, I have come to a solid resolution, built upon sound
exegesis and interpretation of the Word of God, that those who truly are
born-again by the Spirit of God cannot fall away and lose their salvation.
Being Reformed in my theology, I cherish – with the
Scriptures – the glorious attribute of God called His sovereignty.
When I say that God is absolutely sovereign, I say that He absolutely
controls and reigns over all of His creation, including mankind.
Nothing takes Him by surprise, because He has
declared the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), nor can anyone stay His
hand, because He is all-powerful (Isaiah 43:13; Daniel 4:35).
Because the Scriptures make much of God’s sovereign
reign over the universe, I take comfort in the passages which attribute my
salvation to His infinite power to do what I could never do on my own: Justify
me, sanctify me, and glorify me.
Rather than using the more popular phrases such as
“once saved, always saved” or “eternal security”, I prefer to use the
phrase “perseverance of the saints”, or as some of my reformed brethren
prefer, “preservation of the saints.”
1. Perseverance
is NOT the same as ‘once saved, always saved’ or ‘eternal security’.
How often I have watched T.V. preachers offer complete
assurance that if the listener repeated their fluffy little prayer to ‘accept
Jesus into their heart.’
I want to make it explicitly clear that no where in Scripture does it
ever say that we are to bank our eternity upon a little prayer we said five
years ago after the evangelist gave an altar call.
As a pastor, the greatest time-wasters in ministry is
dealing with unregenerate people who think they’re saved because there was a
time in their life when they asked Jesus into their heart to be their Savior.
But when we survey Scripture, we see that God calls His
people with a holy calling,
and so someone who is living a lifestyle of disobedience and sin is the last
person in the world who should be advocating “once saved, always saved”,
since they were never saved to begin with.
In fact, whenever the word “believe” is used in the NT
gospels and letters, it mostly used in the present tense, which basically means
that it is to be an ongoing process, not a one-time event. For example, in Romans 1:16, we read, “the gospel is the
power of God that brings salvation to those who believe.” But a literal translation of this renders, “the gospel is
the power of God that brings salvation for those who are believing and continue
to believe.” Faith in the gospel
not only justifies us, it also sanctifies us, and will one day glorify us.
Unfortunately, those who advocate the idea of ‘eternal
security’ often do so at the expense of God’s eternal plan to call out to
Himself a holy nation, eager to do what is good (cf. Titus 2:14).
Indeed, the only people whom the Bible pronounces
“eternally secure” are those who heed the words of 2 Peter 1:10, where the
apostle encourages his readers to “be all the more eager to make your calling
and election sure.” Before these
flashy televangelists offer any promises, perhaps they would be wise to quote 2
Corinthians 13:5, which says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in
the faith; test yourselves. Do you
not realize that Jesus Christ is in you – unless, of course, you fail
the test?”
Unfortunately, many who advocate the idea that a Christian
can lose their salvation often use as case studies those who claimed to be
converted, but then fell away and ‘lost’ their
salvation, when in biblical reality, they were never truly saved to begin with.
How many will be surprised when they are turned away from Christ on that
Day:
“Not everyone who says to Me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does
the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many
will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and
in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.
Away from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Only those who do the will of God are in the kingdom,
regardless of what they seem to think or claim before others.
Those who practice as a lifestyle of lawlessness, regardless of their
profession, are not known by Jesus, and therefore have no claim on His
forgiveness or Name.
2. Scriptural
Evidence that Affirms God’s Preservation of His People
Romans 8:28-39
Perhaps the best section to turn to is found in
Romans 8:28-39, a portion of Scripture that has been a great comfort to
multitudes of Christians throughout the ages.
Certainly, most Christians have committed to memory verse
28, which says, “And we know that for those who love God all things are
working together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
What a glorious promise!
But unfortunately, many people stop at verse 28, not realizing that the
following verses both unpack how God is doing this, and confirm that He will
fulfill His promise. Let us look
then at how works all things together for good for His chosen people.
Verse 29 begins with “because” or “for”, which
explains the grounds or reason why Paul can say what he does in v. 28.
Because God has predestined us to be conformed into the image of
His Son, we can know that He will work all things together to bring this about.
But who are those whom God has predestined to be
conformed into the image of Christ? Answer:
“those whom He foreknew.” The
verb literally means “knew beforehand” and many scholars translate it to
mean those whom God set His electing love upon in eternity past.
Then in v. 30, Paul paints for us a picture of what
salvation looks like from a heavenly perspective. Most scholars call this section ‘the golden chain of
salvation’, which says:
“And those whom God predestined He also called,
and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified, He
also glorified.”
So
let’s look at Paul’s train of thought from v. 28 to v. 30:
8:28
– God works all things together for good to those who love Him, whom He has
called according to His purpose. Thus,
His “working all things together for good” is equivalent to His
“purpose.”
8:29
– His “purpose” is one “predestined” in eternity past, namely to
conform those whom He “foreknew” into the image of Christ.
The reason He does this is so that Christ will be the “firstborn among many
brothers & sisters.”
8:30
– God guarantees this conforming of His elect people by His sovereign
initiative. His “purpose” cannot
be thwarted or fail (Daniel 4:35; Psalm 115:3).
Here we see God working out all things from eternity past –
predestination – to eternity future – glorification, which will be the
fulfillment of His promise in v. 29. Indeed,
as John says, when we are glorified, we will finally be like Christ (1 John
3:2).
What
is interesting in verse 30 is that all the verbs are in the aorist tense,
showing that in God’s perspective, the have already been achieved.
These are not hypothetical guesses or wishes,
but accomplished facts. Those who
are “in Christ” by faith have already, in God’s perspective, which is
irrespective of time, been glorified.
One
of the main reasons people believe Christians can lose their salvation is
because they have an unbalanced stance regarding the relationship between
justification and sanctification.
They place too much emphasis on sanctification, to the neglect of
justification, which teaches that those who are “in Christ” by [saving]
faith are declared to be righteous before God the Judge, since Christ has not
only become their sin, but has also imputed all of His righteousness to them
(see 2 Corinthians 5:21; also, you can go to our “sermons” section on our
website and listen to my two sermons on the doctrine of justification).
Basically,
those who say a believer can lose their salvation claim to be more powerful than
God, who thus cannot accomplish His good and perfect will, which is to
make us like Christ, in our lives, unless we consent.
But this is not what the verse says!
Verse 30 makes it very clear that this will
happen. Man’s ‘free will’ is
not mentioned, only God’s sovereign purposes are, and they are guaranteed.
Not one of His elect is lost in the chain!
Indeed,
in v. 31, Paul says that since God is for us, no one can stand against us, and
in v. 33 that no one can bring any accusation or charge against His elect.
Why? Because in v. 34, it is
Christ Jesus who died to justify us, and even more was raised so that He would
intercede on behalf of those whom He has perfectly saved.
Indeed,
because of Christ’s perfect atoning work, nothing can now separate us
from His love for us (v. 35). Indeed, because of the promise of v. 28, we are
more than conquerors through Christ who loved us (v. 37).
So sure of this, Paul says again that absolutely nothing in all of
creation, including us and our ‘free will’ will be able to separate us from
the love of God, “in Christ Jesus” (vv. 38-39).
Dear
reader, do you not see how glorious this passage is?
Do you not see how trusting fully in Christ brings Him great glory?
Those who believe they can thwart God’s purposes for those whom He has
called according to His purpose do His glory a great disservice, because they
are confessing that they are able to trump His sovereign will, which is to
create a new creation (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17) for Himself, made in the image of
Jesus Christ, who is the first fruits of the new creation (Romans 8:29; 1
Corinthians 15:20-24, and especially 15:49).
John
6
Another
great passage that ties the doctrine of perseverance together with the doctrine
of election is in John 6:25-70, where Jesus declares to His disciples
that He is the true bread of life.
In
v. 35, Jesus says to the crowd, “I am the bread of life.
He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will
never be thirsty.” Unfortunately,
the English translation misses the emphatic negative here and simply translates
it ‘never.’ But in the Greek,
John uses a double negative (ouv mh.), which is
better understood, “shall certainly never.”
Is it then possible for one to “come”
to Christ and later be hungry or thirsty? According
to John, it is impossible here!
In
vv. 37-39, Jesus shows us the why of v.
35: “All that the Father has gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me
I will never cast out. For I have
come from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me.”
Here,
Jesus says that all who come to Him will never be cast out (evkba,lw).
Many misinterpret this to mean that He will never forbid them from coming
to Him (i.e. for ‘initial salvation’).
But the verb means “cast away from” and is often used when Jesus
casts demons out of people. What is overlooked is the fact that to be cast out, one must
first be in. Thus, in context, we see that those who have come to Christ
(v. 35) will not only never hunger or thirst, but they will never be cast away
from Him (v. 37).
Why?
Because in v. 38, Jesus says He has come to do His Father’s will.
And what is that will? That
He “lose none of all those whom the Father has given Him.”
This verse is drenched with the idea of God’s electing purposes that precede
our coming to Christ, which is the only foundation, and therefore hope, that any
of us could ever persevere to the end.
And
so my question is this: if Christ came to do the Father’s will, which is to
lose none which God has sovereignly “given” to Him, and a believer can fall
away and be ‘lost’, is Jesus Christ who He says He is if He can’t keep His
promises? Do you see the danger of
attributing more power to the ‘free will’ of man than to the keeping power
of our sovereign Lord Jesus Christ?
But
Jesus goes farther. Not only does He guarantee to “keep” them, but He also
guarantees that He will (not might) raise all His people up on the last
day (v. 39b).
Why?
“Because” begins v. 40, “My Father’s will is that everyone
who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will
raise him up at the last day.” I
don’t know how much plainer or simpler it gets than this.
Later,
we are reminded how the doctrine of God’s electing purposes is the very
assurance of our being raised up on the last day.
After many grumble at Christ’s hard sayings, He tells them something
many of us cringe at hearing: “No
one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws Him, and I will raise Him
up at the last day.”
Here we again see that our only hope in eternity future is bound up with
God’s purposes in eternity past. If
God is sovereign enough to “drag us”
to Christ, is He not sovereign enough to keep us “in Him”?
Finally,
those who come to Christ, namely those “who believe” have everlasting
life (v. 47). Note that Jesus adds
no clause or conditions. It is an unconditional promise that those who truly eat the
bread of life will (not might) live forever (vv. 51, 58). But again, we are reminded of God’s sovereign power in v.
65: “No one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled him” (NIV).
Not only does the Father enable us to come to Christ, He enables us to
remain “in Christ.”
John
10
Herein
we see the power of the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, to keep all the sheep that
are given Him by the Father.
Of His sheep, Jesus says,
“My sheep listen to
My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never
(ouv mh) perish; no
one can snatch them out of My hand. My
Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them
out of My Father’s hand; I and the Father are one” (vv. 27-30).
This
is almost identical to the idea of John 6, and so I will only highlight the fact
that Jesus says “no one” is able to snatch them from His hand.
I’m not sure how much simpler it gets than that.
No one includes not only the Devil, but even ourselves! And so I ask, if any of those whom God has “given” (de,dwke,n)
to the Son are lost, is Jesus Christ a liar?
Those who claim that one who has believed in Him can later be lost
apparently do so.
Other
Passages Treated in Less Detail
Literally,
there are hundreds of passages that confirm the believer’s perseverance in
grace, and if God permits, I will try to unpack them at a later time.
However, there are a few passages that I will treat quickly here, since
they are quite straightforward to understand.
The
first is Philippians 1:6, where Paul says, “And I am fully persuaded of
this very thing: that He [God] who began a good work in you will bring it to
completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Again,
we see that the believer’s perseverance in grace is tied up in God’s
sovereign grace, namely, that God initiates faith and belief.
But not only does God initiate this “good work”, He also ensures
it’s completion. This good work
is seen in chapter 3 as being conformed into Christ’s image (sound familiar?
Cf. Romans 8:28-30) on that glorious day (cf. Philippians 1:9-11).
Even
more in Philippians 1:29, we see that faith is a sovereign gift bestowed
on us who believe. My faith is imperfect, because I am imperfect.
If I am depending upon my own faith to save and keep me, I have every
right to believe that I will lose ‘MY’ salvation.
But if it is God’s perfect faith given as a gift, and it is His
salvation given to me “in Christ”, then I have every right to have
confidence and assurance that He is able to keep that which He has committed to
me against that day.
In
Hebrews 12:2, we are told that Jesus Christ is the “author and finisher
of our faith.” Again, this
confirms that faith is sovereignly bestowed to us a gift, and that Christ, as
God, is not only able to give us faith, but to sustain, or finish, or perfect,
it.
Finally,
in Ephesians 2:8-10, we see that our salvation is rooted in the grace of
God to give us true and saving faith that guarantees true salvation.
Paul says that “we are saved by grace through faith; and this is not
your own, it is the gift of God.” What
is “not our own, but God’s gift" then? Well,
the preceding clause tells us that it is the “salvation-by grace-through
faith” thing that is God’s gift. We
do not earn salvation, grace or faith. They
are God’s good gifts given to His people.
The
Role of the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant
Finally,
a major reason some believe that a true Christian can lose their salvation is
that they do not understand one of the Holy Spirit’s major roles in the New
Covenant, which is the sealing of God’s elect people unto the day of
redemption.
For
example in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Paul says: “Now it is God who makes both us
and you stand firm in Christ. He
anointed us, set His seal of ownership upon us, and put His Spirit in our hearts
as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Again,
we see that it is God who makes us stand firm; He
preserves us “in Christ.” But how
can we be sure of this? Well, says Paul, He has anointed us with the Holy Spirit,
which is God’s stamp of ownership over us, which guarantees (avrrabw,n) what is to
come.
In
Ephesians 1:13, Paul tells us that,
“And
you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation. Having
believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to
the praise of His glory.”
The
Spirit of promise, as anticipated in the OT (e.g. Jeremiah 31, Joel 2; Ezekiel
36) marks off God’s chosen people by circumcising their hearts (cf. how the
Israelites were “marked” by their physical circumcision, done by human
hands). This is God’s “seal”
that we belong to Him. Not only this, the Spirit is our “guarantee” that we will
indeed acquire “our inheritance” on that great and final day, which will
redound to God’s glory.
Finally,
in Romans 8:16 that the Spirit is given to God’s people to testify to them
that they belong to God the Father, akin to the above two passages.
Conclusion
I
have just touched the surface of Scriptures that reveal that God’s elect
people cannot fall away from grace.
At
one time I severely struggled with the aspect that “I” could lose my
salvation. The sleepless nights,
the fear, the anxiety was horrible. There is very little assurance or peace in the hearts of
those who do not trust in the sovereign ability of God to preserve His elect.
Trust me, I know.
But
by His grace, God showed me that it was “Him” who had not only called me,
but also “Him” who was keeping me, and “Him who would bring to glory.”
I don’t trust in “me” or “my” faithfulness.
I trust in Christ’s faithfulness and God’s abiding promises.
The
danger of those who believe they can lose their salvation is that they begin to
focus on “themselves” and on “their” obedience and become quite
self-centered. This was never the
way God planned it. Look not to
self but to Christ. Rest not on
your obedience but His. Is this not
what true “faith” and “trust” is?
With
John Bunyan, who struggled with the assurance of his salvation for years, let us
with Christ-centered, and Christ-glorifying confidence say:
I also say, moreover,
that it was not my good frame of heart that my righteousness better, nor yet my
bad frame of heart that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was
Jesus Christ Himself, “The same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Now did my chains fall of my legs indeed.
I was loosed from my afflictions and irons; my temptations also fled
away; so that from that time those dreadful scriptures of God [about the
unforgivable sin] left of to trouble me; now went I also home rejoicing for the
grace and love of God.
In
Christ, and for His glory,
Pastor Ryan
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