Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?
Is it possible for salvation to be lost?
Many theologians have gone back and forth trying to explain under what circumstances it can be considered “lost.”
Before we can know what qualifies as “lost”, we must answer the question: what does true salvation look like?
5 Birthmarks of Salvation
Dr. David Jeremiah says:
- Confession of Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior.
- Change that happens within the person’s heart, change of nature.
- Compassion towards brothers and sisters.
- Conflict. The fact that you have the conflict inside of you, means you are born again. You don’t lose your ability to sin, but you stop enjoying it. The fact the devil is fighting you is a sign you are not on his team. Christians don’t practice sin, they practice righteousness, because Jesus made them righteous. 1 John 2:29 states, “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.” Another Scripture that proves this idea says, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9).
- Conduct. It’s when you are born again that your behavior changes. We don’t focus on behavior, but on growth. We have God’s nature. His Spirit lives inside of us. Renewing our mind in His Word and remaining in His presence, will automatically result in the right behavior. You will change because you grew. It’s interesting, that when we grow or achieve something in life, it doesn’t influence our status in the family. In the same manner, we are children of God regardless of what position we have.
The fact that the devil is fighting you is a sign you are not on his team.
4 Different Beliefs People Hold Concerning Salvation
Dr. Michael Brown says:
- “Once saved, always saved.” Is the idea that you can reject Jesus, insult the Holy Spirit, and you will be saved anyway because salvation is eternal and you cannot lose it.
- The perseverance of the saints. This is the belief that you can disown Christ, and turn your back on the grace of God, but doing that means you were never really saved.
- “Your salvation is secure until your next mistake–sin.” Those that believe this, think that you lose it and you get it back when you repent, thus people find themselves in “The vicious cycle.”
- “You cannot lose your salvation like you lose your keys.” Lastly, people believe that you cannot lose your salvation when you sin or forgot to repent of something. For example, if you are married, you don’t lose your marriage because you had a bad day. Dr. Michael Brown said: “You cannot lose your salvation like you lose your keys. A passenger in an airplane is guaranteed to reach the destination overseas unless he chooses to do something crazy like open the emergency door and jump”.
You can not lose your salvation like you lose your keys.
Salvation doesn’t take away the freedom of choice to reject Christ.
John 15:2-4 states: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
You can only lose your salvation if you reject Jesus Christ and His grace.
If you reject God’s grace and try to achieve righteousness by your own strength, then you’ll be cut off the branch and be thrown into the fire.
We need to abide and remain in Christ. It’s His grace that will help us to live righteously, do good, and reach our destination – heaven.