One of the most debated topics among
Believers is that of security in salvation. “Is it possible to lose salvation, once saved?” I believe that the answer to this question is
a very firm, uncontestable “No.” I find
the Bible, God’s very Word, to be very clear on this issue of eternal
salvation. Following are just a few
reasons why I believe that it is impossible to lose salvation.
Eternal Life
1) John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that
He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
Jesus clearly states in this verse that a
Believer has everlasting life. By its
very definition, everlasting life does
not end. This everlasting life does
not begin after physical death, either.
Everlasting life begins at the moment of salvation, as Paul clearly
states in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified
with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the
life which I now life in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved
me, and gave Himself for me.” At the
moment of salvation, the old self dies and is replaced by the new. Our old self is crucified with Christ, and we
are reborn, as Christ Himself states in John 3.
Christ aptly compares salvation to birth, and He clearly did so
with intent. Birth is a one-way
process. Once born, a child cannot be
‘un-born,’ and in the same way, once a Believer is born again, he cannot be
‘un-born-again.’ Salvation is eternal,
beginning with the moment that a Believer first believes.
Impossible Separation
2) 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.
Nothing, according to Paul, is able to
separate us from God. God is in control
of everything, and nothing, nothing is powerful enough to take us away
from Him. That includes ourselves and
our sin. To say that we lose salvation
upon sinning ‘just too much’ after being saved, is not only to call God a liar
(John 10:28 – “And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”),
but is also to say that our sin is more powerful than God. It is to say that Jesus’ sacrifice was not
good enough to cover every single sin ever committed. That Christ’s sacrifice was enough is the
very core of our faith—without it, we have no hope at all.
Holiness?
3) Romans 7:15-20 – “For that which I do I allow
not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do
that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is
no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that
is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but
how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do
not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me.”
Although our old selves are
crucified and gone, the sin nature is still a part of us. It always will be, until the day we see
Christ. Our hearts are exceedingly
wicked. Although we stand before a just
and holy God, we also stand before a merciful God. He sees Christ’s holiness applied to us. It is not our own holiness that keeps
us from God’s wrath. It is
Christ’s. We, as humans, cannot
be holy. Paul clearly states in Romans 7
that our sin nature is still a part of us after salvation. We do the very things we despise, and we
cannot bring ourselves to do the things we know we ought. If it were possible to lose salvation by
sinning again after salvation, how far is too far? What sin is great enough? Would it be a lie? Murder? Fornication/adultery? Would it be any sin? Indeed not!
Sin greatly damages our testimony for Christ, and does damage our
relationship with God; but a true Believer is still saved.
The Power of Christ’s
Sacrifice
4) I
Corinthians 2:2 & 5 - For I determined not to know any thing among you,
save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified… That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power
of God.
How powerful is the
sacrifice that Christ made? The question
of loss of salvation is really nothing more than that very question. To say that we can lose our salvation is to
put God in a box; it is to say that God is not powerful enough. More so, it is to say that our sin is
more powerful than God! If this
is so, then what good was the cross in the first place? Our faith is not in our own good work, but
in the power of God in Christ’s sacrifice.
If that is not powerful enough to keep us saved, then it was never
powerful enough to save us, and our faith is entirely in vain.
Biblical Example
5) Romans 4:3 – “For what saith the scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it was counted
unto him for righteousness.”
Abraham? Now wait a minute!
This guy sinned. He lied twice to kings
about his wife to save his skin. He had
a child with a woman who was not his wife.
All of this after he believed.
And yet, God still counted his faith to him as righteousness.
6) I Samuel 13:14b – “the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD
hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept
that which the LORD commanded thee.”
David is who this verse is
referring to. And how about David? He messed up if ever anyone did. Adultery, attempts at deceit, and murder to
cover it up. Yet, God called David a man
after His own heart, because David had faith and an obedient heart.
Conclusion
As Believers, we should not be
living in sin. Sin damages our
testimony. The world is watching us, and
they are disappointed when Believers fall.
However, sin does not remove our salvation. If once we are saved, we can never become
un-saved. Salvation is powerful and
permanent. But that doesn’t mean that we
should take advantage. Salvation is not
a license to sin. We are to accept the
gift of salvation. If we are saved, we should
be following after Christ and doing what is right; but failure to do so does
not re-condemn us to Hell. It greatly
diminishes our rewards in Heaven.
Someday, every Believer will have to look Jesus in the eye and give
account for every second of how he spent his life. Christ paid for our sins, but we must earn
our rewards.
