Can a believer in Jesus lose their salvation?

As the person who is writing the article, let me be straight forward and open from the outset. This article will use scripture and argue that ‘NO’ a believer cannot lose their free gift of salvation. I will call on many scriptures penned by Paul and other writers to prove the consistency of this truth. Let me begin:

Firstly, to be born again, one is choosing to believe. We understand that becoming a believer is independent of good works of obedience and cannot be achieved through any righteous acts whatsoever. Salvation comes purely to those who would receive God’s grace ALONE, through faith ALONE because of Christ ALONE. It is putting your trust in Jesus and his finished work on our behalf (Romans 3:22-26). Jesus himself said that no one comes to the Father but through Him. So, we understand that the ONLY premise by which we are born again is by believing and receiving a person – Jesus. It’s not through ‘understanding’ the Bible or through the obedience of Christian ordinances or through praying a ‘salvation’ prayer. A person becomes a believer by BELIEVING in Jesus and RECEIVING HIM.

It’s on this note that I say a person who begins by believing in Jesus can rightly come to a point (although I don’t know why or how) where they REJECT JESUS, and by so doing, they reject his salvation. This is through a willful turning away and going in another direction altogether. Calvinists would never believe this as its contrary to the ‘perseverance of the saints’ point but if there had to be ONE way that a person loses their salvation it would have to be by REJECTING THE PERSON OF JESUS because by receiving His free gift in the first place, is by receiving HIM.

Secondly, we understand that we are under a new covenant. By that, we need to remember that we are no longer under a covenant of works but a covenant of grace. Under the covenant of works, obedience was the currency to relating to God, receiving from God and pleasing God. If I obeyed, God blessed. If I disobeyed, God cursed. Under the new covenant, God has instituted a covenant that is based on faith. Paul was clear when he said ‘the righteous shall live by faith’ and ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God.’ Faith is the currency of the new covenant and is in direct opposition to the old works based covenant. Under the old, men would be required to obey the rules in order to be declared righteous before God. Under the new covenant, men receive the righteousness of God as a gift and are made acceptable to God through Jesus’ blood. It has nothing to do with performance but all to do with faith alone in Christ alone because of his grace alone.

The Galatian believers fell into the trap of beginning in grace (by getting born again) and then reverting back to commandments in order to STAY saved. Paul rebuked them harshly and called them bewitched. (Galatians 3:2-5) Justification is grace alone through faith alone (Romans 3:26, 4:24-25) Sanctification is by grace alone through faith alone (Galatians 3:2-11). We begin in grace through faith and we finish the race in grace through faith. In no way do we revert back to performance, effort and works in order to keep, maintain or solidify our salvation. Paul was very clear on this point and its truth is very consistent throughout the NT.

What happens at the point of conversion? A person comes to a realization through revelation by the Holy Spirit that they are a sinner, an enemy of God. They need a savior or else they will be lost to hell forever. They realize their desperate need for a savior. (Romans 3:10-20) Faith arises to the point that they believe in Jesus to be the one who can save them. They call out to Jesus to save them and they receive Him (Romans 10:8-13). 

At that very point, by the Holy Spirit, the person is born-again, their old nature is crucified and buried; their new nature rises to new life in Jesus (Romans 6:2-7; 2 Cor 5:17), the Holy Spirit comes and lives in them and with them (2 Cor 1:22) as heaven’s deposit that they now belong to God, they are placed in God’s hand where no one can snatch them out (John 10:26), they become God’s son (John 1:12-13), they receive His gift of righteousness (Romans 3:22), they are justified before the Father (Romans 3:25) and all their sins are forgiven (past, present AND future) (Colossians 2:13, Romans 3:25, Romans 8:1-4, Colossians 1:14).

That person is qualified by God (Colossians 1:12) and is transferred by God from the kingdom of darkness INTO the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13-14). God transfers us from ‘in Adam’ and places us ‘in Christ’. He are now been hidden with God in Christ. Not only that, but by His grace we are being made perfect and being made holy (sanctification) forever by His power (Hebrews 10:14).

We have now been given a position in Christ and we are now God’s son. We are His. The Holy Spirit is heaven’s seal on us that we belong to Him. He saves us by his power by faith alone; totally independent of my performance.

So the question is: If it could take no good deeds, no matter how many I did, to get born again; then what makes us think that it can take bad deeds to get un-born-again?  

I mean, if we apply some genuine logical doctrine to this question, the answer has to be a resounding: Nothing I DO can make me un-born again, lose the Holy Spirit, un-do God’s work in my life and take my gift away which I never earned in the first place! If I did NOTHING to get it; then what makes me think I can do SOMETHING to lose it?? It doesn’t make sound doctrine sense.

No one can tell me or give a straight answer as to when a Christian back slides to a point of losing their salvation. Is it after 2 affairs? Is it after 1 affair and 3 swear words? Or rather 3 affairs, 10 swear words and 23 lies??? Whatever the combination, the believer who believes that salvation can be lost does it on a ‘performance based’ theology. You have to DO a number of bad things to lose the gift. But why? You never did a number of good things to get the gift. So now why can a person suddenly lose it through ‘doing’ when they got it by ‘believing’?  It doesn’t make sense and is a clear error in Biblical theology.

The reason why believers resist this truth is quite simple. One word: licentiousness. If we preached a message that as long as you believe in Jesus and have faith in Him, then that person can sleep around, murder, steal and live the way they want to with complete license because  God’s grace will just forgive, forgive and forgive. Paul was tackled about this very point. And his answer was also: FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE – NO!! Does this mean we can just sin without consequence and misuse God’s grace?? NO!! (Romans 6:1-2) The good news is that God’s grace teaches us to say no to fleshly desires and it teaches us to live lives worthy of God’s call. (Titus 2:11-13) Grace has come to deliver us from sin, not empower us to sin (Romans 6:14).

By living from a position of eternal security and assurance of salvation; we are empowered not to live in fear of hopefully missing the mark; but to rather go BIG for God and live BIG for the gospel. Let us walk in a worthy manner of Christ and demonstrate the King in the way we live. 

Grace empowers living....not excuses it

I'm a Christian. I have been for 17 years now. I am passionate about Jesus. I love Him and revel in what He has done for me. I believe He holds the world on his little pinkie, he is all powerful and that he knows how each day of my life is going to unfold. I know that He loves me and I know that He has saved me from hell.

I believe that my sins have been washed away - completely. Past, present and future. All my sins were nailed and punished on the cross. I am seated in heavenly realms. When I die, I will go to heaven. I have been made perfect forever because of Jesus' finished work. God declares me NOT GUILTY because of Jesus' finished work. I have been 100% justified because of Jesus' finished work. I never have to worry about losing my salvation. Never. It's not mine to lose. It's His gift to me. Free. No cost needed. Obedience to commands could not have earned it. If my salvation depended on 99% God and 1% me, then my salvation would only be 99% - because I'd mess up every time. (Col 1:12-14; Romans 4:23-25; 6:23; Hebrews 10:11-12)

So far so good. At this point the 'Grace' believers are high fiving each other and screaming 'Amen brother, preach it!' I'm a believer. I believe in what Jesus has done and accomplished on my behalf. But also, as a believer, I'm also very aware that it doesn't stop there. WHAT?! No it doesn't. Doing nothing with the position that Christ has given us is quite selfish and against what Jesus command us. "Go into the world...."
The mandate is quite simple: I've made you a son, I've given you an inheritance, I have given you access to unlimited power, you have ME inside you - Go now....AND CHANGE THE WORLD....bring heaven's realities into this one!

Jesus is the foundation upon which I build. His finished work is the only thing I can build upon. (1 Cor 3:10-15)

Most often, in my 17 year experience, people are influenced by Christians because of what they do - not really but what they say. It surprises me the amount of people who call themselves Christians but allow such filth to come from their mouths, such greed in their business ethics and walk in such low levels of love and compassion towards people. It's no surprise that many people are turned off Jesus because of His 'followers'. Why would I stoop so low to allow such swearing and cussing to come out of my mouth when I know I am a child of the King? Why would I compromise my integrity when my Father owns everything?

Jesus has saved us. Done. The foundation is laid and nothing can take that gift away. But how we build upon that foundation is up to me and up to you. He has given us a place of eternal security, of fellowship, of forgiveness, of love and intimacy. Why would I use that position to compromise the way I live?

May we receive our Father's abundance of grace to enable and empower us to live lives worthy of calling ourselves Christians. Our God has qualified us! Why do we live lives that make us look disqualified??

Pressure....we all have it.

It's like being strangled. Slowly. The phone calls. The emails. The demands. The dead lines. The requests. The responsibilities. Some mistakes are made. Some victories are won. But the pressure's still on.

All of us. Everyone. In different times in our lives face pressure. Pressures! My time is now. It's tough. It's hard. I feel a bit deflated. A bit hard done by. I feel flat. It's unlike an energetic, positive, always the optimist like me. But that's life. A few years ago, in my real "holy charismatic" days, I would genuinely believe that Christians should never feel life like this. We should consistently be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, full of joy, full of laughter, never down, negative or dare I say it....."depressed".

Life is an amazing journey. Time, too, an instructor. Pressure is part of life. It happens to all. We, all, no matter who we pray to or chose to believe in, are participants of life. And life happens to all of us. Pressure is part of that life.

I'm very grateful for my wife who constantly blows kisses in my direction and tells me she loves me. I'm strengthened by my friends' real care and genuine love. I'm encouraged that I serve a savior, who also knows all to well, what life is about. He lived it for 33 years and he experienced pressure; worse than I did. He sympathizes and he cares. On my good days and also on my bad, I know that I know my Jesus is carrying me, saving me and he's got my back. 

Pressure happens to you too. Some smoke, some drink, some spend money and while some of us eat. However you choose to handle your pressure, remember that there is a God who understands. He really does. And he doesn't disqualify you or think you're any less spiritual because of it.