Question: "Can a Christian
lose salvation?"
Answer: Before this question is answered, the term “Christian” must
be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer, or walked
down an aisle, or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these
things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what “makes”
a Christian. A Christian is a person who has, by faith, received and fully
trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians
2:8-9).
So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation? Perhaps
the best way to answer this crucially important question is to examine
what the Bible says occurs at salvation, and to study what losing salvation
would therefore entail. Here are a few examples:
A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians
5:17). This verse speaks of a person becoming an entirely new creature
as a result of being “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation,
the new creation would have to be canceled and reversed.
A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable
things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way
of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
The word “redeemed” refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid.
For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to revoke His
purchase that He paid for with the precious blood of Christ.
A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified through
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
To “justify” means to “declare righteous.” All those who receive Jesus
as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose salvation,
God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what He had previously
declared.
A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that
he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish
but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is a promise of eternity
(forever) in heaven with God. God promises, “Believe and you will have
eternal life.” For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have
to be taken away. If a Christian is promised to live forever, how then
can God break this promise by taking away eternal life?
A Christian is guaranteed glorification. “And those he predestined, he
also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he
also glorified” (Romans 8:30). As we learned in Romans 5:1, justification
is declared at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30, glorification
is guaranteed for all those whom God justifies. Glorification refers to
a Christian receiving a perfect resurrection body in heaven. If a Christian
can lose salvation, then Romans 8:30 is in error, because God could not
guarantee glorification for all those whom He predestines, calls, and justifies.
Many more illustrations of what occurs at salvation could be shared. Even
these few make it abundantly clear that a Christian cannot lose salvation.
Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive
Jesus Christ as Savior would be invalidated if salvation could be lost.
Salvation cannot be reversed. A Christian cannot be un-newly created. Redemption
cannot be undone. Eternal life cannot be lost and still be considered eternal.
If a Christian can lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word
and change His mind—two things that Scripture tells us God never does.
The most frequent objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose
salvation are 1) What about those who are Christians and continually live
an immoral lifestyle? 2) What about those who are Christians but later
reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these two objections
is the phrase “who are Christians.” The Bible declares that a true Christian
will not live a continually immoral lifestyle (1 John 3:6). The Bible declares
that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he never truly
was a Christian (1 John 2:19). Therefore, neither objection is valid. Christians
do not continually live immoral lifestyles, nor do they reject the faith
and deny Christ. Such actions are proof that they were never redeemed.
No, a Christian cannot lose salvation. Nothing can separate a Christian
from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). Nothing can remove a Christian from
God’s hand (John 10:28-29). God is both willing and able to guarantee
and maintain the salvation He has given us. Jude 24-25, “To Him who is
able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence
without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory,
majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all
ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Recommended Resources: Eternal
Security by Charles Stanley and
Logos
Bible Software.
www.GotQuestions.org |
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