Question of the Week (04/07/24)

QUESTION: Can Christians lose their salvation?

ANSWER: I believe it's crucial not to rush into answering certain questions for several reasons:

1. Question Quality: Sometimes the questions themselves are flawed or don't warrant immediate answers. As seen in John 8:1-11 and 2 Timothy 2:23-26, there are instances where questions may not align with deeper truths or may be posed from a misguided perspective.
2. Understanding: Rushing to answer can stem from a lack of understanding. Proverbs 4:7 highlights the importance of wisdom and insight before attempting to address complex issues. Without a comprehensive grasp of the matter at hand, our responses may fall short.
3. Discerning the Heart of the Matter: Often, the question presented isn't the true issue at the heart of the matter. For instance:
   • Someone struggling in their faith might question their salvation due to ongoing challenges. However, the real issue may be finding victory and freedom from sin, rather than questioning their salvation status.
   • Similarly, individuals who appear indifferent to commitment may actually be grappling with the concept of salvation itself. Their focus may not be on the risk of losing salvation but on genuinely accepting it for the first time.
   • Instances of individuals seemingly renouncing their faith, like Carlton Pearson, raise questions about salvation. However, discerning their spiritual state ultimately rests with God alone.

In essence, taking time to reflect, seek wisdom, and discern the underlying issues ensures more meaningful and accurate responses to questions of faith and salvation.

Reframing the Question
The question more fundamental than “Have I lost my salvation?” is “Am I presently saved?” The second question includes the possibility of the first but moves us beyond the debate. One danger of the “once saved, always saved” position is giving false hope to someone not actually saved.

However, we also don't want genuine believers to live in constant fear. In some churches, it seems people are saved one day and lost the next. If you receive “eternal life” on Sunday and lose it on Wednesday, then what you received on Sunday wasn't eternal. We can't call something “salvation” that's unstable or insecure.

Jesus said in John 10:28-29, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never 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.” Sometimes people try to explain this verse by saying an individual can jump out of God’s hand, but then this verse would be a non-promise. The greater issue, though, is that the verse says “and they shall never perish.” This passage indicates the seriousness of God’s commitment to us, and we can rest assured that no power in the universe can frustrate or undo God’s actions.

The commitment God extends to us is rooted and grounded in his grace. God is the source of salvation; salvation belongs to him. God initiates, sustains, and completes salvation. Our only part in the salvation process is to receive it by faith. But even our ability to respond to God is given to us by God himself. We all would lose our salvation if given enough time! We all would lose our salvation if any part of it depended on human effort because we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

I have known people who appeared to be serving God and then walked away from their profession of faith. Experiences like mine are usually partially responsible for the debate among Christians over the permanence of salvation.

I do believe, though, that many “church members” or “professing Christians” are really what I call “associate Christians.” For example, in 1 John 2:19, the author declares: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.” The fact that these individuals failed to continue in their profession proved they were not genuine Christians in the first place. And Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

It's possible to associate closely with the things of God and not be saved. This was certainly true of Judas. Therefore, as I said earlier, the most important question one can ask oneself is: “Am I right now presently saved?” We can debate until Jesus returns, but one needs to answer that question in the affirmative.