What Is Written 10-Jan-99: Can A Christian Lose His Salvation?

This morning we want to study the question: Can a Christian lose his salvation? We will attempt to answer from the Bible whether it is possible for a Christian to lose his salvation if he does not remain faithful to the Lord. Asking men what they believe about this cannot provide us with an answer. There are many who strongly believe the answer is yes and there are many others who just as strongly believe the answer is no. Any time there is a question concerning any issue, the only true solution is to turn to the Bible and see what God says. When we come to a conclusion concerning any subject, it must be one with which we can consistently and honestly use all the Scriptures, not just a certain group of personally favorite passages. For example, the Bible holds out some wonderful and comforting promises to believers. Assurances like this one found in Phil. 1:6, where we are promised, “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Also, Jude 24 tells us that God “is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” Then in 2 Thess. 3:3, we are promised, “The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” Let me ask you, as comforting as these promises are, should we view them as absolute promises that will be fulfilled unconditionally? The answer is no! If we put the entire Bible together, we will find that while God has promised to help us overcome the evil one, if we are to be saved we must also do our part and remain faithful until death. While we are thankful for God’s promises, we must not ignore the many warnings about the possibility of being lost after first being saved that are found in the Bible. To do so will put our souls in great danger.

Let us consider some of these passages and seriously meditate on what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us. There are multitudes of warnings and examples in the Old Testament that show the need of God’s people to remain faithful. Those who reject the idea of a Christian losing his salvation often attempt to get around the warnings by claiming they simply teach that God may physically kill those who are sinning. They understand that the Jews whom God allowed to be physically killed were being punished for their sins. However, they claim that since they were in a covenant relationship with God, their soul will be saved for eternity, in spite of their sins. In a few examples, this seems plausible, but certainly not in Ezek. 18:4. There God warned the Israelites, “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die.” What did God mean when he said, “The soul who sins shall die?” How can this be referring to physical death when both the righteous and the sinner experience physical death? And, concerning physical death, Eccl. 9:2 reminds us, “One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.” In the context of Ezek. 18, the death God is warning about is not the death of the body. God is warning about the death that comes on the sinner, the death of the soul. Later in the same chapter (verse 24) God warned:

But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.

Which death is being referred to in this passage, physical or spiritual? Those who claim that a Christian cannot lose his salvation claim this passage is teaching that God may physically kill a person who begins to live a life of sin, but their soul will still be saved for eternity. This method of interpretation will not hold up if we examine the context. In verses 27–28, God continued by saying:

Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

The death being referred to is the death that a righteous man who turns to sin will experience. This death is also the same death that a wicked man who turns to righteousness can avoid. When God said that a man who repents “shall not die,” He was not talking about physical death. Whether we live a life of sin or righteousness, we all eventually must “go the way of all the earth” and die. The context clearly shows the death under discussion is the death of the soul, not the body. In verse 4, God warned, “The soul who sins shall die,” and in verse 20, he again warned, “The soul who sins shall die.”

Moving to the New Testament, we also find many warnings and admonitions concerning the possibility of falling away and being eternally lost. For example, when Jesus sent the twelve apostles out to teach the lost sheep of Israel, He plainly warned them of the persecutions they would have to endure: They would be arrested, scourged, and some would be killed. Although they would be hated by all for being his disciples, Jesus warned them in Matt. 10:22, “He who endures to the end will be saved.” Jesus meant what he said: “He that endures to the end shall be saved.” The obvious implication is that if we do not endure to the end, we will not be saved. If it is impossible for a Christian to fall away and be lost, why did Jesus even bother giving the warning? In the beginning of Matt. 24, Jesus prophesied of the coming destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Later, while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples asked Jesus, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” (Mk. 13:1–2) Jesus then gave many signs concerning the coming destruction of the temple. One of the signs given was that the Christians would undergo severe persecution. The love of many would grow cold during these difficult times, but Jesus announced in Matt. 24:13, “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” How difficult is it to understand this simple statement by our Lord? Once again, the obvious implication is that if they did not endure to the end, they would not be saved. If it is impossible for a Christian to fall away, why did Jesus even bother giving the warning? Those who teach that a Christian cannot lose his salvation argue that all who believe will remain faithful to the end. They claim that if one does not remain faithful to the end, then he never really believed in the beginning. If this were true, some of the warnings Jesus delivered do not make sense. For example, in Jn. 8:31–32, we can read, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Notice those to whom Jesus was speaking. He was addressing the Jews who believed on him. The word believed is translated from the Greek word pisteuo, which is the same word for believe found in Jn. 3:16. Many who teach that a Christian cannot lose his salvation also teach that Jn. 3:16 is all we need to follow in order to be saved. Here are some individuals who believed, just as Jn. 3:16 says we must. Yet, Jesus told these believers they must continue in his word if they wanted to be his disciples. What happens to believers who do not continue in the words of Jesus? According to Christ, they are no longer his disciples. Just as Jesus said in Lk. 9:62, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

In Jn. 15, Jesus used an illustration of a vine and branches to teach about the relationship of his disciples to him. In verse 2, he said, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away.” What did Jesus mean when he said that every branch that does not bear fruit, God takes away? The meaning becomes clear when we consider the context. In verse 6, Jesus continued by saying, “If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” Then in verse 2, Jesus referred to a branch that is in me. We must first be in Christ before we can abide in him. When Jesus described the fate of the one who does not abide in Christ as cast out and burned, can you say that he was using the language of one being saved? Therefore, the saved can be cast aside and burned.

Then in Rom. 11, Paul reminded the Gentile Christians of their need for continued faithfulness. He told them of what God did to Israel for their sins. The nation of Israel had been the chosen people of God, but because of their sins, God rejected them. In verses 21–22, Paul warned these converts, “For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” Those who do not continue in God’s goodness will be cut off. Well, what does the expression cut off mean? An examination of the use of the phrase cut off should clear up any doubts concerning this passage. If we note what is said in Gen. 17:14 we can clearly understand what cut off means. There Abraham was told, “And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” That warning was clear. God simply meant what he said. If a male child was not circumcised, he would have no part with God’s people! How can one be cut off from God’s people and still be saved? God’s people are the body of the saved! And, how can one be cut off from God’s people unless he was previously identified with them?

Now consider this. When writing to the church in Corinth, Paul taught them concerning the need of continued faithful obedience. Comparing the life of the Christian to the field of athletics, Paul wrote, in 1 Cor. 9:25–27:

And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore, I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

What did Paul mean when he expressed the possibility that he could become disqualified if he did not keep his body in subjection? Those who claim that a Christian cannot lose his salvation claim that Paul is simply saying that he could become disqualified to be an apostle, but he would be saved no matter what he did. This might sound reasonable if Paul were discussing his apostleship, but he is addressing salvation. Also, the word disqualified is translated from a Greek work that means unapproved, rejected, by implication worthless, castaway, reprobate. To understand better what Paul is saying, it might be useful to examine another passage where he uses the same Greek word. For example in 2 Cor. 13:5, the word reprobate is translated from the same word as disqualified. There Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” This passage is not referring to whether someone is qualified for some special office or not. The contrast is being made between one who has Christ in them as opposed to one who is unapproved or rejected. Every time the word disqualified or reprobate or any other word translated from the same Greek word is used is used in the New Testament, it is referring to someone who is in a lost condition before God. Paul understood that even though he had done so much work up to the time he was writing the Corinthians, this did not guarantee his salvation. He knew he had to endure to the end to be saved just like everyone else. He could be lost after having been saved. Also, in 1 Cor. 10:1–10, Paul gave examples of the failure of the Israelites as a warning to the Christians at Corinth. In verse 12, he gave a practical application of these examples. There he wrote, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” If it was impossible for these Christians to fall, why did Paul bother giving this warning? I wish that some once-saved-always-saved preacher would let me know why Paul issued this warning if one cannot possibly fall. In 1 Cor. 15, Paul again reminded Christians that they need to continue in faithfulness. In verses 1–2 he wrote, “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.” He plainly told the Corinthians that they were saved by the gospel, but then uses the word if. He said you are saved by the gospel, if you hold fast that word. How much plainer could Paul have written? And, for those of you who say that salvation is not conditional, how would Paul have worded this any differently if he had meant to make salvation conditional? The obvious implication is that if the Corinthians did not hold fast and remain faithful, they would not be saved. Paul also mentioned the possibility of them believing in vain. If a person cannot lose his salvation, it would be impossible for him to believe in vain. The only way he could believe in vain would be for him to begin the journey on the narrow path, but not continue in faithfulness and lose his soul.

Then there were the churches of Galatia that were troubled by false teachers who taught that circumcision was essential for salvation. Circumcision was a necessary part of the law of Moses, but it has nothing to do with salvation in the new covenant brought in by Christ. Much of the letter to the Galatians was written to show the difference between the covenants and to demonstrate why we cannot go back to the old system. In Gal. 5:2, Paul wrote, “If you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.” Why would receiving circumcision cause the Christians to profit nothing from Christ? To receive circumcision as a condition of salvation is to seek justification by law rather than by Christ. To those who try this, Paul wrote in Gal. 5:4, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” These Galatians were abandoning the salvation by grace offered through Christ and were seeking to return to the law of Moses, which was a system of salvation by works. We cannot approach God both ways. We approach him either by works or by grace. To try to approach God by works will cause one to fall from grace. And, before we can fall from grace we must be in a state of grace to begin with, just as we cannot fall off a ladder unless we first get on it. These believers had been saved by grace and had fallen from that grace when they returned to the rudiments of Moses’ law. Then later in Gal. 6:7–9, Paul warned:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

This is a comforting promise to the faithful, to know that we will reap everlasting life after sowing to the Spirit. As comforting as this is, we must never forget that this is not an unconditional promise. We are promised that we will reap, if we do not lose heart. The obvious implication is that if we do lose heart we will not reap everlasting life. If it is impossible for a Christian to lose heart and give up, why was this warning given? If we simply let the warning stand as it was delivered, we understand we will reap everlasting life, if we do not lose heart and remain faithful until the end.

When writing to the church in Colossi, Paul taught them concerning the need of continued faithful obedience for salvation. He told them in Col. 1:2–23:

And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in his sight — if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

The Colossians were told that they had been reconciled by what Christ had done so they might be presented holy and blameless before God. This is another one of the many passages that give us reason for rejoicing. Once again though, we must notice that the promise is conditional, it contains the word if. They were told they had been reconciled, if indeed you continue in the faith. How hard is it to figure out what Paul meant when he wrote that they must continue in the faith? What is the obvious implication for those who are moved away from the hope of the gospel? Those who claim a Christian cannot lose his salvation must explain why Paul warned the Colossians that to be reconciled, they must continue in the faith, and not be moved away from the hope of the gospel.

In 1 Tim. 4:1, the Holy Spirit warned of a coming apostasy in the church. There we can read, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” This would be a strange warning if the doctrine of once saved, always saved was true. If no Christian will fall away, how can anyone depart from the faith? How can you depart from the faith unless you are first in the faith? Anyone can understand how one must first be at an airport before he can depart from it. It should be just as easy to see that one must be in the faith before he can depart from it. Teaching the doctrine of devils does this. And it is interesting to note that there is one doctrine taught by Satan himself in the Bible. And that doctrine is found in Gen. 2-3. There we read that God commanded Adam and Eve, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Just a short time later, we find the serpent approaching Eve, and telling her that if she ate, “you will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4). God said they would die if they sinned, the devil told Eve that she would not die if she sinned. Who was right? Today we have men who teach that it doesn’t make any difference if we sin or not because once we are saved, we are always saved. The only time this doctrine is taught in the Bible is when the serpent told Eve that she would not die if she sinned. This was the first recorded lie and was spoken by the father of lies according to Jesus in Jn. 8:44. Compare the words of Satan when he said, “You will not surely die,” to the words of a once-saved-always-saved denominational preacher who wrote:

Do a Christian’s sins damn his soul? We take the position that a Christian’s sins do not damn his soul. The way a Christian lives, what he says, his character, his conduct, or his attitude toward other people have nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul. All the prayers a man may pray, all the Bibles he may read, all the churches he may belong to, all the services he may attend, all the sermons he may practice, all the debts he may pay, all the ordinances he may observe, all the laws he may keep, all the benevolent acts he may perform, will not make his soul one whit safer; and all the sins he may commit, from idolatry to murder will not make his soul in any more danger. The way a man lives has nothing whatever to do with the salvation of his soul.

Satan, the greatest deceiver of all, said it first, and today many denominational clergy continue to use the same doctrine. The devil will use any means available, including preachers, to get people to sin. It is a great tragedy indeed that even very sincere religious people often fall for his lies and accept the deception that one can live a life of sin and be saved anyway.

Anyone without a religious agenda to defend can easily see that yes, a Christian can lose his salvation. This does not negate the grace or goodness of God. Instead it calls upon us to be, in the words of Peter in 2 Pet. 1:10, “diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.”