Can a Born Again Person Lose Their Salvation
Can a Christian Lose Their Salvation?
A common question for many is, "Can I lose my conservancy?" I've heard both sides of the statement, and only God truly knows a person's heart, simply I can share a few thoughts. The reason there is a debate is because the Scriptures teach that salvation is a gift from God that cannot be earned, just they also offer warnings about falling away. At that place should be a good for you tension betwixt God's sovereignty and human being's responsibleness. This issue should not create a spirit of division, elitism, or theological superiority.
One school of thought suggests that salvation cannot be lost, as in losing your car keys, but that it tin be left, equally in walking away from it. This may exist why Jesus spoke of the man who said in his heart "my master delays His coming; therefore, I will turn from living a godly life". When the master returned unexpectedly, the servant was banished because he chose to turn from what he knew to exist right.
In another passage, Jesus said, "Y'all have left your get-go love," when speaking to the church in Ephesus (Revelation two:4). James 5:19-20 adds, if anyone wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, a soul is saved from death. If annihilation, these Scriptures, and many more, reinforce the fact that we take certain responsibilities.
We should never turn from what we know to be correct. Jesus encouraged His followers to be watchful, prepared, and ready for His return. Are we watchful? Are we prepared? Are we ready? (Read Matthew 24:45-51; Luke 21:34.) The Scriptures offer a healthy tension between God's sovereignty and human being'due south responsibleness.
The other school of thought suggests that some of those passages are dealing with people who never fully surrendered to Christ. As a consequence, they brutal away. They heard the gospel, merely never fully embraced it and turned from their sins; they only had "intellectual" knowledge of salvation. According to this view, the existent question isn't, "Tin can a person lose their salvation" merely "Was the person actually saved to begin with?"
Titus 1:16 and James two:xiv both conclude that many people "say" that they know God, but deny Him by their lifestyle. I John 2:19 suggests that those who acknowledge Christ initially, just deny Him subsequently, are not saved to begin with: "They went out from us, only they were not of us; for if they had been of the states, they would have connected with us."
When it comes to conservancy, we all agree that God gets all the glory and all the credit. Salvation is His work. We are never outside of His sovereignty and command: "It is God who makes us stand business firm in Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:21). I am convinced, like Paul, "that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the nowadays nor the hereafter, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the dear of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). Zero can carve up u.s.a. from God, merely we should never ignore the strong warnings about turning from Him.
When we believe the gospel and repent of our sin we "are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession" (Ephesians 1:13-14). These promises are non based on anything that nosotros do; they are based on what Christ did. John 3:36 says, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life." Jesus adds, "I requite them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one volition snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). Again, "It is God (not usa) who makes united states stand up firm in Christ." For this reason, I don't believe that nosotros can lose it.
Our salvation is guaranteed based on the assurances establish in Scripture, but we also must "work out our ain salvation with fear and trembling" (cf. Philippians two:12). My goal is to be faithful to the command to preach, witness, and proclaim while agreement that God does the drawing, saving, and sealing.
Over again, I believe that there should be a healthy tension between God'due south sovereignty and man's responsibility. This result should non create a spirit of division, elitism, or theological superiority. At the middle of the division is Calvinism vs. Arminianism. Sadly, brother is shooting brother and sister is wounding sister. Have we forgotten how to show grace to those in the Body who we disagree with? Those who believe yous can lose your conservancy should not chide those who believe in eternal security - "once saved always saved" is past no means a license to sin - it's a conventionalities in God'due south guarantee. But on the flip side, those who embrace eternal security should not mock those who disagree.
I can hear it now, "Merely what near Hebrews 6:4-six." Information technology says, "It is impossible for those who take one time been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the discussion of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace."
Based on my understanding of terms such as "aware," "tasted," and "shared," they are not necessarily words linked to salvation. Judas Iscariot was aware—he knew a not bad bargain. He besides tasted and shared in the ministry of Christ, but we all know his fate. When he fell away, repentance was elusive. His fate was sealed. Nevertheless, this verse should forcefulness all Christians to accept inventory.
Nosotros all sin and fall short, only the important question to ask is what is the condition of your heart—have yous truly repented and believed in Christ as your Lord and Savior, or are you lot trusting in simulated assurance? This may be why Paul said in two Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourself as to whether you lot are in the religion. Exam yourselves. Practise y'all not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?"
Our actions reveal a dandy deal most our relationship with Christ. A.Westward. Tozer said: "When people find that after existence in the church for years they are not making much progress, they ought to examine themselves and wonder whether they have been truly converted."
Has your eye become so hard equally to reject Jesus Christ? If so, you can modify that today. I'm aware that I'm driving this indicate abode, but I'd rather err on the side of speaking too much almost a committed relationship with Jesus than likewise little. It's never too late to become back on track: "Return to me, and I will render to you," says the Lord (Micah 3:7). God is sovereign but man has a responsibility to repent and render.
Shane Idleman is the founder and atomic number 82 pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, but North of Los Angeles. He just released his 7th book, Desperate for More than of God. Shane's sermons, articles, books, and radio program tin can all exist found at world wide web.wcfav.org.. Follow him on Facebook.
Source: https://www.christianpost.com/news/can-a-christian-lose-their-salvation.html