| A Christian cannot lose his salvation |
A Christian cannot lose his salvation
First and foremost, we are talking about true-blue, born-again Christians. This statement, however, leads to a problem: How do we know if someone is truly born of God?
In some cases, it is really hard to tell and only God would know. Also, we must not expect "overnight" changes in the person and underestimate the work of the Holy Spirit in his life. We only need to ask ourselves how long we took to "produce fruit" to remember our own stubbiness and our Lord's grace and patience. That said, let's look at simple scriptures that clearly support eternal security.
It is comforting to note that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all "play a part" in keeping us saved. We can call this "triply secure"!
The Father...
John 10:29
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
The Son...
John 10:28
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
A Christian might argue that he can "snatch" himself out of his Father's hand by wilfully renouncing Christ. But he forgets that "no one" in John 10:28,29 includes him too (see Renouncing Christ).
The KJV translates it as "no man". Notice that "man" here is italicised. This means that the word was added by the translators -- "man" is not in the original Greek text.
So, a fuller meaning of the verse is actually "nothing can snatch them out of my hand" -- be it man, demons or angels! This comforting thought is also supported by Romans 8:38,39.
Furthermore, Jesus said, "I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish." Common spiritual sense tells us that "eternal life" is not "eternal" if it can be cut off at some point.
Also, "never" simply means "never". It can't get any simpler than that! God's truths are always simple, and doctrines should be built on simple, clear-cut, scriptures such as this one, not on obscure passages.
Speaking of eternal life, it is given to us by God the moment we are born again. Eternal life does not begin after we die physically. As long as we have Christ in us or "believe in the name of the Son of God", we have eternal life -- we are not waiting to get it someday.
1 John 5:12
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
The Holy Spirit...
2 Corinthians 1:22
22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.Ephesians 1:13
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,Ephesians 4:30
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
The Holy Spirit in us is God's sonship seal and guarantee to us. Can God's ownership seal be broken? Surely not. The Holy Spirit is also a deposit placed in our hearts by God. This means that God is coming back to claim what belongs to Him!
By the way, God does not have to guarantee us anything -- His word alone is sufficient for He cannot lie (1 Samuel 15:29, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18). Yet, He gives us this double assurance of guaranteed salvation!
Can sinning cause us to lose it?
The answer lies in this verse:
Romans 5:19
19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Man is a sinner because of what Adam had done, not because he sins -- he sins because he has inherited Adam's sinful nature.
Likewise, a Christian is righteous because of what Jesus Christ had done on the cross, not because he does good -- he does good because Christ is in him.
When we were sinners, our good deeds could not undo what Adam had done and make us righteous. Similarly, now that we are righteous, our bad deeds or sins cannot undo what Christ had done and make us unrighteous!
If we believe that the former is impossible but the latter, possible, then we are saying that:
• Adam's work was more effective than Christ's, when the opposite is true (Romans 5:15).
• Our sinning is more powerful than the perfect work and blood of Christ.
• The blood of bulls and goats in the Old Testament is more "potent" than the blood of Christ, since the former could atone for the sins of Israel for one whole year, but that the latter loses its cleansing effect the moment we sin.
Nature itself teaches us that once a caterpillar has transformed into a butterfly ("born-again"), even if it lands on a rubbish heap ("falls into sin") rather than flowers, it cannot change back into a caterpillar. Likewise, a man cannot be physically "unborn", neither can his spirit that has been born of God.
Taking the analogy further, the butterfly will not remain on the rubbish heap. Its nature is not to remain on smelly refuse. It will leave, sooner or later, for the fields of fragrant flowers. Likewise, a Christian cannot keep on sinning. It is not in his new nature to do so.
Another reason sinning cannot cause a Christian to lose his salvation is that, in the first place, God does not even keep a record of his sins. This is because all of his sins -- past, present and future -- were already punished in the body of Christ on the cross. In fact, God is not even counting men's (not just Christians) sins against them!
Isaiah 53:5
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.Romans 4:8
8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."2 Corinthians 5:19
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.Hebrews 8:12
12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."Hebrews 10:17
17 Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."
So, if God still counts men's sins against them, then He is not being faithful and just to the finished work of His Son (see 1 John 1:9 and true confession of sins).
Predestination implies eternal security
Paul talks about predestination in Romans and Ephesians.
Romans 8:29,30
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.Ephesians 1:4-6,11
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
Predestination simply says that God, in His foreknowledge, knew who would accept His Son and who would not. He then predestinated those who would believe in Jesus Christ to be saved and glorified.
Predestination is beautiful because it says that it was God's will, love and pleasure to save us. He did not do it reluctantly. Neither was God's salvation plan a "last-minute" thing or afterthought. No, God predestined us to be saved even before the creation of the world!
The very idea of predestination implies that God knows all things beforehand. He is, after all, omniscient and not bound by time. So, why would God predestinate someone "to be conformed to the image of his Son" when He knows beforehand that this person would eventually renounce Christ and "lose his salvation" (assuming that that is possible)? The very purpose of predestination and God’s perfect foreknowledge contradict this.
Also, note the unbroken chain of events in Romans 8:30: predestinate --> called --> justified --> glorified. God will complete the process for every Christian, not just for some (see He's faithful, not us).
In a sense, Christians are already glorified in Christ Jesus, being seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). But there is more to come.
At the rapture, they will receive new imperishable bodies (1 Corinthians 15:52-54). There is also further glorification when the church is presented as the spotless bride to the Father by the bridegroom, Christ Jesus (Ephesians 5:27).
So, how can "them he also glorified" be completely true if believers, after being called and justified, can eventually lose their salvation?
Christians who believe that salvation can be lost generally agree that there are many clear verses in the Bible that support eternal security. However, they draw the line when it comes to a Christian wilfully renouncing Christ. In other words, these same verses don't "cover" the Christian who decides to give up Christ.
But which true-blue, born-again Christian would, in his right mind, suddenly decide to renounce Christ? Surely, it must be a temptation of the devil, a demonic influence. It cannot be a self-contained decision.
This being the case, let's suppose that a Christian does renounce Christ and "lose his salvation". This would mean that the "demons" and "powers" responsible for influencing him into rejecting Christ have succeeded in separating him from the love of God. This scenario, however, contradicts Romans 8:38,39.
Romans 8:38,39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Some might still argue that being in hell does not separate us from the love of God. That is simply ridiculous! How can anyone, who is suffering terribly and endlessly in the eternal lake of fire, be experiencing and enjoying the love of God?
Many Christians think that after they are saved, they have to work at keeping their salvation, or they might lose it. This is really no different from trying to earn salvation, which can only be received by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).
If we have to do certain things to keep our salvation, then salvation is simply not free. This contradicts Romans 5:15-18 and Romans 6:23, which say that salvation is God's free gift to us. It is free for us but it cost God His darling Son.
Think of it this way: When someone gives you a Christmas gift, do you receive it and then tell him, "Okay, how much do I owe you?" The person will be hurt, if not, offended.
Now, suppose you open up the gift only to find half of it. The giver then tells you, "You'll have to work for the other half." And we think our heavenly Father is like that!
We began in grace, and it is grace that will lead us home, not our performance.
Galatians 3:3
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Christians are also foolish to think that they have the power to "maintain" their salvation. They have fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4). It is God who keeps them saved. It is God who is always faithful, not them.
Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
In the above verse, we are even exhorted to be confident (not unsure) of the fact that it is Jesus (not us), who will definitely bring the good work begun in us to completion.
There are so many other verses that assure us that God is the one who keeps us saved, such as:
Romans 14:4
4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.1 Corinthians 1:8
8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.2 Corinthians 1:21
21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.Philippians 2:13
13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.2 Thessalonians 3:3
3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.2 Timothy 4:18
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.Hebrews 2:18
18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.Hebrews 7:25
25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.Jude 1:24
24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--
How does knowing all this help us in our Christian walk? Some have argued that believing in eternal security leads one to sin more. The opposite is true.
Consider circus performers. Does knowing that there is a big, strong safety net below them help or worsen the quality of their performance? The answer is obvious.
Likewise, for the Christian, knowing that he cannot lose his salvation no matter how bad he messes up will encourage him to lift up his head towards heaven and move on, instead of giving up, hiding from God and staying away from church.
This is what's so amazing about God's grace. And the Christian who truly understands and appreciates God's grace is free indeed (John 8:36) but will not want to sin (1 John 3:6,9). Sin will lose its power over him because he is walking under grace -- a very powerful spiritual truth stated in Romans 6:14. It is, after all, grace that brings about genuine and lasting transformation in the believer (Titus 2:11,12, Titus 3:3-8).
On the other hand, Christians who don't understand and appreciate God's grace will say, "What! Shall we sin that grace may abound?" Paul faced the same criticism when he preached the pure gospel of grace (Romans 6:1,15).
So, the next time someone accuses you of preaching a grace message that will lead to a sinful lifestyle, take heart, because you are preaching the same, pure gospel of grace that Paul preached!
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