Can you loose your salvation once you are given it? Can you surrender

[luke22ministries]

Can you loose your salvation? Once you have recieved Christ in your life, can your salvation be taken back by your actions? What if you are a Christian, claim to accept Christ and yet have an affair on your spouse? What if you struggle with lust or are having pre-marital sex. What if you simply accept Christ, yet it's party all the time? Can you still claim to be a Christian? Can you still say you know the lord? Is it possible to have once been saved, yet not be saved anymore?

There are those in the church that believe this is in fact possible. That you can loose your salvation. There are others that believe that you cannot loose it, God doesnt take it away but you can in fact "give it up".

Read my latest examiner article. It investigates each of these claims.

http://www.examiner.com/christianity-in-west-palm-beach/dear-fearful-is-it-possible-to-loose-your-salvation-read-on

What do you believe. Can you loose salvation? Can you surrender it? Once you have it, is it yours for all time? Post what you think and dont forget to check out the article.

[Guest LadyC]

you are so going to get bombarded with answers of yes, of no, of maybe, and somewhere in between!

here's my take on it, and i feel very strongly about this. i believe that it's what God showed me many years ago when i kept thinking i was surely going to lose my salvation.

to "lose" something is to do it without intent on your part. it's usually an accident. maybe something gets misplaced. or whatever. but the word "lose" means that something that you had and wanted to keep is now gone.

to be "snatched" is to be taken by force against your will. it's certainly not with intent or desire on your part.

so no, in that sense, we can't lose our salvation. nor can we be snatched (stolen/kidnapped) from God's hand.

BUT... there is SOOOOOO much scripture warning us not to turn our backs on that which we once knew.... i.e. our faith. God. Jesus. in some instances God turns people back over to their reprobate minds. He says that if we don't remain in the vine He will cut us off the branch.

SO, i believe scripture is very clear that we can consciously choose to forfeit the gift of salvation. it's a gift. we're not under obligation to keep the gift, although most people DO keep it. still there are some for whom the world just seemed more fun than righteous living and decide to throw the gift away.

but it's not easy to do. the Holy Spirit doesn't just give up on someone because they get an urge to go play in the world's sandbox. God chases us down and the H.S. keeps tapping on our shoulder. and as long as we still feel conviction, even the littlest bit, He keeps after us. sometimes for years, decades even! He doesn't let loose of us until our hearts have hardened so completely, and our ears have shut so tight, that we no longer feel even the slightest twinge of remorse.

there are many who will claim that those people were never truly saved to begin with. i think it's very dangerous to say such a thing. that's something that took place between God and the individual, and NOBODY else has the right to say "oh, well they weren't really saved in the first place". i've actually known someone who turned his back on God and forfeited his salvation. i asked him why, once. he was really clear about it. he had lived the christian life for years, and had been as sincere in their walk with Christ as anybody on this forum is. there was nothing fake about his salvation experience, or his faith walk. but at some point in his adulthood, he got angry with God, and slipped into a lifestyle that was very worldly. after a while, he just didn't CARE anymore. he knew, and told me point blank, that he knew that he had given up his eternal security, and he was fine with that. he simply no longer wanted any part of God, had no intention of going back, and no longer even felt any remorse or conviction.

people here can say til they're blue in the face that the guy had never been saved to begin with. i'll say they'd better get out of God's seat and quit judging what took place between the guy and God. i have no reason to doubt he had sincerely accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. i KNEW the guy. nobody else here knew him. i did. and since scripture warns against exactly what he did, why should i second guess it?

the key to that though is that he KNEW what he was giving up, and he was giving it up willingly and intentionally. it wasn't an accident. he didn't "lose" his salvation. he threw it away. he didn't get "snatched" from God's hand, he walked away of his own volition.

[Guest LadyC]

by the way, is it even legit for you to post links to your examiner article? i know it doesn't pay worth a darn, but you DO get paid based on the number of people who click your link.

[luke22ministries]

Hi Lady,

Very interesting take. I believe however that you cannot in fact lose or forfit your salvation. I think that both John 3:16 and Romans 10:9 are very clear that the only condition to your salvation is that you "believe" and that you "accept" it. I do argue in the article that it is not possible for you to surrender something that was a gift given to you. However, that does not mean sin does not have consequences.

Thank you also for your comment regarding the examiner article. I've been doing the articles for 2 months and ive been posting here for one month. So far, combined in that time, I made a total of $1.50, total. Believe me when I tell you, I post for the love of the godly conversation and that is also the reason I write.

[JohnD]

First off, the question indicates the one asking is not clear about what "salvation" is.

Salvation is not just a get out of hell pass. It is the way out of a predestined doom in hell forever and ever.

John 3:18 (KJV)

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Our salvation is also a redemption.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV)

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God

[OneLight]

You may find it beneficial if you use the search function.

[Guest man]

I believe however that you cannot in fact lose or forfit your salvation. I think that both John 3:16 and Romans 10:9 are very clear that the only condition to your salvation is that you "believe" and that you "accept" it.

Matthew 7

21 “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.

22 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?’

23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

If believing and accepting are the only conditions, what does that say about this passage from Matthew?

Verse 21 seems to have a stipulation. "But he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

Is it His will to simply believe?

And then there's the parable of The Ten Virgins.

Matthew 25

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,

4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’

7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’

9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’

12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

I think the question that needs to be asked is, what is true belief and acceptance? In both of these passages, Jesus indicates believers that would not make it into the Kingdom.

[~candice~]

No believer is unsaved. The trouble is that the english translation to 'believe' in our greek hellenistic mindset doesn't really convey the full sense of what a believer is. It's not an academic assent to an idea, it is a foundation, a strong trust... it is the kind of strong trust that manifests in actions. Yes "believers" are saved, those whose claimed belief is merely academic are not. FWIW, I am OSNAS.

[Guest shiloh357]

The doctrine of Eternal Security is one of those things that is criticized based on a misinformed understanding of the doctrine. Here is what it is not:

1. It is not OSAS (once saved, allways saved) That is not a doctrine and is not reflective of Eternal Security. OSAS is a label that the critics of Eternal Security have assigned to it.

2. It is not a free pass to sin as much as you want with out impugnity or accountability. It is not a licesne to sin. That is the chief valued that people assign to it. That is, if you believe in Eternal Security, you believ that you can sin all you want and remain saved. The assumption is that Eternal Security encourages sinful living and that if you are not fearful of losing salvation, you have no motive or incienttive live a godly life.

In reality, Eternal Security is about the faithfulness of God, to keep His promises. Eternal Security presupposes godly living. It is predicated on the view that salvation is transfomrational. You are recreated, a new creature. You have a new heart and a new set of desires to serve God and to be faithful to Him. It doesn't mean that you wil be perfect; everyone stumbles in a sincere attempt at serving God. That is why we have grace. Grace enables us to live for the Lord and through it we have the assurance that when we do stumble, grace is there to pick us up.

Because Eternal Security is preidicated on the transformational power of God working in the human heart, it follows that a genuine beleiver will evidence that translformation in their daily walk. Titus 2:11-14 tells us that grace teaches us to live godly lives in view of Christ's return. Verse 14 in particular tells us that Jesus gave His life to redeem us from iniguity and to purify to himself a people who are zealous for good works. In other words, the grace of God IS the expectation of holy living. So, far from being a license to sin, Eternal Security assumes that one's profession of faith is accompanied by a life that corresponds with that profession.

Eternal Security is the doctrine that teaches we are secure in the sense that we can have assurance that God will not rescind His promises. Eternal Security is about assurance in the faithfulness and integrity of the Lord. We are eternally secure in that God is not fickle and will, at some point in the future, decide that salvation will be abrogated and the world will be plunged back into hoplelessness.

The notion that a person can walk away from salvation, that a genuine follower can decide to reject salvation is not evidenced in Scripture. There is not ONE example from Scripture of a genuine believer deciding to reject salvation. Furthermore, while there are Scriptures about apostasy, an apostate person is not an ex-Christian. An apostate is a person who knows the truth, acknowledges the truth, but chooses to reject that truth. I know of, and I think we all know of those who have sufficient knowledge of God and the plan of salvation, they have enough knowledge to be saved, but choose to remain in their sin.

If salvation is dependent or has to be maintained by what we do, it ceases to be a gift and becomes a reward for service.

[luke22ministries]

Wait a minute....and this is a great debate. I knew it would be. If in fact you are right...and salvation can be lost, then how would you salvation be "grace" and not based on works? Ephesians 2:8-9 says this "For by grace, you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God not of works lest anyone should boast".

If you are correct and you can in fact, lose your salvation through your own works, once it has been given to you, what is the threshold for that? Do you lose your salvation when you sin? Is there a "type" of sin that would cause you to lose your salvation? As far as the perible of the virgin with the lamps and the those that stand in front of Jesus and cry "Lord, Lord"...remember EVERYONE will stand in front of Jesus for judgment. Believer, non-believer it does not matter. Even if you were never saved, you will still stand in front of Christ.

The bible is clear. Your salvation is NOT based on your works, it is based on your faith and God's grace.