Can a Christian lose their salvation?

[katburnell]

Honestly, the reason I am asking this question is because I am fearful of it happening to me. I fully believe in what Jesus did on the cross for me and for everyone, but I am just very afraid, because some people have different answers to how you get saved or keep being saved. 

I have backslid before, and I am back to God again, but now I am having a lot of fears. I do not want to be separated from God, and I am scared that He is not here with me anymore. 

[SeedofSource]

I asked the Lord, and because His church is connected/united - He can give me answers to other peoples questions.

For you He says:

I will trust

even when I can't see it even when I can't feel it even when my heart is shaken

I will continue to trust in the process

of His goodness and faithfulness.

And

You need to know that he chose you, he adopted you, he secured your destiny, he forgave you, and he sent his Spirit to you.

And

 

...You were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory.

- Ephesians 1:13-14 

If you feel fear or doubt, praise the Lord and those moments. Praise in the face of fear is like covering yourself with a blanket that He gives you.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
 

I have this prayer on a tin on my wall right in front of me and felt the need to look at it. My alarm for 8 PM tasks went off, right at reading “eternal life.” ♾️👉🩸✝️🕊️⛑️

Edited September 22, 2024 by SeedofSource

[Jayne]

53 minutes ago, katburnell said:

Honestly, the reason I am asking this question is because I am fearful of it happening to me. I fully believe in what Jesus did on the cross for me and for everyone, but I am just very afraid, because some people have different answers to how you get saved or keep being saved. 

I have backslid before, and I am back to God again, but now I am having a lot of fears. I do not want to be separated from God, and I am scared that He is not here with me anymore. 

One can backslide.  The Bible speaks of that.  We are saved, but still live in this body of flesh.  That's no excuse to backslide, but things happen to us and sometimes we respond the wrong way.

The Bible is CLEAR that salvation cannot be taken away, lost, or perished.  To say that we can lose our salvation is saying that our deeds and misdeeds are greater than the blood of Christ.

[1] John 5:24 = "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."

[2] John 10:27-30 = "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one"

[3] Romans 8:1 = "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

[4] Romans 8:38-39 = "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

[5] John 6:37 = "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out."

While we live in this mortal and corruptible body, we will make mistakes in heart and deed.  But as the Bible says in 1 John 1:9 = "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

 

[enoob57]

Faith is so necessary in all phases of the Christian walk... The Bible is abundantly clear that we cannot, on our own merit, be worthy of being with God forever... It is when we realize the love of Jesus to provide a way in Himself of righteousness in which we are acceptable to God and can abide forever with Him! Grace that which is given and without deserving- receiving... how do you take that away? Yes, we are to do this
Philippians 2:12 (KJV)

[12] Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

All peoples face judgment from God:
The unsaved - Great White Throne
The saved - Judgment seat of Christ

Imagine standing before Jesus who went through what He did to make you able to be before Him, with a life that you did not give back to Him for His glory...

1 Corinthians 3:15 (KJV)

[15] If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

The Word tells us

1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV)
[20] For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Corinthians 7:23 (KJV)
[23] Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

We live to this time -when before Him- and not to anything else... 
 

[BornAgain490]

Salvation is a gift. We receive the gift of salvation by the grace of God. If you've received the gift of God, He doesn't take it back: it's yours to keep. So, guard it with prayer snd thanksgiving, renew it daily by remaining in Christ, remain in His word, and always remember we have Christ's righteousness, and our battle is is against rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness. Arm up and press in, Christian soldier. 

[Sparks]

9 hours ago, katburnell said:

Honestly, the reason I am asking this question is because I am fearful of it happening to me. I fully believe in what Jesus did on the cross for me and for everyone, but I am just very afraid, because some people have different answers to how you get saved or keep being saved.

I like the way the amplified Bible explains this passage that shows that God's gifts are irrevocable (meaning impossible to retract them, they are unchangeable, irreversible, or unalterable).  If you have accepted God's Gift of Salvation, you are saved permanently.  God's Salvation is a gift that people may accept, or decline.

Romans 11:29 Amplified Bible (AMP)  For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call].

If you have accepted the gift as shown in Romans, below, and you believe and do as it prescribes, you are saved.  It tells what to do, and it tells you how and why it works:

(ESV) Romans 10:9-10 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

[AnOrangeCat]

There's some division in Christians on this topic, but even those who believe you can lose your salvation see it as something that comes from consistent, severe, and deliberate sin rather than something that happens unintentionally. In other words according to that viewpoint you walk away from God, He doesn't walk away from you. IMO if you're of a mind to even ask about this it shows that you care enough about your relationship with God that you're likely fine. There's always room for improvement but probably no reason to fret about your salvation. Just hang in there, keep up the fight, and strive to grow closer to God.

[Sparks]

3 hours ago, AnOrangeCat said:

There's some division in Christians on this topic, but even those who believe you can lose your salvation see it as something that comes from consistent, severe, and deliberate sin rather than something that happens unintentionally. In other words according to that viewpoint you walk away from God, He doesn't walk away from you. IMO if you're of a mind to even ask about this it shows that you care enough about your relationship with God that you're likely fine. There's always room for improvement but probably no reason to fret about your salvation. Just hang in there, keep up the fight, and strive to grow closer to God.

If you are no longer blinded by Satan and can see the world for what it is, and are indwelled by the Holy Spirit and sense His presence and your heart changed as new person, how can anyone walk away from that? 

While we are still temped by sin while in the flesh and pray to avoid temptation, it is not really possible to unring that bell of Salvation.  For the most part, once saved, we tend to try to stay away from sin, but when we experience sin, it is not gratifying as it once was, and we strongly regret it.  But we are still saved.

[AdHoc]

17 hours ago, katburnell said:

Honestly, the reason I am asking this question is because I am fearful of it happening to me. I fully believe in what Jesus did on the cross for me and for everyone, but I am just very afraid, because some people have different answers to how you get saved or keep being saved. 

I have backslid before, and I am back to God again, but now I am having a lot of fears. I do not want to be separated from God, and I am scared that He is not here with me anymore. 

The dispute about this is because of a wrong foundation. Current Christian theology teaches that salvation is going to heaven. But if this assumption is removed and the Christian is shown that God's plan from Genesis 1:26-28 is still valid, then the multiple mentions of DIFFERENT salvation can be studied and put in their rightful place. But the short answer is, NO! Your salvation form sin, sins, the Lake of Fire and destruction is the result of Christ's work and it has been approved by the Father. The forgiveness you have is based on Christ's payment in full and the life you receive at rebirth is Eternal. Nobody in the universe can alter that. But you far from safe. Why?

Man's duty before God is fourfold. If he does not reach these there are consequences. So first a parable. Prince Nicolas is born to a king. he automatically is in line for the throne. But to rule a country needs special training. If Nicolas completes his training, learns his lessons in politics and disciplines himself in all matters, he will inherit the throne. But if Nicolas refuses his tutors, is rebellious to His Father, takes drugs and kills somebody while in a drunken stupor, not only will he go to jail, but his father will DIS-inherit him. What is his status then.
1. He is still Nicolas
2. He is still royal
3. His father is still his biological father
4. He will still look like his father
5. He will still have his father's DNA

BUT ...
6. He will not inherit the throne
7. He will lose his royal titles
8. He will be banished from the palace
9. He will have to support himself
10. He may not live in royal housing.

If God has not forgotten Genesis 1:26-28, the Christian is destined to have his sins forgiven. He receives eternal life when he first believes. He is made member of God's royal family. He is promised resurrection if he dies and he is promised a transformation of his disposition - the salvation of his soul. In all this he has one thing to do. That is, cooperate with the Holy Spirit by denying himself, and, being 100% righteous with God's things. If he does this he will be saved - not only from the Lake of Fire, but from his own fallen disposition. If he balks at God's training and does his own thing, he will be removed from his inheritance.

Hope this helps.

[enoob57]

9 hours ago, Sparks said:

how can anyone walk away from that? 

Reminds me of Peter's reply

John 6:68 (KJV)

[68] Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.