Good evening,

Let’s discuss one of the most controversial topics of Christianity.  Can you or can you not lose your salvation?  This is an age old argument that has been going on for several hundred years.

God gives us a free gift in salvation and there is nothing we can ever do to earn it.  The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by grace through faith and not of ourselves.  It is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.  So if we can’t earn it, can it be taken away from us?

I personally believe that once you have asked for salvation, you receive it instantly, and that it will never be taken away.  Some people believe that we can lose our salvation or give it back, but I think this goes against what the Bible teaches.  We do not deserve God’s salvation.  So my reasoning is simply this:  If God gave us a gift that we do not deserve, then why would He take it back later because we don’t deserve it?  We didn’t deserve it in the first place and He knew it.  He also knows everything that we will ever do, good or bad, and He still chose to save us.  So being that nothing takes God by surprise, why would He give us this free gift of salvation knowing all of our future sins if He was going to end up taking it back?  That makes no sense.

Also, if you can lose your salvation, then where is the line that you cross that finally makes God decide to take it back?  Where is the point of no return where Jesus’ blood no longer covers our sin?  If there is a sin that we can commit that Jesus cannot pay for, then His death was in vain and it means nothing.  Salvation and God’s entire plan for our redemption falls apart if this is the case.

Jesus plainly tells Nicodemus that he cannot go to Heaven unless he is born again.  He refers to salvation as being born into the family of God.  Once you are born, you cannot be unborn.  There is just no way to crawl back into the womb and shrivel up and cease to exist.  It’s impossible.  I think that’s why Jesus referred to salvation this way, so we could understand it.  Once we are born into God’s family, we cannot be unborn from it.

Look at the way Paul described salvation.  He referred to it as being adopted into God’s family.  Why did he use this analogy?  Because in the time they lived in, you could legally disown your biological children if you chose to do so.  But if you adopted a child, you could never disown that child.  Legally it was yours forever and you were committed to be that child’s parent until the day you died.

Romans 10:9 says that if we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ is Lord, then we shall be saved.  Not will be but shall be.  When the Bible uses the term “shall,” then it means that it is absolutely certain with no doubt.  There is evidence all throughout the Bible that tells us that once we receive salvation, then it is ours to keep and there is nothing we can do about it.  Thank God.

Garry