Can anyone walk away from their Salvation?

BrotherAtArms · #1 4th June 2009, 03:25 PM

I worded this "walk away from" instead of "lose" because that would be improper.

Upon reading Scripture, I am 99.9% convinced that a person, even after receiving Salvation, can walk away and still end up in hell (if by being mislead or willfully disobeying God).

So I want to ask the question because there's some people that concern me, and I have to know if this is Biblically correct, not just 99.9%, but 100%.
It concerns me because the same people who say, "Once saved always saved, and if a person isn't saved 'anymore', they never were to begin with".

It just doesn't make any sense to me.

And this isn't just theological for me either, I actually have a friend who was totally in love with God and was truly saved, but over the years he started turning back to drugs and getting drunk, fell out of church and doing all kinds of other things.

Just because you're pulled from a burning building doesn't mean you won't run back in.

Anyways, that's my take on it, now let's see what others have to say.

ayeess · #2 4th June 2009, 08:08 PM

Hebrews 6:4-6

4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

BloodBought18 · #3 4th June 2009, 09:31 PM

"And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book" -Revelation 22:19

To have a part in the Book of Life, I believe you must be saved. So can one be removed if not already apart of it? Something to think about.

green wolverine · #4 4th June 2009, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by BrotherAtArms

I worded this "walk away from" instead of "lose" because that would be improper.

Upon reading Scripture, I am 99.9% convinced that a person, even after receiving Salvation, can walk away and still end up in hell (if by being mislead or willfully disobeying God).

So I want to ask the question because there's some people that concern me, and I have to know if this is Biblically correct, not just 99.9%, but 100%.
It concerns me because the same people who say, "Once saved always saved, and if a person isn't saved 'anymore', they never were to begin with".

It just doesn't make any sense to me.

And this isn't just theological for me either, I actually have a friend who was totally in love with God and was truly saved, but over the years he started turning back to drugs and getting drunk, fell out of church and doing all kinds of other things.

Just because you're pulled from a burning building doesn't mean you won't run back in.

Anyways, that's my take on it, now let's see what others have to say.

Sadly, I know what you mean about being concerned that certain are truly saved based on their lives. I had a friend die recently who I'm 99.99% certain wasn't saved in spite of claiming to be a Christian her whole life. Some of the things she told me made my blood run cold.

Terribly as it may sound to say it, I'm sure she was never saved. She grew up in a Christian home, went to Christian school, was a long-time church member but there was no holiness about her which is a cardinal mark of a Christian.

The churches are absolutely full of such people. When times get tough and being a Christian opens us up for active persecution [which I believe is coming], we'll see all the 'goats' desert the church.

mont974x4 · #5 4th June 2009, 09:50 PM

In the account of the prodigal son, no matter what the son thought the father always saw him as a son. It isn't how we view our Father and our relationship with Him, it is how He sees us.

Quite often I hear people who think you can lose (or walk away from) your salvation talk about a loved one that they fear walked away. If they did walk away, lose their salvation, then there is no hope for them to be restored based on Hebrews 6 (as ayeess was kind enough to post for us). Remember the Shepherd goes after the 100th sheep, leaving the 99. It says nothing about Him saying, "oh well, he doesn't want to be my sheep so I might as well quit looking".

Also notice in the following passage it says "I never knew you" it does not say "I no longer know you"

Mat 7:22"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
Mat 7:23"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

BrotherAtArms · #6 5th June 2009, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by BloodBought18

"And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book" -Revelation 22:19

To have a part in the Book of Life, I believe you must be saved. So can one be removed if not already apart of it? Something to think about.

That certainly is something to think about. Thank you.

mont974x4 · #7 5th June 2009, 12:12 PM

has anyone here done a study on the books to see when people's names are written in them, and when they are removed?

peace4ever · #8 5th June 2009, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by BrotherAtArms

I worded this "walk away from" instead of "lose" because that would be improper.

Upon reading Scripture, I am 99.9% convinced that a person, even after receiving Salvation, can walk away and still end up in hell (if by being mislead or willfully disobeying God).

So I want to ask the question because there's some people that concern me, and I have to know if this is Biblically correct, not just 99.9%, but 100%.
It concerns me because the same people who say, "Once saved always saved, and if a person isn't saved 'anymore', they never were to begin with".

It just doesn't make any sense to me.

And this isn't just theological for me either, I actually have a friend who was totally in love with God and was truly saved, but over the years he started turning back to drugs and getting drunk, fell out of church and doing all kinds of other things.

Just because you're pulled from a burning building doesn't mean you won't run back in.

Anyways, that's my take on it, now let's see what others have to say.

Untrue. Since we can do nothing to earn our salvation, then we can do nothing to lose it because it doesn't depend on our own works, but God's grace and divine mercy as Romans 9:16 explains. Jesus didn't save us because we are righteous and don't need saving; he saved us because "No one is good but God alone." That's why salvation belongs to the Lord, not to us and we thank Him for it, not ourselves.

BrotherAtArms · #9 5th June 2009, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by peace4ever

Untrue. Since we can do nothing to earn our salvation, then we can do nothing to lose it because it doesn't depend on our own works, but God's grace and divine mercy as Romans 9:16 explains. Jesus didn't save us because we are righteous and don't need saving; he saved us because "No one is good but God alone." That's why salvation belongs to the Lord, not to us and we thank Him for it, not ourselves.

So what you're saying is that even if a Christian is misled and becomes Muslim, that person cannot lose their Salvation, right?

peace4ever · #10 6th June 2009, 12:01 AM

Originally Posted by BrotherAtArms

So what you're saying is that even if a Christian is misled and becomes Muslim, that person cannot lose their Salvation, right?

He cannot become a Muslim once he has received the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit Himself is proof to him that Jesus exists. So it's impossible since the Holy Spirit is Jesus Himself as 2 Corinthians 13:5 explains. And Jesus cannot cast out Himself so He won't lead a Christian to anyone but Himself. So once we receive Jesus inside of us in the form of the Holy Spirit, we have the "mind of Christ" as 1 Corinthians 2:15 explains and the mind of Christ cannot deny Christ.