Can a Christian lose his/her salvation?

[Quasar92]

Before this question is answered, the term “Christian” must be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer, or walked down an aisle, or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what “makes” a Christian. A Christian is a person who has, by faith, received and fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation? Perhaps the best way to answer this crucially important question is to examine what the Bible says occurs at salvation, and to study what losing salvation would therefore entail. Here are a few examples:

A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse speaks of a person becoming an entirely new creature as a result of being “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new creation would have to be canceled and reversed.

A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The word “redeemed” refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid. For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to revoke His purchase that He paid for with the precious blood of Christ.

A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). To “justify” means to “declare righteous.” All those who receive Jesus as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what He had previously declared.

A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is a promise of eternity (forever) in heaven with God. God promises, “Believe and you will have eternal life.” For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have to be taken away. If a Christian is promised to live forever, how then can God break this promise by taking away eternal life?

A Christian is guaranteed glorification. “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). As we learned in Romans 5:1, justification is declared at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30, glorification is guaranteed for all those whom God justifies. Glorification refers to a Christian receiving a perfect resurrection body in heaven. If a Christian can lose salvation, then Romans 8:30 is in error, because God could not guarantee glorification for all those whom He predestines, calls, and justifies.

Many more illustrations of what occurs at salvation could be shared. Even these few make it abundantly clear that a Christian cannot lose salvation. Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior would be invalidated if salvation could be lost. Salvation cannot be reversed. A Christian cannot be un-newly created. Redemption cannot be undone. Eternal life cannot be lost and still be considered eternal. If a Christian can lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and change His mind—two things that Scripture tells us God never does.

The most frequent objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation are 1) What about those who are Christians and continually live an immoral lifestyle? 2) What about those who are Christians but later reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these two objections is the phrase “who are Christians.” The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a continually immoral lifestyle (1 John 3:6). The Bible declares that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he never truly was a Christian (1 John 2:19). Therefore, neither objection is valid. Christians do not continually live immoral lifestyles, nor do they reject the faith and deny Christ. Such actions are proof that they were never redeemed.

No, a Christian cannot lose salvation. Nothing can separate a Christian from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). Nothing can remove a Christian from God’s hand (John 10:28-29). God is both willing and able to guarantee and maintain the salvation He has given us. Jude 24-25, “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”


Source:Can a Christian lose salvation? in Ask a Question Get an Answer Forum


Quasa92

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

oops.... just read the last line( the 'Source')

There's other "sources", also claiming Scripture,
that prove otherwise.

So yes, there are many 'Christians' (multitude) who have or will lose their salvation. They find out on judgment day.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

I don't believe a Born Again child of God(AKA Christian) can change (or be changed) the condition of their birth.

 

[AntiVillain]

I used to believe so, no questions asked.

Until the anxiety-induced burnout kicked in, and I began drifting closer to OSAS.

 

[Solomons Porch]

Everything is a matter of the heart. We cannot see our heart, we do not know our heart, but God see's the true intent on every purpose, every word, every deed, every thought and then some. If I had died about 7ish years ago, NO, I would have gone to hell. I knew IN MY TRUEST self, deep within my heart, that I chose to walk away, leave His commandments, live a worldly life, indulging in sins and the lusts of the flesh. I walked away (free will), I wanted what my flesh wanted, I wasn't after anything of the Spirit, pure flesh and all that satan had to offer, I consumed.

Yes, I WAS a new creature, but I chose to pick up the OLD MAN (such as when the demon is cast out of the man he walketh thru dry places finding none so HE RETURNS TO HIS OLD HOUSE and enters seeing it swept clean and goes to get 7 more even worse than he and the last state of that man is worse than before) and once again walk in its sinful paths. Along the way, I messed up countless lives including my own. I grieved the Holy Spirit, I grieved Gods' heart, He wanted me to turn from my evil and wicked ways and return to Him. BUT, had I stayed there, IM SURE He would've told me these horrible words:

And in the end times, EVEN THE ELECT will be deceived, the love of many will wax cold etc , many will say LORD LORD.........

If I had died during that time frame, My Judgment to come would have been horrible, because I knew the truth, I had taught the truth, I had known GOD and from what HE had shown me I would have to be accountable ON THAT LEVEL of understanding. Which would have been a devastating scene to watch because I knew many many things, but I walked away. If there is a judgment then that means there has been a crime committed to be judged and weighed in the courtroom of heaven.



**this is just my thought and opinions**

 

[-57]

If you can lose your salvation.....you already have lost it.

If you can lose your salvation you can't accomplish what would be required of you to do to remain saved.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

If you can lose your salvation.....you already have lost it.

Many have lost their salvation, or/and most are never saved on earth.
Can't usually say who has already lost it though,
particularly not on this forum - it breaks the rules of the forum.

If you can lose your salvation

That's a given.

you can't accomplish what would be required of you to do to remain saved.

Some do endure to the end to be saved. "accomplish"?
YHWH accomplishes their salvation, in this world and in the life to come.

 

[TheSeabass]

Before this question is answered, the term “Christian” must be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer, or walked down an aisle, or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what “makes” a Christian. A Christian is a person who has, by faith, received and fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation? Perhaps the best way to answer this crucially important question is to examine what the Bible says occurs at salvation, and to study what losing salvation would therefore entail. Here are a few examples:

A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse speaks of a person becoming an entirely new creature as a result of being “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new creation would have to be canceled and reversed.

The center of Christianity is being "in Christ" - 2 Corinthians 5:17. The important CONDITIONAL factor of the verses (the word "if") is that to be a new creature one must CONDITIONALLY be in Christ and faithfully remain in Christ. No one becomes a new creature unconditionally.

A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The word “redeemed” refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid. For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to revoke His purchase that He paid for with the precious blood of Christ.

2 Peter 2:1 spoke of those that had been "bought" - redeemed (1 Peter 1:18-19) but later becoming lost again as a sow returning to wallow in the mire.

A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). To “justify” means to “declare righteous.” All those who receive Jesus as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what He had previously declared.

No one is justified UNconditionally but conditionally justified through faith. As long as one conditionally maintains his faith he will remain justified. No verse teaches God has an obligation to save those that become unfaithful, that fall from Christ.

A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is a promise of eternity (forever) in heaven with God. God promises, “Believe and you will have eternal life.” For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have to be taken away. If a Christian is promised to live forever, how then can God break this promise by taking away eternal life?

The promise of eternal life is CONDITIONAL.
1) you quote the NIV that perverts John 3:16 by changing from the subjunctive mood "should" (as KJV CORRECTLY has it) to an indicative mood "shall". The subjunctive mood is a mood of possibility/potential, that some event may or may not happen depending upon circumstances.
2) the verb "believeth" is present tense denoting an ongoing sustained action. Not some thing one can do for a moment and quit or do sporadically.
3) so when combining the present tense of "believeth" with the subjunctive mood "should" John is saying one may or may not perish depending upon the circumstance he maintains a present tense belief or not.
(See also John 6:40 how the NIV perverts it also by changing "may" to "shall". What I MAY do is not the same as what I SHALL do.)

A Christian is guaranteed glorification. “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). As we learned in Romans 5:1, justification is declared at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30, glorification is guaranteed for all those whom God justifies. Glorification refers to a Christian receiving a perfect resurrection body in heaven. If a Christian can lose salvation, then Romans 8:30 is in error, because God could not guarantee glorification for all those whom He predestines, calls, and justifies.

The context is talking about the GROUP called Christian, the ones that love God (Romans 8:28) and not about certain individuals. God foreknew the group Christian would be called, justified and glorified and one will be all this if he is in and faithfully remains in the GROUP Christian.

Many more illustrations of what occurs at salvation could be shared. Even these few make it abundantly clear that a Christian cannot lose salvation. Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior would be invalidated if salvation could be lost. Salvation cannot be reversed. A Christian cannot be un-newly created. Redemption cannot be undone. Eternal life cannot be lost and still be considered eternal. If a Christian can lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and change His mind—two things that Scripture tells us God never does.

The most frequent objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation are 1) What about those who are Christians and continually live an immoral lifestyle? 2) What about those who are Christians but later reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these two objections is the phrase “who are Christians.” The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a continually immoral lifestyle (1 John 3:6). The Bible declares that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he never truly was a Christian (1 John 2:19). Therefore, neither objection is valid. Christians do not continually live immoral lifestyles, nor do they reject the faith and deny Christ. Such actions are proof that they were never redeemed.

No, a Christian cannot lose salvation. Nothing can separate a Christian from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). Nothing can remove a Christian from God’s hand (John 10:28-29). God is both willing and able to guarantee and maintain the salvation He has given us. Jude 24-25, “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”


Source:Can a Christian lose salvation? in Ask a Question Get an Answer Forum


Quasa92

There are two sides to salvation:

1) a required faithfulness on part of the Christian to God and His word Revelation 2:10; 1 Cor 4:1,2. The imperative to "be thou faithful unto death" implies the Christian can become unfaithful.

2) God's faithfulness to the group called Christian, Hebrews 13:5.


I have seen those that support OSAS consistently pull verses out of context that have to do with #2 that deals with God's faithfulness to the group Christian and claim those verses teach OSAS while not dealing with the other half of the salvation equation in the required faithfulness of the Christian. It takes BOTH #1 and #2 working together for one to be saved. Again, no verse says God has an obligation to go ahead and save those that become unfaithful to him.

 

[Albion]

Many have lost their salvation, or/and most are never saved on earth.
Can't usually say who has already lost it though.

What makes you think they ever were saved?

 

[bbbbbbb]

What makes you think they ever were saved?

Good question. That was my very thought.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

What makes you think they ever were saved?

That's almost the point.
Who thinks they themselves are saved today ?

On judgment day, may find out different.

 

[Albion]

I have seen those that support OSAS consistently pull verses out of context that have to do with #2 that deals with God's faithfulness to the group Christian and claim those verses teach OSAS while not dealing with the other half of the salvation equation in the required faithfulness of the Christian. It takes BOTH #1 and #2 working together for one to be saved. Again, no verse says God has an obligation to go ahead and save those that become unfaithful to him.

Talk about managing Scripture in order to have it say what one wants it to say! Of course you are safe to say that God does not have an "obligation" to save the faithless. No one thinks that he does have such an obligation--not believers in OSAS any more than those who doubt it.

 

[frienden thalord]

IF I brought all the parables and sayings of Jesus, pual, peter,
showing how one can fall away.
It would be a book. Why listen to teachings of men gone wrong
why not just follow Christ and read the bilble. The holy scrips
sure make one wise unto SALVATION through faith in Christ.
I mean I could bring a book with all the sayings that show how one can fall away.

 

[Albion]

That's almost the point.
Who thinks they themselves are saved today ?

On judgment day, may find out different.

I don't get the point...or even the almost point. Is it that no one ought to think himself saved, even if he believes in Christ and his promises?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I don't get the point...or even the almost point. Is it that no one ought to think himself saved, even if he believes in Christ and his promises?

No,
it is that many people think , even are certain, that they are saved,
and find out on judgment day that they are not.
Many of these people totally have faith in osas, a false unbiblical concept,
and many of these people totally beleive they are saved for ever,
but are not.
Just as they cannot tell the tares from the wheat,
they do not know about their own selves that they are not saved, here on earth.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

The center of Christianity is being "in Christ" - 2 Corinthians 5:17. The important CONDITIONAL factor of the verses (the word "if") is that to be a new creature one must CONDITIONALLY be in Christ and faithfully remain in Christ. No one becomes a new creature unconditionally.

What would revoke your birth? Being born is a one way affair. Once born, one cannot become unborn.

 

[TheSeabass]

Talk about managing Scripture in order to have it say what one wants it to say! Of course you are safe to say that God does not have an "obligation" to save the faithless. No one thinks that he does have such an obligation--not believers in OSAS any more than those who doubt it.

I cannot count the times John 10:28 was pulled out of context and it be declared v28 teaches OSAS while v27, which is part of the thought of verse 28, gets totally ignored. Verse 27 is #1 of the equation while verse 28 is #2 of the salvation equation.

ALso my point was not about those that have ALWAYS been faithless but those that once had faith then later BECOMES faithless as Heb 3:12. Those that BECOME faithless God has no obligation to go ahead and save them anyway.

 

[TheSeabass]

What would revoke your birth? Being born is a one way affair. Once born, one cannot become unborn.

One cannot be unborn in the physical realm but one can become lost in the spiritual realm, as with the prodigal son.

 

[Albion]

No,
it is that many people think , even are certain, that they are saved,
and find out on judgment day that they are not.

That sounds like a confirmation of my guess, not a denial of it.

Many of these people totally have faith in osas, a false unbiblical concept,
and many of these people totally beleive they are saved for ever,
but are not.

Whether or not they believe OSAS to be true doesnt make any difference to whether they are saved or not...but then again, who here said that it does?????

 

[frienden thalord]

Time to put the HOLY fear of GOD into the people.
Who here has spread the gospel as much as pual did. Now
I aint boasting in pual, I am using him and his own words as example.
God had used paul , I mean pual had been given
special powers by the LORD, He had spoken with tongues
been cast into prison upon prison for the gospel.
He was even stoned by men and left for dead.
He had been whipped with thirty nine stripes. what five times for JESUS sake
three times beaten with rods
And you KNOW what pual said about HIMSELF
I keep under my body and bring it under subjection
lest even after preaching the gospel I TOO be cast out.
YEAH , NOW repent asap . ITS Time to live holy or be told
at our end.......I NEVER KNEW YOU>