you have lost your salvation and have to start all over again?
No. Once lost, it cannot be regained, see Hebrews 6. Ever.
OT: King Saul: 1 Sam. 10:1-13, 15:1-31, 16:1-15; 1 Chron. 10:13
Saul was
"turned into another man" (1 Sam. 10:6) and God had given him
"another heart" (1 Sam. 10:9), and it was the LORD (JEHOVAH) that
"anoint[ed]
" (1 Sam. 10:1; 1 Sam. 15:1) him, and
"set [him]
up" (1 Sam. 15:11) and the
"Spirit of God came upon him" (1 Sam. 10:10) and he
"prophesied" (1 Sam. 10:10) among the prophets, for
"God was with [him]
" (1 Sam. 10:7), and the one who
"sent [him]
" (1 Sam. 15:18), for at this time, he
"was little in [his] own sight" (1 Sam. 15:17), for
"the LORD looketh upon the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7) even of Saul, for Saul knew the name of the
"LORD" (1 Sam. 15:13) and
"worshiped" (1 Sam. 15:31) God.
However, though Saul for a while was
"another man", having
"another heart", and the
"Spirit of God", being at that time and for awhile "
little in [his] own sight" (1 Sam. 15:17), he did not continue to follow and obey the voice of the LORD and keep his Law and so "
he is turned back from following [God], and hath not performed [The LORD's] commandments" (1 Sam. 15:11), grieved away the Holy Ghost, and committed the unpardonable sin, and "
the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul" (1 Sam. 16:14), and later because he refused to turn back (repent) to the LORD, "
Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it" (1 Chron. 10:13).
Men have the freedom to
"turn back from following" God at any time, even after being given
"another heart".
Deut. 7:4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
Deut. 11:16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
This is not only in the OT, but in the NT also:
Acts 4:23-37, 5:1-11.
Both (Ananias and Sapphira) were "believers" among the "multitiude", and they had at one point "one heart" with them all, but then they allowed the temptation of satan, of the love of money, to spring up in them, a root of evil, and it cost them all. They are lost. They lied to the Holy Ghost, which they had been partakers of with the multitude, under pentecostal power, thus lied to God in His very presence. They grieved away the Holy Spirit, and are lost. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour [near brother]-
Exodus 20:16 KJB.
They resisted the Holy Ghost. They accepted satan's temptation. Being filled with the Holy Ghost, doesn't eliminate satan's temptations [the love of money is the root of all evil, thus they allowed that GMO seed of satan to be planted in their heart soil, and allowed it to grow into a green bay tree ...they lied, and no lie is of the Truth, and the Holy Ghost leads into all truth ...]. Just ask Christ Jesus in the wilderness. They made their decision, set firm in it, and lied to the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is polite. He leaves where unwanted. And so when the house becomes empty, you get squatters. it is why we are warned:
1 Thessalonians 5:19 KJB -
Quench not the Spirit.
1 Samuel 16:14 KJB - But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
Matthew 12:43 KJB - When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Matthew 12:44 KJB - Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Matthew 12:45 KJB - Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and
the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
Ephesians 4:30 KJB - And
grieve not the holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
1 Thessalonians 4:7 KJB - For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto
holiness.
1 Thessalonians 4:8 KJB -
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also
given unto us his
holy Spirit.
1 Timothy 4:1 KJB - Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall
depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Hebrews 6:4 KJB - For it is
impossible for those who were
once enlightened, and
have tasted of the heavenly gift, and
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Hebrews 6:5 KJB - And
have tasted the good word of God,
and the powers of the world to come,
Hebrews 6:6 KJB - If 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.
2 Peter 2:20 KJB - For if
after they have escaped the pollutions of the world
through the knowledge of the
Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, they are
again entangled therein,
and overcome,
the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
Let me give you a type. The Temple in Jerusalem represents not only the body of Christ Jesus, but the individual person. It was filled with all manner of uncleanness, buyers and sellers, loud noises, [and in fact it points to the three items in the sanctuary, the Table of Shewbread, Golden 7 Branch Candlestick and the Golden Altar of Incense], etc. Jesus comes
into the Temple, cleanses the Temple of the defiling spirits. He then dwells
in the temple and teaches, and heals, etc. And going on His mission. Yet, later in the end of His 3 1/2 ministry, Jesus had to do this again, and He then dwells
in the temple and teaches, and heals, etc. Yet the hardended pharisees come back in the Temple and they refuse Jesus - the Truth for they loved to believe a lie instead. Jesus then leaves that Temple permanently, saying that it was no longer His Father's House, but that their house was left desolate. They blasphemed away the Holy Ghost.
Ananias and Sapphira were among
"the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul" (Act. 4:32), and those who were
"assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness" (Act. 4:31). Thy had claimed, as with all the others present, "
ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common" (Act. 4:32), and
"and great grace was upon them all" (Act. 4:33). Many of the persons present,
"were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold" (Act. 4:34) and in so doing,
"laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need" (Act. 4:35). A specific example of this among the believers who acted rightly in honesty, was
"Joses" (Act. 4:36), who,
"Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet." (Act. 4:36), and did not attempt to withhold anything, but gave all as promised (having vowed before God and all).
However, we are also given a contrast, of those among
"them that believed" (Act. 4:32), once
"filled with the Holy Ghost" (Act. 4:31), as
"Joses" (Act. 4:36) was, and also made such a vow before
"God" (Act. 5:4) and all, to
"[sell] a possession" (Act. 5:1) and to
"[bring] the prices of the things that were sold" (Act. 4:34), but instead of being faithful in their vow they had made,
"Ananias, with Sapphira his wife" (Act. 5:1) decided to
"[keep] back part of the price" (Act. 5:2) and
"[bring only] a certain part" (Act. 5:2), seeking to hide their deed from the believers, while being noted among the believers as faithful to their vow. They had allowed
"satan" to
"[fill their] heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land" (Act. 5:3), and in so doing, "
not lied unto men, but unto God" (Act. 5:4), even having
"agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord" (Act. 5:9), and thus grieved away the Holy Ghost (allowing satan in), and committed the unpardonable sin against God, and so died in their sin, and
"gave up the ghost" (Act. 5:5,10), and so
"great fear came upon all the church" (Act. 5:11) and all that likewise heard it.
Peter was given information of Ananias and Sapphira's
"hearts" (Act. 5:3,4) by the Holy Ghost (Act. 5:3), even the
"Spirit of the Lord" (Act. 5:9), being
"God" (Act. 5:4), for the Holy Ghost can share portions of His omniscience when needful.
This is a lesson for
"all the church" (Act. 5:11), in that, just because a person at one time in their life
"believed" (Act. 4:32), and was
"filled with the Holy Ghost" (Act. 4:31), does not mean that they cannot of their own free will choose to walk away from God, or to cease from heeding the Holy Ghost, allowing satan in to cause eternal ruin. Sin is very serious.
This is why it is written:
Act. 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Heb. 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Both examples were given
(OT: Saul, 1 Sam. 10:1-13, 15:1-31, 16:1-15; 1 Chron. 10:13, and NT: Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 4:23-37, 5:1-11), which show that a person can turn away from their salvation, and become eternally lost.
John speaks about the sin unto the eternal (second) death. Not physical death. Notice the words,
"I do not say that he shall pray for it" (1 Jhn. 5:16). Why? Because that sin which grieves away the Holy Ghost,
"never hath forgiveness" (Mar. 3:29), which even King David knew, which is why He prayed, after his own sin with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah,
"Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me." (Psa. 51:11), because David knew to pray,
"Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression." (Psa. 19:13), which
"great transgression" is the unpardonable sin.
1 Jhn. 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
The sin not unto death, are those sins, which are committed before the blaspheming away of the Holy Ghost. However, Ananias and Sapphira had grieved away the Holy Ghost, and as such,
"satan" filled them, as was done in King Saul's case. No one in those places prayed for them, for their forgivenss, for the Holy Ghost already told Peter their hearts. Read it. They are eternally lost.
There are many more such texts, like Matthew 18:21-35; Ezekiel; Deuteronomy; and many NT texts, to come.
