Salvation, Can You Loose it?
Please read through this entire page it is necessary to get the total view of what eternal life is. Over and over again I see people trying to decide if others have lost their salvation. First of all, you don't know if they were truly saved in the first place. I just wanted to get that thought out of the way.
It is eternal life NOT eternal security. ("eternal life" appears in the bible 45 times, the words "eternal security" is never once used in the bible)
eternal, the greek word is pronounced: aionios-
Thayer's Definition:
1) without beginning and end, what has always been and always will be
2) without beginning
3) without end, never to cease, everlasting
Strong's Definition:
from 165; perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well):
165:
The greek is pronounced: aion (ahee-ohn');
1) forever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity
2) the worlds, the universe
3) a period of time, an age
The Key Idea (Perserverance of the Saints, Eternal Life):
If someone is really truly saved, born again, filled with the Holy Ghost, then that will be evidenced by their perservering until the end. If they sin God will work them over, take them to the woodshed, chastize them, bring them back to repentance and they will die in the state of obedience and the state of faith. It's not like a teaching where someone might say "I can do anything I want and still go to heaven, I can use grace to sin." God gives you grace not to sin. True saints perservere.
Ok, there are many different views to this subject here they are:
- Calvinism - (loosly defined that you can't loose your salvation) A belief in predestination and the salvation of the elect solely by God's grace. Calvin denied that humans beings were capable of free will. That certain persons are elected by God to salvation and therefore cannot fall from grace.
- Arminians - (loosly defined that you can loose and regain your salvation) Election is conditioned by faith, that grace could be rejected, that the work of Christ was intended for all persons, and that it was possible for believers to fall from grace. (i.e. you could get re-saved after a sin-binge.)
There Are Two Ditches: Any teaching of the gospel that condones or promotes sin is a "erroneous" teaching of the gospel. Arminians and Calvinism both in their extreme forms condone sin! We receive grace, not in order to sin, but receive grace to stop sinning.
Romans 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
- Martin Luther Theology: (Calvinist side) "Sin cannot tear you away from Him [Christ], even though you commit adultery a hundred times a day and commit as many murders."
- Sin Binge Theology: (Arminian side) You can get rid of Jesus for a period of time and then get re-saved later.
1 Corinthians 6:15-17
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! 16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH." 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
- Hebrews 6:4-6 Theology: You cannot be born again, again! Once saved, then lost, then you cannot ever be saved again. This does not condone sin but puts the fear of God in you! (But wait to see how you would "be lost" before jumping to conclusions).
You Can't Be Born Again, Again:
Hebrews 6:4-6
4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.
So how do you get lost? Well the definition of the Greek word is apostasy or apostatize. Now this verse sometimes bothers people because it is translated into "fall away" in some translations but never build doctrine on one verse. I looked up the word translated into "fall away" here and it is never used again in the New Testament so the context of what that is is not as clear as the fact that if you loose it you can't get it back. There is only one sin that is not forgivable, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. So don't build doctrine on one verse lets see what the rest of the Bible says. It can't just mean fall, we all fall at times.
What is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
Hebrews 10:29
How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Hebrews 10:29
Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God and treated his cleansing blood as though it were common and unhallowed, and insulted and outraged the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to his people. (TLB)
A better angle on things from Jesus:
Matthew 12:31-32
31 "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Therefore you have to SPEAK against the Holy Spirit. It's not having doubts in your mind or anything like that.
2 Timothy 2:11-13
11 It is a trustworthy statement: for if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny himself.
So if you do that it will not be forgiven. For more on blasphemy of the Holy Spirit see, What's The Bible Say About Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit .
A lot of the times when someone is thinking about loss of salvation it is when they are trying to judge whether or not someone else could loose their salvation. On the other hand we really don't know if they had it in the first place. We only know how we feel and believe and it's not our job to judge others. Like someone would see someone else who supposedly got saved and then fell away and did very bad things and then they might say, well they lost their salvation. Well no one knows but God if they had it in the first place.
So the statement that this page will show is that when you get truly saved (your spirit is born again) that it will be evidenced by you persevering till the end always coming back to God. If you sin then since you are one of God's children then He will discipline you and the Holy Spirit that you got when you became saved will draw you back to God.
Perseverance of the Saints, Having Eternal Life
the opposite of eternal security
I. The Double Diety, The truly saved, born again children of Jesus:
John 10:27-30
27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
Three things here:
- The sheep of Jesus hear His voice
- They will follow Him
- They know him
If you don't know Him then you aren't His sheep and the next verse doesn't apply.
These are the evidences of being truly saved. It is a relationship that makes you a child of God not a religion. Again, it is NOT a religion, it's a relationship! It's religion that crucified Jesus.
28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 "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. 30 "I and the Father are one."
- eternal life
- they will never perish
- can't snatch them out of Jesus' hand
- God, who is greater won't loose them either!
And Jesus doesn't lie! Now that is eternal life. No one will be able to snatch His sheep out of His hands. And it's GIVEN, past tense.
Ephesians 4:30
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
- Till redemption, that's the future, we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit doesn't leave you once you got it, it GRIEVES in you.
II. The Intercession of Jesus:
John 17:9-12
9 "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.
And does Jesus' prayers get granted? In most other translations it uses "pray" instead of "ask" (just for a slightly different spin on it).
11 "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. 12 "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
perdition = ruin or distruction
III. The Promises of God:
John 3:16-18, 36
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
IV. Jesus Already Bore Our Judgement:
John 5:24
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
And it's "HAS eternal life" and "HAS passed out of death" (past tense, will not have). You won't be judged!
Eternal life begins when you get saved.
Our salvation was already paid for a long time ago:
John 19:30
Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
For the truly saved the judgement is finished.
V. It is the will of God that None be lost or Missing:
Do you believe that Jesus keeps us? He does if we are His sheep!
Do you believe that the will of God will be ultimately carried out?
John 6:37-40
37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
In the Greek it allows double negatives and in verse 37 for "certainly not" it says no twice. So He really won't cast you out. No no he won't cast you out. You may get slapped silly if you get off the path but you'll end up in a holy state.
38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
John 6:44
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:53-54
53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
- you partake in Jesus by faith (not food)
VI. The Covenant Between God and His Son (a Messanic Prophecy):
The "He" here is Jesus:
Psalm 89:26-46
26 "He will cry to me, "You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.' 27 "I also shall make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. 28 "My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever, and My covenant shall be confirmed to him.
The covenant is between God and His Son Jesus. We are in a covenant with Jesus.
29 "So I will establish his descendants forever and his throne as the days of heaven. 30 "If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, 31 If they violate My statutes and do not keep My commandments, 32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes. 33 "But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. 34 "My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
His descendents (His seed in other translations) are the sheep, the saints.
He will not deal falsely with His faithfullness, He will not break it off!
So what if they stray? God will punish our transgressions with rod and our iniquity with stripes.
Psalm 23:3-4
3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
He restores our souls with the rod!
Continuing with Psalm 89:
35 "Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. 36 "His descendants shall endure forever and his throne as the sun before me. 37 "It shall be established forever like the moon, and the witness in the sky is faithful." Selah. 38 But you have cast off and rejected, you have been full of wrath against your anointed. 39 You have spurned the covenant of your servant; you have profaned his crown in the dust. 40 You have broken down all his walls; you have brought his strongholds to ruin. 41 All who pass along the way plunder him; He has become a reproach to his neighbors. 42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; you have made all his enemies rejoice. 43 You also turn back the edge of his sword and have not made him stand in battle. 44 You have made his splendor to cease and cast his throne to the ground. 45 You have shortened the days of his youth; you have covered him with shame. Selah. 46 How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? Will your wrath burn like fire?
VII. It's even Much More than Calvary:
Romans 5:8-10
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
We will be saved from wrath through Him (Jesus).
Romans 5:20
The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
But again it is not so that we may just sin:
Romans 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
VIII. The Love of God Greater Than Any Obstacle:
Believe in the keeping power of God.
Romans 8:32-39
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Important:
- vs 35: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? It's not our love, it's Christ's love!
- vs 39: none of that stuff can seperate us from God's love!
IX. Jesus, Our High Priest:
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
And Jesus has been there:
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
It's a throne of GRACE:
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
He'll save us FOREVER:
Hebrews 7:24-28
24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
The word "forever" in verse 25 from the Greek has two meanings, 1. time (eternity, finally) and 2. scope (completely, perfect) Combine those meanings to get what it is.
X. God's Written Guarantee
(1 John was written to Christians, see 1 John 5:13 below):
God's guarantee is as good as God is!
You either have the Son or you don't. The one condition, Jesus. The life is in the Son.
1 John 5:11-13
11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
That you may KNOW: It says "you have" not "you will have."
- One might say, "Well I don't deserve eternal life." Well we don't, that's why we praise and worship God. It's because He's neat and we're not.
God knows that Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8), God won't stop loving his children and that won't fail. It'll prevail!
So don't let anyone try to turn "eternal life" into "eternal security." That's changing a noun, life, into an adjective, "security." It's eternal life in Christ Jesus!
If you don't have life then you better hope that it isn't eternal!
A good definition of life:
Romans 14:17
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Fear is not a good motive. Love is the only motiv that works! God will love us and love us and love us till He wins!
XI. It's scriptural
Every verse in the bible containing the words "eternal life":
Matt 19:16
And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"
Matt 19:29
"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
Matt 25:46
"These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Mark 10:17
As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Mark 10:30
but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.
Luke 10:25
And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?"
Luke 18:18
A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Luke 18:30
who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life."
John 3:15
so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:36
"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
John 4:14
but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
John 4:36
"Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
John 5:24
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
John 5:39
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;
John 6:27
"Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."
John 6:40
"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
John 6:47
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
John 6:51
"I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."
John 6:54
"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:68
Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
John 10:27-28
27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
John 12:25
"He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (NKJ)
John 12:50
"I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me."
John 17:2
even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.
John 17:3
"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Acts 13:46
Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
Romans 2:7
to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
Romans 5:21
so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:22
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Galatians 6:8
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:16
Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:19
storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (NKJ)
Titus 1:2
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
Titus 3:7
so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
1 John 1:2
and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us--
1 John 2:25
This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.
1 John 3:15
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
1 John 5:11
And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
1 John 5:12-13
12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Jude 1:20-21
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.