Tough Questions: Can a Christian lose their salvation?
Reflections
“There are occasions when believers seem to turn away from the Lord. There are two possible explanations for this. Either their faith was not genuine, or they have allowed sin to establish a foothold in their life. In the case of the latter, Christ will eventually bring them to a place of repentance and restoration,” says The Rev’d Charlie Lacey from St Andrew’s, Springfield
To answer the question, “Can a Christian lose their salvation?”, we must first clarify what is meant by salvation. A person is “saved” when God forgives their sins and brings them into his eternal kingdom (Colossians 1.3). Salvation was made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection, and it is realised when a person repents of their sin (wrongdoing) and puts their faith in Jesus. A person who is not saved remains in their sin and will be eternally separated from God.
It is important to realise that a person is saved, not because of what they have done, but because of what Jesus has done for them. Since we can do nothing to gain our salvation, it follows that we can do nothing to lose our salvation. However, this is not a licence to behave in ways that are inimical to the values of Christ’s kingdom. Quite the opposite, the way we choose to live is evidence that our profession of faith was genuine.
“Saving faith” is not a one-off event, action or prayer, but rather a lived reality. As Jesus said, “A tree is recognized by its fruit.” (Matthew 12.33) The New Testament stresses that some who profess the name of Christ do not truly belong to him. When describing certain corrupt people, Paul states, ‘They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.’ (Titus 1.16). And Jesus himself warned the disciples against “wolves in sheep’s clothing”.
Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will be saved (Matthew 7.21); not because they have lost their salvation, but because they never truly gave their hearts to Jesus in the first place.
That having been said, it is important to remember that all Christians sin (1 John 1.8); sometimes in significant ways. However, whilst true believers are not perfect, sin will be followed by repentance and the overall trajectory of a believer’s life will be towards God, rather than away from him. God has cancelled the sins of all those who put their faith in Jesus; not only past sins, but also future ones.
The question is not so much, “Can a Christian lose their salvation?”, but “Can God lose a Christian?”, and the answer to that is an emphatic, “no”. As Jesus himself said: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.” (John 6.39).
There are occasions when believers seem to turn away from the Lord. There are two possible explanations for this. Either their faith was not genuine, or they have allowed sin to establish a foothold in their life. In the case of the latter, Christ will eventually bring them to a place of repentance and restoration.
Everyone who truly puts their faith in Jesus will persevere to the end and be saved. It really is a case of once saved, always saved, or as Christ put it, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
First published on the St Andrew’s, Springfield website in July 2024.
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