Can You Lose Your Salvation?

The question “Can you lose your salvation” is one of those that have been hotly debated for centuries. To be sure anyone who has their mind made up either way will not likely be dissuaded. Like many doctrinal issues people tend to look for the extremes. We must realize that truth is very often paradoxical. To understand a truth we must often be able to embrace seemingly opposing realities. The truth is like a tight rope stretched between these opposing realities. Both of the poles most be firmly in position or the rope is unsafe to walk on.

Rather than tell you what I believe about this subject, I would like to share some guidelines for understanding how to take either point of view and be healthy.

1. Either truth could be persuasively argued.

It is my position that when something could be proven from either point of view, that I must be missing the essential value. In this topic, since neither point of view can be proven, I tend to think that most people who argue the doctrine are missing the point. The question we should ask is not, “Can I lose my salvation?” The question we should ask is, “What am I doing to keep my relationship with Jesus vibrant and fulfilling?”

2. I believe the “security of the believer” is more essential than the doctrine of “once saved always saved.” They are not the same thing.

It is essential that we have complete peace and security in our salvation so we can move on to other issues like serving, growing, etc. The person who never has assurance of salvation will deal with these basic issues all of their life and never move on.

Our part is to believe, Gods part is to empower. Among those who do not accept the security of the believer, they tend to try to prove their salvation by their works. Among those who tend to be extreme in the security of the believer, they tend to see no need to bear fruit. They are both wrong.
One extreme tends to live in fear, the other in apathy. Neither group, when they go to an extreme, seems to do anything healthy with their doctrine. So I don’t have a lot of value for either position.

3. The grace of God is not just something that comes upon us to give us the born again experience. Thayers defines grace as a strength, power, ability or capacity that is freely given without merit.

Everything God desires to work in us is a work of grace. In other words, it is us trusting Him and allowing His power to bring forth the fruit. In Galatians 5:4, Paul said, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” KJV. In the original language there is no definite article before the word grace. It is not saying you have fallen from “the” grace of God. It is saying you have fallen from the realm of grace. He then describes that realm as a place where Christ is able to have an affect on their lives.

When a person attempts to live in their own power, earn their righteousness by rules, etc., they have left the place where they can experience God’s power. This does not mean they have left the born again experience. Paul did not call the Galatians to get saved again, he called them to repentance, and to return to the truth they accepted in the beginning.

Staying in grace is where one continues to accept that through Jesus they are righteous and trust God to manifest that righteousness in them. This is where most people start in their walk with God. This is where people feel secure and stable. Somewhere in their walk they tend to enter the realm of works-righteousness. Then they lose the victory they had early in salvation. Paul said they neutralize grace. Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” KJV. (The word frustrate means to neutralize, set aside, make void.) He merely attempted to call them back to that simple trust they had in the beginning. Believing was their part, empowering was God’s part.

4. People who believe they can lose their salvation seek salvation every time they feel they have lost it. People who believe in once saved always saved seek repentance or rededication when they feel they have gone too far.

Both groups should seek to persuade their hearts in faith-righteousness and identity in Jesus. As their hearts believe the truth they will be empowered to live that truth. Neither group accepts righteousness as a free gift that can empower them throughout their entire walk with God. They both seek to be made righteous by works. That is why both doctrinal positions fail to empower the believer.

5. Rather than labor over that doctrine, I have always held to the position that this is a relationship. It is about far more than just going to heaven after I die. It is the opportunity to experience love, acceptance and the abundant life from now through eternity.

Like any relationship, it requires time, attention and development. Maybe those who feel the need to fight about their doctrinal position do so because they are not daily experiencing all the good things we have in Jesus. It doesn’t matter what your doctrinal position is, if you are experiencing Jesus you feel safe and secure. I never allow a person to drag me into this debate. When they start talking doctrine I start talking relationship. My recommendation would be handle your salvation as if you could lose it, but relate to Jesus as if you couldn’t.