You Cannot Lose Your Salvation
One of the most debated topics in Christianity is whether or not believers can lose their salvation. I’m going to make the case based on the overwhelming biblical evidence, that believers cannot lose their salvation. Salvation is a gift from God based on His work for us. Our salvation is not about us, our promise, or our faithfulness. Our salvation is based on God’s promise, work, and faithfulness to us.
New Covenant
In order to understand our eternal security, we have to realize the agreement God made with Himself. Yes, Himself. God swears by Himself in order to keep His promise (Hebrews 6:16‑18). This is in contrast to the old covenant where the covenant was between God and humanity. The old covenant was about humanity’s faithfulness to God, but they were terrible at this (Hebrews 8:8‑9).
So God came in and fixed the problem by taking humanity out of the equation. Now instead of an agreement (covenant) between God and man, the covenant is between God and God, and we are the heirs to the promise (Hebrews 6:17). An inheritance is given freely because we’re a part of the family. That’s why salvation is not earned but given freely through faith.
This is also why salvation is purely based on grace, and not on what we do or don’t do. And anyone who thinks they can lose their salvation always thinks that they have the power to do it. But our salvation is not in our hands. We did not have the power to earn or effect our salvation, and we do not have the power to lose it. Our salvation is directly tied to the covenant we are under. Since our salvation is based on God’s promise to himself, we can be confident that we will be saved forever.
Salvation is not about our faithfulness to God, but His faithfulness to us. That is what’s so different about the new covenant. It’s not about us, but about God’s promise to Himself that He will be our God and will remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:10‑12).
Eternal Life
Now that we’ve laid the foundation, let’s look at passages that speak of the security we have in Christ. We’ll see that God gives us eternal life, not temporary life. Our security rests in God’s hand, not ours; God’s strength, not ours.
Once we’re saved, we’re placed in Christ. This position in Christ means that nothing can separate us from His love, nothing can snatch us from His hand, and nothing can cause Him to leave us:
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 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. (Romans 8:38‑39)
I give them eternal life, and they will neverperish, andno onewill snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28)
I will neverdesert you, nor will I everforsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)
Your sins have been taken away once and for all. So what is the one thing that could have taken you out of God’s hand? Sin.But what did Jesus do with our sin? He took it away forever!That’s why it’s foolish to think we can lose our salvation.
Our salvation is eternal. This means it lasts forever. God does not say we have temporal life that could be lost. God wants us to know we have eternal life. He wants us to know that we’re safe forever:
Whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternallife. (John 3:15‑16 nasb)
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 eternallife. (1 John 5:13 nasb)
Therefore He is able also to save foreverthose who draw near to God through Him. (Hebrews 7:25 nasb)
He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3‑5 nasb)
Not only is our salvation eternal, but God promises to save us forever, no matter what. He promises to guard us and protect us. And He promises that our inheritance is imperishable and will not fade away. We can know and have confidence that we are saved, because our salvation is in God’s hands.
For this reason, the Scriptures tell us that we are destined for heaven, already seated in heaven, and already have our citizenship there. There’s no doubt in the New Testament that believers are safe and secure:
Rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. (Luke 10:20 nasb)
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20 nasb)
And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6)
Can it get any clearer? We are headed where we’re already seated spiritually. God is not going to kick us out of heaven. He loves us and wants us to know that we already have the best place in heaven reserved for us—His right hand!
God has sealed us. He has promised that He will save us until the end. He will finish what He started in us. And He will be faithful to us no matter how unfaithful we are to Him. It’s by God’s work and love that we’re saved, and it will continue to be by God’s work and love that we stay saved:
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealedwith the promised Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13 nasb)
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealedfor the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30 nasb)
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect ituntil the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
If we are faithless, He remainsfaithful, for He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13 nasb)
Now to him who is able to keep youfrom stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. (Jude 24 nasb)
Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealedus and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. (2 Corinthians 1:21‑22)
It’s the word of God, not my opinion, that affirms the truth that we’re saved once and for all. We are safe in God’s hand. We are secure. There’s nothing you can do to change that. All the questions related to our sins are not a factor, because Jesus has taken away all our big and little sins, and He promises to save us forever.
In regard to your salvation, the cross worked. The cross is enough. You are saved! You can be confident in your salvation because your God is good, faithful, and will never let you go.
To read more, check out my bestselling book, "The Cross Worked."
New Covenant
In order to understand our eternal security, we have to realize the agreement God made with Himself. Yes, Himself. God swears by Himself in order to keep His promise (Hebrews 6:16‑18). This is in contrast to the old covenant where the covenant was between God and humanity. The old covenant was about humanity’s faithfulness to God, but they were terrible at this (Hebrews 8:8‑9).
So God came in and fixed the problem by taking humanity out of the equation. Now instead of an agreement (covenant) between God and man, the covenant is between God and God, and we are the heirs to the promise (Hebrews 6:17). An inheritance is given freely because we’re a part of the family. That’s why salvation is not earned but given freely through faith.
This is also why salvation is purely based on grace, and not on what we do or don’t do. And anyone who thinks they can lose their salvation always thinks that they have the power to do it. But our salvation is not in our hands. We did not have the power to earn or effect our salvation, and we do not have the power to lose it. Our salvation is directly tied to the covenant we are under. Since our salvation is based on God’s promise to himself, we can be confident that we will be saved forever.
Salvation is not about our faithfulness to God, but His faithfulness to us. That is what’s so different about the new covenant. It’s not about us, but about God’s promise to Himself that He will be our God and will remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:10‑12).
Eternal Life
Now that we’ve laid the foundation, let’s look at passages that speak of the security we have in Christ. We’ll see that God gives us eternal life, not temporary life. Our security rests in God’s hand, not ours; God’s strength, not ours.
Once we’re saved, we’re placed in Christ. This position in Christ means that nothing can separate us from His love, nothing can snatch us from His hand, and nothing can cause Him to leave us:
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 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. (Romans 8:38‑39)
I give them eternal life, and they will neverperish, andno onewill snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28)
I will neverdesert you, nor will I everforsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)
Your sins have been taken away once and for all. So what is the one thing that could have taken you out of God’s hand? Sin.But what did Jesus do with our sin? He took it away forever!That’s why it’s foolish to think we can lose our salvation.
Our salvation is eternal. This means it lasts forever. God does not say we have temporal life that could be lost. God wants us to know we have eternal life. He wants us to know that we’re safe forever:
Whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternallife. (John 3:15‑16 nasb)
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 eternallife. (1 John 5:13 nasb)
Therefore He is able also to save foreverthose who draw near to God through Him. (Hebrews 7:25 nasb)
He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3‑5 nasb)
Not only is our salvation eternal, but God promises to save us forever, no matter what. He promises to guard us and protect us. And He promises that our inheritance is imperishable and will not fade away. We can know and have confidence that we are saved, because our salvation is in God’s hands.
For this reason, the Scriptures tell us that we are destined for heaven, already seated in heaven, and already have our citizenship there. There’s no doubt in the New Testament that believers are safe and secure:
Rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. (Luke 10:20 nasb)
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20 nasb)
And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6)
Can it get any clearer? We are headed where we’re already seated spiritually. God is not going to kick us out of heaven. He loves us and wants us to know that we already have the best place in heaven reserved for us—His right hand!
God has sealed us. He has promised that He will save us until the end. He will finish what He started in us. And He will be faithful to us no matter how unfaithful we are to Him. It’s by God’s work and love that we’re saved, and it will continue to be by God’s work and love that we stay saved:
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealedwith the promised Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13 nasb)
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealedfor the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30 nasb)
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect ituntil the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
If we are faithless, He remainsfaithful, for He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13 nasb)
Now to him who is able to keep youfrom stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. (Jude 24 nasb)
Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealedus and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. (2 Corinthians 1:21‑22)
It’s the word of God, not my opinion, that affirms the truth that we’re saved once and for all. We are safe in God’s hand. We are secure. There’s nothing you can do to change that. All the questions related to our sins are not a factor, because Jesus has taken away all our big and little sins, and He promises to save us forever.
In regard to your salvation, the cross worked. The cross is enough. You are saved! You can be confident in your salvation because your God is good, faithful, and will never let you go.
To read more, check out my bestselling book, "The Cross Worked."
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You're Not LukewarmAs Righteous As JesusThe Resurrection Worked, TooDraw Near to God?You Cannot Lose Your SalvationGod's Grace Is Not A License to SinForgiven of All SinsIf a Christian commits suicide, are they saved?Saints Not SinnersDo we have to give (tithe) 10% of our money?What about 1 John 1:9? Do we need to confess our sins daily?Does Science Point to God?What About the Violence in the Old Testament?Can believers lose fellowship with God?Do Believers need to ask God to forgive them each day? What about the Lord\'s Prayer?Is there historical evidence for Christ and His resurrection?What Does It Mean to "Fear God"?Does God cause suffering?What is God's Will for My Life?Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven?What Does the Bible say about Depression? Is it wrong for a Christian to be depressed?Does the Holy Spirit Convict Believers of Sin?What is God's Discipline?You Are Not Under the LawWill Believers be Judged for their sin?
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What did Jesus mean when He said, “I never knew you. Depart from me”?Does Hebrews 6:4-6 mean we can lose our salvation?Did God Kill Ananias and Sapphira?Will we have to give an account for our sins?The Unforgivable SinWhat does it mean to Grieve and Quench the Spirit?What Does it Mean to take Communion in an Unworthy Manner?
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