Many churches today teach that once you are saved, there is nothing you can do to lose your salvation. This likely comes from verses like John 10:27-29, which reads, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” In this verse, Jesus explains that salvation cannot be stolen from someone, however, this does not mean that the choices you make will not affect your salvation, including the choice to walk away from your salvation.
The book of Hebrews tells us that if you fall away and lose your faith, you cannot be renewed to repentance: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6). To fall away from the faith implies that you were once part of the faith. You can’t fall away from something you were never part of to begin with. We know that those spoken of in the verse were truly saved because it says that they were partakers of the holy spirit.
Jesus tells us that we must remain in him or else we will be cut off: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:4-6). It is indicated here that those who are broken off were once in him, but did not remain. They were believers, but didn’t hold onto the faith. They fell away and were broken off, withered, and cast into the fire. This shows that some start out in the faith, but do not keep the faith, and as a result they reject their salvation and no longer have it.
Similarly, Romans 11:20-23 says, “Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again” – Romans 11: 20-23. Paul is saying that we must remain, or persevere, in the faith or else we will be cut off.
It is important to note that the Bible distinguishes between those who are perishing and those who are being saved:
- “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
- “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15).
In addition, let us not forget that Jesus said, “he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13). It is evident by the verses above, including the terminology chosen, that we have been saved by grace through faith, we are being saved by remaining in Christ, and we will be saved when he returns, if we endure in our faith until the end.
