Q: Dr. Mike: I’ve heard well-known and respected pastors teach that Scripture [sort of] indicate the possibility, that a Christian can lose their Salvation. What’s your view?
A: It is a very good question, that’s often mentioned over the pulpit … even to the point that some pastors have said, “You’re a ‘Disciple’ of Christ, if YOU continue in His Word. We need to remain faithful, because You don’t want to lose your Salvation!” [Like that’s even a remote possibility for a ‘TRUE’ Believer!!!]
I’ve enjoyed the debate with scholarly pastoral friends, over the past few years. Some of them have drawn the conclusion: “It seems as though, there are a number of New Testament Scriptures that lean toward, that possibility:” below, you will find my [continual] response to My friends, and saints that are constantly being debated, concerning this nagging question: I hope that you’re able to gleam a little knowledge from it.
Like many other noted ministry friends, I too know that the Bible teaches that the Apostles were [thoroughly] convinced that no person can enter heaven unless “THEY” believe in Christ “ALONE” for their salvation, according to the Gospel of John Chapter 14; as well as Romans 10:9-10.
Historically, ALL [TRUE] Christians have agreed on this point. The difference seem to be on the matter of the “SECURITY” of our salvation. Of course, YOU AND I [both] know that the security of a [TRUE] Christian, is sound!!!! The elephant in the room that NOBODY wants to address is called ‘APOSTASY’! As you’re aware, this Greek word means, “to stand away from.” Therefore, when we’re teaching about those individuals, that have fallen away, we’re talking about saints who have fallen from faith in Christ Jesus, or possibly from the profession of faith in the Lord Jesus, that they once made.
Based on the falling away concept, that’s outlined in the New Testament, and a number of other NT texts that seem to support the possibility of a Believer losing their Salvation, a number of Believers have held that yes, ‘TRUE’ Christians can lose their salvation, because of what Apostle Paul said, in this text, “This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” 1 Timothy 1:18–20
What the Apostle Paul was emphasizing here in this text, was for his son in the ministry, [young] Timothy, to “keep the FAITH son, and also keep a good CONSCIENCE … because YOU can see what happens to those that don’t … “They make shipwreck of their faith;” And I had to, “handed them over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” We see this same type of Apostle Paul’s excommunication of a man in 1 Corinthians 5:5. [Some of the verses aren’t pointing to the loss of their Salvation, but more so, a warning of what happens, if YOU don’t … you bring “REPROACH” (disapproval or disappointment) from God; because you’re supposed to be His representative in the earth!
So, what’s MY Conclusion:
WE see throughout sacred Scripture, that professing Christians “can fall away” … and some rather ‘HARD’!. For example, the Apostle Peter, who denied Christ, as well as the man that I mentioned earlier in 1 Corinthians 5:5. We see in 2 Corinthians, where the man was RESTORED … which shows that not every professing Believer who falls has fallen past the point of NO RETURN.
The second question that we need to ask ourselves, is this: those whom seemed to have ‘TRULY” fallen, were they TRUE BELIEVERS from the beginning? Our beloved brother, the Apostle John ‘always’ seem to answer that question for ME, in his statement, in 1 John 2:19, “They went out from US, but they were NEVER apart of us!”
In otherwords, these false teachers came in amongst US, and learnt our ways, then they went out from amongst US, and shipwrecked their lives and the lives of those who followed them. Apostle John is saying to the Church, “They had made a profession of faith but they NEVER [really] were converted.
There are so many other passages in the New Testament that proves ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED: for example, Romans 8:29-30, talks about how our God glorifies all whom He justifies: which means, if a person has “TRUE” saving “FAITH” and is justified, God will “PRESERVE” that individual. In Ephesians 1:13-14, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
Simply stated, God is perfect in all His doings: He knew from the creation of mankind, that some would be predestinated unto Salvation. And those, He has sealed with the Holy Spirit, until the day He returns as Lord, to claim His bride, the Church. [And to suggest that ‘ANY’ of those could ultimately be lost, removes God from being “OMNI” to a state similar to mankind – capable of erroring.] Also, the seal of God’s Spirit in the Believer signifies four primary things: security, authenticity, ownership, and authority.
ONLY God knows the ‘HEART’ of a man: all we can do about those that seem to have made a profession of faith, but appears to be walking contrary to what the Word of God demands from a Believer, is to PRAY for them. But remember also, the Word of God emphatically states, that, we go to them [in LOVE], and help them return to the straight and narrow way: and if they refuse, and their heart seems to be somewhat harden, then, we’re to treat them as though, they NEVER were SAVED, from the beginning!
As one noted Theologian stated a number of years ago: “We’re going to be surprised when we get to heaven: to see those that we didn’t expect to see, and even more surprised to not see those that we were expecting to see!”