“Can someone lose their salvation?”
No one loses their salvation like someone loses their car keys. Christ holds every believer in His sure and strong grip (John 10:29). However, those believers who persistently and willfully abandon their faith shall one day have their desire.
Now, before I proceed, let me point out that two schools of thought exist on the issue, and “never the twain shall meet.” One camp insists that God's sovereign election forbids our resistance. “Once saved, always saved” is their creed. The other camp emphasizes “free will,” man's autonomous ability to either accept or reject God’s grace. Few people adhere to the extremes of either position, but it is my conviction that the truth lies somewhere near the middle.
Scripture teaches both positions (Phil 2:12-13). God is sovereign, and His will cannot be thwarted (Eph 1:11). Man is responsible, and He can resist the will of God (Luke 7:30). Our finite minds cannot easily reconcile these two diverse positions. Nevertheless, this is the picture presented throughout the Bible.
On the one hand, let us have great confidence in God's keeping power. He is “the author and finisher” of our faith (Heb 12:2). He began the first chapter. Though our personal story is full of ups, downs, and detours, He is writing the book of our lives to the final sentence. God will never “leave or forsake” His people (Heb 13:5).
On the other hand, most agree that saving faith perseveres. The heirs of salvation continue to the end. Whether you were baptized, confirmed, “prayed the prayer,” or responded to an altar call, only those who continue to believe in Christ and follow Him in obedience have a secure faith (Rom 16:26).
No, faith is not so fragile that it is casually lost, but it can be willfully rejected. The book of Hebrews addresses Christians who were suffering for their faith. The book simultaneously encourages perseverance and warns against apostasy. Hebrews 6:4-6 describes those who at one time knew God but now, no longer follow Him. Hebrews 10:26-31 further describes those previously “sanctified” who now spurn Jesus and profane His blood.
These “once saved”—after a conscious, calculated, and unrelenting “about face”—have no legitimate claim to salvation. Jesus said: “No one can snatch [believers] out of my Father's hand” (John 10:29). All the same, God will not hold—against his will—the one who is determined to escape.
–Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)
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