Can a Person Lose His Salvation?
The Bible teaches that a person can be lost even if he has once accepted Christ. Christianity is a moment by moment decision to walk with Christ. Jesus said that our salvation is based on the condition that we continue to abide in Him (John 15:4). “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). And Paul speaking of this decision said, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31).
The scriptures don’t teach that our responsibility ends when we accept Christ. “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire” (2 Peter 2:20-22).
The Lord teaches that people can certainly be lost if they commit iniquity. “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die” (Ezekiel 18:24).
Jesus adds: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Finally, Jesus gives us the assurance that if we continue to follow Him and walk in His path, He will finish the work He has begun in our lives “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
Check out our Bible Answers page for more information on a variety of topics.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
