Expert: Scott Talbot - 9/30/2010

Question
I received Christ as a teen and re-accepted Him several times since that. I never really grew, prayed regularly, or read my bible often. I did many sinful things since that time and do not believe I could possibly go to heaven now. Since June 2010, I have prayed to God and asked for forgiveness and guidance to really grow this time. I have not found a church that I trust yet, but have daily and increasingly read and studied the Bible. I worry now that it may all be for naught, because of verses such as Luke 9:62 and Hebrews 6:4-6. Did my willful turning back in the past make it "impossible" to be renewed again? If this so, then I must accept it, but I will not give up my studies and prayers. If it is so, then I must try to reach any who might backslide before it is too late for them also.  

Answer
Hi Kathy,

It's nice to hear from you.

You are not the first Christian who has worried about the possibility of losing your salvation. I think most Christians experience this concern at some point. Let's talk about that.

First, understand that fear and worry do not come from God. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7, "God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

I think that such worries are an attack from Satan on God's children, and it's part of the spiritual battle in which we're engaged (Ephesians 6:12). True, such concerns can be well-founded and can lead one who is not a child of God to find acceptance into God's family. But, in your case, I'm guessing that your fears are unfounded.

Romans 10:13 says, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord SHALL be saved." Have you done this? (You said you have.) What's God's promise? You have been saved!

John 1:12 says, "As many as received him [Jesus Christ], to them He [God] has given the authority to be called the children of God." Did you trust Jesus to save you, knowing that you cannot save yourself? Then you are a child of God!

John 3:16 tells us, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him [places his trust in Christ alone for salvation] SHALL NOT PERISH, but have everlasting life." If you have trusted Him and called on the Lord to save you, you have everlasting life.

Romans 8:1 and John 5:24 tell us that, when we are saved, we are NO LONGER CONDEMNED but have been transferred from the realm of death to the realm of life ... FOREVER! And, in John 10:27-29 Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish , neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." This tells us that it is God who holds on to us. It is not we who hold on to God.

Ephesians 2:8 and Titus 3:5 reveal that salvation is "by grace, through faith, and that not of ourselves, not by works of righteousness." We cannot do anything to save ourselves ... either BEFORE or AFTER our salvation.

Some believe that a Christian can lose his salvation. If he does not live a good enough life (if he doesn't do enough "good works"), he can be snatched out of God's hand. I am firmly convinced that this is false teaching and you will not find this anywhere in the Scriptures.

Let me use an analogy. Let's suppose someone gave you a $250,000 house as a "free gift." They tell you that you don't need to do anything to earn it or merit it. You cannot pay for it. You think, "Wow, this is great!" And you freely accept the gift.

In about a month, the person who gave you the house comes by and asks you for $800. Furthermore, he tells you that he will be collecting $800 a month in exchange for your living in the house.

You reply, "Wait a minute! I thought you said it was free! Now you're charging me??" He responds, "Well, it was free for you to RECEIVE it. I'm only charging you to KEEP it."

That would be ridiculous, wouldn't it? In reality, it would not be a free gift if you had to pay to keep it.

The same is true of salvation. It's free to receive it. We can do nothing to merit it. In fact, God is offended when we TRY to earn it. Many would agree that you don't have to do anything to earn your salvation, but that you have to pay (do "good works," live an acceptable lifestyle) to KEEP it. If this is true, it's not really a free gift, as Ephesians 2:8 and Titus 3:5 tell us. This would be just as ridiculous as the analogy of the "free" house.

But some would say, "If salvation is completely free, then it's a license to sin!!" Paul addresses this issue in Romans 5 and 6 ... especially Romans 6:1-2: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound ? God forbid . How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" What he goes on to say is that, once we become children of God, we should try to live a life pleasing to God--NOT because we must do so to keep our salvation. (It is not an obligation.) Rather, the reason for resisting sin and living for God is that we do so out of a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving to God, and because He gives us the ability to battle temptation and sin.

So what about the verses you mentioned? Let's look at Luke 9:62: Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Here (as in many passages), Jesus is talking about discipleship, not salvation. Placeing our faith in Christ for salvation allows us to be born again. Following Jesus (being a disciple) SHOULD be what follows. We're born, then we should grow. But He never says that failure to live a perfect life can or will result in our loss of salvation. The fact is, no one is perfect, and, truth be told, none of us is fit for service in the kingdom of God. Thankfully, we are not left to rely on our own goodness, but rather on the goodness and perfection of Jesus Christ--which is inputed to us when we are saved.

Hebrews 6:4-6: "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace."

True, this is a difficult passage. But it must be understood in the context of all of Scripture. Scripture is clear that one cannot lose his salvation. Is this contradicting all those other passages?

No, I don't believe it is. I believe (as do many others) that this is talking about someone who has been exposed to the gospel--who understands what salvation is about--and who continuously rejects the working of the Holy Spirit and God's free gift. The longer they continue to resist God, the more calloused their heart becomes until, at some point, they reach the point where they are so calloused and hardened against God that they likely will never come to Christ.

Kathy, it doesn't hurt to question your salvation. This is obviously a VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE, and one that must be settled! But I believe that the very fact you are questioning your salvation--the fact that this concerns you--reveals that you are, indeed, a Christian. That kind of sensitivity about spiritual things comes only from God. If you did not belong to God, you simply wouldn't care.

I would encourage you to read John 3:1-21 and I John (the entire book). John 3 talks about being born again as a point-in-time experience. Then, in I John, the same writer uses further evidence to give one the assurance of his salvation. These are general characteristics which, though not perfectly followed by any Christian, can further confirm that one belongs to God.

Kathy, I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back any time.

Scott