Introduction

We should make an important point right up front. This article talks a lot about our responsibilities as Christians, including persevering in the Lord, not sinning, and repenting. But this shouldn't be taken as a teaching that we are saved by these things. Rather, we are saved by God's grace, through our faith in His Son Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)

To be saved, so that we can be in Heaven for eternity, God requires us to have faith in Jesus Christ. However, the Bible shows that this needs to be a true faith, one which spills over into our lives and actions. Or should that be, one which defines our lives and actions? It needs to have certain aspects to it, or certain things going along with it, like repentance, perseverance, and so on. The True Faith (http://www.dansfriends.com/saved6.shtml) section of the Being Saved article talks about this in much greater detail.

Not having these things in our lives can cause us to be in deadly spiritual peril. We are definitely saved by faith, but as the Bible says,

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? James 2:14 (NIV)

So, what if there is something wrong with our faith? (as there often seems to be in our lives.) What about when people...

• ... were raised as Christians, but it doesn't really impact their life?
• ... once believed in Jesus, but have stopped believing or don't take it seriously?
• ... believe with their head but don't seek God with their heart?
• ... are sincere but misled by false beliefs or ideas?
• ... are seeking God but keep falling back into sin without repenting?

...or something along those lines. Of course, many Christians would have to admit to some of the above at various points of their life - especially that last item! We shouldn't try to pretend we are perfect or without sin when we aren't. Perfection should be our goal, but we shouldn't go around pretending we haven't ever failed. Being honest before God in light of our sins and repenting and seeking Him is what He wants.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)

There's no doubt that there are plenty of Bible verses warning that the immoral won't be with God for eternity. But what happens if a saved child of God falls away from the Lord - perhaps in one of the ways described in the above list? Can the truly saved become unsaved? This article focuses on verses which address this topic.

1.