Salvation Loss

It can be confusing working out what the Bible says about this issue. Some verses warn about salvation loss, but others encourage us that there is security for God's children who stay in Him. First we will learn what some verses about salvation loss say, and then see some teachings about salvation security. Actually, many of these passages both warn and encourage at the same time.

More teachings that the saved can die spiritually if they turn away from the Lord can be found two and three sections ahead in the Can Just One Sin do It? (http://www.dansfriends.com/osas5.shtml) and Lost or Never Saved to Begin With? (http://www.dansfriends.com/osas6.shtml) sections.

Righteous people and believers who return to sin

The Bible teaches that righteous people are God's children, but it also teaches that they can stop being righteous.

But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. Ezekiel 18:24 (ESV)

We know from the Bible that people who carry out injustice and abominations aren't going to be with God for eternity. Turning away from righteousness makes people die spiritually. We are also told that a brother, or Christian, may wander away, which makes him a sinner and bound for death unless he is brought back.

My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20 (NIV)

The following is also a useful verse.

and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 1 Timothy 3:6 (NASB^®)

A "convert" must be referring to a Christian. Doesn't falling into Satan's condemnation mean they wouldn't be going to Heaven?

Not persevering or continuing

These passages show it is possible for us to not persevere or abide in Christ's teaching, resulting in God's displeasure and us losing what we worked for. These warnings were written to believers. At the same time, we do have hope in the Lord if we live by faith and abide in His teaching.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,

“He who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him.” Hebrews 10:36-38 (NIV)

Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:8-9 (ESV)

The next main section of this article, Salvation Safety (http://www.dansfriends.com/osas4.shtml), also shows that continuing in the Lord is required for salvation.

A lesson from 1 Corinthians

Paul, one of the heroes of Christianity, knew there was a danger of being disqualified from his prize of life through evil, so he exercised self control.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV)

Paul then immediately goes on to use Israel as an example of a people who did move out of God's favour by their sins. The Israelites drank from Christ the rock, which certainly implies they knew God in a saving way.

They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NIV)

Despite this, when they sinned their evils still brought death from God.

Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 1 Corinthians 10:5-10 (ESV)

This certainly fits with the Lord telling the Israelites that His covenant with them depended on them following Him (e.g. Leviticus ch 26). Then Paul continues:

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians 10:11-13 (NIV)

So the Bible says this falling away of the Israelites is a warning to believers in Christ - aren't Christians the people who have this wonderful fulfilment on them? There is a danger that believers can fall from being God's children, as Israel did. God will provide a way out for us though, and won't let us be tempted too far. We don't have to fall, if we rely on Him.

Unfaithful servant

This passage demonstrates the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants. Both people in this story were servants, and it is implied that they both began as followers of Jesus. Regardless of this, their outcomes were very different.

And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?
"Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
"Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
"But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;
the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. Luke 12:42-46 (NASB^®)

The faithful servant is blessed and given responsibility over the master's possessions, but the unfaithful servant is punished and put with those who don't believe. We can be certain God's children aren't placed with unbelievers.

Believing in vain

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (NIV)

The message above was written to Christian brothers, and they were told their salvation was conditional on their holding fast to the word of the Lord. To believe vainly doesn't sound like a state of salvation.

Thus far...

There is a fairly obvious pattern in these verses: the saved may indeed fall away from Christ, and into sin, and so die spiritually. But the Bible also has many verses which assure us of our security if we remain in Jesus.

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