Can a True Christian Lose Their Salvation?

Can a True Christian Lose Their Salvation

For those who accept the reality of heaven and hell, few things are more terrifying than to contemplate eternal damnation—the complete and unending separation from the love and kindness of God. That’s why questions like this have always concerned believers.

So, can a true Christian lose their salvation? The short answer is, No. As long as we define a “true Christian” as someone who has – and continues to – place their faith, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ, that person can have unshakable assurance that Jesus will save them. Their salvation won’t be lost, revoked, or otherwise forfeited. However, this beautiful truth shouldn’t be confused with biblical reality that a person can abandon, reject, or turn away from the faith they once professed.

For further discussion about what it means to be a “true Christian,” see our video, Am I really a Christian? Or, check out our article, What Do Christians Do?

To ensure that our faith is well-placed, let’s see what the Bible has to say about this important subject.

Perfect Assurance

There are numerous wonderful passages found throughout the Bible which speak to a believer’s ability to have unshakable confidence in the gift of salvation found in Christ. Here are just a few:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. (John 10:27–28, bold added)
And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:21, bold added)
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38–39, bold added)

Again, these are only a few! Many passages affirm that believers can and should have great assurance in their salvation, based firmly on the promises of God.

The Apostle Paul was convinced that neither death, nor life, for angels, not principalities, nor things present, nor things to come could separate us from the love of God. There is no “far enough” to out-distance us from God’s grace, mercy, and ability to save lost sheep. Nothing has the power, capability, or sovereignty to rip us from God’s hands once we’ve thrown ourselves into them.

These are promises – guarantees from God – sealed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, testified to by the Holy Spirit according to the grace and kindness of the Father. Let all who believe say, “Amen!”

One of the most comforting truths in all the Bible is that my salvation doesn’t depend on me “dragging myself across the finish line.” Neither does yours.

God did the sending. Christ did the saving. The Holy Spirit does the regenerating.

What do I add to this? I bring my sin that needs forgiving. I bring my brokenness that needs healing. I bring my rebellion that needs reconciliation. What an astonishing gift.

And that’s exactly what it is!

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

We didn’t earn it. We surely don’t deserve it. And no one is going to come along and take it away from us, least of all God, who went to such great lengths to gift it to us.

In response to this great gift, let’s follow the admonition found in Hebrews 10:

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:19–24, bold added)

If that was all the Bible had to say on the subject, we could end right there. However, God’s word isn’t done answering our question.

Abide! Don’t Fall Away!

A parallel truth runs alongside the perfect assurance believers have according to the text above. We can’t (or, at least, we shouldn’t!) deny the host of warnings and exhortations regarding apostasy.

Apostasy is the act of “falling away,” “defecting,” or “forsaking” something or someone.

The actual word “apostasy” isn’t frequently used in the Bible. However, the idea of “falling away,” “drifting away,” “turning away,” and “not abiding” is widespread.

Here are a few examples:

Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but is temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Matthew 13:18–22, bold and italics added)

When considering this passage, be sure to take note of the fact that Jesus said that the seed spread on rocky soil didn’t simply die but sprouted! It was only after a tender shoot began growing that the sun caused it to wither and die. (For more on this, check out our video on the Parable of the Sower by clicking the link.)

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. (Colossians 1:21–23, bold and italics added)
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:1–3, bold added)
But Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. (Hebrews 3:6, bold and italics added)
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.” (Hebrews 3:12–15, bold and italics added)
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,'' and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:20–22, bold and italics added)

That’s a lot of examples. There are many others.

Just as serious as the admonitions to unbelievers and exhortations to turn away from sin and turn to the Lord in repentance and faith are the similar admonitions and exhortations to believers to not turn away from the Lord and turn back to sin.

It’s important to remember that many of these passages (Colossians, Hebrews, 2nd Peter, 1st Timothy) were all written to believers. For example, Paul is writing directly to Timothy when he warns him of the potential of the young man’s faith being shipwrecked:

This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. (1 Timothy 1:18–19, bold added)

If the endurance and continuation of Timothy’s faith wasn’t at risk, why the exhortation? If there were no consequences of a shipwrecked faith, why the warning?

Similarly, in many of the passages quoted above, we read things like, “if we hold fast,” and “if you continue.” For instance, in Hebrews 3 the author tells his audience that they are the “house” (household) of God, if they “hold fast” until the end.

When the biblical authors use “if,” they are communicating a conditional situation. Don’t ignore the conditions!

Believers are warned of the possibility of not enduring until the end. And the consequences are deadly serious. Consider Christ’s instruction and warning to His disciples (presumably only the Twelve, minus Judas, at this point in the narrative):

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:4–7, bold added)

Here, Jesus established the condition of needing to abide. If the possibility of not abiding weren’t a reality, why is He warning His disciples? If failure to abide bore no consequences, why would our Lord use such graphic imagery?

This isn’t a comfortable topic! It should be one of the most sobering things a Christian can consider. It’s so serious that Paul tells Timothy that he’s received teaching on this directly from the Holy Spirit:

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. (1 Timothy 4:1–3, bold and italics added)

Let’s stress reality that you can’t “fall away from the faith” if you’ve never been in the faith. You can’t depart from somewhere you’ve never been. The author of Hebrews puts it this way:

For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. (Hebrews 6:4–6, bold and italics added)

Who are those who have been “enlightened?” Who has “tasted of the heavenly gift” and partaken “of the Holy Spirit?” Who, if not a Christian, has “tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come?” Can this be said of anyone besides a Christian? And yet, we are told that some have fallen away.

Now, there are many who would say that this simply proves that the “apostate” were never really Christians at all. Perhaps that’s the case, only God knows the heart. However, Scripture doesn’t speak that way. Jesus didn’t speak that way.

Even if we assume that this is true – that the one who falls away was never really a “true Christian” to begin with – the same problem arises of wondering if this could apply to me, or to you. After all, these ones who fell away looked genuine for a time. Both to themselves and to others.

The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but is temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. (Matthew 13:20–21, bold added)

Christians are instructed to “work out (our) salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Because arrogance or lack of diligence in this could result in the very thing we’re being warned about: Falling or drifting away from the living God. Defecting from the faith. Suffering a shipwreck of our faith which results in being gathered up and tossed into the fire. Proving that we aren’t of the household of God.

Yes, Christ came and died “in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard” (Colossians 1:22b–23a, bold added).

Is This a Contradiction?

So, if the Bible is telling Christians that they can have full assurance that they can never lose their salvation AND ALSO warns them that they must abide because falling away is a possibility, isn’t that a contradiction?

No, this is not a contradiction. Many fail to grasp the nuances of biblical teaching. This area is no exception.

Consider this analogy. If I walk to the end of a pier and throw my keys as far as I can into the ocean, could I then say to my wife, “Honey, I lost my keys.”

Not really. In this case, I didn’t lose them. I threw them away.

In the same way, if we take the Bible passages above at face value, they are telling us that we can never lose our salvation. If you want to be saved, God wants you to be saved, and no one can ever snatch you from His hand. This is great news!

The same Bible that gives you this wonderful assurance, tells you to not neglect this gift. Don’t take it for granted. Don’t throw it away.

Can you lose your salvation? The Bible seems to teach very plainly the answer is No. Can you throw your salvation away through apostasy? The same Bible seems to plainly answer Yes, so don’t throw it away.

The Consequence

God’s word plainly states that someone can depart from the faith. But what are the consequences?

Well, we seen a few warnings in the passages we’ve looked at already.

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. (John 15:6)
For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. (Hebrews 6:4–6, bold and italics added)

But let’s consider something the author of Hebrews tells us near the end of his letter:

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful… For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:22–23, 26–27, bold and italics added)

If, in your eyes, Christ’s sacrifice becomes insufficient, or somehow inadequate and unworthy of your faithful dependance, there is no sacrifice left for you. God has nothing else to offer you. All that’s left is the terrifying expectation of judgement.

The consequence of abandoning your faith is deadly serious! So, by the grace of God, abide in Christ. Endure until the end, relying on the strength He provides, knowing that Jesus is an all-sufficient Savior.

Summary

When we ask the question “can a true Christian lose their salvation” we need to recognize that just because someone believed at one time, doesn’t guarantee that they’ll always believe.

A Christian who is diligently abiding in Christ – holding fast to Him – will never lose their God-given gift of salvation. However, a Christian who abandons Christianity (making themselves no longer a Christian) is in grave danger. Thank God for clearly warning us about the peril of neglecting, abandoning, turning or falling away from, or rejecting the faith we once held dear.

Are you listening? Do you have ears to hear and a heart to understand what the Spirit teaches through the Word of God?

Apostasy is a real possibility. We have been warned.

If you’ve been a Christian long, it’s likely that you’ve seen someone (a famous pastor, perhaps) “fall from grace” (Galatians 5:4). Nothing is more tragic! What could be worse? In order to guard against following in their example, allow this final quote to be your take-away from this article:

Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:11)