Posted on 05/31/2017 1:41:09 PM PDT by ealgeone
Question: "Can a Christian lose salvation?"
Answer: First, the term Christian must be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer or walked down an aisle or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what makes a Christian. A Christian is a person who has fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior and therefore possesses the Holy Spirit (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8–9).
So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation? It’s a crucially important question. Perhaps the best way to answer it is to examine what the Bible says occurs at salvation and to study what losing salvation would entail:
A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). A Christian is not simply an “improved” version of a person; a Christian is an entirely new creature. He is “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new creation would have to be destroyed.
A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18–19). The word redeemed refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid. We were purchased at the cost of Christ’s death. For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to revoke His purchase of the individual for whom He paid with the precious blood of Christ.
A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). To justify is to declare righteous. All those who receive Jesus as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what He had previously declared. Those absolved of guilt would have to be tried again and found guilty. God would have to reverse the sentence handed down from the divine bench.
A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is the promise of spending forever in heaven with God. God promises, “Believe and you will have eternal life.” For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have to be redefined. The Christian is promised to live forever. Does eternal not mean “eternal”?
A Christian is marked by God and sealed by the Spirit. “You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14). At the moment of faith, the new Christian is marked and sealed with the Spirit, who was promised to act as a deposit to guarantee the heavenly inheritance. The end result is that God’s glory is praised. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to erase the mark, withdraw the Spirit, cancel the deposit, break His promise, revoke the guarantee, keep the inheritance, forego the praise, and lessen His glory.
A Christian is guaranteed glorification. “Those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). According to Romans 5:1, justification is ours at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30, glorification comes with justification. All those whom God justifies are promised to be glorified. This promise will be fulfilled when Christians receive their perfect resurrection bodies in heaven. If a Christian can lose salvation, then Romans 8:30 is in error, because God could not guarantee glorification for all those whom He predestines, calls, and justifies.
A Christian cannot lose salvation. Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive Christ would be invalidated if salvation could be lost. Salvation is the gift of God, and God’s gifts are “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). A Christian cannot be un-newly created. The redeemed cannot be unpurchased. Eternal life cannot be temporary. God cannot renege on His Word. Scripture says that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).
Two common objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation concern these experiential issues: 1) What about Christians who live in a sinful, unrepentant lifestyle? 2) What about Christians who reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these objections is the assumption that everyone who calls himself a “Christian” has actually been born again. The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a state of continual, unrepentant sin (1 John 3:6). The Bible also says that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he was never truly a Christian (1 John 2:19). He may have been religious, he may have put on a good show, but he was never born again by the power of God. “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16). The redeemed of God belong “to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4).
Nothing can separate a child of God from the Father’s love (Romans 8:38–39). Nothing can remove a Christian from God’s hand (John 10:28–29). God guarantees eternal life and maintains the salvation He has given us. The Good Shepherd searches for the lost sheep, and, “when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home” (Luke 15:5–6). The lamb is found, and the Shepherd gladly bears the burden; our Lord takes full responsibility for bringing the lost one safely home.
Jude 24–25 further emphasizes the goodness and faithfulness of our Savior: “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Scripture.
You are claiming that it's the Catholic church that Jesus meant.
If you are making a claim that something is a fact,then it's YOUR responsibility to prove it's true by providing the evidence, not for the other person to prove that your say so is not true.
Your opinion on its own, doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Verification is needs for it to have any credibility.
How can that claim be valid when we've been told that the Holy Spirit does not guide the college of cardinals in the selection of the pope?
And He's protecting it just how?
The priesthood is infiltrated with homosexuals, the current pope is a flaming liberal and who knows if he ever believes in God, Catholics seminaries are pumping out liberal homosexual priests, Catholic laity is by and large liberal and pro-abortion and pro-homosexual marriage, and the list goes on.
Are those supposed to be examples of Jesus protecting His church? What exactly is He protecting it from?
How can that claim be valid when we've been told that the Holy Spirit does not guide the college of cardinals in the selection of the pope?
And He's protecting it just how?
The priesthood is infiltrated with homosexuals, the current pope is a flaming liberal and who knows if he ever believes in God, Catholics seminaries are pumping out liberal homosexual priests, Catholic laity is by and large liberal and pro-abortion and pro-homosexual marriage, and the list goes on.
Are those supposed to be examples of Jesus protecting His church? What exactly is He protecting it from?
Oh?
Did someone claim it wasn't?
Mom, the 'church' is made up of individuals.
How much yeast does it take?
Was this before or after raising kids??
;^)
Keep reading...
One...
True...
Church...
Cain would find it biased.
Cain had issues...
Now the hackers know EXACTLY where to focus their attacks!!
FR is now more secure than ever!
Perhaps; but it is STILL slow to refresh!
Nope...
Every other church traces its lineage back to a BRAVE human person who had the courage to stand up to the All Powerful Roman church and point out it's error!
Since Rome would NOT self-correct; the ONLY other thing to do was Scriptural:
COME YE OUT OF HER AND SHARE NOT...
Keep trying.
Perhaps you'll be able to get a reponse about as authentic as a lot of the stuff Rome puts out.
1 Corinthians 3:4-9 (NASB)
For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Mark 9:38-41 (NASB)
John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.”
But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.
For he who is not against us is for us.
For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.”
Just as Jesus had free will yet was humble and obedient to the Father.
I believe that those that gain salvation with God will keep their free will and be humble, prayerful and obedient to God.
As God loves us, He wants those that truly love Him to be with Him in Heaven.
Is that a yes or no?
It’s my privilege. I tend to get longwinded, so it is good to know when someone actually reads such longs posts.
:-)
That is not what Jesus would do!
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