CAN A BELIEVER LOSE THEIR SALVATION?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
Can a person who is born again and has professed his saving knowledge of Christ fall away from the faith into sin and rebellion and never return to the faith? Can a believer forfeit their eternal security in Christ by reason of willful disobedience or ignorance? I reckon this is both a difficult and controversial question.
First, allow me to dispel the ignorance myth. No matter how immature a believer is, the Holy Spirit guides their conscience even as they grow in the knowledge of Christ. The fear of God in them will begin to manifest in their conduct and circumspect. Notice the implication of Paul's rhetorical questions in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16.
We shall briefly evaluate some three key features that, in my view, mark out the spiritual status of believers in a Christian congregation.
Spiritual Babies
In any Christian congregation, there are believers of various categories just as happens in a household which consists of members under various stages of maturity. We have the newly converted believers or spiritual babies who are yet to fully undergo instruction in the basics of the faith. Spiritual babies may not have received effective biblical instruction and will obviously err here and there but with dedicated discipleship and instruction in Scripture, this class of believers will definitely grow in faith into maturity over time.
In 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, Paul describes the Corinthian believers as immature, not worthy of meat or solid food [a metaphorical reference to deeper spiritual truths] but milk [a reference to basic or elementary teachings of the faith]. Paul's assessment was based on their unbecoming conduct and pride.
Scripture reveals that the Holy Spirit guides and teaches believers, conveying the mind of God to them.
John 14:16-18 says "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." Notice the import of the closing section of the statement of v.16.
Spiritual Novices
The second category consists of those who have significantly advanced in Christian discipleship training but are not yet sufficiently mature for ministry duties. This group consolidates what the Bible describes as novices in 1 Timothy 3:6. They are easily puffed up with pride and are unable to handle leadership roles in the church. This group of believers should serve under the mentorship of mature believers, preferably church elders or mature Christian women, who will observe them over a period of time before they are approved.
Biblical instruction is critical for the development of a Christian congregation. This assurance is given in Ephesians 4:11-14.
Mature Believers
This is the senior-most or highest category in a Christian congregation or community. A mature believer is one who exhibits spiritual maturity, fortitude, and consistency in their moral and spiritual conduct (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:1-4; 1 Timothy 3:1-7). Their grasp of the truths of Scripture is finer than that of the novices. They are tested and proven in many areas of life and have a good report from within and without. Mature believers have learned to submit to Christ in humility in every situation of their lives, even in the most unpleasant of circumstances.
I must however caution that mature believers are not perfect in their faith. They too are still growing and must regularly feed on God's word and be open to spiritual correction in truth. Besides, God constantly tests their faith to ground them further (James 1:2-4). Christian maturity is a process rather than a destination. It terminates on death or at Christ's coming, whichever be earlier.
This category consists of a pool of believers who can be assigned critical oversight roles in the congregation. They can serve as elders, deacons, and group leaders. They can also be assigned church planting and missionary duties.
CAN A BELIEVER FALL AWAY FROM THE FAITH?
Now back to our million dollar question....
Are there circumstances contemplated in Scripture where a true follower of Jesus Christ may fall away and forfeit their salvation?
Someone may promptly argue that a person who walks away from the faith was not a true follower of Jesus Christ in the first place. I have heard this statement mentioned a couple of times in certain Christian circles. This assertion is fairly judgmental in my view. It implies that believers are perfect in their standing and walk of faith, a position that contradicts the text of Scripture. Besides, it is unfair to judge people by their present circumstances because we cannot tell their future with God. They may return from sinful disobedience to God later in life. A number of deviant Bible characters returned to God after their hearts were reformed.
There are three major schools of thought that have attempted to address this question from their theological standpoints. We shall consider them in turns below:
REFORMED CALVINISTIC/OSAS DOCTRINE
The first school of thought held by the Reformed tradition says believers can never lose their faith no matter what happens. They insist that once a believer receives Christ, their names are written in the Book of Life and they will never be erased. This view is sometimes identified with the OSAS acronym that stands for "once saved always saved". They reject the notion that a believer can fall away from the faith. Some radical groups even argue that the believer's past, present, and future sins have been forgiven! Is this argument tenable? What is the purpose of seeking God's forgiveness if indeed all sins have already been forgiven?
The Reformed Calvinistic theology is historically traced to the teachings of French lawyer and theologian John Calvin (1509 - 1564 A.D.) and German Catholic priest and theologian Martin Luther (1483 - 1546 A.D.), both of whom are associated with the Reformation movement. Among the popular texts cited by this group in connection with eternal security of believers are John 6:44, 11:25-26 and Ephesians 4:30.
John 6:44 says "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." This statement is understood as conveying a divine affirmation of God's election of believers who come to the faith at His divine pleasure.
John 11:25-26 says "... “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. This statement is taken as an assurance of eternal life and this precludes any possibility of departure from the faith.
Ephesians 4:30 says "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." They argue that since the believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit, he can never depart from the faith.
The three Scripture texts appear to speak to the eternal security or assurance of the believer in Christ. They suggest that the believer can never lose their faith. Besides, Reformed TULIP doctrines presuppose that the believer was chosen for eternal life before the foundation of the world and that God grants them "irresistible grace" by which they come to faith. The rest of sinners outside this category were impliedly denied this gift and will never come to faith. They will be consigned to eternal damnation in the lake of fire! This implies that the works of the cross were merely a means to a fixed end!
Critics of the Reformed doctrines argue that they portray the God of Scripture as a selective and vindictive deity who arbitrarily limits His saving grace to a chosen few.
Is the OSAS doctrine holistically affirmed in Scripture? We shall return to examine this question in greater detail later in the article.
WESLEYAN ARMINIAN DOCTRINE
The second school associated with Wesleyan Arminian tradition states that a believer can knowingly and willfully walk away from the faith and accordingly lose his salvation. Arminianism is historically associated with followers of the Dutch theologian Jacob Hermanzoon (1560 - 1609) who is popularly identified with the Latinized name Jacobus Arminius. According to this school, the backslider must therefore "return back" to the faith and resume his life of obedience, if he will ever expect eternal assurance.
The Arminian doctrine is identified with the Arminian theological perspective held by Methodist/Wesleyan traditions. The group is an offshoot of Calvinism that rejected the Calvinistic Reformed doctrine on the eternal security of the believer. They also dispute some of the key teachings of Calvinism.
Arminian scholars cite a number of Scripture texts such as Hebrews 10:26-27 that says "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries."
Hebrews 6:1-8 is among passages of Scripture that Arminian leaning scholars consider as affirming God's judgment on Christian apostates. The theological context of the passage reveals that the writer was speaking about the fate of people who once believed but eventually fell away from the faith through moral disobedience. Hebrews 6:4-8 (NKJV) says:
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
Dale Moody succinctly concludes that the apostates contemplated in this passage had rejected their previous faith in Jesus Christ, and await God's just judgment. [1] The application of the imagery of worthless thorns and thistles that are burned in the end is instructive of the eternal fate of these apostates.
Another key text identified with this perspective is Matthew 24:13 and Mark 13:13, both of which teach that the believer who endures to the end shall be saved. A theological caveat should however be observed at this point - that God's grace effectually abides in the perseverance of the believer. Gregory Roberson rightly observes:
In Jesus Christ, we are secure, because
he is trustworthy. Likewise, if any do persevere it is not simply because of their own
volition. More fundamentally, it is because of the faithfulness of God that makes
possible our continued faithful response. While I will argue that this perseverance is not
absolute, we must begin with Scripture’s starting point of the prevenient acting of God
for us.[2]
Robertson adds:
Serious consideration must be given to human agency and volition. This
is rooted in the fact that God takes seriously our actions, and bestows upon us the
capacity for personal, intentional acts. A doctrine of eternal security must exercise
caution not to denude the human subject of agency, but neither should it elevate the
human as actor to a level that that makes us wholly self-determining. Grace is and
remains the context for understanding human agency in Christian terms. [3]
Arminian theology teaches that the believer must persevere in the faith and watch lest they fall away from the path of truth. This argument is supported by a number of Scripture texts. They reject the OSAS doctrine, saying it is inconsistent with the revelation of Scripture and denies the moral responsibility of the believer in the journey of faith. This responsibility cannot be overlooked at the exigency of divine sovereignty. As I. Howard Marshal observes in his reflection on John 15:1-8, "commitment to Jesus; the abiding of Jesus in them [disciples] is not an automatic process
which is independent of their attitude to Him, but is the reverse side of their abiding in
Him. Just as men are summoned to believe in Jesus, so they are summoned to abide in
Jesus, i.e., to continue believing." [4]
Critics of the Arminian doctrine argue that the emphasis on the moral responsibility of the believer in the perseverance of faith obscures God's divine providence and assigns disproportionate credit to the believer's role. They claim that the doctrine appears to discount the essence of firm assurance on the eternal security of the believer.
MIDDLE GROUND VIEW
The third school of thought can be derived from what may be described as a middle ground position between the Reformed and Arminian theologies. This school argues that it is impossible to tell a person's eternal destiny because God alone knows the future. Their theology is premised on the view that one may fall away from the faith and still return to God later in life, even on his deathbed. They therefore reject the two "extreme" positions examined earlier. They cite the example of Solomon who fell to idolatry and later returned to God and wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes and other wisdom literature from a reformed heart. They also point to the Parable of the Prodigal Son as evidence that those who are given to moral depravity but were previously faithful to God may return to God when they come to their senses (Luke 15:11-32).
It is however important to bear in mind that a person who willfully walks away from the faith may not be guaranteed a window for their return if they persist in their disobedience. They may perish in their rebellion in the manner that the sons of Korah did while challenging the authority of Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16). We should therefore never take the things of God for granted. Remember also that Ananias and Sapphira perished in their disobedience under God's judgment (Acts 5:1-11). The two believers were key members of the Jerusalem church. They willfully lied to the church and the writer of Scripture reveals that they lied to God.
Elsewhere in Scripture, Jesus spoke to the church of Sardis, saying "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." (Revelation 3:4-5). Notice the conditional statement in v.5. This text of Scripture can be understood to imply that God may blot out some names from the Book of Life from among those who fail the journey of faith.
CONCLUSION
It is important for students of the Bible to submit to a balanced view of the teaching of Scripture and to reconcile any doctrines with what the Scripture teaches in context and in whole. It is however instructive that each of the above schools of thought has its set of Scripture passages from which their doctrines are borrowed. We should therefore evaluate the faithfulness of the arguments advanced by the groups in the light of the revelation of Scripture.
My view is that while each of the two "parallel" positions have their notable flaws, they have their merits as well. There is a divine mystery that lies between the two theological arguments. Neither can exhaustively counter the other without sliding off the boundaries of Scripture. For instance, without the divine security of the faith, believers would face uncertainty in their journey of faith yet Scripture gives us the assurance of hope (Hebrews 11:1). On the flipside, Scripture reminds us of the hazards of spiritual laxity and slack in our watchfulness. I believe God is faithful in preserving those who come to faith in Christ (John 1:12, 3:16-17). On the other hand, a believer who neglects their faith and walks in open disobedience and rebellion risks falling into sinful depravity and spiritual ruin. The Bible is replete with serious warnings on Christian diligence and prudence which believers should heed (cf. Hebrews 10:26-27).
The Bible exhorts believers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). This is a confirmation that there are notable consequences for moral dereliction and willful disobedience. This is not to suggest that salvation is by works. No matter what doctrinal persuasion one subscribes to, we need to bear in mind that salvation is God's gift to us in Christ by grace through faith. It is not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Christian obedience is however informed by the consciousness of our moral duty in walking with Christ in covenant faithfulness.
Several parables taught by Jesus reveal that spiritual laxity is perilous and can cost one their faith. For instance, the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins recorded in Matthew 25:1-13 conveys a clear warning to the body of Christ that spiritual dereliction can have far reaching consequences.
Notice the closing statement in Matthew 25:11-13: "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." The moral of the parable lies in the fact that the two sets consisted of virgins, denoting their moral chastity but the imprudence of the five foolish virgins cost them dearly. The slothful could miss out on eternity with the God!
Jesus' statement in Revelation 3:15-16 could be a pointer to spiritual rejection of unfaithful believers. He says "“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." Notice also the import of his promise in v. 21. What does it mean that those who overcome will reign with Christ?
Whereas we have the assurance of God's preserving grace, the truth is that there is a distinct role that the believer must play in submitting to the word of God and to the leading of the Holy Spirit in the exercise of spiritual prudence in their faith and practice. This truth is contemplated in Scripture. Moral complacency is perilous.
Allow me to conclude with the words of Jesus in Luke 17:26-27: "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all."
Are you walking with Christ?
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2021
REFERENCES
[1] Dale Moody, The Word of Truth: A Summary of Christian Doctrine based on Biblical Revelation (Grand
Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981), p. 352.
[2] Gregory Robertson, Eternal Security: A Biblical and Theological Appraisal, Doctrinal Dialogue
119th North American Convention of the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana
June 29, 2005 p. 4, https://anderson.edu/uploads/sot/eternal-security.pdf accessed 15 May 2025 at 0100 GMT.
[3] Gregory Robertson, Ibid., p.4.
[4] I. Howard Marshall, Kept by the Power of God (Minneapolis: Bethany, 1969), p.13.
