One of the most frequently asked questions among Christians is the question about whether or not it's possible for us to lose our eternal salvation. Some Christians believe it's possible while others do not. My personal belief on this subject has drastically changed throughout the course of my life. The beliefs I held on this subject when I was new to the Christian faith are significantly different from the beliefs I hold at present.
Even before explaining what I presently believe or offering the Scriptural basis for these beliefs, I also want to acknowledge that I have several close friends who serve in various ministry roles who hold views that differ from mine. I'm grateful for them, and while I consider this a major doctrinal issue with hefty theological and relational consequences, I still consider these friends true brothers in Christ.
So, what do I believe about this issue? Or better said, what do I believe God's word teaches about the question of whether or not it's possible for a genuine believer in Jesus to lose their salvation? With all sincerity, I do not believe it is possible for someone who has been brought to a saving relationship with Jesus to lose the gift of salvation. Please allow me to explain why I have come to this belief.
We are being held by Jesus.
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” - John 10:27-30
When I was a child, I heard about Jesus from my family and my local church, but it wasn't until about a week before I turned ten-years-old that I came to faith in Him. I was attending a week of summer camp at a camping ministry supported by our church.
Throughout the course of the week, staff members and pastors shared Scripture with us and modeled what it looks like to follow Christ. That certainly set a good tone, but part way through the week, after hearing a pastor preach during an early evening worship service, I came under deep spiritual conviction that I needed the gift of salvation that only Jesus could provide. I trusted in Jesus that evening, and I have been following Him ever since.
If you asked me how that event came about, I would have told you that I heard the gospel explained, it made sense to me, and I made the decision to believe in Jesus. At that point, I had no understanding of what was taking place in the behind the scenes in the spiritual realm to lead me to that decision. It was my belief that since I made the decision to trust in Jesus, I could likewise make the decision to stop trusting in Him and the consequences for doing so would be the loss of eternal life.
But Jesus explains something to us in John 10:27 about the work He's doing to bring us to the point of belief. In that passage, He speaks of His sheep hearing His voice. In sharing that information, one of the things He's revealing is the fact that those who trust in Him have been called by Him. That means He's the one who made the first move. Even before I placed my trust in Jesus, He was spiritually calling me to unto Himself.
We see a related concept mentioned in Ephesians 1:17-18.
"that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you," - Ephesians 1:17-18
God's word reveals the work He is doing behind the scenes to save us. In Ephesians 1, the apostle Paul reveals that the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and reveals spiritual things to us that we would not naturally understand. Likewise, He enlightens the "eyes of our hearts" so we can perceive our need for salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. This is not something I could have figured out on my own. The Holy Spirit led me to this realization. He opened my eyes so I could see my need for Jesus, and He opened my ears so I could hear the call of Jesus. He gets the credit for my salvation. I deserve no credit.
And since salvation is a work initiated by God, not by man, it's a gift that is likewise maintained by God. In John 10, Jesus explained that those who receive the gift of eternal life will "never perish." He also explained that it is impossible for anyone who has come to faith in Him to be snatched out of His hand. No human is powerful enough to win that tug of war.
We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Living by faith in Jesus is a delightful experience. I believe He wants me to experience a true sense of His unconditional love and the security that comes from being united with Him in that kind of relationship. For that reason, additional details are revealed to us in Scripture about the permanence of this relationship.
In the book of Ephesians, we're told on more than one occasion that our eternal relationship with God is locked in place. The specific word that's used in that book to describe this permanent relationship is the world "sealed."
"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." - Ephesians 1:13-14
"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." - Ephesians 4:30
I love the truth that's conveyed in these verses. These passages do not say that our salvation is sealed by our good behavior, sound doctrine, church attendance, charitable giving, or the amount of volunteer hours we offer on a weekly basis to our local church. Our salvation is permanently sealed in place with the Holy Spirit. God seals His children in this relationship with Him by His Spirit.
To be even more specific, we're told that we've been sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption. That's the day when we'll meet Jesus in heaven and live in His presence as believers who are glorified and made to resemble Him forever. This is one of the clearest statements in the Bible about the permanence of our salvation.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
But what can we say about our low moments or seasons of personal rebellion? What impact might those seasons of life have on our eternal life? Will God remove us from His family because of what we've done?
I have already mentioned that it was just before I turned ten when I came to faith in Jesus, and I can tell you with all sincerity that I genuinely believed in Him. But I also need to admit that I went through a severe season of rebellion not long after that, and that season of rebellion lasted for several years. If you met me during those years, I highly doubt you would have thought of me as a stellar example of what it means to follow Jesus.
Thankfully, even through my years of rebellion and spiritual immaturity, the Lord didn't abandon me. Providentially, he turned what I meant for evil into something good, and His Spirit orchestrated my circumstances to draw me closer to Himself and create a desire within me to follow Him more seriously. He introduced me to people who had a healthy influence on my faith and granted me opportunities to grow that I felt compelled to capitalize on. He never stopped loving me, even when I made myself pretty unlovable.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:35, 37-39
I cannot adequately express what a comfort it is to me to know that there is literally nothing in creation, including myself, that is powerful enough to separate me from the love of Christ. That is a thought that has brought deep peace to my heart on some of my lowest days and I hope you find it just as reassuring.
We haven't been given a license to sin.
Understandably, one of the primary objections I often hear regarding the concept of whether or not we can lose our salvation relates to our personal capacity for sinfulness. Many people believe that the fear of losing one's salvation can be a powerful motivation to avoid sinning. To be frank, I don't think that's a healthy motivation to avoid sinning. Love for the Lord is a greater motivation to avoid sinning. It's a better motivation that treating our relationship with Him like it's conditional in nature and can change at any moment.
Another danger that comes with believing that our salvation comes down to what we do or don't do is that it can lead to a haughty and judgmental spirit. We can become proud of ourselves when we succeed at "keeping the rules" and condemning of others when they fail. Likewise, we can drift toward despair on our "bad days" if we believe our eternal salvation hangs in the balance. The danger is that we may find ourselves trusting in our own good behavior to save us more so than trusting in the unmerited grace of Jesus.
God's word challenges us not to drift back toward a life of sin, and His Spirit empowers us to avoid embracing the sin He has freed us from.
"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" - Romans 6:1-2
"No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him." - 1 John 3:6
The fact of the matter is that if we genuinely believe in Jesus, we will follow Him. It will be our privilege and delight to do so. The Holy Spirit will foster a desire to do so within us. He will likewise enable us to abide or remain in Christ, not by our human effort, but by His divine power.
What about those who have left the faith?
But what about those who at one point seemed to follow Jesus, but no longer appear to believe? Have they lost their salvation, or is it possible that they may never have experienced salvation to begin with?
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us." - 1 John 2:19
Even during the era of the early church when the apostle John penned these words, people wondered what to make of those who made professions of faith but later, sometimes under the pressure of persecution, walked away from Jesus. John explains that the only way someone can really do that is if they never actually believed in the first place. From our perspectives, it may have looked like their belief was sincere, but their willingness to walk away at a later time demonstrated their lack of faith which was known to the Lord the entire time.
I recognize that this may be a subject that well-meaning Christians debate for many years to come. At this point, however, this issue is settled in my heart. As far as I can see in the word of God, the One who gave me salvation as a gift has also promised that He won't be taking that gift back. His promise is the same for you. If you genuinely trust in Jesus, you will remain united to Him as part of His eternal family forever.
Having been graced with this blessing, let us live lives that testify to the Lord's goodness to us. With humility, let us admit that we are undeserving of this great blessing. Let's continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will open the eyes, ears, and hearts of those who presently do not believe in Jesus so that they will learn to trust Him as well. And as we serve Jesus with our lives, let's also rest in the peace of knowing He loves us just as much on our worst days as He does on our best days.
© John Stange, 2025. Originally published on Bible Study Headquarters. Used with permission.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Marjan Apostolovic
John Stange is the Lead Pastor at Core Creek Community Church and a professor at Cairn University where he leads the Digital Media and Communication program. He also leads an online community called Platform Launchers where he helps people build message-based online platforms.
John has authored over 30 books and presently hosts several podcasts on the LifeAudio podcast network. His shows have been downloaded millions of times by listeners throughout the world.
You can learn more about John’s ministry, books, and podcasts at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com.
