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Can a Christian lose salvation?

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lose salvationA reader recently sent in a question about whether or not she could lose her salvation. I searched my blog high and low for somewhere that I had answered this before, and much to my shock, could not find that I had previously written about this anywhere. I am certain I have written about it, but since I couldn’t find it, decided to write about it anyway. Here is the question she sent in:

I m getting real confused on the subject of salvation as I am doing my bible study. I would be grateful if you could take out some time and clear my confusion.

Can a born again christian lose salvation? If yes, does that mean we can preserve our salvation by following some rules and doing good works? I personally dont believe in salvation by works but what confuses me is if we can lose salvation than we can protect it too which means we remain saved by works.

But if we can’t lose salvation, then what happens if we keep on enjoying worldly pleasures like fornication, orgies, adultery, drunkenness etc? The bible tells us that “such will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.”

This is a great question which millions of Christians around the world ask all the time. Can a Christian lose salvation?

Confusion about Losing Salvation

The reason there is so much confusion surrounding the question about whether or not Christians can lose salvation is mostly because of the word “salvation” itself.

As long as we think that the word “salvation” refers to forgiveness of sin, eternal life, escaping hell, and going to heaven when we die, we will always be confused about whether or not Christians can lose salvation.

Why? Because there are numerous texts in the Bible which talk about “saving” the soul from death, “saving” the life, being “saved” by works, faith alone doesn’t “save,” and so on throughout the Bible. If we read these passages thinking they are talking about how to receive eternal life, we will get very confused.

This is why I wrote an article a while back about the word “saved” in the Bible. Before you read further, you should go read that post, because I am not going to restate here what I wrote there. The bottom line idea, however, is that the “salvation” word family rarely refers to receiving eternal life. When the Bible wants to talk about eternal life, it uses terms like “eternal life” or “everlasting life.”

It would be wise for us to do the same …

Confusion about the Kingdom of God/Heaven

The second area of confusion that causes people to think they can lose their “salvation” is when they equate the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven with “heaven” or with eternal life. Just as with “salvation,” the Kingdom of God/Heaven are not the same thing as eternal life. The Kingdom of God/Heaven refers to the rule and reign of God in our lives. As we learn to follow Jesus, His rule and reign expands in our lives, and we exhibit the values and goals of His kingdom through our words and actions.

The same goes for  inheriting the Kingdom, or even “inheriting” eternal life. Inheriting is different than receiving. Inheritance is something given to those who are “in the family” and so the only way to receive God’s inheritance is if you are already in God’s family, which happens by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Again, I have written about this here: The role of faith and works.

So Can a Christian Lose Salvation?

Can I lose salvation?Well, if you are asking, “Can a Christian lose eternal life?” the answer is no. If everlasting life can be lost, it has the wrong name. Besides, Jesus promises everlasting life to all who simply and only believe in Him for it (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47), and if we believe that everlasting life is not everlasting, then we are doubting the words and promises of Jesus.

But if a Christian cannot lose eternal life, then why should we not just go sin all we want? Because although we cannot lose eternal life, there is much to lose by sinning!

For example, we can lose our experience of the rule and reign of God in our lives (that is, lose our experience of the Kingdom of God). We can lose our fellowship with God (1 John). Since sin is so destructive, we can lose our health, wealth, and emotional well-being. We can lose our spouses, our children, and our jobs. We can lose contentment, joy, and satisfaction in life. We can lose peace.

So while there are all sorts of things a Christian can lose by sinning, eternal life is not one of them.

Here is another post which might help as well: Once Saved, Always Saved?

By the way, if you want to read more on this topic, I strongly recommend these books:

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What is the sin unto death in 1 John 5:16-17?

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sin unto deathRecently someone sent in a question about the sin unto death.

When I was writing my book about The Unforgivable Sin, I originally intended to include chapters on Hebrews 6, 1 John 5:16-17, and other similar passages that cause trouble in the minds of many. If you have read that book, you know that while it deals with some of the popular teachings about the unforgivable sin and the primary text of Matthew 12:31-32, it doesn’t deal with these other passages that are used to teach that certain sins can lead to God’s ultimate rejection. I have plans for a future expanded edition of that book, but that is still many years off.

So until the new version of that book comes out, maybe I can write a few blog posts once in a while about these other passages. I was given the opportunity recently when someone sent in this question about the sin unto death in 1 John 5:16-17:

Got any thoughts on 1 John 5:16-17? What is the Father telling us about the sin unto death? Most ministries I have heard really don’t know and don’t teach on this.

For some reason, when people read the Bible, they tend to put on spiritual-colored glasses so that words which mean one thing in any other context mean something completely different when read in the Bible.

For example (and I have written about this before), take the word “saved.” If you were reading a book on finances, or energy conservation, or health tips, or almost any other topic, and the headlines read “8 Ways to Save!” you would understand that the word “save” has nothing to do with eternal life.

Yet when people read the Bible, they put on their spiritual-colored glasses so that when they read the word “save” they often put a spiritual twist on the word “save” and interpret it as having something to do with eternal life. Most of the time in the Bible, the word “save” (and saved) have nothing to do with eternal life.

The same is true with the word “death.”

Sin Unto Death

If you read an article in a newspaper with the title, “8 Things that Bring Death,” you would know that the article is probably going to talk about 8 things that ruin your health and bring an early death. It might include things like smoking, not exercising, stress, or jumping out of airplanes.

Yet when most people are reading their Bibles (and they have their spiritual-colored glasses on), and read about some sort of sin that brings death, they put a spiritual twist on it, and think it is referring to spiritual death, or losing your eternal life, or something like that. This is what happens when people read about the sin unto death in 1 John 5:16-17.

A similar thing happens, by the way, when people read James 5:19-20 which talks about saving a soul from death. The word “soul” doesn’t mean “spirit;” it means “life.” So to save a soul from death means to save a life from death. And again, if we read without our spiritual-colored glasses, we will remember to read the word “save” as having nothing to do with eternal life and the word “death” as not referring at all to spiritual death or losing eternal life.

Sin Can Cause Death

In other words, James 5:19-20 is saying the exact same thing as 1 John 5:16-17: there are certain sins which can bring death.

But how should we respond to people who commit these sins? Here is where some of the confusion enters, because John seems to instruct his readers not to pray for people who commit sin leading to death. Does this mean that when Christians commit certain sins which may lead to death, we should not pray for them?

Hardly!

sin unto death

In one of his commentaries on 1 John, Zane Hodges points out that all sins ultimately lead to death, so what John is referring to here are “sins for which death is a rapid consequence” (BKC, 902). So when John says, “I am not saying he should pray about that,” Zane Hodges writes, “But this clearly does not forbid prayer even in the most serious cases. But naturally in such cases believers will submit their prayers to the will of God” (BKC, 903).

If this sort of interpretations seems strange to you, just remember that there are groups of people today who do in fact pray for the forgiveness of people who have already died. Apparently, there were people in John’s day who were praying similar prayers. John is saying that such prayers are unnecessary. If a person commits sin that leads to their death, we don’t need to pray about that. Pray instead for those who are still living, no matter how serious their sin might be.

In other words, it is wise for Christians to pray for people who are caught in sin and help rescue them from these sins so that they don’t die. Once a person has died because of sin, we do not need to pray for them any longer, because they are now in the hands of God. Prayer for the sins of the deceased accomplishes nothing.

Examples of Sin Unto Death

When read this way, the verses about the sin unto death not only make more sense in context, but also make sense in light of the rest of Scripture, and in our own experience as well. For example, we all know that there are certain behaviors and actions which can lead a person to an early grave. But aside from that, there are even some sins which may cause God to discipline a person with early death. Those who did not properly observe the Lord’s Supper are another example (1 Cor 11:30).

There is also the example of the man who was boasting about sleeping with his stepmother (1 Cor 5:5). In 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 there is a whole list of regenerated people who died as a result of rebellion against God. Then there is the account of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). All of these people committed a sin unto death, that is, a sin that led to their untimely death.

The sin unto death is not a sin to spiritual death, but a sin that leads to an untimely physical death.

Conclusion

John’s advice (as well as that of James) is that when we see a brother or sister caught in a sin that may lead to their death, we should pray for them, plead with them to turn from their ways, and do all we can to help restore this person back into fellowship with God and with one another. If they die as a result of their sin, we can learn from their mistakes and plead with others to turn from similar sins, but we need not pray for those whose sin has led to an untimely death. Such people are already dead, and are with God. So we don’t need to pray for them. We can pray instead for those who are alive and in need of our prayers.

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What are the signs of a False Conversion?

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The last couple weeks I have been working my way through dozens of Bible and theology questions which people have submitted through that “ask a question” area in the sidebar. Here is a question someone sent in about the signs of a false conversion:

false conversion

How would one know if they experienced a false conversion? I was raised in church with a very religious controlling mother. I continued in church through my teens and twenties and then married a minister.

This past year I started to struggle with my faith… It came to a head in October when I felt like the Holy Spirit departed.

I then had what I would term a mini nervous breakdown. After that point I feel like I was shown that I had been working against God all along and His people…. Jealousy envy, anger… All the while not even realizing that my heart was in the state it was in. I have had very dark thoughts even about God and am now concerned about the unpardonable sin.

I have not felt His presence since October. I feel empty and dead inside. How do I know if I am or was saved and if it is possible that I am now outside of grace?

Below is my answer to this question about false conversions. Please feel free to weigh in with your own perspective in the comment section below.

There are countless millions of people who struggle with this exact same question about the signs of a false conversion.

Are you ready for a short and shocking answer about the signs of false conversion? Here it is:

There are none.

What?! There are no sure signs of a false conversion? How can this be? Doesn’t Scripture teach us about good trees bearing good fruit? Doesn’t James warn us against dead faith? Don’t churches and pastors tell us to bear fruit worthy of repentance?

Yes, these are the sorts of things Scripture says and the sorts of things pastor preach. And while I believe those Scriptures, I understand them differently than how they are explained from most pulpits and in most books.

So let’s back up a little bit and see if I can unpack my short answer.

I am not denying that there is such a thing as false conversion; I am only denying that there are signs of false conversion. Yet Scripture provides a clear and simple way to know whether or not you have been truly converted….

Confused yet? Let’s break it down….

There is Such a Thing as False Conversion

It is true that there is such a thing as a false conversion. There are many who believe they have eternal life, but may not in fact have this free gift of God, because they do not understand what how God gives eternal life to us.

false conversionOn the one hand, there are countless numbers of people who think they received eternal life when they walked an isle at a revival or evangelism crusade. Or maybe they signed a card, raised a hand, or said a prayer. If you ask someone how they know they have eternal life, and they say something like “When I was 10 my church had a guest evangelist come speak, and when he gave an altar call I went forward and prayed the sinners prayer” it is possible that this person does not actually understand what the Bible says about how to receive eternal life.

Then there the millions of people who believe that our own good works play some sort of role in gaining, keeping, or proving eternal life. Some teach that “Jesus has done His 99% and we must do our 1%.” This is the idea that there is a role we must play to gain eternal life.

Others say, “No, we don’t have to do anything to gain eternal life; it is the free gift of God (Eph 2:8-9), but if we want to keep eternal life, we have to live a life of holiness and obedience. If you commit certain sins, or do not repent of your sins, or fail to confess a sin, or live in sin for an extended period of time, well, then you no longer have eternal life. Either you give it back or God takes it back.”

Finally, there are many who say that if a person truly has eternal life, they can never lose it, but their good works will prove that they actually have it. If they do not have the good works to back up their claim, then they never really had eternal life to begin with. Theirs was a false faith, a spurious faith, a fake faith.

What does the Bible say about about conversion?

The Bible pretty clearly indicates that eternal life is an absolutely free gift of God which He gives to anyone and everyone who simply and only believes in Jesus Christ for it (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47, etc.).

And since there is no good work that is necessary to earn eternal life, there is also no good work that is necessary to keep it. And while we would hope and expect that people who have eternal life will live lives of increasing holiness and obedience, the fact that God has given us freedom means that a life of good works is not guaranteed.

To sum up then, Jesus gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it.

So what does all this have to do with the question of true and false conversion? Well, based on what we have seen so far, how can you know if you have been converted? Answer: If you have believed in Jesus for eternal life, then God promises that you have eternal life.

It really doesn’t matter how we feel at some point in our life, or what mistakes we have made, or whether or not we can sense the Holy Spirit’s presence. It is God’s guaranteed promise that if we believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life, then we have it.

This why I say that there are no signs of false conversion. To know whether or not we have been converted, there is only faith in the unfailing promises of God through Jesus Christ. Outward experiences, our own good works, and the inner feelings of our hearts are not reliable indicators of whether or not we are part of God’s family. Being part of God’s family is by faith from first to last.

All of that was to answer your first question about being falsely converted. How can you know whether or not you were falsely converted? Well, do you believe in Jesus for eternal life? If so, you have eternal life. It is God’s promise.

Knowing the Love and Acceptance of God

This then should help you with the rest of your questions. It is difficult being a pastor’s wife. It is difficult feeling that the Holy Spirit has departed (He hasn’t, by the way). It is difficult dealing with jealousy, envy, and anger. It is difficult feeling empty and dead inside.

true conversionBut through all these emotions and feelings, remember this: God loves you more than you can possibly imagine. Though what you are going through right now is extremely painful, God is with you in this time and is seeking to strengthen and solidify your faith during this time. You are experiencing a winter in your relationship with God, a time that some have called “the dark night of the soul.” But spring will come. The light will dawn once again. The sense of God’s presence will return.

While you wait, remember God’s many promises in Scripture, that He loves you and will never leave you nor forsake you, and that you have eternal life because you have believed in Jesus for it.

If you want to weigh in on this theological question, please feel free to add your comments below. Also, please consider sharing this post on Twitter and Facebook below so that others can benefit from the discussion on this theological question.

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Stop Using the Sinner’s Prayer

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stop saying the sinner's prayerA man came into my study this week struggling with sin, salvation, and a sense of God’s presence in his life. He told me he was saved but he had never seen God work in his life.

While I could have pointed out that God is at work in the lives of all people to one degree or another (John 16:8-15), I first decided to run a spiritual diagnostic to determine his spiritual condition. I used versions of the Kennedy question. First, I asked him if he were to die today, did he know where he would go to spend eternity. He said, “Yes, I will go to heaven.” When I asked why, his response was, “Because I’ve prayed the sinner’s prayer.”

This sent up a small red flag, but knowing that many who “have prayed the sinner’s prayer” are just confused, I went on to my next question. I asked, “Let’s say hypothetically, that when you get to heaven, God meets you at the gates and asks, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’ what would you say?”

This time, his response rung crystal clear—not with truth, but error. “Well, I make people laugh. I have good manners. I have tried to live a good life. I’ve done some bad things in my life, but I’ve always repented. I’ve never denied Jesus, and have always believed that He is God’s Son.”

The small red flag turned into alarm bells. Recognizing that only God knows the heart, I gently told the man that none of the things he had listed, including his “sinner’s prayer” were mentioned anywhere in Scripture as conditions for receiving eternal life. I took him to passages like John 3:16, 5:24 and 6:47 which show that the only condition for receiving eternal life is believing in Christ for it.

He said it sounded too simple; too easy. I told him, “It is. Eternal life is a free gift of God’s grace to all who simply believe in Jesus Christ.” I went on to explain how God could make this offer and why faith in Christ is all that is necessary to receive it.

He left that day without believing, but a seed was planted. I trust and pray that he and I will meet again and that the Holy Spirit will continue to convict, convince, and draw him.

But one thing was confirmed in my own mind. The “sinner’s prayer” is a dangerous witnessing tool. It can leave many people thinking that they are going to heaven because they have “prayed a prayer” yet never understood that eternal life is received by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

What have been your experiences with the sinner’s prayer? Is it a valuable step in evangelism and witnessing? Why or why not?

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Getting Blotted Out of the Book of Life?

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Ever wonder what Revelation 3:5 means about getting blotted out of the Book of Life?

While I kind of don’t think there are actual “books” in which God writes people’s names, I do think the symbolism of the Book of Life is important to consider and understand.

The Book of Life vs. the Book of the Living

First, it is important to distinguish between the Book of Life and the Book of the Living. While the two books are similar in name, I think they are separate books… that is separate “symbols” in Scripture.

Book of LifeBy looking at the ways the two symbols are used in Scripture, it seems that “The Book of the Living” is a way of referring to all people who are alive. So when a person is born, they are in the Book of the Living, and when they die, their name is removed or blotted out from this book (cf. Ps 69:28).

The Book of Life, on the other hand, seems to refer to those who have eternal life, that is, those how have life in Christ. Some evidence for this is seen in the fact that the Book of Life is sometimes referred to as the Lamb’s Book of Life (e.g., Rev 21:27).

Also, it appears that the names of unbelievers were never written in the Book of Life (Rev 13:8; 17:8), and never will be if they die in unbelief.

So while the Book of the Living seems to refer to everyone who is alive at the time, the Book of Life refers to everyone who has eternal life (Dan 12:1; Php 4:3; Rev 21:27).

So Can My Name Be Blotted Out of the Book of Life?

But if the Book of Life contains the names of people who have eternal life, then when Revelation 3:5 talks about blotting someone’s name out of the book of life, does this mean it is possible to lose eternal life?

No. I don’t think so.

The reason is that in Revelation 3:5, Jesus is using a figure of speech called litotes. Litotes is a form of understatement, or saying something positive in a negative way.

Explanation of Litotes

We use litotes all the time. Let’s say your favorite NFL team this year is the Kansas City Chiefs, who are undefeated. And let’s say they were scheduled to play the Jacksonville Jaguars, who haven’t won a game yet. As the date for that game neared, you might say, “If Kansas City plays like they have been playing, they will certainly not lose this game.”

Book of Life Rev 3 5This is an example of litotes. You have stated something positive — that Kansas City will sin — in a negative way: they will certainly not lose. The reason we use litotes is because it helps emphasize the positive thing we are trying to say. In the Kansas City – Jacksonville example, the use of litotes tells us that not only will Kansas City win, but the game will probably be a blowout.

But notice something else about litotes. While litotes states something positive in a negative way, this does not necessarily mean that the opposite statement is necessarily true.

In the example with Kansas City and Jacksonville, we said, “IF Kansas City plays like they have been playing, they will certainly not lose this game.” But what if Kansas City does not play like they usually do?  What if they make mistakes, have turnovers, and throw a few interceptions? Does this mean that they will lose the game? Probably not. Even if Kansas City did not play the way they usually did, this does not mean they will lose. Kansas City is good enough and Jacksonville is bad enough that it is extremely unlikely that Jacksonville will win, no matter how Kansas City plays. (Sorry Jacksonville fans!)

Maybe another example that is not sports related will help.

What you think if you overheard me say, “If my wife makes me an apple pie, I will not stop loving her”? Would you assume from that statement that if she did not make me an apple pie that I would stop loving her? No, you would not. You would understand that my statement means that I do love her, and that if she makes me an apple pie, I would love it.

(And yes, my wife made me an apple pie this week! Thanks, Wendy! I LOVE You!”

This is also how we can understand Revelation 3:5

Litotes and Revelation 3:5

Revelation 3:5In John 3:5, when Jesus that those who overcome will not be blotted out of the book of life, He is using litotes. If you read through Revelation 2-3, Jesus is pronouncing warnings and blessings to the various churches of Asia Minor, and all the blessings are for those people who overcome.

So in Revelation 3, one of the blessings pronounced on overcomers is that they will not be blotted out of the Book of Life? How is this a blessing? It is a blessing because of litotes; a positive announcement is being stated in a negative way for emphasis.

To turn it around state it positively, Jesus is saying that those who overcome will not only keep their name in the Book of Life because they are believers, but will receive greater blessings from God and greater experience of life with God. That is what Revelation 3:5 means. In fact, even in the verse itself, two of the other blessings that are promised to overcomers is that they will receive white robes and will receive special recognition before God and the host of angels. Again, we don’t know much about these blessings, but they sound spectacular.

Notice, of course, that just as with the NFL and apple pie examples above, the opposite of this litotes is not true either. Many pastors and teachers say that if someone does not overcome, then their name will be blotted out of the Book of Life. But Revelation 3:5 doesn’t say that! It is a logical fallacy from this verse. Revelation 3:5 does NOT say that those who fail to overcome will be blotted out of the Book of Life.

A statement which is true one way is not necessarily true when reversed. We saw this above. Even if the Kansas City Chiefs do not play up to their ability, this does not necessarily mean they will lose to Jacksonville. Even if my wife does not make me an apple pie, this does not mean that I will stop loving her.

So also, even if someone whose name is written in the Book of Life fails to overcome, this does not mean that their name will get blotted out of the Book of Life. When it comes to the Book of Life, there are no erasers. The names found in the Lamb’s Book of Life are written in the permanent ink of His blood.

Does this help your understanding of Revelation 3:5?

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