People frequently ask me if I think that a person (usually a friend or relative who has turned away from God) can lose his or her salvation. In this series of posts, I am responding to this question by studying what the Scriptures say on this extremely important subject.<\/p>
In my last post<\/a>, I listed some passages that seem to teach that salvation is not<\/strong> secure, that we can lose it. We\u2019ll explore these a little more over the next couple of posts. Here is the first one.<\/p> But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. These false teachers will infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies, even to the point of denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 Peter 2:1<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote> At issue here is the phrase \u201cdenying the Master who bought them.\u201d Does \u201cbought\u201d mean the same thing as \u201csaved\u201d? Or can a person be \u201cbought\u201d but not \u201csaved\u201d? What do the Scriptures say?<\/p> 1. Jesus\u2019 death satisfied God\u2019s wrath for sin for all people.<\/strong><\/p> He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:2<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote> The traditional word, translated here as \u201catoning sacrifice,\u201d is propitiation<\/em>. A main definition of this word is the concept that God\u2019s wrath on people because of sin is turned away or satisfied by Jesus\u2019 death. Notice that Jesus\u2019 took care of sin\u2019s penalty, not only for those who believe, \u201cbut also for the whole world.\u201d<\/p> 2. Every sinner \u2013 whether they will ultimately be saved or not \u2013 is under God\u2019s wrath until the point of salvation.<\/strong> This is what Paul taught the Ephesians.<\/p> And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly lived according to this world\u2019s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest\u2026 Ephesians 2:1-3<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote> So even though Jesus\u2019 death turned away God\u2019s wrath for sin for the whole world (\u201cbought\u201d), that wrath remains on people \u2013 even on those who will believe \u2013 until the point of salvation (\u201csaved\u201d).<\/p> This is Peter\u2019s point: the false teachers could have had salvation. On the cross Jesus had \u201cbought\u201d salvation for them just like everyone else. But they denied him and his work, opting for their own plan instead. Because of this, they had no other options, and they brought \u201cdestruction on themselves\u201d. God\u2019s plan is salvation, not destruction.<\/p> This leads into the point the writer of Hebrews made in two other sometimes-confusing passages:<\/p> For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, and then have committed apostasy, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding him up to contempt. Hebrews 6:4-6<\/a><\/p> For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us, but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume God\u2019s enemies. Hebrews 10:26-27<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote> The writer wasn\u2019t making the case that a person could have salvation then lose it. His point was that, because Jesus\u2019 death was once for all (all time and all people), it\u2019s impossible to jump in and out. If you could fall away (\u201ccommitted apostasy\u201d) \u2013 which was not his point \u2013 you couldn\u2019t be saved again. This goes against the teachings that you have to constantly make sure you\u2019re saved. If you could lose it, you could never get it back.<\/p> Additionally, if a person claims to believe and even becomes a part of the community of God\u2019s people, but never has the genuine life change that God provides at salvation (\u201cdeliberately keep on sinning\u201d), there is no hope for him.<\/p> Because Jesus\u2019 death is the only acceptable payment for sin, if someone plays with it then rejects it, or rejects it outright, what else is there? They have nowhere else to go.<\/p>