Salvation — What Is It and Can You Lose It?

Have you ever heard Christians talk about being saved? Do you know what salvation means? Even a lot of Christians don’t really understand it. So let’s go over some of the basic questions regarding salvation: what is salvation, what did Jesus do to offer us salvation, how should we act after salvation, and can we lose our salvation.

What Is Salvation?

To start, let’s talk about what salvation is and why we need it. To answer these questions, we need to go back to the beginning. In the book of Genesis, we are given the account of how God created everything, including man. The first man and woman, Adam and Eve, lived in a perfect world. However, God didn’t want Adam and Eve to worship him because He programmed them to (like robots); rather, God wanted them to love Him and have a relationship with Him because they chose to, so God gave them freewill. He placed them in the Garden of Eden, a paradise with everything they could ever want or need, and He only gave them one rule, do not eat from one particular tree in the garden. Adam and Eve had to choose whether or not to obey their creator.

Genesis chapter three tells us how the devil came to Adam and Eve and deceived them. He convinced them that God was holding back His best. While the devil definitely influenced them, Adam and Eve still made the conscious decision to disobey God’s one rule. Because of that action, sin entered into what was once a perfect world, and with sin came death and separation from God.

The word sin means to miss the mark. Think of a bow and arrow shooting at a target. The mark is the bullseye, and anything outside the bullseye is missing the mark. It doesn’t matter if you’re only an inch away or if you didn’t even hit the outside ring, either way, you missed the mark. Our mark is perfect holiness. God is holy, and He cannot have fellowship with anyone who isn’t holy too. Because we choose to sin, we separate ourselves from our loving God. The consequences of our sin is an eternal place in Hell, forever separate from God. The first part of Romans 6:23 says:

“For the wages of sin is death;”

Death and Hell are what we earn, our just consequences, because we choose to sin.

If you ask most people, they don’t think of themselves as sinners. Most people will say they’re pretty good. It’s not like they’ve ever murdered anyone. But remember the bullseye. James 2:10 tells us:

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

One single sin is all it takes for someone to be a sinner, miss the mark of perfection, and earn a place in hell. Let’s take a look at some of God’s laws, specifically, some of the Ten Commandments.

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”

- Exodus 20: 16

The Bible makes no distinction between big lies, small lies, white lies, or lies to spare other’s feelings. One lie is all it takes to make you a liar. Are you a liar?

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”

- Exodus 20: 7

Have you ever said the Lord’s name in a way that doesn’t show him proper reverence? Are you a blasphemer?

“Thou shalt not kill.”

- Exodus 20:13

“But I’ve never killed anyone,” you may say. The Bible expounds upon this in 1 John 3:15.

“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

Have you ever hated anyone? Are you a murderer?

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

- Exodus 20:14

Just like in the matter of killing, the Bible tells us exactly what God considers adultery.

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

- Matthew 5:27–28

Have you ever looked at someone and lusted for them? Are you an adulterer?

How are we doing so far? We’ve only gone through four of the Ten Commandments, and everyone one of us has broken at least one. We are liars, blasphemers, murderers, and adulterers. Do you still think you’re a pretty good person?

None of us can live a perfectly sinless life, and because of our sinful choices we all deserve to go to Hell. That’s where Jesus comes in.

What Did Jesus Do to Offer Us Salvation?

God still loves us, even after we sin against Him, and He doesn’t want anyone to go to Hell.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

- 2 Peter 3:9

However, because God is holy and just, the penalty for sin still has to be paid. In a courtroom, if a thief could not repay what he stole and the judge let him go free with no consequences, he wouldn’t be a very good judge. In the same way, God would not be just if He let us off the hook for the punishment for our sins. Something had to be done.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

- John 3:16

God sent His Son, Jesus, who was God in the flesh, to do what we couldn’t. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. He died on a cross and paid the death penalty for our sins. He rose again three days after His crucifixion, proving once and for all that He has the power over death and the grave. Jesus’ death paid the price for our sin.

Returning to our courtroom example, the judge wouldn’t be just if he let the thief go free, but what if the judge paid back what the thief stole out of his own pocket? In that case, the price for the crime would be paid, and the judge can now show the thief mercy without neglecting justice. In the same way, Jesus’ death on the cross paid our sin debt, and since justice is now satisfied, He can offer us mercy.

Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, but that doesn’t mean that everyone in the world will be saved. Just like God offered us the choice to obey Him or sin, God offers us the choice to accept His free gift of salvation or reject it. The Bible says:

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

- Romans 10:13

If we repent of our sins and ask Jesus to save us, He will. Jesus already paid the price for our sins and offers us a full pardon, but we still have to choose to accept it.

A lot of people still think they have to do something to be saved, anything from cleaning up their lives, getting baptized, joining a church, following religious traditions, etc. However, the Bible tells us in Isaiah 64:6 that the very best we can offer God is as filthy rages. Ephesians 2:8–9 makes it clear that:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

There is nothing we can do to earn salvation, the only one who could do that was Jesus. Only by putting our faith in His finished work on the cross can we be saved. Let’s take a look at some examples from the Bible of how people got saved.

Bible Examples of Salvation

In Luke 23:39–43, we are told that when Jesus was crucified, there were also two thieves crucified with him. One of them mocked Jesus with the crowd, but the other said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” He was literally dying on a cross with hours to live at the most. He didn’t have the time or the ability to do any good works, join a church, or get baptized. All he could do was call upon the name of the Lord, just like Romans 10:13 says to do. Jesus responded to the thief’s request by saying, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” The thief realized he was a sinner in verse 41, acknowledged that Jesus was Lord in verse 42, and asked Him for mercy in verse 42. Jesus responded by saving him and promising him a home in heaven that very day in verse 43.

Acts 8:26–40 tells us about a man from Ethiopia who was searching for God. He was reading from the book of Isaiah, but was having difficulty understanding what he read. God sent a man named Philip to talk with him, and Philip used the passage he had been reading to preach Jesus. The man asked Philip if he could be baptized, and Philip responded, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” Philip clearly told him that salvation must come before baptism, and salvation only comes through faith in Jesus Christ. The Ethiopian man answered Philip, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

What about people who lived and died before Jesus was born? How did they get saved? They got saved the same way we do, by grace through faith. God promised in Genesis chapter 3, right after Adam and Eve sinned, that he would send a savior. God is not limited by time as we are, and if He promised something, it’s as if it already happened. People in the Old Testament got saved by looking forward and putting their faith in the coming savior (Hebrews 11:13), just as we in the New Testament get saved by looking back and putting our faith in the savior who came.

Romans 4:1–3 tells us:

“What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”

Abraham was a great man of God, but he was still a sinner like the rest of us. He was a lair according to Genesis 12 & 20, and he tried to take God’s plan into His own hands in Genesis 16 rather than waiting for God’s timing. How did Abraham get right with God? By faith. Genesis 15:6 tells us:

“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

Abraham was made righteous by believing in God, and trusting Him alone for salvation.

How Should We Act After Salvation?

So once you are saved, does that mean you’re now free to do whatever you want since all of your sins are already forgive? Paul asked this question rhetorically to the church in Rome, then answered it by saying, “God forbid,” in Romans 6:1–2. The Bible says:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

- 2 Corinthians 5:17

If we are living in Christ, we should be dead to sin according to Romans 6:11. If someone thinks they can just say a quick pray, get a get-out-of-Hell-for-free card, and then continue doing whatever they want, then they never really got saved. Salvation is not just saying a pray, it is repenting (turning away) of your sins and desiring Jesus’ forgiveness and salvation in your heart.

Does that mean that Christians will never struggle with sin again? No. Paul wrote to the church about how he constantly struggled with sin; how he often fell into it and did things he knew he shouldn’t, or didn’t do things he knew he should (Romans 7:19–25).

Until we arrive in heaven, we will constantly be faced with the temptation to sin, and often we will fail. However, when we get saved, the Holy Spirit dwells in us (Romans 8:9–11). One of the things the Holy Spirit does is to help us resist the temptation to sin, and guide us to do the things we should do. As we continue to grow in Christ (through the reading of His word, talking to Him through prayer, and learning and fellowshipping with other Christians at our local church) we learn to yield to the Spirit more and more.

Once again, we’ll never reach sinless perfection on this earth, but as the saying goes, “Christians aren’t sinless, but they should sin less.” We should strive to do our best to serve God, not for salvation, but because we are already saved. And God is always there to forgive us when we fall short again.

Can We Lose Our Salvation?

What about if a Christian falls back into sin and continues in it, making no effort to repent and get right with God? Is it possible for them to lose their salvation due to sin and disobedience? A lot of people say yes, but let’s take a look at what the Bible says.

First of all, let’s look at what God promises us once we get saved. Salvation is a one-time event that happens when you give your heart to God. When Zacchaeus repented of his sins, Jesus said, “This day is salvation come to this house.” (Luke 19:9) This day, a onetime event. Titus 3:5 says:

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

Saved is a past tense verb, meaning it happened once at a specific time in the past. Once you sincerely give your heart to Jesus, salvation is a signed, sealed, and completed deal.

When we get saved, Jesus promises us that we should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). If it were possible for us to lose our salvation, then the everlasting life that He gave us would come to an end. Not so everlasting then, is it? If we could lose our salvation, then we would perish after all, even after God promised that we wouldn’t. If it were possible for us to lose our salvation, God would be a liar.

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

- John 10:28

No one can take your salvation from you, and guess what, any man includes you too. If you’re saved, there’s nothing you can do to remove yourself from God’s hand.

Remember earlier when we talked about how we get saved? It’s by grace through faith, and not of works. There’s nothing you can do to earn salvation; it is a free gift of God. Well, if we couldn’t earn our salvation ourselves, isn’t it ludicrous to believe we can maintain our salvation ourselves? We were saved one time by faith through grace, and that same grace is what keeps us saved. God will not take back the free gift He gave us.

Even if a Christian is horribly backsliding and far from the Lord, they can never lose their salvation. There will be consequences for their sin, and they may lose God’s blessing in their lives, but not their salvation. Let’s take a look at an example of this from the Bible.

Lot was a man who followed God. However, when strife arose between Abram and Lot’s servants because there was not enough land, Lot decided to move near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, cities infamous for their wickedness. In Genesis chapter 13, we are told that Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom. He was trying to hover just on the outskirts of sin. However, in Genesis chapter 19, we are told that Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. The gates of cities were central places, where business was conducted and important people met. Lot went from living on the outskirts of sin to being right in the middle of it.

Sodom and Gomorrah were so wicked that there weren’t even ten righteous men found in the entire cities (Genesis 18). God decided he was going to completely destroy those wicked cities, but he sent two angels to bring Lot out first. Lot tried to warn people of the coming destruction, but even his own sons in law thought he was joking. They had seen how he lived his life, the places he went, the things he said, and they thought there was no way this man could be saved and serving the Lord. In the end, only Lot and his two daughters escaped the destruction of the city.

If ever there was a man who could lose his salvation, it would’ve been Lot. He was so deep in sin and so far from the Lord that no one believe him when he tried to tell him about God. And yet, for all of his backsliding and sinning, he was still saved. God sent angels to bring him out before destroying the city. Even when we are not right with God, He is still looking out for us.

Listen to a brief account of the same story found in 2 Peter 2:6–8.

“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;).

Did you catch how the Bible described Lot during this event? He is called just, a righteous man, and is said to have a righteous soul. That doesn’t sound like Lot. He was living deep in sin. This same passage even points out he was choosing to live in the middle of sin and vex himself with it. If he was living in so much sin and had gotten so far away from God, how could God consider him to be just and righteous? The answer is grace.

Remember, we are not saved by our actions, but by the grace of God though faith in Jesus. Because there was a point in his life when Lot sincerely asked God to save Him, he was clothed in the righteousness of God despite the sin he had allowed into his life. There were consequences for his sin of course; he lost God’s blessings, most of his family, everything he owned, and his testimony, all because of his sinful choices, but the one thing he never lost was his salvation. Once you are saved, you are saved for all eternity.

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you understand what salvation is, what Jesus did to offer you salvation, how you should act after salvation, and given you security in the fact that you can’t lose your eternal salvation. All you need to do is pray to Jesus, repent of your sins, and put your faith in him alone to save you, and He will. Have you accepted Jesus’ free gift of salvation? If not:

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

- 2 Corinthians 6:2