Within the Christian community there is a lot of debate
regarding this very question. This question often comes up when someone you
love dies whose fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control) were not overly visible. There
characteristics should visible in a Christian’s life when they are not, this is
a cause for concern. This can create a very difficult grieving process in that,
of course, you miss your loved one but also you really are not completely sure
that you will see them again when you go to meet your heavenly father. This
without a doubt is a Christian’s worst fear. How can you know a person is saved
if they are not living a life for Christ? What if even more, they are leading a
life VERY far from Christ?
Many Christians will debate that believers who are not
living a life for Christ perhaps never really accepted His gift in the first
place. That is a fair accusation. However, there are many Christians in the
world today, some I’m sure you probably know, that fully believe that Jesus
Christ died on the cross for them and by grace they have been spared their true
destination, separated for eternity from God. They believe that Christ carried
out the burden and we are truly forgiven if we accept Christ as our Lord and
Savior and they have but yet they continue to live a life ignoring God’s
conviction and guidance in their life. Let’s
take a look at what the bible says.
So what happens to us when we become saved? John 10:28
states this, "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." That is a promise from
God and we can see throughout scriptures that God always keeps His promises.
Never is the key word there not, “IF YOU OBEY ME FULLY” no, the word God uses
is never, we shall NEVER perish. Then the second part of that verse is very
important and I find it extremely encouraging, Neither shall anyone snatch them
out of my hand. This means that no sin that we commit here on earth except the
denial of Christ (which of course would make you never a believer in the first
place) could be enough to separate us from our loving, merciful Father. Then we
have to understand that when we accept Christ we are a new creation in Christ.
Jesus tells Nicodemus this in John chapter 3, we are a new creation because we
are born again of the Spirit. Once we are born again we cannot become unborn,
we are here, born again of the Spirit.
I like the way Charles Stanley says it best, “Just because
you are born again, you are not getting away with
your sin. Salvation is a
present experience and it’s an eternal experience.”
So can you lose salvation?
The answer is NO. Their awareness of the presence of God has disappeared, their prayers go unanswered, they feel separated from God, and have a spirit of guilt and most definitely fear. They will miss out on the wonderful will and blessings of God in their life. They will lose out on the way God can use them for supernatural purposes for the kingdom of God and they will miss out on many of their eternal rewards as Paul states very clearly in 1 cor. Chapter 3. But you will not have lost your salvation because it is not by deed or work that we are saved but because of the awesome grace of Christ. So can we sin a little and get by with it? No, because scripture states that our sins will find us out and by living in sin we are costing ourselves much. Those people live lost. They have very little use to the kingdom of God in that state. When I die and reach my Father I want Him to say, “I know you” not just because He is an all knowing God but because He has guided my life, kept me in communication with Him, and showed me how to love Him more and greater every day. Our relationship needs to be strong with our Lord so that we can bless and be blessed the way God planned for us. Don’t live in sin, not that it will cost you your salvation, but because it will cost you the most eternally valuable relationship with your heavenly Father.
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