Tattooed Faith

I’ve noticed here lately an influx of disagreements between Christians regarding salvation. Some argue salvation can be lost and lean towards more works-based salvation. Others believe in the phrase “once saved, always saved” Each side argues the opposing side is “dangerous to teach”. While I do lean towards “Once saved, always saved”, I put that bias aside to dig deep and consider the opposing side. As I did, I found some Bible verses that appear to be saying salvation can be lost. When I sat down and studied them, I realized this wasn’t what they were saying at all. My findings show favor in “once saved always saved”. Before I go into explaining the verses I found, I feel one thing does need to be cleared up.

Those that believe in works-based salvation have this impression that “once saved, always saved” condones sin. They suggest this means we can do whatever we please because we’re saved. This, however, is not the case. Instead, it means no matter how often you stumble, or if you choose to walk away, as long as you come back and repent, you will never lose that salvation. Salvation is a gift given to us from God through the price Jesus paid on the cross. Hopefully, this clears up some misconceptions or confusion, if you do believe in works-based salvation!

Although there are more verses people may use, I will focus on three I feel are the most prominent with losing salvation. Two are within the book of Hebrews, one is in Matthew. Starting out, I’d like to use Hebrews 6:4-6 which states “It is impossible for those who have been enlightened who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away to be brought back to repentance to their loss, they are crucifying the son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public grace” Notice the first verse. There is no other verse in the Bible that explains someone who is saved, so how can we say this is talking about someone who is saved? This verse appears to be talking more about someone who has been exposed to the truth but has chosen not to follow Jesus. We see this with lukewarm Christians quite often. Lukewarm Christians are those who hear the truth but don’t live in the truth. They’d rather walk in the ways of this world as opposed to the ways Jesus taught.

This next verse is a few chapters later in chapter 10. It’s a popular verse used often in an attempt to prove salvation can be lost. Hebrews 10:26-27 tells us “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and a raging fire that will consume enemies of God” This particular verse can be tricky and can be interpreted many different ways. We should keep in mind the context of the book of Hebrews. Doing this will give us a clearer understanding of this verse because it will show the true context of this verse. During the time Hebrews was written, those associated with Jesus were facing persecution and imprisonment for their connection to him. As a result, some walked away from him and others abandoned their faith altogether (bibleproject.com). Knowing this, assuming verse 10:26-27 is about losing salvation would not fit into the context of the book itself. This verse is more likely talking about those who have known the truth and chose to give in to the ways of sin rather than the ways of the Lord or those who were never saved in the first place (1 John 3:6).

This next verse is probably the most used verse in showing salvation can be lost. The words used are also the most feared among Christians and something none of us wants to hear once we’re face to face with Jesus. This verse can be found in Matthew 7:21-23. Here Jesus says ” Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and, in your name, perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Examining the verse, let’s turn our focus to the part that says “those who do the will of my father.” You may be wondering, “what is the will of the Father and how can I do that?” and the answer is extremely simple! An explanation of the will of God can be found in John 6:40. Here, Jesus tells us the only thing God desires is for us to believe in Him. By believing in Him, we are guaranteed eternal life. This is reiterated throughout the Bible many, many times. We can’t, however, call Jesus our Lord, assume we’re saved, and that Jesus endorses everything we do. We have to repent and turn away from our sinful life. We should pick up our cross daily, deny our flesh, and follow Him. While we do have to repent salvation itself is not a works-based thing. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us we are saved by grace through faith, which is not earned but is given as a gift from God. Therefore, this verse is not about a loss of salvation, but a warning for those who have, again heard the word but choose to live a sinful life over one in obedience to God.

As you can see within those three verses, a common theme has seemed to have repeated itself. Living for the ways of this world means we don’t actually know Jesus like we think we do. He desires a relationship with us. Since sin separates us from God, it makes it impossible to build a relationship with him, which is what He desires.We will stumble from time to time, but this will not make us lose our salvation. If we choose to walk away from the faith for good, we were never saved, to begin with. How do I know that? Well, it’s implied in scripture!

The verse to explain the above statement is located in John 10:27-30. Jesus tells us in this verse that we know his voice and follow him. In exchange, he gives us eternal life and we will never perish. He also adds that no one can snatch us from His hand. Consider if we chose to walk away. We know this would be an influence from the enemy, as it is his goal to tear us away from God. Going back to that verse, if we are truly saved no amount of temptation from Satan could ever pluck us from our father’s hand. If that is true, those who abandon their faith were never saved, to begin with. If we turn back a few chapters, we can see our salvation is guaranteed. To add to this, 1 Timothy 4:1 also says in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. This is why it is also essential for us to use discernment to determine if teaching aligns with scripture or not.

One of the most well-known verses among Christians today is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. This gives us a guarantee of our salvation just by the way it is worded. If salvation could be lost, this verse would not be true; If it could be lost that would mean only those who perform well enough can make it to heaven. This verse is very clear- WHOEVER believes has the gift of salvation. This is reiterated later on in John 5:25 which says whoever hears the word and believes in God has eternal life. We do not come into judgment but have passed from death to life. A guarantee for our salvation can also be found in Ephesians 1:13 which tells us we were sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit once we heard the word, the gospel of our salvation, and believed in Jesus. If we are sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit, how can we say we can lose salvation?

Another Bible verse to challenge the idea of a works salvation is Titus 3:5. This verse literally says our salvation is not by works. It says “He saved us not because of the works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Our salvation is found at the cross, where Jesus laid down his perfect life for the sake of ours. While we will be rewarded for our good deeds while here on earth, it will not earn us a spot in heaven.

In closing, according to the scripture, salvation cannot be lost. We are saved by grace through faith, not by works. While we may stumble, or wander, as long as we find our way back, we will never lose our salvation. This doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want because we’re saved. Sin separates us from God. Consistent willful sin would make it hard to have a relationship with Him. Once you choose to follow Jesus and confess your sins to him, he will give you a new heart with new desires. The old you has passed away, and a new you has been born (hence the term “born again). It may seem intimidating at first, but with the Holy Spirit guiding your way, it will be fine. It’s okay to mess up. It’s okay to stumble or be distracted. As long as you repent, you are saved. Salvation is a free gift from God and something you cannot lose.