Contrary to what many think, the Bible does not teach that the believer can lose or walk away from his salvation. If you as a believer in Jesus Christ could lose your salvation it would be for the following reasons.
1.) Lack of works.
2.) Sin.
3.) Loss of faith or faithlessness.
But none of these are factors in maintaining our salvation. Since we did not do anything to earn our salvation we cannot do anything to maintain our salvation. Our salvation is maintained by God; not by us.
Let's look at each of these three reasons which are erroneously given as reasons for being able to lose or walk away from your salvation. Since with the completion of the section on works this post is getting a bit lengthy, I decided to cover the issues of sin and of the loss of faith in a different thread which I will get to perhaps tomorrow. This thread then is Part one of at least one more thread.
1.) Lack of works: The Bible states quite plainly that we are not saved on the basis of meritorious works on our part. Both
Ephesians 2:8-9 and
Romans 11:6 demonstrate this truth.
Eph. 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9] not as a result of works, so that no man can boast. 10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8 starts off by saying that we are
'saved by grace'. Romans 11:6 shows us what
'by grace' means.
Romans 11:6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
Therefore, when
Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by grace, through faith, and not as a result of works, it is seen that meritorious works on our part can have nothing to do with earning or maintaining our salvation. Both grace and faith are antithetical to works regarding our justification by which we are saved or delivered
from the penalty of sin which occurs that the moment we first place our faith in Christ for salvation. If meritorious works on our part intrude on grace, then our salvation would not be
by grace, and it would not be
through faith. The good works in which we as believers are to walk have to do not with phase one justification which secures our eternal salvation, but have to do with our Christian walk in our spiritual life after already having been eternally saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
The apostle Paul explains that Abraham was justified in terms of eternal salvation, not on the basis of works, but on the basis that he believed the promise of God.
Romans 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2] For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
Remember
Ephesians 2:9? -
''not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.''
Paul then continues in
Romans 4:3. Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? ''Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.''
The reference is to
Genesis 15:6. Genesis 15:6 Then he (Abram) believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:6 was many years before Isaac was born, and many more years before Abraham's test when God told him to sacrifice Isaac in
Genesis chapter 22 which was for the purpose of validating the doctrine that was in his soul - all that he had learned, all that God had taught him. His willingness to sacrifice Isaac based on his confidence that God would restore Isaac to him
(See Hebrews 11:17-19) completed or perfected Abraham's faith.
But even
Genesis 15:6 does not actually pinpoint the time of Abram's salvation which took place years before when he left the land of Ur.
Genesis 15:6 is therefore a parenthetical statement.
Paul continues in
Romans 4:4. Romans 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but what is due. 5] But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
When Jesus was asked by the crowd what works (notice that it plural) must be done to do the works of God so that they could obtain eternal life, Jesus replied that there was but one work of God, one non-meritorious work which must be done. And that was to believe on Him.
John 6:27 ''Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.'' 28] Therefore they said to Him, ''What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?'' 29] Jesus answered and said to them, ''This is the work of God, that you believe in Him who He has sent.''
The people in the crowd understood that Jesus was telling them that there was something they must do if they were to have eternal life. And they would do it if Jesus would tell them what it was that they must do. But they were thinking in terms of works and wanted to know what those works were by which they could work for eternal life. But Jesus' reply to them was not that they must do good works in order to earn eternal life, but must simply believe on Him. God requires that we recognize our total inability to save ourselves by our own efforts, and simply receive the free gift of eternal life which is received by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This should be sufficient to show that justification with regard to salvation or deliverance from the penalty of sin which results in an eternal relationship with God is not by works or by a combination of faith plus works. Works are the believer's spiritual production. Works are
not the means of earning eternal life. Lack of works means a non-productive or dead faith. Not a non-existent faith.
Nor, contrary to the claims of the Lordship salvation crowd, does a lack of works prove that you were never saved in the first place. It
is possible for a believer to get out of fellowship because of sin and remain out of fellowship his entire Christian life because he never acknowledges his sins to God as per
1 John 1:9 which means that he is incapable of producing any works which are acceptable to God. He is eternally saved, but has no works which will be evaluated as being 'gold, silver or precious stones' acceptable to God at the judgment seat of Christ
(1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:10). The same applies to those who lose their faith. And in both cases, they may produce humanly good works, but such works are not acceptable to God. Furthermore, an unbeliever who has never accepted Christ as Savior is fully capable of producing humanly good works, but which simply are not acceptable to God.
But again, the issue of sin, as well as the issue of loss of faith will be addressed in part Two which will be a different thread.
I fully realize that many people will simply disregard everything that was written above. But I made the effort for those who have ears to hear.
I should also point out, since accusations are made on threads of this nature, that I am not advocating not having works, or being spiritually lazy, and I am not advocating sinning. I am stating, and showing with Scripture that the Bible teaches salvation by grace through faith and not by works, and that the believer's salvation is eternally secure.
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