| Once Saved Always Saved - part 5 Questioner: Can a Christian lose his/her salvation? Dr. J. Rodman Willaims: The security of our salvation rests not in ourselves but in God. He has given us a new life in Christ and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Thus there is strong security from God's side; the undergirding of salvation is His doing not ours. We should not therefore be anxious as if some slip on our part will quickly cost us our salvation. No, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). However, salvation may be lost. There are grave warnings in Scripture, for example, Jesus' own words: "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned" (John 15:6). Again, "If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume�"(Hebrews 10:26). Our security is truly in God; however, all may be lost if we fail to abide in Christ and go on willfully sinning. For other warnings in Scripture relating to believers, read 1 Corinthians 10:12; Colossians 1:21-23; Hebrews 2:1-3, 3:12-14, 6:4-8; 2 Peter 2:20-22-also see Renewal Theology, 2: chapter 5, entitled "Perseverance." Questioner: If you have been saved, but you sin every day-some you think worse than others, can you lose your salvation if you pray and ask for forgiveness every day? Dr. J. Rodman Williams: Salvation may be lost only by those who persistently and willfully go on sinning. If a person genuinely seeks God's forgiveness and His way, salvation will not be lost. Questioner: So is our security in us or God for maintaining our salvation? You said our security is in God-but then you said if we go on sinning we will lose our salvation. It sounds to me that our security is based on us and whether we sin or not-not in God as you say. For if it were up to God, he would never let us go. Dr. J. Rodman Williams: Our security is in God means that it is not primarily a matter of our achieving such by our own efforts. If that were the case, we would never be secure. However, we may forfeit that security by our own apostasy (see Renewal Theology, 2: pages 130-136). Go here for verification. |
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