Q: Is it possible to lose your salvation?

A: There seems to be a lot of confusion about this, when a careful study of the Scriptures gives clear and conclusive answers. 

Most people believe that if they live a good life they will go to heaven and if they live wicked lives they will go to hell when they die. The Bible does not teach this at all. That is a grading system devised by man that means nothing to God. First of all, if being “good” gets you to heaven, then how good is good enough and who decides?

If you commit 10 sins, 100 sins, 1,000 sins—where is the cut-off that determines you have moved from being good to being wicked? And who determines what the sins are? Is a little white lie a sin and does it count as much as a big lie? Does lying count as much as slander and is slander as bad as hatred or unforgiveness? Who has the sliding scale that measures and counts all these sins? The whole idea is ridiculous if you really think about it. This way of thinking would place the entire burden of “working” our way to God upon us, just like every other religion.

Christianity is not a religion. It is not based on a system of works to satisfy God that we are good enough for Him to accept us. The Bible teaches in Romans 3:23, as well as in other verses, that we are all sinners and guilty before God. We can’t work our way into heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For by grace (that means God’s undeserved favor) you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift (you don’t have to earn a gift, you just have to receive it) of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Our salvation does not rest upon our goodness. Isaiah 64:6 tells us that all of our good works are like a pile of dirty rags in God’s sight. Our salvation rests upon Christ who is perfect, sacrificing Himself on our behalf to remove the penalty of sin from us and taking it upon Himself. Because He took the punishment for us, all we have to do is to accept the “gift” by receiving Him into our lives and making Jesus the Lord or the “boss” of our lives.

In John 10:26 and following Jesus said, “But you do not believe, because you are not My sheep (my children). My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal (means forever so it has no end) life to them, and they will never perish (So if you could be saved and then lose your salvation, how long did your eternal life last?); and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

Jesus is explaining that our salvation rests upon God’s ability to keep us safe in His hands and no power in the universe is able to break God’s all-powerful grip on us to steal us away. Our good works don’t save us; therefore, being good doesn’t keep us saved. Christ’s finished work on the cross saves us when we receive Him into our lives. From that point on, our security rests in His great hands! Praise God for that promise!

Rick Ray