Can a true Christian Lose their Salvation?

Introduction:

Emotional Reasons for this question: Hume Lake

Answer: Definitely Not, if you are truly a Christian you cannot lose your salvation

Church History: Roman Catholics, Wesleyans, Arminians, Methodists generally would disagree with this teaching

Why? For a couple reasons, one is that they believe strongly in free will, and because they believe that you choose to be a Christian, you can choose to leave Christ

I disagree with both of these statements, but they are being consistent.

Secondly,

There are some very difficult verses to explain for us my friends

There are a couple verses that seem to say that a true believe can fall away

Why do I love this study?

It teaches you to have skill in Bible reading

It teaches you to not just blindly listen to your pastor

It is such an important question

Definition: Perseverance of the Saints

Eternal Security: Your salvation is secure and safe

Perseverance: All true believers do persevere and stay faithful

New Testament Evidence

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

When do you get eternal life?

What is eternal life?

John 6:37–40 ESV

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Summary:

God wants Jesus to keep all believers from losing their salvation and spending forever with God

The Only Question that we have to answer then is: Is Jesus faithful? Is Jesus trustworthy?

Saying that you can lose your salvation is like saying Jesus does not obey the God the Father.

John 10:27–29 ESV

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 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.

Sheep

Never Perish

Ou Me

No one will snatch them

“But can you snatch yourself?”

Romans 8:30 ESV

30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Whole Gang

Romans 8:38–39 ESV

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate you from the love of God

Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Is your inheritance guaranteed?

Why is it guaranteed?

Philippians 1:6 LSB

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

If you lose your salvation, then Paul is completely wrong here.

Summary

You keeping your salvation is not about you

God is faithful, and you are not

Praise the Lord

Part 2

Introduction: Can you lose your salvation?

To Review: The Bible is clear, once saved always saved

List: John 3, John 6, John 10, Romans 8, Ephesians 1, Philippians 1 are examples

These verses are not proof texts where it could teach security, but verses that do teach security. The arguments are airtight. Any one of these verses by themselves show that a Christian cannot lose their salvation.

Difficult Passages: Hebrews 6 and 10

These are the final bosses for the eternal security view if you will. These passages are why I do not look down upon anyone who thinks that you can lose your salvation as these verses are difficult.

However, I want you to see that Scripture does not disagree with itself, we are not fighting against Scripture.

In fact, over the next two week in studying Hebrews, for some of you, these may be the most important passages you will ever study.

Perseverance

John 2:23–25 ESV

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Jesus seems to not be excited by people believing in Him because He knew it was fake

He knew that there are true believers and superficial ones

Youth Ministry Notes

This is one reason why youth ministry although so fun is a bit difficult to go through

You will see friends who seemed to be on fire for the Lord fall out

You will see people clearly fall away, and it is the worst. From every era of youth ministry that for many, Jesus was just a phase.

So what does Jesus teach in the Gospel of John to people who seem to believe

John 8:31–32 ESV

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus knowing that there are fake disciples, commands his disciples to prove themselves to be true by remaining

Show yourself to be a true believer by remaining

Hebrews Passages

Hebrews 10:26–29 ESV

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

This passage is talking about a type of person: Let’s find for ourselves

Who?

What?

Result?

This Person:

Who he is

Has received knowledge of the truth (v.26)

Sanctified by the blood of the covenant (v.29)

Class Vote: Is this talking about a believer or unbeliever

What is the crime

Sins deliberately (v.26)

Trampled under the Son of God (v.29)

Profaned the blood of the covenant (v.29)

Outraged the Spirit of grace (v.29)

Ex. Let’s say you go to church and we together work through a passage talking about the blood of Jesus, the power of His death, His suffering for sin

Then

You go home and look at inappropriate images on your phone

You engage in an inappropriate dating relationship

You gossip about other believers

You show anger with a family member even though Christ died for you

You fall into destructive anxiety and forget the goodness of God

You play video games all week and refuse to pick up your Bible

You cheat on a test at school

You lie to your parents

You say an unkind word to your neighbor

You ignore someone needing a friend

Do you think you have disrespected the cross?

These sins that I mentioned are deliberate, they are intentional. You say I know that Christ died to free me from this sin, but I still will do it.

What will happen

No sacrifice for sin (v.26)

Expectation of judgment (v.27)

Fury of Fire (v.27)

What is my view of this passage

At first read, it does seem to teach that a believer can lose their salvation

Let’s go back to the identity of who this person is

Who he is

Has received knowledge of the truth (v.26)

Sanctified by the blood of the covenant (v.29)

Explanation:

It does not say saving knowledge

Sanctified:

There are uses of sanctification that refer to unbelievers

The word means made holy

You can as an unbeliever improve externally.

1 Corinthians 7:14 LSB

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. For otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.

What is the passage about then?

This is about not just any type of unbeliever, but one who has superficially identified with Christ

This is the type of unbeliever that has gone to church, gone to camps, seemed interested, stood up at Hume, but it is all talk. It is all a show. This passage is talking about the type of unbeliever that I talk to most often. This could be you today.

Homeless man on the side of the road: You learn that this man got cancer and his health insurance refused to pay, now he cannot work and is bankrupt because of hospital bills. The second homeless man you learn actually inherited a hundred million dollars but spent it all on private jets, expensive drugs, and online gambling. There is an additional level of guilt here right?

This could be you today, someone who is spiritually homeless even though you have access to spiritual riches.

So can a true believer 2ws

Two Truths in this passage

Not all who associate with Christ will see eternal life

There is actually an additional degree of guilt or punishment for those who have rejected God after hearing the truth

Those who are saved do not continue in sin

1 John 3:6 ESV

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

My goal for today is that you all would see the seriousness of claiming to be a Christian, but never making life change. According to Hebrews 10, if this is you, that your salvation is not safe but rather, you should expect judgment. I would ask you today, if you are a superficial believer who simply associates with Christians and maybe seems like a Christian, I ask you today to repent of your sinful fraudulent life, and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Part 3

Opening Prayer

Two Weeks ago

We examined 7 verses that explain the fact that those who are truly saved

One Week ago

We went through Hebrews 10:26-29 where we say a verse that explains that there are those who are sanctified and yet turn on Christ and should expect judgment

A scary warning to those who closely associate with the church yet have not truly individually accepted the Gospel

This week we will be looking at the most difficult passage in the Bible concerning security Hebrews 6

Let’s begin with a reminder of why we call this doctrine perseverance of the saints

It is this: true Christians do not abandon God

1 John 2:19 ESV

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Let’s turn to Hebrews 6 now

Hebrews 6:4–12 ESV

4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. 9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Who?

Been enlightened (v.4)

Tasted of the heavenly gift (v.4)

Shared in the Holy Spirit (v.4)

Tasted the Goodness of the Word of God and powers of age to come(v.5)

What?

Fallen away (v.6)

Crucifying once again the Son of God (v.6)

“Nothing really matters,” he explains. “And this is what gives us the freedom to feel our own meaning, and feel it with ease, instead of a sense of fear or guilt. This, my friends, is the motherfucking gospel. You like ‘good news’? The universe doesn’t give a shit.” 🔶 - Abraham Piper

Result?

It is impossible for them to be restored to repentance

Who?

I believe that this is again the Christianized unbeliever

Two Major Reasons

Ambiguity of the description, shared in the Holy Spirit

Context of v.7-8

Result

Impossible for them to be restored

Not Saying: True Repentance will not be granted

Repentance will not happen

The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) Chapter 3

If, however, people are enlightened by the Holy Spirit to the degree that they know Jesus is truly the Christ, and then they accuse Him of being satanic, they have committed a sin for which there is no pardon.

MacArthur and Lawson use the vaccination analogy that I like

Ex. This is why I get so concerned for people who say I will give my life to God later. How delusional to think that through rejection of the Gospel you will change your mind later on?

Why does the Bible do this?

Why does it use this tricky language in Hebrews?

Hebrews 6:7–8 ESV

7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

Hebrews 6:9–11 ESV

9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,

Conclusion:

I know some of you here are have real faith. I would encourage you today as verse 11 does, show diligence to follow God and prove that your faith is real.

Some of you may be comfortable when you should not be. Understand that there are severe consequences to fake association with Christ and then rejection.

But whoever you are, as Hebrews 6 says, either your life will show one or the other.