Can Salvation Be Lost?
One of the most frequently asked questions we get is, “Can salvation be lost?” The simple answer is no. However, to understand why, we need to first define salvation and address common misconceptions. Before you can think about losing something, you must first understand exactly what it is.
Defining Salvation
Let’s begin by defining the problem: Why do we need salvation? The reason is that all humans are born spiritually dead, made in the image of Adam. Originally, Adam was created in the image of God, meaning he was both spiritually and physically alive. The “image and likeness” of God refers to His Spirit, for God is Spirit (John 4:24), and we are called to worship Him in spirit and truth. When Adam was created, he was spiritually alive, with God’s Spirit dwelling within him.
However, when Adam disobeyed God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Spirit of God left him. As a result, Adam became spiritually dead. Although he lived another 930 years, his spiritual death was immediate and eventually led to his physical death.
In Genesis 5:3, we read that Adam had a son, Seth. But here’s the key detail: Seth was born in the image and likeness of Adam, not God. This means Seth inherited Adam’s nature, including spiritual death. And this condition—spiritual death—has been passed down to every human being since.
Romans 5:12 explains, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” This verse confirms that through Adam’s sin, spiritual death entered humanity, and we all inherit this condition.
Ephesians 2:1 says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” This highlights the spiritual death that all humans inherit from Adam. Because of this, every person is born spiritually dead, without the indwelling Spirit of God. We are condemned and destined for separation from God—hell. John 3:36 further clarifies this: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”
1 Corinthians 15:22 states, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” Because of Adam’s fall, all humans inherit spiritual death. Through Adam’s sin, spiritual death entered the world, and we all inherit this fallen nature. This condition, spiritual death, has been passed down to every human being since Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:49 says, “And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.” This highlights that, in our natural state, we bear the image of Adam, who is spiritually dead. We are born in this condition, separated from God, spiritually dead, and destined for eternal separation from Him.
The difficult truth is this: spiritual death entered humanity through Adam, and as a result, we are all born into this reality. For me, understanding this condition has been essential, for only when I was able to grasp the depth of my need did I truly appreciate the incredible provision of life God offered me through Christ.
God’s Solution: New Life Through Jesus
Now for the good news: God’s answer to the problem of spiritual death is to offer us new life and His Spirit once again. This happens when a person places their faith in the resurrected Jesus and is born again. Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Notice that the emphasis here is on faith in the resurrection of Jesus. As you read through the Book of Acts, you’ll see that the resurrection of Jesus is the central focus. One example is in Acts 25:19, which says, “Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.”
Our condition of spiritual death is why Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Why? Because in our natural state, we are spiritually dead and in need of life. The only solution to death is life, and the only one who can give us that life is Jesus.
John 5:24 further clarifies this: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” This verse makes it clear that those who believe in Jesus already possess eternal life and have passed from spiritual death to spiritual life. This is why we cannot lose our salvation—because once we have crossed over from death to life, our position in Christ is secure.
Key Reasons Christians Struggle with the Assurance of Salvation
Misconception #1 – Forgiveness: We must confess our sins to God after we commit each sin so that He can forgive us.
Many people believe they must confess each sin individually to God in order to receive forgiveness. While confessing our sins is important and helps us acknowledge our wrong actions, the issue arises when we ask God to do what He has already done. When Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago, He took away the sins of the entire world—past, present, and future. He laid every single one of our sins upon Himself, including those we haven’t even committed yet.
It is unnecessary to ask God to do what he has already done, forgive us our sins. A better response is to thank God that he has taken away our sins one time and for all.
Check Out These Verses
Hebrews 8:12 – “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 10:17-18 – “Then he adds: ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’ And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.”
Hebrews 7:26-27 – “Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”
Hebrews 9:12-15 – “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption…”
Hebrews 10:19-22 – “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus…”
A misunderstanding that we need to confess our sins over and over in order for God to forgive us will prevent us from fully grasping that we have eternal security and cannot lose our salvation. When we understand that Christ’s death was sufficient, we no longer live in fear of losing our salvation due to sin, because Christ’s sacrifice covers it all.
Misconception #2 – The Old and New Covenant: Christians should follow and blend both covenants.
Many Christians struggle with the concept of eternal security because they mistakenly read the Old Covenant into the New Covenant. The end effect is that they live their lives under laws and conditions that someone never gave to them in the first place. God specifically gave the Old Covenant to Israel, not to the Gentiles. Romans 2:14 says this twice in the same verse: “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.”
The Old Covenant system of blessings and curses for Israel ended at the cross. Jesus came to usher in a new covenant, one that is not based on physical blessings and curses but on spiritual blessings and spiritual consequences. Under this new covenant:
- If a person believes in Jesus, they receive eternal life.
- If a person does not believe in Jesus, they remain spiritually dead and condemn themselves to eternal separation from God.
1 John 5:10-11 captures this well: “Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
The verse that most clearly states the New Covenant supersedes the Old Covenant is Hebrews 8:13, which says, “In speaking of a new covenant, he has made the first one obsolete; and what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”
Misconception #3 – Christians Are Under the Law: Believing they must follow the Ten Commandments.
The law never meant to save us but to lead us to Christ, to show us that we are spiritually dead and in need of life. Once we come to Christ, we are no longer under the supervision of the law—the law has done its work.
In Galatians 3:24-25 (1984 NIV), Paul writes: “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” When a Christian continues to believe they are under the law, they live in a perpetual state of “dos and don’ts.”
Romans 6:14 says: “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”
Another problem with a Christian under the law is that the law is what arouses your sinful nature and causes us to sin. We see this clearly in Romans 7:5: “For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.”
Misconception #4: The Author Wrote the Book of Hebrews to Hebrew Christians.
Many Christians read the Book of Hebrews and apply its messages directly to themselves. However, it’s important to understand the context of the letter. The author primarily wrote the Book of Hebrews to Hebrews—both saved and lost—who were still grappling with the concept of Jesus’ final sacrifice. The writer urged them not to drift away from this truth, as seen in Hebrews 2:1: “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
Context of the Hebrews’ Struggle
The Hebrews had spent their lives under the old sacrificial system, where they repeatedly offered sacrifices of bulls and goats year after year for the forgiveness of sins. The author of Hebrews was reminding them that Jesus’ sacrifice had put an end to that old system, replacing it with His once-and-for-all sacrifice for sin.
This is why the writer emphasizes that Jesus is greater than angels, Moses, Joshua, Abraham, the Law, the high priests, and more. The writer was presenting Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament system, urging them to see Him as superior to everything they had known.
In Hebrews 5:12, the writer expresses frustration with their lack of understanding: “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”
These Hebrews were struggling to grasp the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice, showing that they had not yet matured in their faith.
Understanding Hebrews 6:4-6
In Hebrews 6:4-6, the author addresses those who had been exposed to the truth of Jesus but had not fully embraced it:
“It is impossible for those who have once 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 disgrace.”
These Hebrews did not accept Jesus despite being “enlightened.” They “tasted” but did not fully embrace the truth. They “shared” in the experiences of the gospel but did not receive its power. Instead of embracing Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, they fell back into the old system of repentance through animal sacrifices. The author stresses that by doing so, they were, in effect, crucifying Jesus again.
Understanding Hebrews 10:26
Hebrews 10:26 explains the consequences of deliberate unbelief:
“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 of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
What were the Hebrews deliberately continuing to do? They were rejecting the truth of Jesus’ sacrifice, as outlined in the first nine chapters of the book. “Sinning” here refers to unbelief—specifically, the refusal to accept Jesus as the final and complete sacrifice for sin, similar to the rebellious Israelites in the desert (as seen in Hebrews 3). This warning of judgment does not target believers, but rather those who do not place their faith in Jesus and are not born again.
The author wrote the Book of Hebrews not solely for Hebrew Christians but to Hebrews—believers and non-believers—who were struggling to accept Jesus’ role as the final sacrifice.
GraceCoach.org:
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