Can I lose my salvation?
People often contact the BBS because they fear they’ve lost their salvation, and almost always it’s due to something they believe they’ve done. Some are afraid that they have committed the “unpardonable sin.” Others think that because they have fallen back into sinful habits or behavior they have forfeited their salvation.
This questioning reflects a misunderstanding of how we are saved in the first place. Do you see the problem? Works—what we DO, have NOTHING to do with our salvation. As the Apostle Paul has made abundantly clear, we are NOT saved by our works (Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9). Rather, we are saved by placing our faith in the finished work OF CHRIST on our behalf.
Now here is the comforting part: Since we are not saved by our “good works,” it logically follows that we are not unsaved by our “bad works.” Our works have nothing to do with our salvation!
Now, to be sure, we are to do good works—but good works result from salvation and are not the cause of it. Ephesians 2:8-10 makes this clear, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” We are saved “unto” or “for” good works, not by them. Good works are the result of salvation, not the cause of it.
So, the answer is most assuredly “NO”—a person cannot lose his or her salvation, once they are truly saved by placing their faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on their behalf!
See also:
Can A Christian Lose Salvation?