 Can a Christian Fall Away From Christ and Be Lost?
Dear John Waddey:
My church teaches that no matter what a Christian does he cannot be lost because Christ won't let him, yet I see some cases of Christians who do very bad things. Does the Bible teach this? - William C.
Dear William:
Many churches teach that once a person is saved, he can never be lost...no matter his future course of life. This is an ancient doctrine, first annunciated by Augustine in the fourth century. It was revived and popularized by John Calvin during the Protestant Reformation (1535 -1560). Most churches that trace there roots to Calvin still hold to this doctrine.
While "once saved, always saved" is ancient, it is not as old as the New Testament of Christ. Looking at the Bible we find a very different answer to this question.
Paul warned the Galatians Christians, who were seeking approval by keeping the old Law of Moses, "Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace" (Galatians 5:4). We are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). To fall away from grace is to loose our salvation. Again, salvation is in Christ (II Timothy 2:10). But law-keeping severs us from Christ. Therefore Christians who do so loose their salvation.
Peter addresses the same subject with these words: "For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them (II Peter 2:20-21). Here are Christians who escaped the sinful world and were saved by Christ. They then went back into sin. Their last state is worse than their first...hence they are lost even as they were before they came to Christ.
The view that a Christian's salvation is so secure that no sin could keep him out of heaven is a dangerous doctrine. If taken seriously, people would be tempted to be careless about obeying Christ and Satan would keep them deceived as to their real danger until it was too late for them to escape. Let no man deceive you. Jesus said, "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10). John Waddey |
