There are two fundamental schools about this have many branches of differing thought. First is the Armenian teaching that believes the believer maintains salvation and can be lost due to sin.
Second is Calvinism, which teaches that salvation can never be lost because it was preordained from the beginning of time, no matter if there is active sin. Both are extreme and have led to way too much division in the Church throughout history.
Jesus said that He came to fulfill all the 613 laws and the words of the Prophets of the Old Testament and that they hang on just one commandment like a door on its hinge - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 5:17, 22:37-38; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27 ESV). He then said that the second royal commandment was precisely the same as the first, "love your neighbor as yourself" (vs. 22:39; James 2:8). When a Born-Again Christian bears another's burdens, they fulfill the Great Commandment - the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
If a person willingly chooses to lose their salvation after receiving Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and repenting of their sin, the common-sense, logical reality is that the following would have to occur (Acts 2:38, 16:31; Romans 10:9-10).
God, the Father, would have to:
- ask Jesus, God the Son, to give back His gift of love to Him (John 17:2)
- go back on His promise never to cast them out (John 6:37)
- cut them out of His Will as co-heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17).
- The person would have to un-drink the water of eternal life given by Jesus so that they will be thirsty again (John 4:14).
God, the Son, Jesus would have to:
- quit as their defense attorney (1 John 2:1)
- no longer protect or keep them safe (John 17:9-12)
- divorce them (Revelation 19:7)
- un-adopt them (Romans 8:23)
- rescind His promise to make them a citizen of Heaven (John 15:16; Ephesians 2:12-13,19)
- make them an un-new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- make them un-near to Him (Ephesians 2:12-13,19)
- un-crucify their old nature (Galatians 2:20)
- blot out their names from the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5)
- un-bury them and un-baptize them so that they will no longer walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)
- put them back into the world (John 17:16)
- un-circumcise them (Colossians 2:11)
- and un-complete them (Colossians 2:9-10)
- allow death and life, angels and rulers, things present and things to come, powers, height, and depth, and anything else in all creation, to separate them from the love of God found in Him (Romans 8:38-39)
- no longer be their advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1)
- un-buy and refund the payment He made by His blood (Galatians 3:15-17)
- un-predestine them so they can no longer be conformed to His image (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:29)
- un-sanctify and un-deliver them from the domain of darkness (1 Corinthians 6:11; Colossians 1:13)
- un-transfer them out of His kingdom, where they were once conditionally sanctified daily (Hebrews 10:14; Romans 8:28-31; Ephesians 1:11)
- un-call, un-justify and un-glorify them (Romans 8:25, 28-31)
- un-cancel all their spiritual debts (Colossians 2:13-14)
- un-seal them (2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5; Ephesians 1:13, 4:30)
- un-wash and un-forgive them of all their sins (Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:11)
- re-remember their sins (Hebrews 10:17)
- un-consider them holy and blameless in His sight (Ephesians 1:4, 2:8; Romans 8:9,11:6)
- un-buy and un-born them of God (1 Corinthians 6:20; John 3:7)
- move out from living within them as the new Holy of Holies (1 Corinthians: 6:19-20, 7:23-24; 1 John 2:19, 3:6,9; Romans 8:9)
- rescind and fail to honor His promise never to leave and forsake them (Hebrews 13:5)
- revoke their position of no longer living in His new nature (Romans 8:9)
- go back on and fail to honor His promise never to cast them out (John 6:37)
God, the Holy Spirit, who was given as a guarantee (2 Corinthians 5:5), would have to:
- all the above and:
- un-save them (Ephesians 2:8)
- un-fill them (becoming un-Born-Again) (Colossians 2:9-10)
- un-anoint them (1 John 2:27)
- stop His good work begun in them (Hebrews 13:2)
- fail to honor His promise to keep them from stumbling until the end when Jesus comes again (1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 1:6, 2:13; Jude 1:24-25).
To say that an individual could be separated from the love of God or remove themselves from His firm grasp and from His promise NEVER to leave them after He bought and paid for them, and they are His possession, as well as His dwelling place, the Holy of Holies, is at the very least, illogical and intellectually inconsistent. When God makes a promise, He NEVER reneges on or breaks His word.
REPENTANCE
To become Born-Again, the person makes a proclamation of total unconditional commitment to turning to God and unconditional turning from all that is against God, in total surrender to His will. That repentance results in the awakening of a lifetime of natural and automatic joyous obedience to God's will.
The proof that a person is Born-Again, (a good tree that can only produce good fruit (Matthew 7:17; Luke 6:43), is their walking daily in repentant humility. The Bible defines repentance as a radical conversion, a transformation of nature, a definitive turning from evil, a resolute turning to God in total obedience (Mark 1:15; Matthew 4:17; 18:3). This conversion is once-for-all; otherwise, it is works-based and by grace.
For the genuine Born-Again Christian, repentance is a given because there can be no going back, only advancement in responsible movement forward along the way. Repentance that leads to Salvation first moves in the whole person then becomes the center of their personal life, and logically affects their conduct at all times and in all situations, their thoughts, words, and acts ( Matthew 12:33, 23:26; Mark 7:15).
THE 'NO TRUE SCOTSMAN' FALLACY
The claim has been made by some that a person who abandons faith in Jesus Christ was never really saved, to begin with, is a logical fallacy known as the 'No True Scotsman,' which is an attempt to redefine a word in the Bible more narrowly than it should be to ignore a valid counter-example by using generalizations. Those who criticize a belief tend to do the opposite by redefining biblical words more broadly than originally intended by the author in their grammatical and historical context.
The Bible makes no generalizations about those who understand the message of Jesus, tasted the heavenly gift of God's Word, and walk away or "deliberately keep on sinning" and reject "the knowledge of the truth, there is NO sacrifice for sins left and it is IMPOSSIBLE to restore them again to repentance since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their harm and holding him up to contempt because they were a "Bad Tree" that only produces "bad fruit" and were NEVER Born-Again, and Jesus NEVER knew them, because they would have continued with Him (Hebrews 6:4-6,27,10:26; Matthew 7:16, 13:1-9, 18-23; Romans 8:13; 1 John 2:19, 3:6-10).
The biblical understanding of a person "turning away" and abandoning all connection to Jesus as Lord and Savior is not an example of a logical error/fallacy to redefine a definition; instead, it's an example of correctly using the definition of the biblical word 'saved' and not allowing it to be abused. The biblical concept of 'not turning away' is part of the definition of salvation that demands a permanent change of heart and mind.
A person who 'turns away' NEVER actually left Christianity because they were NEVER Born-Again (John 3:3-7; 1 Peter 1:22-23). They tasted the heavenly gift but didn't consume it (Hebrews 6:4-6). They are a perfect example of the person Jesus NEVER knew (Matthew 7:16).
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to grab them out of the Father's hand." (John 10:27-29 ESV)
"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him," but whoever keeps his word" "in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this, we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." (1 John 2:3-6 ESV)
For those who were never Born-Again, yet clearly understood the message of Jesus, and had a taste of the heavenly gift of God's Word and walk away, it is IMPOSSIBLE to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their harm and holding him up to contempt (Hebrews 6:4-6 ESV). Yet, the Bible says that when the Born-Again Christian sins (and they will conditionally because they are just saved sinners), they "have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," and He will not cast them out (1 John 2:1).
CONCLUSION
In the end, the Bible clearly and consistently says that salvation begins at the moment a person repents of their sin and receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior, which results in an instantly and eternally changed life, and those who 'turn away' by totally abandoning their faith, denouncing Jesus as Creator Lord, declaring themselves a non-believer, etc., and persisting in a godless life, were never saved in the first place (John 10:28–29; Romans 8:38–39; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22–23; 1 John 2:4–6,19; James 2:17–19). They were never with Jesus, and He never knew them because they would have continued with Him (Matthew 7:16, 13:1-9, 18-23; Romans 8:13; 1 John 2:19, 3:7-10).
Salvation is impossible with human beings (Mark 10:27). Jesus proclaimed that His "yoke is easy" and the "burden is light" (Matthew 11:30 ESV). That being said, the arduous effort required to live under the curse of the 613 laws and avoid breaking just one of them while walking the road of works faithfully is very tedious and extremely difficult for those who prefer to take it (Galatians 3:10-14; Romans 6:14,7:4-6). It is God's mercy and kind goodness that leads one to repentance (Romans 2:4).
The Old Testament speaks of the "book of life" and indicates that all the living are placed in that book and are removed from it as the result of systematic sin (i.e., unbelief). In the New Testament, the book of Revelation says that names are written in the Book of Life only for those who actively believe (i.e., Born-Again). However, their names were written in the book "from the creation of the world." Jesus said He "will never blot out his name from the book of life" of those who overcome (Revelation 3:5). He didn't say He would blot out the names of those who fall. Born-Again Christians have been given the authority to "overcome all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19).
Jesus said that genuine overcomers are those who are Born-Again and have been born of God. They will never be blotted out of the Book of Life because "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9, 5:4-5; Revelation 3:5).
It is the sole responsibility of the Holy Spirit to sustain and keep the Born-Again Christian guiltless, keep them from stumbling, and finally present them blameless before God (1 Corinthians 1:8; Jude 1:24). The Bible says that when the Born-Again Christian sins (and they will conditionally because they are just saved sinners), they "have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," and He will not cast them out (1 John 2:1).
The amazing truth is that every Christian is a love gift given by the Father to the Son and will always be the object of Jesus prayers! This is one of the greatest mysteries of God. Jesus sees each individual Born-Again Christian as personally belonging to Him forever.
Nothing can separate them from His love. It is not because they believed on Him but because the Father has given them to Him! "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:29 NIV). In His prayer of intercession, Jesus thanks the Father seven times for giving them to Him (See John 17).
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and not of any self-sustaining effort (Ephesians 2:8). Those who seek to be justified by keeping the law alone through working their way to Heaven will ultimately fall from grace (Galatians 5:4). Continuous good works, that result from genuine conversion, proves that the Holy Spirit lives within them and their faith is truly alive and not dead (James 2:26; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5).
Jesus is God, the Son, and is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He created all things and has always existed (John 1:1-3). He came to earth 100% fully God and 100% fully human. He is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise forever and ever, and His word can be trusted that He will NEVER leave or forsake the Born-Again Christian and will always be with them, wherever they go (Deuteronomy 31:8; Hebrews 13:5).
"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night, even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you." (Psalm 139:7-12 ESV)
The free will God gave all human beings is in fact, the freedom of willful choice to enter into an eternal contract with Him. He will not arbitrarily usurp or overrule mankind's free will to prove He is sovereign, but He will also never break His contract with them. If, how, or when that line is crossed, can be known only by God and not by personal observation or anecdotal stories of 'I knew a guy who knew a guy, who knew a guy who lost his salvation."
As for me, I will continue to focus on the love and merciful kindness of Jesus, the author, finisher, and giver of my free gift of His super abounding grace (Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 12:2; Titus 3:3-7; Romans 3:19-28; 4:4-5; 11:6).
A person does not go to hell because of what they have done but because of what they haven't done – receive the gift of Salvation provided through Jesus Christ. A person has to knowingly RECEIVE Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior to be SAVED. Likewise, a person has to knowingly REJECT Jesus Christ to be LOST. Going to Heaven or Hell is a choice every person personally makes.
The root issue here is not if a person can lose, or not lose, their salvation but rather why would they desire to actively sin and knowingly reject the beautiful Creator God, who is intimate Love, and who left the majestic splendor of Heaven, came to earth in the form of a man to shed His blood and give His life so that every human being could renew their relationship with Him?
Jesus ruined me for anything, and anyone else, decades ago, and many times, in the midst of angry agony and desperate despair, ambushed me with His love and captured my heart again and again, proving to me daily He is trustworthy of all my worship, honor, and praise (Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 12:2; Titus 3:3-7; Romans 3:19-28; 4:4-5; 11:6).
His love and mercies are new every day, and He compels me to fulfill the Great Commandment as a devoted worshipper and lover of the triune God It is because God's "yoke is easy" and "burden is light" (Matthew 11:30 ESV), that He compels me to do nothing less but trust Him new each day so that I can effortlessly fulfill the Great Commandment as a devoted worshiper and lover of the triune God (Lamentations 3:23; Mark 12:30). The least I can do is give Him my whole heart, soul, and mind" (Ephesians 3:14-21).
The fact is that true intimacy in a relationship is not based upon what someone had or did in the past but on what they have and are doing in the present. If someone loves God, they will keep His commandments. If they don't, they won't. Pure and simple.
