Letters to a young missionary no5

No 5

Often people come to me to ask the question, ’Do you believe that the christian can loose his salvation?’

My answer is always the same NEVER!

When the believer considers the salvation that they have received it becomes apparent that it is impossible to loose salvation.

Lets think about the four aspects of salvation that we considered previously.

Justification.

Justification is the act of God in which he declares the sinner righteous in his sight on the basis of faith in Christ. This justification is based in turn on the foundation of ‘forgiveness of sins’. The believer is forgiven of all his sins and no-one can lay a charge of sin against him anymore.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh abut after the Spirit. Romans 8v1.

Clearly Paul is teaching that there is no condemnation for sin that the believer can come into – he is declared to be ‘Not Guilty’.

So can sin separate the believer from God – No never.

When the christian sins he spoils fellowship with God but his sins are forever forgiven. He confesses his sin to be restored to fellowship but not to salvation.

Who shall lay anything to Gods elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who maketh intercession for us. Romans 8v33-34

For the believer to be lost, God himself would need to go back on his righteous judgment, in which he has made the sinner righteous and he would need to lay a new charge of sin against them. A sin that has not been covered by the blood of Christ. This would be on Gods part an unrighteous act and would be contrary to his nature and holiness.

Adoption.

God in grace has taken the forsaken child and brought him into his family. He has made him his heir and blessed him with all the blessings of his children. Now for the believer to be lost, God himself would have to forsake his dependant children. This is say – is impossible. Even the ungodly do not forsake their children, so how would the Lord in the time of deepest need and turn from his own children and leave them forever.

Redemption.

God has provided freedom for those who were slaves of sin. Can it be that these men who have been set free from the dominion of Satan and transferred into the kingdom of the Son of his love, become enslaved again? Can Satan win the battle for men’s hearts? Can the sinner find himself enslaved again having been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ? Is the blood of Christ insufficient to free forever those who believe in Christ for redemption? For the believer to be lost the blood of Christ would need to fail and the power of Satan would triumph over the saints of God.

Cleansing.

Lastly for the sinner to be lost, he who has been made holy and fit for the very presence of God and access to the throne of God, now finds that he is unclean and spoiled and banished from Gods presence. This is of course – impossible. What could defile the sinner who is cleansed? Sin? But, all his sins are forgiven?

There are no scriptures, when correctly interpreted, that say that God looses his children.

What about those scriptures that seem to indicate that believers can be lost?
Lets look at some of them.

Paul said that he beats himself so that after he has preached to others he might not be found to be cast away. However Paul is not speaking here about his salvation but his ministry. It is possible to loose his ministry by bringing disgrace on the Lord through sin. If he is disgraced then he will not be able to preach as before until he is restored but even then there may be some that will never listen to him again.

The writer to the Hebrews speaks of those who have tasted the good things of the kingdom and enlightened if they turn from Christ crucify him afresh in their hearts and cannot repent of their wickedness and be saved. The writer here is not talking about the true christian but rather a Hebrew who has heard of Christ and come to understand the gospel yet they are never saved and when they turn back to Judaism they reject Christ forever.

Christ said that, ‘Those who come to me l will never cast away’.

‘I give unto my sheep eternal life and they will never perish nor can anyone snatch them out of my hand’

And again – ‘whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life’.