Can I Lose my Salvation?
I'm sure that any christian that has professed Jesus Christ as their personal savior has asked themselves this question. It is a hot topic of debate amongst denominations all across the world. Some believe that salvation can be lost by continual disobedience and sin done in ignorance of Christ's death on the cross. Others believe that salvation once recieved cannot be lost no matter what you do. Can a case be made for or against eternal security from Torah?
I have begun to realize from studying scripture that salvation is a one time, free gift for all mankind. We don't have to do anything to earn this salvation. It is given by faith. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. The covenant God made with Abraham was unconditional. It was by faith. I have posted previously on this blog about the covenants ("Covenant Complications") and how one covenant does not cancel out the other. Let us consider the Mosaic Covenant for a moment. The Mosaic Covenant made with the Israelites and Moses is conditional. If you read Leviticus you will see the language used is "if" "then". IF you do this, then I will do this. In addition, the covenants established by God with his people were everlasting. The covenant God made with Abraham was everlasting. Why? It was made by faith. Obedience brings the blessings. If we obey the Lord in all of his ways then blessing will come to us. The opposite is true also. If we disobey God, there will be curses. Please remember that God is still as faithful to the blessing as He is to the cursing. He never changed between two testaments.
I believe the reason this topic is so debated within evangelical christian circles is because we don't really understand the difference between redemption and righteousness. Have I been redeemed? What does it mean to be redeemed? It means to be bought with a price, ransomed, somebody else paid my punishment for me. Righteousness is what we do with that redemption. How do I live after I've been redeemed? Remember the Mosaic covenant is conditional; "if you do this then I will...you fill in the blank. The Mosaic covenant is what shows us how to live rightly within our redemption. If we obey the Lord we are blessed. If we disobey the Lord we are cursed. Remember also the Torah was not given for salvation, it was given for teaching and instruction. It is there so we know how to walk in our redemption. Am I giving a license to sin? No, I'm not. Humans make choices. We choose to obey or disobey. If we disobey, forgiveness awaits us at the cross.
Salvation is a one time gift given once for all people. Salvation is not conditional. Salvation is an unconditional gift freely given and freely recieved. We make salvation conditional by saying that if we sin too much over a specific period of time we lose this free gift. Why would God revoke a free gift? Is that the God we know? "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love."
posted by Matt @ 12:13 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Matt, good post. I will offer my disagreement in a couple of days. I already have it written down somewhere, I just need to find it.
Matt,
I found the old post on the topic and the associated essay that I wrote about it. You can find it, in its entirety here
I trust that my argument, given the premise of nothing changing between testaments, will be acceptable to those who view Torah as their primary scripture. While containing no explict references to the Old Testament, my argument assumes the conditionals that are present in the Torah. In fact, without the use of conditional statements, my argument would have no force at all. Please pay attention to my argument concerning the straw man. It is that particular trap to which I think you have fallen prey.
An excerpt from the conclusion (please see the entire essay to grasp the argument):
"I can say that it is possible to lose ones salvation. All one need to is continue along down the road of habitual, continual unrepentant sin. This road will lead to death, and since the spiritual senses become deadened as death approaches, the person is unable to respond appropriately to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Eventually, this person reaches a point where they know that Christ is in their hearts, but since they have killed themselves spiritually through a life of sin, they reach a point where they decide they want nothing more to do with him. They then ask him to leave, knowing full well what they are doing. The person is making a conscious, informed choice to expel Christ from their life. It is my belief that this is what constitutes the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit – after having had knowledge of the Holy Spirit, one tells him to screw off and get out of your life. It is not so much unforgivable because the action is unforgivable as it is because all the atonement for sin has run its course, and the choice to live in sin has killed the individual to the point where they are no longer spiritually receptive to anything any more."
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Your comments always take me two or three passes Peter. I have a tremendous amount of respect for your intellect. I unfortunately lack your eloquence and truthfully am reluctant to challenge you however my age gives me experience which to a small degree compensates for my lack of academia. That being said I have been at the lowest of lows. Maybe I should quality that. I haven't been Job low but I've lost jobs, homes and children. None of the losses were due to neglect or abuse just bad circumstances. I have called out in desperation to God angrily declaring that I wanted to sever the relationship. His love is so deep, deeper than our comprehension, that He didn't listen or hold me accountable. Today, like Job, I have replaced the homes, jobs and even started a new family. Thankfully, He didn't recall my salvation. He actually gave me strength t to endure the lowest points bringing me to where I am today. A student of Torah learning how to walk in righteousness. Don't take my word for it though. Go to the Source. Ask Him in prayer for discernment. Knock, seek, ask Brother.
God Bless.
Pilgrim,
Thanks for your kind words. I have not lived long enough to see some of the things that you have described, and I thank you for sharing. I do not mean to give the impression that I think God's grace is small, or that it is not capable of covering all sin and wandering. But I do want to maintain with Matt, that God's grace is a gift, freely given. That means that not only can it be freely accepted, but conversely, it can be freely rejected. God's grace covers all - but if we as sinners want nothing to do with it, I do not believe God forces it upon us. That doesn't strike me as possible, given God's nature.
You said "Thankfully, He didn't recall my salvation. He actually gave me strength to endure the lowest points bringing me to where I am today." Thats the beauty of God's grace. It never lets go. Wanting to sever a relationship and actually severing a relationship are two different things. Those who have tasted God's garce will find it nearly impossible to sever the relationship. Nevertheless, given the fact of human free will, it is possible that it can be severed. More often than not, the desire to sever the relationship is a cry for more grace. If you're talking with God at all, it is highly unlikely that you've reached the point where your soul is capable of severing the relationship.
A very good question.
Ausom I realli agreed to u wht eva u sed shema
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