Pure God

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I am convinced—categorically—that it is impossible for a Christian to lose his or her salvation. To say that a Christian can lose his or her salvation is like saying, “God loves you, but if you mess up, you can just kiss that love good-bye.”
††† If that were the case, salvation would be a salvation of works instead of a salvation that works.
I have not come across any passages of Scripture that even remotely allude to the possibility a Christian could lose his or her salvation; in fact, quite the contrary. In this chapter, I go over every passage of Scripture in the Bible related to this subject so readers can judge the truth of the matter for themselves.
This is, without a doubt, one of the leading controversies among Christians today. Denominations are separated along this line.
The controversy exists because everybody at one time or another has heard about or has known someone who professed to be a born-again Christian but eventually returned to a worldly or non-Christian lifestyle. Christians refer to them as backsliders. Is it possible they lost their salvation?
Many Christians believe that a person—once saved—cannot lose his or her salvation. This is known as “eternal security.” It is also referred to as “once saved, always saved.” Perhaps an equal number of Christians believe God will remove His salvation if a person wanders too far from the faith. No matter which side of the fence someone might be on regarding this matter, it is not an essential Christian belief. Nevertheless, this topic can be quite contentious so it must be tempered with love in accordance with Romans 14:1, in which the apostle Paul wrote: “Now accept one who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions.” In other words, eternal security is not an issue Christians need to separate over.
††† God can save a person whether he or she believes in eternal security or not.
The ensuing nineteen topics—called gleanings—and appurtenant passages of Scripture are intended to illustrate the power of God to save a person from eternal punishment and reveal the eternal status of a believer in Christ. The passages were gleaned from Bible studies and sermons over a thirty-five-year period. The passages were selected to answer the question about whether a Christian can lose his or her salvation.

Eternal Security—Gleaning 1: It is God’s nature to protect His children.
According to Psalm 37:28, God will not forsake faithful people—His saints.

Eternal Security—Gleaning 2: A nation under God will prosper, whereas a nation that willfully turns its back on God and worships other gods will fall into ruin.
I would be remiss if I did not bring up Joshua 24:19–20. Verse 20 states: “If you forsake Yahweh, and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after he has done you good.” Sometimes this verse is used to support the argument that Christians might lose their salvation if they turn their backs on God. Actually, the context of the verse is much broader and not about personal salvation. Joshua was addressing the nation of Israel. God was warning Israel about the consequences of not serving the one, true God.
††† Trying to defy God’s law is tantamount to defying the law of gravity, and nations are not immune.

Eternal Security—Gleaning 3: God keeps His promises forever.
In keeping with Isaiah 61:8, God’s promises are everlasting—meaning they never end.
††† If God were to take away a person’s salvation, He would be breaking His promise to save that person.
That is why 2 Timothy 2:13 states: “If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He can’t deny himself.”
In other words, God does not break His promises. If He did, He would be rejecting Himself.

Eternal Security—Gleaning 4: It is nobody’s job to be the judge of another person’s salvation; that is God’s job.
The story of Jonah in the book of Jonah exemplifies how God deals with backsliders. In Jonah 1:1–3, Jonah refused to go to Nineveh and preach to the enemy. Consequently, Jonah turned his back on God and tried to hide by running away.
Jonah promptly ran into problems. He got tossed out of a ship into the middle of a stormy sea and was swallowed by a great fish. Jonah called out to God in distress, and the great fish vomited him onto dry land. Jonah finally succumbed to his misfortunes and went to Nineveh. As a result, when the people of Nineveh heard the Word of God, they turned from their evil ways. God did not have to destroy Nineveh because of Jonah’s obedience. Despite his victory over disobedience, Jonah was angry with God because He had showed compassion on Jonah’s enemies. God wanted to show Jonah that He was concerned about the people of Nineveh as much as He was concerned about Jonah and Jonah’s people. God is concerned about all people, whether they are faithful or not. It is God’s will that nobody should perish. In 2 Peter 3:9, the apostle Peter wrote: “The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Like the story of Jonah, it is never a pretty picture when someone backslides, but God is quick to forgive such a person when he or she repents and asks for forgiveness.
A Christian might choose to abandon his or her relationship with God if the going gets too tough. Like Jonah, he or she can run but can’t hide. God will find him or her wherever he or she ends up. God will not abandon a backslider. When a backslider turns away from God, it may seem as though he or she is moving backward in life or perhaps has even lost his or her salvation. Bear in mind that such a person could be struggling with the loss of a loved one, a serious illness, marriage stress, or financial difficulties. He or she may be hurting and may feel as if God has not lived up to His promises. In desperation, he or she might try to find consolation in worldly pleasures or simply give up. Like Jonah, God will bring such a person back to a state of repentance at some point. For that reason, Christians should be patient and not judge backsliders. God will deal with a backslider in His own way and in His own time, but He will not abandon a backslider. It is human nature to think backsliders don’t deserve God’s grace. Jonah didn’t think Nineveh deserved God’s grace either. However, Jonah wasn’t the judge of the matter; God was the judge. Thank God!

Eternal Security—Gleaning 5: Only God knows who is saved and who is not.
The New Testament begins with an admonition from Jesus. In Matthew 15:7–9, Jesus exposed some religious rulers who outwardly appeared to be godly but inwardly did not know God. In verses 8–9, Jesus said, “‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’”
††† It is possible for someone to appear to be saved but not be saved.

Eternal Security—Gleaning 6: Nothing is impossible with God, including saving someone from sin.
God wants to perfect those who seek Him, not destroy them. Despite someone’s failings, nothing is impossible with God according to Matthew 19:23–26. Speaking about salvation in verse 26, Jesus said, “‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

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