Bethany P Church English Service is now studying the Book of Hebrews. So it is appropriate to pop out an age old question. Can a (genuine) Christian lose his salvation?
I had a conversation with a Polytechnic Christian friend some years ago at Downtown East, Pasir Ris. He seems to be doing well in life. After some casual talk, I asked, “Which church are you worshipping in now?”
We were in the same team in the Polytechnic Navigators. We occasionally went evangelism together, brought others to Christ and participated in many Christian activities.
“I am no longer a Christian. My wife is a devout Buddhist.” (Silence for a while)
As I bade farewell to this long time friend, thoughts continued to linger in my mind for many days. I honestly believed he was a genuine Christian. Would he come back to Christ one day?
If he doesn’t, is he going to Hell? Is there then really an assurance of salvation? I was fearful for myself. If my friend, who seemed so zealous for God can call it “quit”, what assurance is there for me that it would not happen to me also, maybe not marriage but some other life issues? “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul?” Didn’t Jesus Christ said that “he who endured to the end will be saved, (Matt 24:13)” which mean those who don’t would not be saved?
After seriously wrestling with all these questions with no convincing answers, I decided to sign up for the graduated diploma class in Singapore Bible College. Three and a half years of studies have taught me to be more careful and circumspect in reading the Scripture. Study has trained me to look beyond mere words but the context, circumstances and historical situations which shape the writing of Scriptures. The availability and access to Christian resources is a major advantage of being alumni of Christian college.
So back to the very important question for us Christians who are still on this earth: Can a Christian lose his salvation? Or, will my friend go to heaven, if he dies without coming back to faith in Christ?
Ask a Methodist, and his answer will be, yes, a Christian who deny his faith in Christ and die without returning to Christ will lose his salvation. Heb 10:26,27 – “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”. That raging fire is Hell as in Rev 20:14 “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.”
Ask a Presbyterian, and he will say no, a genuine Christian will never lose his salvation, because Jesus Christ promises us in John 6:37 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” In John 10:27-29, Jesus said that none of his sheep will be snatched away. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.” If a Christian fall away never to return, then that Christian is not a real sheep. So my friend is not a genuine Christian after all!!
Ask a Baptist, and he will also say as the same as a Presbyterian that a true Christian will not lose his salvation. But if a true Christian fall away never to return, then he will still be saved (and enter heaven) but, he will loose all his rewards and receive a stern rebuke from the Lord. (1Cor 3:15) “If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
Sound confusing and Christian disunity? What do you think? Share your thought!
I had a conversation with a Polytechnic Christian friend some years ago at Downtown East, Pasir Ris. He seems to be doing well in life. After some casual talk, I asked, “Which church are you worshipping in now?”
We were in the same team in the Polytechnic Navigators. We occasionally went evangelism together, brought others to Christ and participated in many Christian activities.
“I am no longer a Christian. My wife is a devout Buddhist.” (Silence for a while)
As I bade farewell to this long time friend, thoughts continued to linger in my mind for many days. I honestly believed he was a genuine Christian. Would he come back to Christ one day?
If he doesn’t, is he going to Hell? Is there then really an assurance of salvation? I was fearful for myself. If my friend, who seemed so zealous for God can call it “quit”, what assurance is there for me that it would not happen to me also, maybe not marriage but some other life issues? “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul?” Didn’t Jesus Christ said that “he who endured to the end will be saved, (Matt 24:13)” which mean those who don’t would not be saved?
After seriously wrestling with all these questions with no convincing answers, I decided to sign up for the graduated diploma class in Singapore Bible College. Three and a half years of studies have taught me to be more careful and circumspect in reading the Scripture. Study has trained me to look beyond mere words but the context, circumstances and historical situations which shape the writing of Scriptures. The availability and access to Christian resources is a major advantage of being alumni of Christian college.
So back to the very important question for us Christians who are still on this earth: Can a Christian lose his salvation? Or, will my friend go to heaven, if he dies without coming back to faith in Christ?
Ask a Methodist, and his answer will be, yes, a Christian who deny his faith in Christ and die without returning to Christ will lose his salvation. Heb 10:26,27 – “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”. That raging fire is Hell as in Rev 20:14 “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.”
Ask a Presbyterian, and he will say no, a genuine Christian will never lose his salvation, because Jesus Christ promises us in John 6:37 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” In John 10:27-29, Jesus said that none of his sheep will be snatched away. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.” If a Christian fall away never to return, then that Christian is not a real sheep. So my friend is not a genuine Christian after all!!
Ask a Baptist, and he will also say as the same as a Presbyterian that a true Christian will not lose his salvation. But if a true Christian fall away never to return, then he will still be saved (and enter heaven) but, he will loose all his rewards and receive a stern rebuke from the Lord. (1Cor 3:15) “If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
Sound confusing and Christian disunity? What do you think? Share your thought!
Mark Lim
3 comments:
Hello Uncle Mark. I have a few questions about the verse: Heb 10:26,27 – “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
Question 1) If a person a tempted to commit sin.. and fail to achieve victory over the temptation over and over again even though he/she attempted to resist. Do the verse apply in such case too?
Question 2) In hebrews8:12, it says that sinners will be forgiven and their sins forgotten. But in Heb10:26-27 it says the no sacrifice for sin is left, meaning the these sinners are not forgiven. My thinking is that they are not forgiven because they deliberately do it and holds no thoughts or effort about stopping themselves from committing sins that's why they are not forgiven. What do you think?
Question 3)If sinners have deliberately sinned, then they felt guilty and repent for sinning deliberately, will they be forgiven?
-Larry
ps: thanks for inviting me to your blog =D
Hi Uncle Mark,
Thanks for setting up this blog. I'm sure it'll it helpful to many of our youths who are looking for additional spiritual input apart from sunday.
I have a question too and a verse to raise. Matthew 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
Matthew 5:12-14
This verse has baffled me for sometime. What does it mean to be salt of the earth, to lose our saltiness and is it really true we can never be made salty again? I am unsure if that is actually relevant in this particular context. But I'd like to hear your thoughts about this verse :) Thanks!
Hi Larry,
Thanks for putting some comments and touching on the questions which I believe everybody is asking.
As Christians and living in this world, let me first say that Christians will continue to struggle with sin until the day they die. This is the stage of growing in sanctification. (mentioned in Rev Timothy See's sermon last Sunday). Psa 103 is my favourite Psalms and I use to memorise the whole Psalm, written by King David. Now, did David deliberately sin against God by committing adultery and murder? Yes, he plotted all these, including the murder of Uriah. Was he forgiven? Yes, but his life is never the same before and after 2Sam 11.
Hebrews is written in the context of Jewish Christians drifting back to the Jewish way of life - Laws, Priestly sacrifice, temple worship, etc. In other words, they are going back to the "old covenant" (Heb 8:13). The new covenant is Christ. Question 1: No one knows what the circumstances of the original readers of Hebrews are facing and so it is difficult to say what the "fearful expectation of judgment" and "raging fire" is. I personally doubt that the writer of Hebrew is talking about Hell. As he is not discussing about Heaven and Hell in the whole of his letter. For your case, Psa 103:9-14 apply (read that up).
Question 2: Heb 10:26,27 is not about forgiveness, but a raging fire is coming soon to consume them! Heb 8:12 is about forgiveness. This fire is likely to be a real fire that burnt up the whole place, set by the Romans against the Jewish rebellion in AD 70.
Question 3 - 1Jn 1:9.
Mark
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