No, You Cannot Lose Your Salvation
It is incredible that even though everyone in the world is a filthy sinner before a righteous and holy God, God loves us enough to offer salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ (Eph 2:8-9, Rom 3:21-26, Rom 5:1-2). There is nothing you can do to deserve, earn, or keep salvation from God; it is all through trusting in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection on your behalf (1Co 15:1-4, Titus 3:3-7).
The moment you trusted in the gospel of grace, your old man was crucified with Christ, you were forgiven all trespasses, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day you die, you were seated in heavenly places and given an inheritance there, you were made a member of the body of Christ, and you were given eternal life in Jesus all without any of your works (Gal 2:20, Col 2:11-14, Eph 1:3, 1:13-14, 1:18, 2:6, 3:6, 4:30, 1Co 12:12-13, Rom 4:4-5, 6:1-11, 6:23).
Yet, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 5:5-6 give many Christians difficulties as they begin to question whether or not they can lose what God has freely given to them by grace. Oftentimes, when someone fails in one of the points listed in the above passages, religious fruit inspectors hurl condemnation from the peanut gallery:
“A true Christian would never do that!”
“They’re not saved, you’ll know them by their fruits!”
“Faith without works is dead!”
“They were never a Christian/truly saved to begin with!”
“They’ve fallen away, they need to repent and get right with God!”
All of those statements are completely incorrect today in the dispensation of grace. Let’s consider the passages and settle the abundantly clear truth that under grace, you cannot lose your salvation.
“[9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” – 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
“[19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,[20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, [21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” – Galatians 5:19-21
“[5] For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. [6] Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” – Ephesians 5:5-6
First, we must recognize that if these were qualifications to be saved or keep salvation, no one would be saved. Romans 3:10 and 3:23 declare that there is none righteous before a just and holy God. In 1 Corinthians 6:9, we see clear as day that the unrighteous don’t inherit the kingdom of God. In fact, all three of these passages disqualify everyone except maybe the delusional, ignorant, or self-righteous religionists in their own minds.
Still, some put themselves under Israel’s covenantal system (old and new), whereby creating a situation in their minds that they: must endure to the end to be saved (Mrk 13:13), must bear good fruit or else they’re cut off (Mat 7:16-20), must have faith and works or else they’re not justified (Jas 2:17-26), must abide in Him or else be cut off (Jhn 15:1-10), or they think they cannot sin once they are saved (1Jn 3:6-11).
While the above passages are in the Bible, the audience is covenant Israel who had a conditional standing with God through the law. You are not Israel. You are not under the law. You are under grace and by understanding the grace dispensed to Paul (Eph 3:1-10), the revelation of the mystery of Christ, questions like eternal security are easily handled through God’s Word rightly divided.
Oftentimes, the answers to difficult passages are found in the direct context of the text. In these three cases, the clarity of a secure salvation without works in Christ is also very clear in the direct context. For all three, there are verses surrounding the passages distinguishing who they were and who they are now in Christ.
“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” – 1 Corinthians 6:11
“But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” – Galatians 5:18
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:25
“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:” – Ephesians 5:8
For the Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians, there had been an identity change. When they trusted the gospel, they became saints and were given the imputed righteousness of Christ (Rom 4:24-25). They were unrighteous but now are sanctified and justified. They were children of disobedience and darkness, but now are children of light. They were under the law and their only choice was to walk in the flesh, but now they live in the Spirit and should choose to walk in the Spirit.
All three of these troubling passages are trying to correct the service, performance, or walk of believers by reminding them of who they are and who they are not. By remembering who they are in Christ and what He did for them, they are motivated to walk as a Christian should and not as someone who doesn’t know Christ. Everyone today falls into the same category as those in Corinth, Galatia, and Ephesus: we’re in the Body of Christ! We also have had an identity change and should also walk in the newness of life we’ve been given!
While these passages may be difficult, they are not impossible to understand. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ was all of the work necessary to pay for your sins and give you eternal life. This free grace is given on the merits of Christ and received through faith; it is not given or kept because of anything you do. Our response to sin today as a believer is to recognize who we are in Christ and stop living like we’re still slaves to sin. We have been given all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3) and our duty is to live up to the high calling we have received freely through Him, motivated by Christ’s love and not the fear of losing what we permanently have (2Co 5:14, Rom 8:28-39).
