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Question: Can A Believer Get Lost? (Part 1/2)

The question of whether a believer can be lost has probably occupied every Christian at one time or another. In this article, we want to examine some biblical passages on this topic in order to place our feet (once again) on the rocky foundation of God's Word. 

A word in advance 

I would like to say at the outset that I believe in the eternal security of true Christians. However, I do not believe in the eternal security of those who only call themselves Christians. There are undoubtedly many who say "Lord, Lord" to Jesus and yet must depart from Him forever (Mt 7:21-23).

What makes a true Christian? Baptism, participation in the Lord's Supper, or good works? No, these are part of the life of a Christian, but they do not make you a Christian. For this, you must recognize yourself as a lost sinner in the light of God, confess your guilt to God, and accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Anyone who has done this is a child of God and no longer needs to fear falling (in judgment) into the hands of the living God (1 John 5:12, 13).

Unfortunately, however, many children of God have precisely this fear. They believe that they will be lost if they are not faithful. I would like to cordially invite such people to (once again) calmly reconsider their position. And how great it would be if God's love could lead them to cast off the unnecessary fear of judgment (cf. 1 John 4:17, 18)!

Many readers will certainly be convinced that believers cannot be condemned. But it is also useful for them to deal with this topic to strengthen their conviction and once again experience God's mighty salvation. 

There can be no happy middle way: Either believers can be lost, or they cannot. Should God not have communicated himself clearly enough in His Word? We may not be able to understand how different Bible passages agree, but we can be sure that they do. God's Word speaks clearly and does not contradict itself.  

The Blessings of a Christian  

God showers blessings on those who come to the Lord Jesus in genuine repentance and faith. If you don't enjoy these blessings today, forfeit them tomorrow and enjoy them again the next day. No, the blessings of Christians are eternal - and we want to take a closer look at three of them. 

  • Forgiveness of sins   

God has removed the sins of believers from them as far as the east is from the west; He has "cast them into the depths of the sea" (Ps 103:112; Mic 7:19). God will never again remember their sins and their lawlessness (Jer 31:34). The blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all sin (1 John 1:7). How could a believer ever be punished for his sins?

This is sometimes objected to: God only forgives the sins we confess to Him. Anyone who fails to reveal part of their sins remains guilty of this offense. But if that were true, no one could be saved! Because no one has really confessed all their sins to God. Because no one knows them all. Anyone who has sincerely and unreservedly confessed their guilt to God receives full forgiveness and is cleansed of all unrighteousness (cf. Luke 18:13, 14; 1 John 1:9).

Furthermore, when Christ bore the sins of believers on the tree (1 Pet 2:24), these were all their sins. If the punishment was on Him for our peace (Isa 53:5), we can no longer be punished. For God does not judge the same sins twice. That would be unjust - and God is perfectly just.

  • The gift of eternal life 

Anyone who believes in the Son receives eternal life (John 3:36). This life cannot die or be destroyed because then it would not be eternal life. But it cannot be taken away from a believer either. For eternal life is not a gift that we must guard carefully so that we do not lose it. "Our life," says Paul in Colossians 3:3, "is hidden with Christ in God." If we were to lose this life, Christ would have to lose it, too. If we were to be lost, He would also have to be lost - which is absolutely unthinkable! - be lost. 

John 5:24 shows that the one who comes to faith passes from death to life. When a person receives a new life, his whole being is completely changed. This cannot simply be undone and (perhaps) repeated later. Just as we have only experienced a natural birth once, we can only be born again once (John 3:7).

  • The gift of the Holy Spirit  

Those who believe in the gospel of salvation are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). The Spirit is the guarantee that we will take up our inheritance and receive the redemption of the body (Eph 1:14; Eph 4:30). He will remain with us for eternity (John 14:16). If the Spirit remains with believers forever, how can they ever be thrown into the lake of fire?

To "prove" that Christians can lose the Spirit, the words of David from Psalm 51:13 are often cited: "Do not take the spirit of your holiness from me!"

However, this overlooks the fact that in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit did not dwell in believers but worked. David's request was, therefore, aimed at ensuring that the Spirit of God did not depart from him in his activity, as was the case with the unbelieving King Saul (1 Sam 16:14).

  • The counsel and work of God  

A person's salvation is based on God's eternal counsel and is solely a divine work. When we realize this, the question of whether a believer can be lost becomes superfluous.

God chose Christians before the foundation of the world and predestined them to sonship (Eph 1:4.5). In time, He calls the elect with a holy calling, and in the future, He will perfect them in glory (2 Tim. 1:9; 2 Thes. 2:13, 14).

The counsel of God is shown in Romans 8:29-30. There, we see five links of an indestructible chain. Firstly, God has recognized the believers beforehand. This means that He has focused His attention and love on these people, whom He also predestined in eternity to conform to the image of His Son. In time, He called them – and because the call reached sinners, He also justified them. And finally, He will glorify them. It is striking that the Bible text uses the past tense: "He also glorified them." What God has planned is as certain as the things that have already passed, even if the realization is still in the future.

So this is the five-link chain: previously known - previously determined - called - justified - glorified. Is it conceivable that this chain could be broken? Should someone whom God has predestined not be called? And should someone whom God has justified not be glorified? Who should be able to thwart God's plan? Who has the power to destroy the work of God that he has done in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:10)?

The crown witnesses of salvation security 

Following the unfolding of God's counsel in Romans 8:29-30, we find verses that testify very clearly to the security of a believer's salvation. No one can accuse or condemn us (verses 31-34). In Romans 8:35-39, Paul explores space and time to find something that can separate a believer from God - and comes back empty-handed. We remain eternal objects of God's love.

It is often argued that these promises only apply if we remain with Christ and do not choose a path of unrighteousness. I would like to reply to this: Isn't all this included in the terms "life" or "present"? Yes, it certainly is! Nothing (!) can really separate us from the love of God.

In John 10:27-29 we find another very important passage for our topic: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand." In these verses, we find no condition, request, or exhortation, but seven facts are presented:

  • The sheep hear the voice of the good shepherd.
  • The good shepherd knows his sheep.
  • The sheep follow the good shepherd.
  • The shepherd gives them eternal life.
  • The sheep are not lost for eternity.
  • No one will steal the sheep from the hand of the shepherd.
  • No one can snatch the sheep out of the Father's hand.

With regard to the last two points, it is claimed that they merely give believers certainty that no power from outside can rob them but that they are perfectly capable of pulling themselves from the mighty hands of the Father and the Son. However, it does not say: "They will not perish forever, for no one will snatch them out of my hand," but "And no one will snatch them out of my hand." The fact that believers cannot be robbed is, therefore, not a reason but another fact that applies to the "sheep." It cannot be said more clearly: "And they will not perish forever." It is also fair to ask whether a believer has more power than anything else in God's universe. Should he really be able to snatch himself out of the hand of the good shepherd and the great Father in heaven? Are we stronger than the Son and the Father?

Will God allow this dishonor to fall on his Son (for it is a dishonor for a shepherd to lose a sheep)?

In Hebrews 10:11-18, we find a passage that can hardly be surpassed in clarity. The writer first shows that the sacrifices that were offered in Israel could never take away sins (verse 11). But Christ, having offered a sacrifice, sat down at the right hand of God forever (verse 12).

Christ will never rise again to make atonement for sins because that has been fully accomplished. "For with one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (verse 14). Christians will never again be imputed with any sin because God will never again remember their sins and lawlessness (verse 17). Believers are made perfect forever! How could they end up in hell? Should God break his promise and make them bear their guilt after all?

Such statements in Scripture are regularly weakened by referring to practical life. Because, in practice, we are anything but perfect. We often stumble (James 3:2). But Hebrews 10:14 is about our position – and that is eternally secure. Our relationship with God is indestructible. We must make a clear distinction between the condition (practice) and the position of a Christian in order to avoid wrong conclusions.

Further passages on the security of salvation 

In order not to go beyond the scope of this work, only a few points are touched on below that directly or indirectly make it clear that every true Christian will reach the heavenly goal:

  • God's Word assures us without ifs and buts that believers will not be judged (Rom 5:6-11; Rom 8:1; Jn 3:18; Jn 5:24).
  • Christians can speak of their glorious future with absolute certainty (Rom 8:11, 18; 1 Cor 15:49, 58; 2 Cor 4:14; 2 Cor 5:1; Col 3:4; 2 Tim 4:18; 1 John 3:2).
  • God completes what He has begun (Phil 1:6; 1 Thes 5:23-24; 1 Cor 1:8-9).
  • In His faithfulness, God places Himself unconditionally on our side (2 Thes 3:3: Heb 13:5).

Grace and Responsibility  

When we reflect on the passages we have discussed so far, we are struck by the tremendous grace of God. It is only grace that brings a Christian to heaven. And it is 100% grace. Paul writes: "But if by grace, it is no more by works; otherwise grace is no longer grace" (Romans 11:6). Grace is absolute. We cannot add works to it - not even works that we do as Christians. It is not grace and our perseverance; it is not grace and our faithfulness, etc., but simply grace.

On the other hand, the perfect Word of God also emphasizes our responsibility. Whoever knows the Lord Jesus is obliged to live according to his word. The invisible faith must prove itself through visible works. Just talking about faith is not enough (Jas 2:17-18). I once heard a reckless Christian say to unbelievers: "Even if I were to kill someone, I would still go to heaven." He wanted to emphasize God's grace, but he made a crucial mistake: he did not take into account what the Bible says. It declares that a murderer has no eternal life (1 John 3:15). And there is no indication in the Bible that we can live however we want and still reach the goal. No, the way of sin is the way to hell. Whoever lives according to the flesh will die (Rom 8:13).

Such warnings from the Word of God must never be relativized, played down, or weakened. They should affect the conscience in all its power. Nevertheless, they are not there to plunge true believers who have built on the rock into doubt and fear. This will be our particular concern in the next issue. The second part of the work will deal with the objections raised against the view that believers are not lost.

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