Christians debate whether a believer is secure in their salvation or whether salvation can be lost or forfeited after obtaining it. Although there are opposing viewpoints on the subject, with compelling arguments and strong Scriptural support for both positions, most believers agree on how salvation is imparted by God and received by sinners. They also agree on the role of sin in believers’ lives. Therefore, the crux of the dispute is whether an apostate or defector ever possessed saving faith. In other words, could someone who claimed to be born-again and exhibited good works over a long period have possessed genuine saving faith if they renounced it later?
Believers on both sides of the debate acknowledge that salvation is a gift from God offered freely to all. They believe God imputes it solely based upon faith in Jesus for what He provided on the cross for sinful humanity. They also accept that, outside of faith itself, there is no other vehicle through which God imparts His saving grace to sinners.
Both sides further acknowledge that individuals receive God’s gift of salvation when they place their faith and trust in Jesus for what He accomplished for them on the cross. They agree that sinners cannot earn salvation by doing good works or participating in religious ceremonies or ordinances. They accept Jesus’ work on the cross as sufficient to provide everything necessary for salvation and redemption, and they assert that faith is the only thing required for it to be credited to a sinner.
Both sides also seem to agree on the issue of sin itself within the lives of professing believers. They agree that believers do not lose their salvation when they sin or struggle in a particular area of sin. Instead, they break fellowship with God and must confess their sins to have their fellowship restored. On the contrary, if a professing believer habitually and continually practices sin, treating God’s grace as a license for it, both sides agree this person does not likely possess salvation.
The disagreement over whether apostates originally possessed salvation or not stems from their inability to see the Holy Spirit's presence inside a person’s heart. Without access to this indisputable evidence of salvation, believers can only examine external evidence, which can be deceiving.
Supporters of the “eternally secure” position argue that a person who renounced their faith never possessed salvation. They assert these people simply offered lip service and modified their external behavior accordingly. Those who hold this view also claim genuine salvation cannot be altered or undone once received. They contend that the verses that appear to support the idea of salvation being lost or abandoned only refer to those who never possessed it.
Supporters of the “not eternally secure” position argue that a person who renounced their faith may have possessed salvation initially, as evidenced by their good works and acts of obedience to God. However, at a later point, they willfully chose to reject Jesus and forfeited their salvation through their apostasy. Supporters of this position also argue that verses supporting “eternal security” refer only to believers who continually trust Jesus for their salvation and never stop.
Regardless of which position someone leans toward regarding the security of believers, the fact remains that personal faith in Jesus is the only requirement for sinners to receive salvation and redemption. Likewise, faith is the only vehicle by which Jesus can impart His salvation to sinners.
(See the Scripture References link at the top of the page.)
