QUESTIONS SERIES: If you pray to be saved but fall away from the church, are you still saved?

This fourth question in the list from our Open Forum service on 8/2 is one that can cause a lot of anxiety in the hearts and minds of Christ-followers.

Unpacking this questions means dealing with two things: 1) What evidence should be present in a Christian if they are truly born-again or saved? 2) When someone becomes born-again and experiences salvation, can he or she ever lost it?

EVIDENCE THAT YOU’RE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST:

In John 14, Jesus gives us the clear evidence of a follower of Christ: If you love me, you will obey what I command (John 14:15). Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him … Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me’ (John 14:21, 23-24).

The evidence of a true conversion or a true born-again experience is the willingness to obey the teachings of Jesus. No one is perfect except Christ and we all sin from time to time (If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us - 1 John 1:8). So, we know that Jesus wasn’t talking here in John 14 about being perfect. Rather, he was referring to the basic heart of a follower of Christ. For example, when we realize that we’re doing something that is contrary to the teachings of Jesus, we readily change our ways or thinking – and readily embrace that teaching – asking for God’s help to live it out in our lives.

What are the teachings of Christ? The whole New Testament contains the teachings of Christ to us. Again, no one is perfect – but, the main thing is … Are we fully surrendered or fully willing to do what God wants us to do? The evidence of this heart condition in the life journey of a genuine follower of Christ will be seen in the life-change that Jesus and the New Testament mentions.

That life-change also means that there will be a sensitivity to sin once it happens. The Bible gives us a great promise that we can go to Jesus and confess our sin to him – and repent of it – when we do mess up and do wrong.

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One (1 John 3:1).

How long should a follower of Jesus feel bad about their sin? About 10 seconds! That’s how long it takes to confess it to Christ and experience his restoration of a clear conscience before God.

ONCE A PERSON IS TRULY BORN-AGAIN, CAN HE OR SHE EVER LOSE THEIR SALVATION?

In short, the answer is no. The Bible tells us that we cannot lose our salvation. The following are some key passages of Scripture that tell us this:

1. God accomplished what he wanted to through our salvation so it’s permanent for the Christian and cannot be lost.

And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified (Romans 8:30).

2. All of the spiritual blessings that we receive when we are saved depend on God – and not us – so they can’t be reverses by us.

~ We receive eternal life when we are saved. It isn’t “eternal” if we can lose it.

For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

~ Receiving eternal life is a gift from God. And, if we can’t gain salvation by “good works” we can’t lost it by doing “bad works.” (John 10:28; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23).

~ When we are born-again or saved, we become part of God’s own possession.

The Good Shepherd doesn’t lose His sheep (John 10:28-29).

God’s seal on our lives can’t be erased (Ephesians 1:13,14).

~ When we are born-again or saved, we are “in Christ.”

A part of Christ’s “Body” can’t be taken away (1 Corinthians 12:13).

We cannot be lost after we are hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3).

Nothing can separate us from Christ (Romans 8:38,39).

~ When we’re born again or saved, we’re forgiven of past, present and future sin (Colossians 3).

~ When we’re born-again or saved, we become a child of God (John 1:12) so nothing can keep us from being his child – forever.

These are just a few reasons that we’re eternally secure once we are saved.