Can a Christian lose their salvation?
This is a very much-debated issue among Christian scholars. Some say – No, because a Christian, once saved, is always saved. Why? Because of the New Testament teaching about grace. A person is saved by grace, not by their good works or good deeds.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast. The reasoning goes like this: if our deeds contribute nothing to our salvation, how could our deeds contribute to our losing our salvation?
Others say: yes, a once-saved person can lose their salvation. Why? What biblical support can be given for this? Support for this is found in Hebrews 6:4-6, which reads: It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
Look closely at this passage. The person being described sure sounds like a Christian. For how could a non-Christian...
...Be enlightened
...Taste the heavenly gift
...Share in the Holy Spirit
...Taste the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age
If the person described here is a Christian, if they fall away from Christ “it is impossible” to bring them back to repentance. Does that mean they have lost their salvation? Could be. Minimally, they are in a very dangerous spiritual position.
And, note here what “falling away” is and is not. Falling away is NOT sinning occasionally, or even sinning over a period of time. Falling away IS “crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” Thus the “falling away” talked about here in Hebrews 6 is a really radical, public, lasting, intentional anti-Christ stance. Personally I would feel very worried if a strong follower of Jesus turned against Him for the rest of the days of their life.
My own belief is that, not only is this a very dangerous spiritual condition, but that such a person may be said to have lost their salvation.
