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CAN A SAVED PERSON LOSE HIS/HER SALVATION?

There are many verses offered on both sides of this debate, but obviously, both sides cannot be correct. I will begin by telling the reader that I believe that a saved person cannot lose his/her salvation. I will present the scriptures which lead me to that belief and I will present the other side of the coin, i.e. Scriptures offered by those who believe that one can lose their salvation.

SCRIPTURES THAT POINT TO A ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED POSITION

We read in Eph. 1:13-14, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession ….”. Note the three words highlighted in this passage. We were sealed, with a promise which is a guarantee of resurrection. This guarantee is a promise which is given when we were sealed. This promise does not come with any conditions. Therefore, God, Who cannot lie, cannot break this promise of resurrection to all who had been sealed, i.e. all who are saved.

John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand”. The Greek translated here “never” is “ou me”. The Companion Bible gives the following definition, “The two negatives when combined lose their distinctive meanings, and form the strongest and most emphatic asseveration“. Had the Holy Spirit used the Greek “me” alone He would have given a conditional aspect to the statement of this verse. The Companion Bible definition of “me” is, “expressing conditional negation.…”. But the Holy spirit did not use the conditional word, He used the phrase which makes the statement that “they shall never perish” unconditionally.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. There is no condition here, this is an unconditional promise.

Romans 8:37-39, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him That loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, not life, not angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

Phil. 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He Which hath begun a good word in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”. The Greek word translated”perform” is “epiteleo”. It is translated”perform” 4 times, “do” once. But it is also translated “accomplish” two times and “perfect or “perfecting or “made perfect” and “finish”. In other words “epiteleo” carries the idea of finishing the act. Therefore, the NIV translation gives a better sense of the meaning of this verse. “being confident of this, that He Who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”. The work that was “begun” was obviously, salvation. Here we are told that that work will be completed. The term “until the day of Christ Jesus” refers to resurrection. Therefore, we are told in this verse that God will complete the work of salvation at resurrection. Note there is no condition attached, and it is not man, but God Who will complete the work.

A STUDY OF THOSE PASSAGES THAT SEEM TO SUGGEST THAT ONE MIGHT LOSE THEIR SALVATION

SALVATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE GOSPELS ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, MARK AND LUKE

Too many Christians begin their study of God’s Word in the middle of the book, i.e. at the New Testament. There are any number of questions that are highly controversial, in part, because we don’t all study the question beginning with the Old Testament. The question before us is one of those.

When the New Testament opens, Christ and His apostles were addressing, for the most part, Israelites. Christ and His apostles understood the mindset of those Israelites, because they understood that their mindset came from the Old Testament, and they addressed their audience with that thinking in mind. We must have the same thinking as did the audience of Christ and His apostles if we are serious about understanding their teachings. The New Testament did not come out of a vacuum, it began as a continuation of the teachings of the Old Testament. So let us look at what the Old Testament has to say about salvation and loss of salvation.

It may surprise some to know that, apart from the types and shadows, there are only five scriptures in the entire Old Testament that speak of salvation. (It is entirely possible that I may have missed one or two, but the point is that there are very few Old Testament scriptures that speak of salvation.) They are: 1) “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). 2) “I know that my Redeemer liveth” (Job 19:25). 3) “The just shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4). 4) Ezekiel chapter 37 which speaks of the resurrection. 5) “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sim is covered. Blessed is the man iunto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity” (Ps. 32:1-2). There are no Old Testament scriptures that allude to the loss of salvation. As we continue, we will discuss some Old Testament scriptures that are thought by some to be about loss of salvation, but, as the reader shall see in the section below, that is pure conjecture.

It is clear that the Old Testament has very little to say about salvation. But the Old Testament has much to say about the blessings of the millennial reign of Christ. That is to say, the emphasis in the Old Testament was not on salvation for the individual, it was on the blessings for the nation of Israel associated with Christ’s reign, which would be a time of tremendous blessings for Israel. It is clear from such passages as Matthew 21:9 that that same emphasis was continued in the early part of the New Testament. That is to say, Matthew, Mark and Luke did not write primarily about salvation or about Christ in His office of Savior. Matthew 21:9 reads, “And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.…”. The title “Son of David” points to Christ as King, not to Christ as Savior. It was Christ as King, not Christ as Savior, that is the emphasis of the the Gospel of Matthew. It is Christ as Servant, not as Savior that Mark emphasizes in his Gospel. And it is Christ in His office of Son of Man, not in His office of Savior that Luke emphasizes in his Gospel. (For the scriptural evidence of those statements please see the paper on this web-site The Kingdom of Heaven.) The first few chapters of the book of Acts also primarily presents Christ as King to Israel.

If we are to understand what the Bible teaches about salvation, we must not depend on that portion of Scriptures of which the primary emphasis is not on salvation.

With that in mind let us now look at the parable of the sower as recorded in Luke 8. We all know that parable, but too many see salvation in this parable and it is simply not there. That is to say, we are not told that those represented by the seed that fell on the wayside, rocks and thorns are those that were saved and then lost that salvation for various reasons. We must not read salvation into every scripture, especially where the context does not support that view. And especially because Luke does not write primarily of Christ as Savior, we must not infer salvation in this parable.

Therefore, because salvation is not implied, the loss of salvation is also not implied in this parable.

INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE SAID TO HAVE LOST THEIR SALVATION

This brings me to a web-site that discusses how certain individuals in the Bible lost their salvation. That web-site address is: www.eternallysecure.com/examples.html. I would like to discuss just a few of these examples.

King Saul is said in this web-site to have lost his salvation. The reference given to prove that he was saved is I Sam. 10:6. The reference given to prove that Saul lost his salvation is I Sam.15:11. Let’s look at those references.

I Sam. 10:6, “And the spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them. and shalt be turned into another man”. Does the fact that the spirit of the Lord coming upon Saul mean that he was saved? No. When the spirit comes upon someone or someone is “filled” with the spirit it is power from the Holy Spirit. In those cases the figure of speech “Metonymy” is used. That figure puts the cause (the Holy Spirit) for the effect (the power from the Holy Spirit). (For the scriptural evidence of that statement please see the paper on this web-site Does The Holy Spirit Live In Us?.) The spirit of the Lord is always given so that the ones to whom it is given may accomplish a specific work in accordance with the will of God. That specific work for which the spirit was given is always described in the context. The power from the Holy Spirit is never given for salvation. That is to say, being filled with power from the Holy Spirit does not save a person. When a person believes in Christ that person receives the gift from the Holy Spirit, i.e. the new nature, but that is not the same as being filled with the power from the Holy Spirit.(Again, the above mentioned paper on the Holy Spirit will prove these statements.) Let us look at just a few examples for proof of that.

In the verse we are considering, Saul was given the spirit of the Lord so that he could prophecy. Salvation is not in view in this context. We are told only that the power from the Holy Spirit ( the figure of speech Metonymy is used) will come upon Saul and that he would prophecy.

Consider also Judges 14:6, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him with power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands”. The spirit of the Lord came upon Samson for the very specific purpose of protecting him from the lion. This does not in any way allude to eternal salvation.

Consider also, Judges 15:14,”….The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax and the bindings dropped from his hands”. The spirit of the Lord came upon Samson so that he could bring down the temple of the heathen. Again, salvation is not in view in this passage.

Numbers 11:17, “I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone”. Moses did not lose his salvation when the spirit of the Lord was taken from him, it was simply given to others in order to share his burden of leadership.Salvation is not in view in this context.

It is clear from these verses that the spirit coming upon someone does not imply salvation. That spirit is given so that the one who receives it may accomplish the specific will of God for which it was given. Therefore, the spirit of the Lord coming upon Saul certainly does not prove that Saul was saved. As for the phrase, “and shalt be turned into another man”: in view of the fact that the spirit coming upon him does not save, it is pure conjecture to assume that Saul becoming “another man” means salvation.

Now let us look at the verse given to prove that Saul lost his salvation, i.e. I Sam. 15:11, “It repenteth Me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following Me, and hath not performed My commandments”. What we are told is that God did not want Saul to be king over Israel any longer. To see a loss of salvation in this verse is again, pure conjecture.

I am not saying that Saul was saved or that he was not saved. I don’t know, because we are not told, if he was or if he wasn’t. What I am saying is that the account of Saul becoming king is not an account of his salvation, it is of his being chosen by God to rule as king over Israel, and that rule was eventually taken from him, period. My point is that we must not see salvation, especially in the Old Testament and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, when salvation is not the message.

The above mentioned web-site also claims that Solomon was saved and lost his salvation. The verse given to prove that Solomon was saved is I Chron. 22:10, “He shall build an house for My Name; and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever”. This verse says absolutely nothing about Solomon being saved. It speaks only of his building the temple of God.

The verse given to prove that Solomon lost his salvation is I Kings 11:4, “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father”. It is, of course, highly regrettable that the man responsible for building the temple of God had turned away to other gods. But there is nothing in this verse that implies that Solomon lost his salvation. Once again, to say so is pure conjecture.

The author of the web-site also suggests I Kings 11:9 and I Chron. 28:9 as the proof that Solomon lost his salvation. I Kings 11:9 tells us that “the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord…..”. But this does not say that God took away his salvation. I Chron. 28:9 reads, in part, “if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever”. The Hebrew word translated “cast off” is “nagh”. It is used by David in reference to himself in any number of Psalms including Ps. 43:2, 44:9, 60:1, etc. One example should suffice to prove that “cast off” does not mean loss of salvation., “Ps. 43:2, “why dost Thou cast me off”. If one says that “cast off”, as applied to Solomon means loss of salvation, one must say the same of David. Given that David is spoken of as reigning as Christ’s regent in the millennium, that is quite impossible. (For proof of the statement that David will reign as Christ’s regent please see the paper on this web-site, Will David Reign As Christ’s Regent On The Millennial Throne?

So the Old Testament does not tell us that Solomon was saved, and it does not tell us that he lost his salvation. Again, my point is not that Solomon was not saved, we are not told if he was. My point is that much of the so-called proof that one can lose his salvation, especially in the Old Testament, which does not have salvation as its primary message, is pure conjecture.

It is often said by those who believe that one can lose their salvation that Judas lost his salvation, therefore that proves it is possible for anyone to lose their salvation. But as we read in John 6:64, Judas was never a believer, and therefore was never saved. “‘But there are some of you that believe not‘. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him.”.

I will not discuss any more of the individuals who are spoken of in the web-site mentioned. I hope that the reader will be able to see for himself/herself that the scriptures given on that web-site to prove that one is saved and then lost that salvation is pure conjecture.

PASSAGES TAKEN OUT OF THEIR DISPENSATIONAL CONTEXTS

The book of Hebrews falls under the same category as the Old Testament and the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark and Luke. That is to say, Hebrews, like the Old Testament, is not primarily about salvation. The emphasis in those portions of Hebrews that are put forth as proof that one can lose his/her salvation are about the blessings that will be enjoyed by those in the Land of Israel during the millennial reign of Christ. They are not about salvation. Those outside the Land will not enjoy those blessings.( For the scriptural evidence of that statement please see the paper on the web-site, The Kingdom of Heaven.) We must, therefore, not assume the salvation message where salvation is not the primary subject.

Heb. 6:4-8, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame. ………..But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned“.

The very first and most obvious fact to note is that this passage appears in the book written to the Hebrews. We have already discussed the fact that Hebrews, like the Old Testament, is not primarily concerned with salvation, but with millennial blessings, so we will move on.

The next thing we must note is the reference to repentance in verse 6. As the paper on this web-site (see Repent! Is Not A Message For The Dispensation of The Mystery) will prove from scripture, repentance was never for salvation, it was for earthly blessings, and in the Acts period (during which Hebrews was written) the blessing that was promised was entrance into the Land of Israel for the millennial blessings.

It is not coincidental that the writer of Hebrews says in verse 8 says, “that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing“. What is the curse that is alluded to in this verse? Is the lose of salvation ever referred to as a curse? It is not, mostly because there is no loss of salvation. What is referred to as a curse is the loss of the right of entrance into the Land. Ps. 37:22, “For such as be blessed of Him, shall inherit the earth ( Hebrew is eretz” and should be “Land”); and they that be cursed of Him shall be cut off“. Verse 9 explains what it means to be “cut off”. “For evildoers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth (again it is “eretz” and should be translated “land”, Land of Israel)“. And verses 28-29, “…..For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever”. What we learn from these passages is that to be blessed is to inherit the Land during the millennium, and to be cursed is to be denied entrance into the Land for millennial blessings.

How are to understand the phrase, “whose end it is to be burned”? For that, we must turn to Matthew 13:41-43, “The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity: And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and wailing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father……..”. I believe a few words of clarification are called for.

1) The phrase “furnace of fire” does not mean the traditional view of hell. It is in reference to the countries outside the Land which will not enjoy the blessings that the righteous in the Land will enjoy. (For the scriptural proof of that statement please see the paper on this web-site, The Kingdom of Heaven.) 2) This passage in Matthew speaks of the gathering and the subsequent judgment of Israel at His coming. This judgment is described in Ezek. 20:34-40. It describes the gathering of the dispersed of Israel (verse 34), their judgment (verse 35) and the fact that some will not be allowed entrance into the Land (verse38). (The reader is encouraged to read that section for himself/herself.)

The passage quoted in Heb. 6 is not about a saved person losing their salvation. It is about the judgment of Israel at the second coming of our Lord for entrance into the Land of Israel for millennial blessings.

Heb. 10:26-31, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy , who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted, the blood of the covenant, wherewith He was sanctified, and unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace? For we know Him that hath said, ‘Vengeance belongeth to Me, I will recompense’, saith the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord shall judge His people‘. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”.

The phrase, “fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation” has led many to conclude that hell is in the mind of the writer. Let me say first that the traditional view of hell is unscriptural, and therefore does not enter into the interpretation of this passage. Please see the paper, A Study Of Hell on this web-site for the scriptural evidence of that statement.

Next, let us consider the phrase, “fiery indignation”. The note on this phrase in the Companion Bible reads, “= jealousy, or fervour of fire. A Hebraism. See Ps. 79:5, Ezek. 36:5, 38:19, Zeph. 1:18, Cp. Deut. 29:20”. Let us look at just a few of these verses.

Ps. 79:5, “How long, Lord? wilt Thou be angry for ever? Shall Thy jealousy burn like fire?

Ezek. 36:5, “…..Surely in the fire of My jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen….”.

Ezek. 38:19, “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken….”.

This phrase then has nothing to do with hell, or with loss of salvation. The burning fire is a figure of speech used to enhance the picture of God’s anger. As we shall see in the paragraphs below, just as the Old Testament scriptures which speak of God’s fiery jealousy are directed towards those who are alive at His coming, so too is the judgment of Heb. 10 meant for those who are alive at His coming.

What is the “judgment” spoken of in Heb. 10? There is no evidence of judgment having to do with salvation in this context. So what is this judgment. Heb. 9:27 speaks of a judgment “that is appointed unto men”. Bearing in mind that this is a judgment that is not unto loss of salvation, and that it is spoken of in Hebrews, let us search the scriptures for the answer to that question: what is the judgment of Heb. 10:27 and 9:27?

Heb. 9:27-28, “Even as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many: and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin, unto salvation”. On the surface this verse does indeed seem to suggest that there will be a judgment after death. But if we look only at the surface there are several difficulties with this verse. First of all, as Paul makes very clear in I Cor. 15:51-53, “we shall not all sleep”, i.e. Not all will die. Secondly, with the exception of the unbelievers of the tribulation, there are no Scriptures that say that the unbeliever will be raised for judgment. In fact, we are told just the opposite, i.e. “They will not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep ” (Job 14:12). (Please see the paper on this web-site Will Unbelievers Be Raised For Judgment? for proof of the fact that, except for the unbeliever of the tribulation, unbelievers will not be raised for judgment.) How are we to understand this passage in Hebrews 9?

In order to correctly understand this passage we must understand which judgment the writer of Hebrews had in mind in verse 27. A structure of verses 27-28 will give us that judgment.
A. men will die once B. the judgment

A1 Christ was offered once for sins

B1 the second coming

I believe that items B. (the judgment) and B 1 (the second coming) of this structure will show that the judgment referred to in verse 27 is the judgment at His second coming. That judgment is the judgment of Israel. That judgment is described in, among other scriptures, Ezekiel 20:37-38, “And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn and they shall not entrance into the land of Israel…”. There is no resurrection associated with that judgment, it is a judgment of those who will be gathered from out of the nations.

The judgment of Heb. 9 and 10 is the judgment of Israel who are alive at His second coming as to whether they will be allowed entrance into the Land of Israel for millennial blessings. It is a not a judgment of whether believers will lose their salvation. It is a judgment of who will be worthy to enter the Land for millennial blessings.

NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES THAT REFER TO UNBELIEVERS

II Thess. 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition”. The “man of sin” is, of course, the antichrist. The argument is that those who are deceived into following the antichrist are believers, and because they follow Satan, who controls the antichrist, they will lose their salvation. But who are those that will be deceived? Verse 10, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that parish because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved“. Those that are deceived had never been saved. The phrase, “them that parish” is defined in the Companion Bible as, “the perishing. See the same phrase in I Cor. 1:18, II Cor. 2:15 and 4:3”. Let us look at those passages.

I Cor. 1:18, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness…”. Here it is clear that them that are perishing are the unsaved.

II Cor. 2:15, “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved and in them that perish“. Here again, it is clear that Paul is referring to them that are perishing as the unsaved .

II Cor. 4:3, “For if our gospel be hid it is to them that are lost”. The phrase, “them that are lost” is the same in the Greek as in the other verses quoted, and refers obviously, to them that are perishing, i.e. the unsaved.

II Thess. 2:3 therefore speaks of the unsaved who will be deceived by the antichrist, not the saved who will lose their salvation.

Gal. 5:21 is another verse that is purported to teach that one can lose his/her salvation. , “…..they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”. There is nothing in the context to suggest that “they which do such things” are believers. To say that those which “do such things” are believers is pure conjecture. Therefore, this verse does not suggest that believers will lose their salvation and will not inherit the kingdom of God. It does say that some will not inherit the kingdom of God. It is more reasonable to assume (and assume we must, because we are not specifically told) that those that do such things are unbelievers.

Heb. 3:11-12 is another verse which is sometimes quoted as proof that one can lose their salvation. It reads, “So I sware in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter into My rest’; Take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God”. The fact that the warning is addressed to some who may have “unbelief” proves that it is not the believer that is in danger, it is the unbeliever.

II Peter 2:20-21, “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them“.

To whom does Peter refer by the pronouns “they” and “them”? For the answer to that question we must go all the way back to verse 9 where we read, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished”. Note the contrast between the “godly” who will be delivered out of temptations, and the “unjust” who will be reserved unto judgment. Let us see if there is a thread that will lead from the unjust of verse 9 to the “they” and “them” of verses 20 and 21.

Verse 10, “But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness….Presumptious are they…”.”. The “them” and the “they” here refers back to the unjust of verse 9.

Verse 12, “But these ….”. The “these” refer back to the unjust of verse 9.

Verse 13, “….as they count it pleasure to riot”. Here again, “they” refers back to the unjust of verse 9.

Verses 13-16 describe those spoken of in the pervious verses. Then in verse 17 we read of “These are wells without water. Again, “these” are the unjust of verse 9.

Verse 18, “For when they speak great swelling words”. Here too, the “they” refers back to the unjust of verse 9.

And verse 19 speaks of “they themselves are the servants of corruption”. Once again “they” refers to the unjust of verse 9.

We have followed the thread from verse 9 to verses 20-21 and have seen that those for whom “the latter end is worse with them than the beginning” are the unjust, i.e. the unsaved, not the saved.

PASSAGES THAT SPEAK OF LOSS OF REWARDS, NOT LOSS OF SALVATION

I Cor. 3:17, “If any man defile the Temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the Temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” Let us consider the context. Verses 14-15, “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward”. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire”. It is clear that verse 17 is in the context of rewards. But how are we to understand the phrase “him shall God destroy”?

The Greek word translated “destroy” is “phthiro”. It is used nine times in the New Testament, and is translated “corrupt” in all but the the two occurrences in I Cor. 3:17 where it is translated”defile” and “destroy”. If, for the sake of consistency we translate the word in I Cor. 3 the same as it had been translated in every other occurrence it would read, “If any man corrupt the Temple of God, him shall God corrupt“. Given that this verse comes in the context of rewards, I believe that is a better translation. And given that we are quite specifically told that “he (whose work shall be burned) himself shall be saved”, we must conclude that I Cor. 3:17 does not speak of a man losing his salvation, it speaks of him losing his rewards.

I Tim. 4:15-16, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee“. Let us consider the Greek word translated in verse 15, “profiting”. The Greek word is, “prokopee” and it is used three times in the New Testament. Phil. 1:12, “unto the furtherance of the gospel”. Phil. 1:25, ” for your furtherance and joy of faith”. And lastly, in I Tim. 4:15. So the meaning is “furtherance”. The NIV translation of verse 15 is, “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them so that everyone may see your progress“. Progress towards what? Salvation is not a matter of progress, it is a matter of accepting Christ, which Timothy had already done. What is a matter of progress is the life that leads to rewards. Because Timothy’s salvation (as is everyone’s) based on the acceptance of Christ by faith, and not a question of progress, I believe that this passage is speaking of progress toward rewards in resurrection life.

I Tim. 5:24-25, “Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid”. Is this a judgment of the believer for salvation? I believe that the fact that verse 25 speaks of “the good works of some” points to a judgment of rewards. Good works has nothing to do with salvation, but it does have to do with rewards. So when the believer is judged for what rewards he may or may not receive, his sins and his good works will be considered.

II Tim. 2:11-13, “It is a faithful saying saying:’For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself“. What does it mean that He cannot deny Himself? Believers of the dispensation of the mystery, to whom this epistle is written, are referred to as “the church which is His body“. Because He cannot deny Himself, He cannot deny those believers that make up His “body“. But there seems to be a contradiction in this passage. On the one hand we read that “if we deny Him, He also will deny us”. But on the other hand we read that “He cannot deny Himself“.

What does it mean when we read, “if we deny Him, He also will deny us”? That He will deny us comes in verse 12. Let’s look at the entire verse. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us”. Suffering does not produce salvation. But if we endure suffering in faith we will receive rewards. But if, in our suffering, we deny Him, He will deny us the rewards of a faithful life.

Therefore, I believe that if we do not continue in faith He will deny us rewards. But He cannot deny Himself. That is to say, .He cannot deny salvation to the members of the church which make up His body.

If we do not see the denial in terms of rewards, we have a contradiction with the verse in this same context that tells us that “He cannot deny Himself”.

PASSAGES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH LOSS OF TEMPORAL LIVES, NOT ETERNAL LIVES

Luke 13:3-4, “I tell you, ‘Nay’; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Of those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem”? This passage is speaking of those who died in accidents and warning of lose of temporal lives. This passage is not speaking of losing salvation. Therefore, it has nothing to say about salvation or lose of salvation.

James 1:14-15, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed; then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin; when it is finished, bringeth forth death“. The phrase “and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death” is not a new thought. Paul expressed the same thought in Romans 6:20-21, “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death”. It is clear that neither of these passages has to do with loss of salvation. The only difference is that Paul makes it more clear that it has to do with the loss of temporal life.

“IF” PASSAGES

Col. 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God”. The word “if” gives the impression that perhaps not all believers are risen with Christ. But we read of the word “if” of Col. 3:1 in the Companion Bible Appendix 118, 2 a, “Followed by the Indicative Mood, the hypothesis is assumed as an actual fact, the condition being unfulfilled, but no doubt being thrown upon the supposition”.

CONCLUSION

For the most part, I have chosen the passages used by those who do believe that one can lose their salvation. If I have missed some that the reader feels is compelling I would appreciate knowing of them.

This paper is written by Joyce Pollard. If you would like to respond to this paper, please e-mail at: [email protected]