A: There are mainly two opposing schools of theology on this. Both sides ignore certain scriptures that refute their views, and both take extreme views. The truth lies somewhere between the two poles.
One group says, once saved always saved, meaning that no matter what, it is impossible to lose salvation once one believes. All sorts of human examples are given to under-gird this doctrine--many more of these than actual scripture. This group usually deals with the issue of habitual sin by saying the sinner must never have been saved in the first place.
One group says, once saved always saved, meaning that no matter what, it is impossible to lose salvation once one believes. All sorts of human examples are given to under-gird this doctrine--many more of these than actual scripture. This group usually deals with the issue of habitual sin by saying the sinner must never have been saved in the first place.
The apostle, John, did write that true Christians cannot practice sin without conviction of wrong-doing (that is what he meant by saying a true believer cannot sin). Paul wrote that some would depart from the faith and that their consciences are seared. This can only mean that, at first, the believer was convicted of their sin but ignored the conviction, to the point where their conscience became hardened, and they become comfortable in their sinful choices. Based on these and other scriptures, we believe that taking the position that habitual sinners never got saved to begin with, is a cop out.
It is true that some professing believers were likely never saved to begin with. But those who teach that all habitual sinners were never saved to begin with take the theological path of least resistance. It is simply easier to say that a professing Christian was never saved in the first place than to deal biblically with the reality of habitual sin in professing believers' lives.
This first group either ignores all scripture that speaks to continuing in the faith, departing from the faith, and falling away, or they simply write it off as, "They were never saved in the first place."
The other group takes the extreme opposite view. They accept that professing Christians who practice sin really did get saved. Their position is, that some get saved and then fall back into sins that bedeviled them before they got saved. When that happens, this group teaches that if one slides back into sin after coming to Christ, they lose their salvation--immediately. They're going to hell right along with unbelievers. They come to this conclusion by misappropriating Jesus' words in Luke 12:46. But, they say, if the believer repents and give up the sin, they are immediately renewed back into salvation.
Both sides completely ignore Hebrews 10:26.
The latter group teaches that if they continue in the faith, they will "make it" into Heaven. They never walk in blessed assurance.
This is called "Yo-Yo" Salvation. Lost it--got it back--lost it--got it back.--lost it--got it back...
The scriptures teach neither Eternal Security nor Yo-Yo Salvation. But it does teach both Assurance and Continuing in the faith. These are not oxymoronic [contradictory] to one another when the scriptures are taken as a whole and when we understand the difference between backsliding and falling away. The one there is a remedy for. The other is terminal.
It is impossible to go into as much detail as we would like in one short article, so we will focus mainly on what James had to say about the subject of sin, backsliding, and falling away, and comparing it with what the writer of Hebrews had to say on the same subject.
It is impossible to go into as much detail as we would like in one short article, so we will focus mainly on what James had to say about the subject of sin, backsliding, and falling away, and comparing it with what the writer of Hebrews had to say on the same subject.
The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews teaches that if a Christian "falls away," renewal back into repentance is impossible (Hebrews 6:4-6). Wow. If one ever falls away, right standing with God can never be regained. Why? Because there are no more sacrifices left. Jesus cannot be crucified again. That is why it is a fearful thing to insult the Spirit of Grace by trampling underfoot the Son of God and counting the Blood of the Covenant that made us clean in the first place, an unholy thing.
So where does that leave Christians who sin? For scripture assures that we will all certainly sin after we are saved.
New life in Christ, does not translate into lives completely free of sin. First of all, we need to believe the scriptures that there is only one sin that can cost us eternal life, and that is the sin of rejecting Jesus. All other sins committed after one is saved, can be repented of and forgiven (1 John 1:9). John wrote that if anyone says they are without sin, they are liars. So, does that give Christians a license to sin?
Absolutely not! But no one [except God] can say when that awful line might be crossed from backsliding to falling away, so it is important not to rush to judgement. Jesus said, "Condemn not that you be not condemned."
Rather, we should always be ready, with love and humility, to reach out to believers ensnared and entrapped by sins that easily beset them. We all have them, but sadly, the tendency is to focus on the more obvious sins--the unacceptable ones everyone can see, ones that produce social stigma--then write the sinner off as never having been saved to begin with, or, say that now they have lost their salvation and will go to hell if they don't get right.
We conveniently forget that some of the worst sins hide in the privacy of our homes where no one tells, in interactions with digital devices, or sinful attitudes towards others in our hearts and minds. These can leave little to no obvious footprint to the outside world. Offenders in such matters often present social appearances that are quite acceptable. But for the most part, both schools of theology conveniently ignore sins that are largely invisible to those who only see the "outside of the cup."
It is important to understand that neither belief nor unbelief are mere intellectual acknowledgements. Every devil/fallen angel--even Satan himself--believes in and acknowledges the existence of the incarnation, the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible says they live in abject terror because of this.
There are no unbelieving devils...and yet they are not saved.
We can learn from the experience of the fallen ones, who even though they believed, fell because of unbelief...which was expressed in their choices. Choices which changed their way of thinking so radically that they finally fell into irreversible condemnation. Granted, that was before the Cross, but New Testament scripture says the same thing can happen to Christians.
James gave us clear warning against the danger of sin (James 1:13-15). In this passage, the brother of Jesus, uses the analogy of conception, pregnancy, and childbirth to reveal the enemy's methodical plan for sending Christians into a downward spiral away from God [backsliding], that if not arrested can lead to "falling away," complete and eternal separation from God, by searing (hardening) the conscience.
First, according to James, we are drawn away by our own lusts and enticed. God will never tempt us with sin (death). Rather, Satan tempts us with things that attract us (sins that easily beset us).
When he succeeds in this, when we are drawn away and enticed, our own lust conceives (becomes pregnant with sin and death). At this point, it is still possible to abort (confess and forsake).
Choose to abort sin and death, now. Because James goes on to say that if we don't, then life will be aborted. And he is not just speaking of this physical body. He is speaking of eternal life. James is speaking to Christians in this passage. We know this because he concludes by saying, "Do not be deceived my beloved brethren.
If the "pregnancy" (the gestation of sin and death) is allowed to come to term and bring forth that which it conceived, James says it will give birth to "death"--the very death described so graphically in Hebrews 10:26-29.
When this happens, the "falling away" occurs. Backsliding can be temporary, but falling away is irreversible and permanent. It involves a conscious rejection of Jesus Christ, after having known him and the awesome powers of the age to come. Hebrews chapter 10 says this is a fearful thing.
Do Christians lose their salvation every time they sin? No. There is no need to be afraid that we may not "make it." The Bible says we have assurance. If we have the Son, we have life. And if we say we have no sins, we are liars, and the truth is not in us. The Bible says if we confess our sins, we have an advocate with the Father who is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we were sinless, there would be no need of a savior.
But take care not to fall into the deadly downward spiral described by James. Heed the warning in Hebrews. For the Bible also says that after we are saved, if we continue in the same sins we participated in before we came to know Christ, that our consciences can become so hardened that we are no longer convicted of them.
Backsliding can be repented of. That means agreeing with God about the
sin in our lives and hearts, while walking away from those sins and fully embracing
life and liberty (liberty to do good and not evil) in Christ.
Turn to Jesus, our advocate with the Father. Confess and forsake known sins. When we do that, John wrote that he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all [even as yet unknown] unrighteousness.
To continue in the faith, we must walk in the light as our Savior is in the Light, but we do not have to be afraid of not "making it." It is impossible for true believers to practice sin without the conviction of the Holy Spirit. That is our protection...if we will but heed the warnings and turn from the sin. If not, the scriptures are clear that the downward slope becomes ever steeper and slipperier. A point of no return is possible.
The same apostle also wrote, "And this is the record that God has given to us eternal life and they that have the Son have life They that have not the Son have not life...These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may KNOW that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.
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