Can a Christian Lose His or Her Salvation?
by Greg Johnson
One major debate within Christian circles is the question of whether or not a Christian can lose his or her salvation. Arminians argue that true believers can sin so much that they lose their faith and perish. Some Christians respond by arguing that once a person professes faith in Jesus, he is eternally secure in his salvation and—even if he commits complete apostasy ("falls away") and vocally rejects Jesus Christ—will still go to heaven, for "once saved, always saved." In light of the biblical doctrine of predestination, how should we understand the security we have under God's care? There have been three main approaches to the question:
1. Classic Arminianism
• One must persevere in faith to be saved.
• True believers can lose their faith.
• Those dying without faith in Christ are condemned.
"The believer who loses his faith is damned."
2. Antinomianism
• One need not persevere in faith to be saved.
• True believers can lose their faith.
• Those who lose their faith are saved, since they once believed.
"The believer who loses his faith is saved."
3. Classic Calvinism
• One must persevere in faith to be saved.
• True believers cannot lose their faith, since it's God's gift.
• Those dying without faith in Christ are condemned.
• Those who "lose" their faith never had it to begin with.
• God will preserve true believers and they will be saved.
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The Prophet confirms the truth in the preceding verse, when he said that there would be a wholly different lot to the Jews, as they would in every way be blessed. He shows the cause of the change; for God would begin to favor them, who had been before displeased with them. We indeed know that the Holy Spirit everywhere calls men before God’s tribunal, that they may know that no adversity happens to them, except through their sins. So also in this place Zechariah reminds us, that God had been angry with the Jews, because they had provoked his wrath. But now a promise is added, that God had turned; not that he had changed his mind, but he meant to show that he was pacified. (88) We indeed know that we are to judge of God’s love or hatred to us by outward things; for when God treats us severely, manifest tokens of his wrath appear; but when he deals kindly with us, then the fruit of reconciliation seems evident. According to this view does he now say, that God was of another mind than formerly towards the Jews; for he designed to show them kindness, having before sharply and severely chastised them. But we must more particularly consider each part.
Both Muslim and militant Secular fundamentalists are quite alike. They both seek a monopoly on power and wield this power through the worship of an "us vs. them" political deity which will use just about any means, including demolishing their opponents, to accomplish their political ends. Both marginalize their rivals: one uses the tactics of fear in mass media by demonizing their opponents, relegating them to a outer margins of society through the endless repeating of the mantra that those who do not think like them belong to the untouchable status of a bigoted hate group; the other through forced conversions or death. Both groups are ultra-violent and genocidal: one toward those who do not convert; the other to those who are an inconvenience. Both are enemies of free speech: The secularist originally championed free speech but now that they have gained power the first amendment has started to become a liability to them. Political Islam believes outward submission is all that matters so as long as no one freely speaks about their actual thoughts and feelings then all is well. Both fine or tax groups that disagree with their agenda (Jizya). Militant Secularism sings "Imagine no religion" while seeking to privilege its atheistic values, as in Communist states. Islam sings "Imagine a worldwide caliphate." Hmm, Not that different after all. The biggest difference between these groups, I would argue, is that Fundamentalist Islam does not really conceal their true intentions. It is right there in their historic doctrine and early practices. But Secularism is a bit less transparent. It pretends to be tolerant and believe in freedom of conscience, all the while ultimately having similar totalitarian tendencies.
This Thanksgiving, YOU are not going to convince your relatives and friends of the truth of the gospel. You can present evidence or argue with them till you are blue in the face, and they are not going to budge. At least you cannot win them over by argument alone. Remember, the reason people do not change their minds about what they believe is because their affections control their reasoning, their motivations, their presuppositions and their intuitions (John 3:19-20; Rom 1:18-21). Affections shape and bias the way we all process information and so people tend to rationalize on behalf of outcomes they want to see. People are skeptical of, and hardened toward, information they don't want to believe and have deep motivations to protect information they do want to believe. So evidence, by itself, is a really bad way to try to convince someone of the gospel. But join your evidence and the gospel with your persistent heartfelt prayers for your friends and family and God may show up and surprise you. The seeds you plant and water may be germinated by the Spirit. So do not stop reasoning and persuading, but remember that understanding the gospel is a supernatural event where God changes hearts of stone to flesh (Ezek 36:26; ! Cor 3:7; 12:3; 1 Thess 1:4, 5) so continue to look up in prayer for God's help as you lovingly communicate the only truth which can deliver them from their captivity, of which we all once were a part.
by John Calvin
by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones
When the apostle Paul went into the city of Ephesus, through his witness, a significant number of idolaters there, by the grace of God, had a change of heart and become Christians. (Acts 19:11-20) Because this threatened the livelihood of most of the silversmiths (who made idols) they began spreading the word that there was a danger that "the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing." (Acts 11:27) A good number of people were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” So the city was filled with the confusion.." (Acts 11:29-30) Such confusion that most of those who gathered did not know why they had come together and there was practically a riot.