Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?
That is an important and sobering question; Jesus Himself gives us the answer.“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” – Matthew 7:21–23
This is of utmost importance: As believers, we must give careful attention to what Jesus Christ declared. Jesus said that only those who “Do” the Father’s Will are saved. Many modern Christians are taught that once a person is “saved,” their salvation is eternally secure, no matter how they live afterward. Yet when we turn to the words of Jesus Christ Himself, we find a very different picture.
Jesus exposes the vast difference between merely claiming Him and actually belonging to Him. One is external and temporary; the other is internal, living, and transformative. In doing so, He confronts the dangerous illusion that confession without surrender is enough.
Here Jesus makes a startling distinction between profession and possession of faith. Many will call Him Lord, yet He will say, “I never knew you.” Why? Because they did not do the Father’s will. Their words and religious activity (“we have prophesied… cast out devils… done many works”) were not enough.
This directly confronts the distorted doctrines of false preachers who claim that salvation is a one-time event disconnected from obedience. Jesus ties entering the Kingdom to doing God’s will continually, not simply believing once in the past.
Listen, give careful attention to the warning that Jesus Christ issued in the Gospel of John. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:6.
It is of utmost importance to understand that Jesus was speaking directly to His own company of believers in the upper room, men who had walked with Him, heard His words, and would soon be entrusted with carrying His message to the world. His words were not spoken to the crowds at large, nor to the unbelieving multitudes, but to those who had already left all to follow Him.