Our Souls Depend On Living Faithfully

From: TFTW Bible Collge

In fact, the Bible makes it very clear that once you start following Christ, it is up to you to continue to follow Christ. Let’s look at some ways Paul’s writings in the Bible show us that you can “fall from grace,” or lose your salvation. Paul wrote to Christians in Corinth and said, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12) Paul also wrote, “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.” (2 Timothy 4:10) To “forsake” means to leave something behind on purpose. Apparently, Demas was working with Paul. “Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.” (Philemon 1:24) But, using his own free will, Demas decided to leave the work of Christianity behind and did it on purpose. Paul explains the reason as the fact that Demas “loved this present world.” Demas forgot about the better life to come in Heaven and chose to indulge in this world. 

Peter also shows us in his writings that you can lose your salvation. Peter wrote, “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. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:20-22) Note that Peter makes it clear that people had escaped the world through Jesus, but then became entangled again in the world. If they had escaped the world through Jesus, then they had been saved. That’s what “being saved” means. But now, they have decided, like Demas, to go back into the world. He paints a disgusting picture of a dog going back to lick up his own vomit again to describe the disgusting picture of people who had escaped the world and sin but then decided to dive back into it. Peter even says that the state that they are in now is worse than when they were lost originally. They had salvation in their hands and they let it slip away. Their punishment now may be greater than if they had never obeyed the steps to salvation. Why? Because they had accepted the blood of Jesus on their behalf to be saved, and then they took it and trampled it underfoot. 

“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, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29) Notice that the Hebrews writer says that the person was “sanctified,” or cleansed. But now, they have rejected the blood of the sacrifice of Jesus and counted it as “unholy.” Basically, God died for them, they accepted the sacrifice on their behalf, and then they turned around and threw the sacrifice and love of God back in His face, and called it “unholy.” What a dreadful mistake!

These passages make it clear that humans who have been saved can still make the poor decision to go back into the world and reject the gracious gift of salvation that God offers. The same free will that caused them to sin in the first place, is the same free will that causes them to forsake their salvation.