Can I Lose My Salvation?

Can You Lose Your Salvation?

There are three schools of thought when it comes to losing one’s salvation: once saved, always saved; salvation can be lost due to sin; and predestination (the idea that everyone’s fate is predetermined regardless of how they live). All three positions can point to Scripture. Today, we’ll aim to settle this—at least in the hearts and minds of those reading. I don’t have a doctorate in divinity, nor can I fit every relevant passage into one post; however, I pray the information I present is clear and useful. Let’s begin by examining each case.

1) Once Saved, Always Saved (OSAS)

Claim: Once you have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, you are saved forever.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16

This is one of the strongest verses used to support OSAS because these are Jesus’ own words. It appears He is saying, If you believe in Me, you will not perish. “Perish” is commonly understood as spiritual death or hell. By that reasoning, if a person does not perish, they must live eternally with God. This line of reasoning aligns somewhat with the predestination view but conflicts with those who believe salvation can be lost due to sin. For that group, consider:

“So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” — Matthew 5:19

Some OSAS believers feel Matthew 5:19 addresses the question of losing salvation due to sin. They read it to mean a person could ignore God’s commands and still be in the Kingdom—albeit called “least.” Many would say, “Titles don’t matter as long as I make it in.”

2) Salvation Can Be Lost Due to Sin

Those who believe salvation can be lost respond with a series of Scriptures they see as teaching the opposite. For instance:

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act… Every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” — Matthew 7:15–20

They argue that “false prophets” includes those who teach “once saved, always saved,” and that verse 19 clearly indicates those who fail to produce good fruit will be “chopped down” (cut off) and “thrown into the fire” (hell). Matthew continues:

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” — Matthew 7:21–23

Verses 21–23 can be read as describing people who claimed allegiance to Christ yet were denied entrance because of disobedience. The complication for this view is the phrase “I never knew you.” It suggests these people were never truly His in the first place.

3) Predestination

For clarity here, “predestinationists” believe that God, who knows all things, also knows who will live righteously, and in His foreknowledge chooses to save those who will persevere in holiness. Thus, when Jesus says, “I never knew you,” it means He never truly saved them to begin with. The key support comes from Paul:

“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.” — Romans 8:29–30

The predestination argument often hinges on how these verses are understood:

v.29: God foreknew (knew intimately) those who would be conformed to Christ and predestined them.

v.30: Those He predestined He called; those He called He justified; those He justified He glorified.

Pulling the Threads Together

There are additional factors to consider, especially Jesus’ words in John 14:

“Very truly I tell you, anyone who believes in me will do the works I have been doing…” — John 14:12

“If you love me, obey my commandments.” — John 14:15

“All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.” — John 14:23

These statements imply that genuine belief produces Christlike work, and love for Jesus produces obedience. Some understand John 14:23 to mean that those who love and obey Jesus will experience the presence of the Father and the Son in a unique, abiding way (distinct from, though related to, the Holy Spirit’s indwelling).

In the end, all three views have a scriptural basis and should be reviewed, cross-referenced with Scripture, and prayed over. What is clear is that God desires us to believe and to live in accordance with that belief. This doesn’t mean we will never fail, but it does mean we should not live in willful, ongoing disobedience. To live as if we cannot be lost simply because we once professed faith may be presumptuous. Jesus Himself would not test God (Luke 4:12; Deuteronomy 6:16). Whether or not God has predetermined each person’s eternal destiny is ultimately less consequential to our daily walk than the fact that God stands outside of time and knows the end from the beginning. We do not. That unknowing should motivate us to “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12) every day.

Final Thoughts

Let’s not live as close to sin as possible, hoping to squeak across the finish line. Instead, let’s live as close to righteousness as we can, reaching upward toward the crown of glory. Jesus says to enter through the narrow gate—so let’s not become so fat on the pleasures of life that, when we reach that narrow gate, we no longer fit.