More impossible ways to lose your salvation

The title of this post is an oxymoron (a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction) on purpose. All the following impossible things would have to happen for you to lose your salvation. None of these things can happen. There is no “unsecurity” of the believer. Therefore, you can be confident your salvation is secure. If you are being threatened by the false doctrine that you can lose your salvation, study these scriptures.

Saved never becomes unsaved – There is no recorded account in the Bible of anyone who is positively declared to have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of their soul who is ever said to be unsaved. (Acts 16)

Washed in the blood never becomes unwashed – Jesus Christ has cleansed believers from all unrighteousness by washing them in his own blood. You can never become unwashed. (Isaiah 1:18; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 7:14; Revelation 22:14)

Imperishable incorruptible seed never perishes or gets corrupted – For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23 NIV) Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. (1 Peter 1:23 NLT)

The Living Water never runs dry – Jesus told the woman at the well whoever drinks of the water of life will never thirst again. That water will become a well of water springing up within them. It can never dry out. (John 4) Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38 cf. Numbers 20:11; Deuteronomy 8:15; Psalm 114:8)

The Bread of Life never grows stale – Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (John 6:35) — Jesus never loses his efficacy (the power to produce a desired effect) so you will be satiated with eternal life forever.

Penalty of sins can’t become unpaid – When you were saved, the penalty of all your sins was paid by Lord Jesus Christ, in his death, burial, and resurrection. There is no way you can undo that event. There is no such thing as undeath and unburial for sins. (Hebrews 9)

Adopted children can’t be unadopted – The Bible talks about our salvation as an adoption by God the Father into his family. But, there is not one single verse in the Bible that remotely hints that adoption can be undone. (Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:5; Romans 8:15)

Baptized believers can’t become unbaptized – If you have been buried with Jesus Christ by baptism into death and have been raised up from the dead with Jesus Christ as a new creation (Romans 6), there is no such thing as unbaptism back into death.

Crossed over from death to life can’t cross back – There is no scripture in the Bible that says you can return to spiritual death again once you’ve crossed over from being dead in sins to spiritual life in Jesus Christ. (John 5)

A new creation can’t be un-created – When you are saved, you were joined with the Lord Jesus Christ and participated in his resurrection to new life. That new life that you have with the Lord Jesus Christ never ends. (Galatians 6)

The old nature has died and can’t be revived – When you were saved, your old nature was crucified with Christ. It would be even more of a miracle if that old nature, which was dead in sins and trespasses could be resurrected back to life so you could lose your salvation. (2 Corinthians 5)

Christ in you never leaves you or forsakes you – Why would he? You were dead in sins and trespasses when he came. How could you ever be any worse than that? (Romans 8; Colossians 1)

Nobody can pluck you out of Christ’s hand – If God is strong enough to keep you from being plucked out of his hands by anybody, it’s just stupid to think you can jump out of his hands. You are somebody and you aren’t strong enough. (John 10)

The guarantee of the Holy Spirit never expires – When you were saved, you were given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of the promise of eternal life. It wouldn’t be much of a guarantee or a promise if it could be revoked. (2 Corinthians 5)

Name cannot be unsealed from the book of life – There is a book kept in heaven of all those that Jesus Christ knows are his (2 Timothy 2:19). Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, your name cannot be blotted out of that book (Ephesians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Revelation 3:5)

Sheep never become goats – When you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior shepherd, you became a sheep of his flock, and no matter how you wander, you can never change from being a blessed sheep to becoming a scorned goat. (John 10)

Gold never becomes dross – Once you have been purified by the power of God, and you have been changed to be like you never sinned, and sin does not have any more power over you, there is no way your purified nature can turn back into dross. (Romans 6; 1 Peter 1)

New heart never turned back to stone – Once Jesus Christ takes away the stony heart out of your flesh and replaces it with a new spirit and a new heart of flesh, your new nature will never reject the transplant and Jesus Christ will never undo his work in your life. (Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:26)

Circumcised heart can’t be uncircumcised – Spiritual circumcision of the heart in Colossians 2:11 signifies a believer’s permanent transformation through Christ’s salvation. It is irreversible, as once the sinful nature is cut away by Christ, one cannot return to the old self.

Justification can’t become unjustified – Once we have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ, we can never become unjustified. Even if we are disciplined by God. There is no account in scripture of any Christians becoming unjustified. (Romans 8; Galatians 2)

No more condemnation … ever – Once you have been justified by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, no one can condemn you anymore because Jesus Christ is always interceding for you. (John 3:18; Romans 5; Romans 8)

Eternal life never ends – There is no hint in the Bible of eternal life being some kind of probationary eternal life that you must work towards and finally obtain at the end of your life. (1 John 5)

Christ in you never dies again – “And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.” (Colossians 1) In order to lose your salvation, Jesus Christ would have to die again.

Jesus Christ will never stop working – Jesus Christ has promised that he will never stop working on you until he has completed the good work. (1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 1:6; 2:13)

God’s promises are true because He cannot lie – In addition to all those impossible things, scripture assures us of His unchanging nature and faithfulness, affirming that we can fully trust His word and believe His promises will be fulfilled. (Genesis 28:15; Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 6:18; Hebrews 7:21; 2 Timothy 2:13)

If any of those impossible things happened and you lost your salvation, there are more impossible things…

Impossible to be restored again to repentance – For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

God never knew those who break God’s laws – There is no account in the Bible of anyone being accepted by God into salvation through saving belief in the finished work of Jesus Christ and then later being cast into hell as an unbeliever. The only ones who cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven are those whom God never knew. (Matthew 7:21-23)

I don’t believe you can lose your salvation, but I question the actual salvation of anyone who claims to have been saved and does not have any change in their lives and never displays any fruit of righteousness. The Bible describes many who will claim to be saved, but are not…

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.
     Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’ Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’  (Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 12:33-37; Luke 6:43-45)

Every few weeks or months, another impossible thing comes to mind. If you think of something I have missed, please join the conversation in the comments below or write to me.

For deeper study:

• What is the gospel? – The gospel was proclaimed by the prophets, lived by Jesus Christ, preached by the apostles, and spread through all the world. What is such good news?
• What about born again? – Does born again mean: from above? heaven? from their origin? anew? from the beginning? What is it? How do you get it? What does it mean?
• You can know you are saved – Can you know if you are saved from the judgment of hell? Let’s go back to the Bible and see what it says about salvation and staying saved.
• The Security of the Believer (Safe in Christ) – No instance in scripture where one who is positively said to have been saved, born again, and given security of eternal life is later said to be lost.