Can a Saved Person Lose Their Salvation?

The short answer: No. The Bible teaches that salvation is a gift of God, received by grace through faith, "not of works." Since good works never earned salvation, sins after salvation cannot undo it. A saved person can know they are saved.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV)

Why do some people believe you can lose salvation?

Many groups, and even some Baptist churches, teach that you have to do good works to keep yourself saved, and that if you sin after you get saved, you lose your salvation. Our April 28, 2024 sermon answered that from Ephesians 2.

What's the problem with that idea?

No one could ever keep track. As the sermon asked:

"How many sins have you committed since you got saved? Several thousand? Several million? Can you imagine several million times getting saved again, and always uncertain?"

A salvation that depends on our record would leave every believer wondering whether some sin they don't even know about has cost them heaven.

What does the Bible say instead?

That salvation is God's gift from start to finish. Ephesians 2:8 could have stopped at "it is the gift of God," but it goes further: "Not of works, lest any man should boast." None of our good works help get us to heaven, so our failures can't take us out of God's hand.

The sermon was careful to add that good works still matter. Believers may receive rewards in heaven for serving the Lord. But "works does not aid or help in any degree to get somebody to heaven."

How is a person saved, then?

By grace, through faith. That faith means believing that Jesus died for us and receiving Him as our personal Savior:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12)

Those who receive Him are born of God (John 1:13). A child of God does not stop being God's child.

Does it matter what other churches teach?

The Bible is the final authority. As the sermon said, "It doesn't matter what other churches say. The Bible is the final authority on this business of salvation."