Can Christians lose their salvation?

When my late son was seven, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. But later in life, Luke rebelled against me and told me he didn’t believe in God. He went so far as to say that there wasn’t a God. Does that mean he lost his salvation and that he will spend eternity in hell?

What is Eternal life?

It is the endless duration of living with God after you die because you placed your faith in Jesus, accepting his offer of grace since he died on the cross to cover your sin debt in full. Remember that salvation has nothing to do with your good works. Instead, salvation is a confident conviction that Jesus’ gift of death on the cross will lead to an eternity in heaven instead of hell.

What causes you to doubt your salvation?

Sometimes, when we sin, we wonder if we are good enough to get into heaven. In these moments, we need to remember that Jesus’ death washed us white as snow and that our rewards are based on our good works, not our eternal home. You definitely need to do your best not to sin, but don’t worry when you mess up.

Even Jesus was tempted. Although he’s God, so he never sinned. Just remember that you are not God, and we all mess up.

Will God assure you that you are saved if you aren’t?

The answer is straightforward: God will never tell you something that isn’t true. So if you pray and ask him to let you know you are saved, and you aren’t, you can rest assured that you won’t receive a confirmation from God. This is great because you can still choose to receive eternal life, and God will convict your heart to tell you that you need him.

How can you be sure you are truly saved?

Rest in God’s promises that never change.

John 3:16 says, “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 5:24 says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”

What about all those terrible things about Luke not believing there was a God after he accepted him as his Savior?

John 10:28 says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

So, could my son have changed his mind and decided he didn’t want Jesus? No, since John says that no one, including yourself, can take you out of God’s hand. Based on God’s irrevocable promise, Luke was still saved.

Romans 8:38-39 confirms this. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The most precious gift.

I discovered that one month before Luke had died, he had shared the gospel with a close friend. And because of my son’s generosity, God gave me the gift of leading that friend to Jesus. It’s one of my most cherished gifts because I know I fulfilled my most important job as a parent. Romans 8:16 reminds me, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” So there you have it. My son remained saved.

So if you believe Jesus came to earth, died on the cross for your sins, and you asked for forgiveness and accepted him as your Lord and Savior, you have already passed out of death into eternal life.

But if you haven’t done that, you only have until your last breath to accept Jesus’ generous gift of eternal life. If you want to do that today, here’s the prayer to change eternity.

A SINNER’S PRAYER:

Dear Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you are the Son of God, that you died for my sins, and that you were buried and rose again, as written in the Bible. Please come into my heart and forgive me of my sins so I can have eternal life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me live the way you want me to. Guide me in my future so I can live my life for you. Amen.

What’s heaven like?

If you want to read about a Biblically based scenario where I’m escorted to heaven by angels where I meet my son, check out my latest travel memoir, Life Begins with Travel: Facing My Fears, Finding My Smile.

A husband dead in a fiery crash. A son claimed by a killer’s hand. Tammy Horvath doesn’t think she’ll ever smile again. 

Strengthened by her faith, she bravely heads solo to Iceland to see the northern lights, where she climbs glaciers and ventures into caves before seizing the opportunity to travel more often.

Tammy will take you on a journey of love, laughter, and inspirational life lessons as she swims in the crystal-clear Caribbean Sea, gets stuck atop one of Mexico’s pyramids, endures a tropical storm in the Bahamas, and hikes amid Yellowstone National Park’s spectacular scenery.

Will life’s tragedies make Tammy cower in fear forever? Or can she embrace a world of adventure and find happiness again?

I’d love to hear your questions or comments.