Salvation means “being saved”. We are saved by grace alone, this is a gift from God. But is it possible to lose your salvation as a Christian?
What is salvation?
When we are converted and become a Christian, we get a new mindset, a new way of thinking. Our old mindset was to serve ourselves and our lusts and desires — our new mindset is to serve God and do what pleases Him. But when our sins are forgiven and we get a new mindset, it is only the beginning of our salvation. We need a deeper salvation! We need to be saved from the sinful habits that live in our nature, in order to become like Christ (Romans 8:29).
Paul writes in Romans 6:6 (ESV): “We know that our old self was crucified with him…” It is very important to believe this. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, we don’t only receive forgiveness for our sins but our old self was also crucified together with Him. This is what makes it possible for us to come to a deeper salvation and live a new life (Romans 6:4).
This is what Paul speaks about in Ephesians 4:22-24 (ESV): “To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” The old self is my old mindset that wants to do what the passions and desires of my sinful human nature want. The new self is my new mindset that now only wants to serve and please God.
The cross — the power unto salvation
Paul writes in Philippians 3:17-19 (ESV): “Brothers, join in imitating me [join in following my example – NKJV], and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”
They were not enemies of the cross when it meant receiving forgiveness for their sins through Jesus’ sacrifice, but they were enemies of the cross when it meant that their old self had to be crucified with Christ. They may have once been converted and received a new mind but, sadly, they had turned back to the old mind and began to love this world again.
We also read in 2 Timothy 3:5 about people who had a form of godliness but denied the power of it. The power lies in the cross, because it is the cross that is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). It is the cross that keeps our old self crucified so that we can share in the life of Christ and grow in His virtues. To pretend that we love God while we still love the world and its sinful desires, is very wrong in Gods eyes. That is the hypocrisy that Jesus spoke so strongly against (Luke 12:1).
Can you lose your salvation?
All salvation is by grace - both the salvation by forgiveness, and by following Jesus on the way of the cross where we crucify our sinful desires. We start with the free gift of forgiveness — after that we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, where He helps us and gives us grace to walk on this way of salvation (Acts 16:17). This way is open for disciples of Jesus — those who want to follow Him and have the same mindset that He had (Philippians 2:5-8; 1 Peter 4:1). Through the grace and help that He gives us, we overcome as He overcame (Hebrews 4:15-16). That is true salvation. But is it possible to lose this salvation?
If we turn back to our old mindset and start loving this world and enjoying our sinful desires, then we lose our salvation. Such a mindset does not belong to the kingdom of heaven. But if we truly repent and turn back to God, we can win back our salvation again, but then we have also lost precious time where we could have gotten more of the life of Christ in us. So let us keep walking in this new mindset and never turn away from it.
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.” Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV).