Can We Lose Our Salvation?

The Doctrine of Unconditional Eternal Security

“I am the Vine, you are the branches: he who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:5,6).

[I know there are many in the church today that believe in unconditional eternal security. My purpose today with this article is to share my thoughts on the subject and to present some of the evidence in the scriptures that, I believe, refutes this doctrine.]

Are we promised unconditional eternal security when we come to the Lord in repentance and faith. I believe that the short answer is, no. I have to admit that when I first came to the Lord, I believed in unconditional eternal security. It was preached from the pulpit in the church I attended, and I accepted it without studying the Scriptures myself.

We are secure in Christ as long as we keep our faith in Him and His sacrificial death at Calvary. We enter a relationship with Him when we come to the Salvation the Lord provides. We have “Newness of Life” as we walk out this life of faith. Our introductory verses clearly state that one who has come by faith and has abided in Him in the past, that is, been saved, but now chooses to not to abide in Him, will become a withered branch which will result in spiritual destruction if they do not return to faith and dependence in the Lord. Losing one’s way is a gradual, but sure, process that has happened to many down through the years who have left the path of faith.

What happens to us should we stop believing? The following was given to the Church of Sardis (Believers) by Christ in the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, which was one of the seven churches He addressed. The Lord was calling them to repentance and to come back to the Cross , and if they did, their names would be not be blotted out of the Book of Life. Our names were entered into the Book of Life at Salvation. Obviously, names can’t be blotted out unless they were entered into the Book of Life at some time. These were Believers and this proves that Salvation can be lost. The following are the Lord’s words of warning to the Church of Sardis.

“Remember therefore how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent (go back to the Cross). If therefore you shall not watch, I will come on you as a thief, and you shall not know what hour I will come upon you (judgment will come, but Sardis will not see or hear due to spiritual  deafness and spiritual blindness). He who overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life (proving that names can be blotted out), but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His Angels (the key to this great “confession” is faith in Christ and His great Sacrifice)” (Revelation 3:3,5 w/ESB commentary).

If we believe that there is no way that we could lose our Salvation once we believe, we are on dangerous ground. As with any relationship, it must be maintained. Believing in unconditional eternal security can result in losing our Salvation because there is no fear of losing one’s way no matter what is done. If we believe Salvation is a “once saved, always saved” salvation then it becomes easy to drift away by not seeking the Lord as we should – to follow hard after Him. There is no risk of losing our soul, so we think, and we can become complacent. Jesus calls us to walk closely with Him – in Him is Life and we must continually walk in that Life to maintain our relationship with Him.

Our introductory verses tell us what happens when we stop believing in Christ and His finished work at Calvary. Our Lord can only be talking about someone who once knew the way and was in relationship with Him because He used the word “abide.” He is speaking of a “withering” process which is not instantaneous, but is gradual over a period of time. Our faith must be continually placed in the Lord which will result in a vibrant relationship with Him and allows us to live in this “Newness of life” which our Risen Lord provides. As the Bible exclaims, “Christ in you, the hope of Glory.”

The Lord will never violate our will. We have free will to either believe, or not believe. Turning from faith is not easy, nor does it come about quickly, as we have said, but it can, and it does happen. There are many Scriptures that speak of this and I would like to include a few of these in this article. Keep in mind that the Apostle Paul is writing to Believers in these verses.

“For if God spared not the natural branches (Israel), take heed lest He spare not you (referring to the church). Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness (conditional on continued faith in Christ and the Cross): otherwise you also will be cut off (a warning to be taken seriously)” (Romans 11:21,22 commentary ESB and mine).

“Moreover, Brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you (Christ and Him crucified), which also you have received (unto Salvation), and wherein you stand (live the victorious Christian life); by which you are saved,  if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain (this refers to believing at first and then drawing back, which will cause one to lose one’s soul)” (1 Corinthians 15:1,2 w/ commentary).

The Apostle Paul, in these verses, writing to Christians in Rome, and in Corinth, states clearly that Salvation is conditional on continued faith, faith which must be in Christ and His sacrificial death on the Cross. There are many other examples we could visit including Hebrews (which I believe Paul also wrote) chapters 2,4 and 10 which contain similar warnings. I would like to also include the words from the writer of Hebrews to those Jews who were contemplating leaving the faith, at the time, due to persecution.

“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence (faith in Christ and Him crucified) firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:14).

One last thought. In John Chapter 6, Jesus gave a teaching that was hard for His Disciples to accept. In fact, it says many of His Disciples “walked no more with Him.” The Lord turned to the Twelve (Apostles) and asked, Will you also go away. This proves it was possible for the Apostles, who were saved, to lose faith and walk away from the Lord. Likewise, we are secure in the faith as long as we continue to have faith in Christ and His great work at the Cross. He is the Vine, we are the branches. I’d like to close on a positive note with these words from the Book of Hebrews.

“Though we speak in this way (a stern warning about falling away from the faith), yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things – things that belong to Salvation (Hebrews 6:9 ESV).

The Lord hears our prayers and is faithful to answer.

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025