Can someone lose their salvation? Or is it true that once they’re saved, they’re always saved, regardless of how they live?

I believe Scripture teaches salvation as a conditional covenant between God and man, BUT at the same time tremendously secure for the sincere believer.

There’s a rest and refreshing to be found. A balance. A peace.

It’s one of the paradoxical truths of Scripture. Both being true but only in perfect balance; and many error or both sides.

Some error believing there’s *nothing* they can do to lose their salvation. There’s no way to trample the Son of God underfoot, count the blood of the covenant a common thing, or insult the Spirit of grace. Because of this, they often lack a proper fear of God, causing them to become complacent and comfortable in sin, looking no different from the world.

While others error in believing their salvation has no security and is kept only through striving. As a result their focus gets wrongly shifted to self and there’s no rest in the finished work of Christ. There’s a weariness because they are plagued with the pendulum swing between defeat and pride.

I have errored on both sides. I once believed I was chosen and there was nothing I could do to lose that free gift of salvation. At times I felt comfortable in my sin in an ugly way. I didn’t cleanse myself from defilements or pursue holiness in fear of God. Growth was stunted.

Then I’ve also felt fearful of falling out of favor with God by not measuring up to standards unattainable by flesh without the Spirit. Taking my eyes off God, I focused too much on my performance, and became weary from trying to carry loads too heavy to continually bare. Growth was stunted.

BUT BALANCE!! True for so many things in faith.

Eyes fixed on God and not on ourselves. Feeling assured of His blood-bought favor and the finished work of the cross. Resting in the power of the Holy Spirit to empower, and thereby walking by the Spirit and not by flesh. Overcoming by His strength and might. A proper and healthy fear of God that leads one to prepare the way for Him, while keeping our gaze on Him instead of ourselves. In His presence and by His Spirit becoming the holy and spotless bride He’s coming back for.

The teaching of “once saved, always saved” grieves me. It’s dangerous because people are often led to believe they have salvation because they simply repeated a prayer. Even without a lasting heart or life change, no true repentance or pursuit of holiness, they depend on some past experience that has no real present affect on their life. And to question their ability to lose that salvation seemingly questions the power and character of God to save. They have been deceived about the character of God.

But I’m also grieved by the weary, self-focused person who bares a heavy load of external righteousness to gain approval. They can never enter the promised rest Christ bought for them. Their salvation is viewed as something gained and kept through striving, often fearing to fall from grace if laws aren’t kept well enough. Similar to the Pharisees straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel, they focus so much on the little things that they miss the big things. They have been deceived about the character of God.

It’s a fine line of balance God has gifted to us. A land flowing with milk and honey!! He’s calling us to streams of living water flowing from inside.

He’s done the work. Let’s enter His rest.