The Security of Salvation: Can a Believer Lose His Salvation?

Some Christians get very involved in heated discussions about salvation and eternal security. I, personally, also like to discuss such issues with others but not in debate form. Through the years I have come to recognize that there is more to a discussion than the issue. This question is a very large question that touches on various aspects of theology and hermeneutics debating the meaning of many scriptures. Perhaps, this will be the first part of a larger answer, but our first task will show how to properly approach this kind of question. Let me state two particular deeper issues that disturb rather than help such discussions, and therefore, make it difficult to establish a solid answer. In any case, there is not much profit from such discussions though there could be. Good discussions need to revolve around God’s Word not just the issue. God’s Word is holy and we must insist on a process of meditating on God’s Word to influence our opinion rather than simply to justify our opinion. In this way, we can honestly see what a passage teaches and adjust what we believe. If the passage does not support our opinion, then we can wrestle with it by asking, “Why do I believe this truth is so important though this passage seems to counter it?” Once we step into a position of a debater, we step out from being a humble disciple under the leadership of the Holy Spirit—without respect to our position even if we are a pastor or teacher.