The Lord commands His believers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Why is this? There are different views of how salvation occurs and what it means to be saved. It is my understanding that salvation should be recognized as the primary gift of the Lord and that without being saved one suffers the ultimate punishment for their sins. Given the paramount importance of salvation, the question of whether or not one can lose their salvation is begged to be asked. I consider that though there be theologians with answers to this question that differ, that ultimately there is not a creature that is an authority on speaking on salvation. I consider also that salvation that comes by having believed upon Jesus Christ still remains a mystery to the believer in the Lord as does those that were once saved and are no longer saved.
Salvation includes the believer in the Lord having been saved from the kingdom of darkness and the fate the wicked suffer: that fate being eternal damnation. Salvation should therefore be seen as of paramount importance to the believer. The Bible is clear on salvation being of utmost importance to man. Jesus Christ taught, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The believer is instructed to fear the Lord and only the Lord. It is my understanding that to be saved by the Son of God by having believed upon Jesus Christ’s sinless blood is the greatest gift a man can receive.
I consider that, “Can one lose their salvation?” is a question that has been asked by at least many a believer. Consider what Paul wrote regarding the rest of creation not being able to separate the believer from the Lord. In the book of Romans, chapter 8 verses 35 to 39, Paul writes, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Given what Paul wrote, it sounds definite to me that there is not that in creation, be it another creature or any other aspect of the creation that is not a creature, that can take away salvation from a believer in the Lord. Now consider though, what about the believer himself? Though the rest of creation cannot separate him from the Lord, can the believer himself lose salvation? The Bible spoke of what to me sounded to be people who were once saved but then were no longer saved. Hebrews 6:4-6 reads, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” So much for the ‘once saved always saved’ teaching!
In chapter 10 verses 26-29 of the book of Hebrews the Bible goes on to teach, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remained no more sacrifice for sins, But a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace.”
Again, it sounds to me like there has definitely been those that had been saved and were later considered to be no longer saved. Does that mean they lost their salvation? If so was it done by sinning willfully? Consider though, how could one possibly lose salvation if salvation is of the Lord and one is to boast only in the Lord. If one could lose salvation and did not, is it or is it not that one could therefore boast that they did not lose their salvation because of that which they did and/or did not do and therefore their salvation rest on their own work or works? I know this to not be so, for again, salvation is of the Lord and one is to boast only in the Lord.
Is it by mystery that there has been some to have believed upon God and thereby were saved and others did not believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby were not saved? Is it also of mystery that there were those that were once saved and at a later time they were no longer saved? Is it that the Lord cancelled their salvation and how and why He did so remains a mystery and how salvation occurs once one has believed upon the Holy Christ remains a mystery as well? Methinks this be the case. Is it for those that were no longer saved were deemed to be as such by the Lord Himself? How is it other than this for, once again I say, the Bible teaches that salvation is of the Lord.
I consider that the Lord Himself is always, at least to some degree, a mystery to His creaturehood for His depths are unsearchable. That one in and of oneself cannot lose salvation is, in my mind, scripturally sound. That the Lord has cancelled salvation for some believers in the past appears to me to be scripturally sound as well. I consider that there be that of salvation and the once saved that are no longer saved that still remain a mystery to the believer. Could this be related to why one is called to work out one’s salvation with both fear and trembling? Methinks it is, for the state of one being saved is always in the hands of the Almighty, who can cancel it at any time.
That one has believed upon the Christ and thereby is saved holds mystery to me in more than one form. How is it that some believed upon the Lord and others did not? How is it that one could be saved and then later no longer be saved? What were the particulars involved? My consideration here is that only the Holy Lord knows all there is to know about salvation. Is it therefore that salvation remaining to be at least somewhat a mystery to the believer is therefore no mystery?
