But the fact that he was restored shows that not every professing believer who falls has fallen past the point of no return. At this point, we should distinguish a serious and radical fall from a total and final fall.
Reformed theologians have noted that the Bible is full of examples of true believers who fall into gross sin and even protracted periods of impenitence. So, Christians do fall and they fall radically. What could be more serious than Peter's public denial of Jesus Christ? But the question is, are these people who are guilty of a real fall irretrievably fallen and eternally lost, or is this fall a temporary condition that will, in the final analysis, be remedied by their restoration?
In the case of a person such as Peter, we see that his fall was remedied by his repentance. However, what about those who fall away finally? Were they ever truly believers in the first place? Our answer to this question has to be no. First John speaks of the false teachers who went out from the church as never having truly been part of the church. John describes the apostasy of people who had made a profession of faith but who never really were converted. Moreover, we know that God glorifies all whom He justifies Rom.
If a person has true saving faith and is justified, God will preserve that person. In the meantime, however, if the person who has fallen is still alive, how do we know if he is a full apostate? One thing none of us can do is read the heart of other people. When I see a person who has made a profession of faith and later repudiates it, I don't know whether he is a truly regenerate person who's in the midst of a serious, radical fall but who will at some point in the future certainly be restored; or whether he is a person who was never really converted, whose profession of faith was false from the start.
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Is it possible for someone to fall from grace? The issue is simple: the salvation that Jesus Christ offers is either conditional or unconditional. If is unconditional, then there is nothing we can do to lose it. If it is conditional, then there is some thing or some things that we can do to lose it. The real issue is, What does the Scripture say? What Does The Bible Say? As the Scripture is carefully studied we find that a true believer in Jesus is safe and secure eternally.
The following relevant passages make this clear. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand John , These verses could not be stronger. Those who trust Jesus will never perish.
Jesus said nobody will take believers out of His hand. We can and should simply confess our sin to the Lord so He can forgive us and cleanse us from that sin. Knowing we can never lose our salvation rescues us from despair and from giving up when we fail. Then we can go forward into the realm of experiencing and enjoying the rich, wonderful, and full salvation God has provided for us in Christ!
For more on this subject, you can read chapter 2 of Basic Elements of the Christian Life, vol. Subscribe to receive the latest posts. Latest Posts. The dangerous consequences of thinking you can lose your salvation Thinking you can lose your salvation at any time makes progressing in the Christian life extremely difficult, if not impossible. Related Posts.
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