What If God Took Away Your Salvation?
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Some people lose assurance of their salvation because they think that they are no longer saved. When I was younger, I was watching a preacher on T.V., and he taught that it was possible for one to lose his salvation. I went to my room and prayed. I was very upset because I thought that if that was true, then I could never be secure in Christ. I felt like I sinned all of the time. If salvation could be lost, I would lose it.
My father came home and I told him what the preacher had said. Dad explained it this way. Let us suppose that God says to me, “You are saved; you have everlasting life and you will never perish. I promise you. You will go to heaven when you die.” Now the truth of the matter is that God has said that.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” (John 6:47)
"Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one." John 10:24-30
Now, if God promises me that I have everlasting life and that I will never perish, and then He later comes to me and says, “Oh, too bad. You sinned. You will not go to heaven when you die. You will be spending eternity in hell.” If God did that, then He would have lied.
As a young man, that settled it for me. What dad said made sense. God cannot lie. I have believed in Jesus Christ, therefore, I am saved forever. God has promised. The same promise that Jesus Christ gave me when I was a young teenager, fearful of going to hell; that same promise is being kept by the Lord Jesus Christ today. All of the verses that seem to teach that we can lose our salvation must be read in context and compared against the multitude of Scriptures that teach that the one who has believed in Jesus Christ is saved and will go to heaven when he dies.