In John 3:16, the Bible says that whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have everlasting life. This is an incredible gift of eternal salvation that God offers to all people through Jesus Christ. The gift of salvation is for everyone, everywhere, who believes in Jesus. So, if one believes in Jesus, then they receive the gift of eternal life.

Salvation is entirely dependent on the finished work of Jesus, who promises eternal security, ensuring that no one can lose their salvation once they genuinely place their faith in Him.

What does it mean to believe?

It is essential to understand that belief is contingent upon receiving this gift of eternal life.

What does one have to believe in order to receive the gift of eternal salvation?

The Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:9-10 that everyone has to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. So salvation has a physical component to it and a spiritual component to it as well. It requires a physical utterance of who Jesus is. There must be a declaration of him as God. Then, second of all, there has to be a spiritual belief that Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection is not just a good idea but a fact that the person stakes their faith on forever.

These two components of belief enable anyone, anywhere, at any time throughout history, to place faith in and trust in Jesus. When these two components of faith are present, salvation is given to the person who believes. When a person believes, they begin the faith journey with Jesus.

Can believers lose their salvation?

Once a person believes, can that individual, in essence, "unbelieve" or lose their salvation? Or is a person, once saved, always saved?

The Apostle Paul says in Romans 6:7-8 that one who has died with Christ through salvation has been set free from sin. Once the believer is set free from sin at salvation, that person begins to live with Jesus on the faith journey, hopefully in a victorious fashion over the sin in their lives.

The Apostle Paul describes this experience in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

At salvation, the believer dies to self and lives to Jesus. The power to do this comes through believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Identification with Jesus is what gives the believer the authority to overcome sin and live as Jesus lived.

But most believers would agree that even after believing in Jesus, sin still has a stranglehold on their lives. So, does the evidence of sin in the believer's life potentially indicate that the belief and salvation of their soul was not authenticated? Even more so, does the evidence of sin in the believer's life mean they have lost their salvation?

If the answer is yes, then what does the Apostle Paul say about this? If a person has believed and then, because of sin, loses their salvation, where does one go from here?

The Apostle Paul addresses this in Romans 6:9-11. He tells the people of Rome that Christ was raised from the dead and will never die again. The Apostle Paul states that death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died, he died to sin, once and for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So, reading between the lines, if the believer loses their salvation due to sin, in essence, Christ can no longer help them.

The assurance of eternal security in Christ.

And why is that? Because the Apostle Paul is saying, "Jesus dying to sin once was enough for everyone." He doesn't have to die again for the believer to be saved again. Nor does the believer's sin negate their salvation. Why? Because it was not up to them to begin with, and it is still not up to them. It is up to the finished work of Christ on the cross. The evidence of sin in a believer's life is not due to the lack of salvation but the lack of applying the faith that comes to each believer through Jesus Christ.

This is why the Apostle Paul says to the believers in Romans 6:11, "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." The effectiveness of overcoming sin in the believer's life is not due to Christ's power or ability or the loss of salvation by the believer, but it is because they don't see themselves as Christ sees them, and they don't appropriate the power that Christ has for them to overcome sin. This is true for all believers in varying degrees, and this is why John tells us in 1 John 1:9 that we must confess our sins to God, that he will be faithful, and that he will just forgive us. This is an ongoing process of the believer's life after salvation. To believe, we have to repent of sin; to walk in victory, we have to confess our sins. God wants the believers to be specific in their confessions after salvation.

But assume someone could lose their salvation. Then what? The writer of Hebrews addresses this question.

In Hebrews 6, the writer tells the readers to leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and not lay again a foundation of repentance. The writer says this is because it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, and who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and have fallen away to be restored again to salvation.

And why is this? The writer of Hebrews says that to do this, Jesus would have to be crucified again. The writer is saying, "Salvation is never up to the believer. It is up to Jesus and what He did for the believer." So, if the believer can lose their salvation, the writer of Hebrews is essentially saying, "The believer can't ever get it back."

Thankfully, salvation is not up to the believer. It is up to Jesus. So, how good is Jesus at keeping the believers He has given?

Jesus said in John 10:27-28, "My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."

No one!

Jesus has His sheep.

Jesus says, "Once you are mine, once you are saved, you are always mine, you are always saved."

The Apostle Paul summarized it in Romans 8: "Nothing shall separate us from the love that is found in Christ Jesus."

The power of sin is weaker than the strength of God's love for his children. Once believers in Him, they can rest in God's sovereign control over their eternal destiny.

Once truly saved, always saved, thanks to Jesus!