Is it possible for a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord, lose his salvation? Absolutely not, according to the Scriptures.
As a result of Christ’s atoning work on the cross for salvation, believers made complete in Him. The Bible says: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority” (Colossians 2:9, 10).
True believers in Christ are saved, sanctified, and sealed. The word “sanctified” means to be “set apart by God for His holy and divine purposes.” In other words, God declares you holy; not because of your own good deeds, but because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for you. Thus your standing before God is permanently changed. Therefore, even on this basis alone, in no way can you lose your salvation.
Here’s another proof. The Bible says: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13,14 NIV).
Note the following stages: “You heard the gospel of Salvation.” And “You believed in Christ.” Then “you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The Holy Spirit is the seal, and the seal means ownership and security.
“Having heard this message, writes William MacDonald, they made a commitment of themselves to Christ by a decisive act of faith. The Lord Jesus is the true object of faith. Salvation is found in Him alone. As soon as they believed, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. This means that every true believer receives the Spirit of God as a sign that he belongs to God and that he will be kept safe by God until the time he receives his glorified body. Just as in legal matters a seal indicates ownership and security, so it does in divine affairs. The indwelling Spirit brands us as God’s property (1 Cor 6:19, 20), and guarantees our preservation until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).” (Believer’s Bible Commentary pg. 1911).
Believers have this ultimate assurance that having salvation means that they are saved from the guilt and penalty of sin because the Bible says: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV).
The quoted text assures the Christian that through faith in Jesus Christ, he is entirely free from the guilty verdict of sin. And also the ongoing practice and dominion of sin in the person’s life.
The presence of God the Holy Spirit in the believer is a clear sign that the believer belongs to God. The Bible says: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God. You are not your own; for you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20 NIV).
Obviously then, based on the clear teaching of the Scriptures, how then can a genuinely “born-again” person lose his salvation? Perhaps that person was never saved in the first place. Keeping in mind, you cannot lose what you never had in the first place.
John 3:16, 18 is an important text to keep in mind because it is the good news of a person’s salvation. The text says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned.”
It is most noteworthy what the text says, “whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The word “have” is in the present tense, indicating a “present possession,” which continues after this earthly life and into heaven with the Lord Jesus and God the Father. It is absolutely impossible for this to ever change.