Falling Away

by Steve Llewellyn

First of all, this article is not intended to equip you with the necessary firepower to go out and identify all the backsliders and condemn them in Jesus’ name. It is not intended to point a fiery finger of wrath and condemnation at you, either. I do not wish to start a thousand “Am I really saved, or not?” questions in your head or heart. Rather, the intention is to caution you and to prepare you so that your feet may remain on the solid Rock, and that your faith may grow stronger.

This warning addresses a popular myth, namely that it is impossible to lose one’s salvation. That’s right, kids- “Once saved, always saved” is a big bad lie.

I think one of the first problems with this concept is the notion that you somehow acquire salvation like a prize you win. If such is the case, why is it written, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling?” [Philippians 2:12] If you could just grab salvation, put it in your pocket, and not think about it anymore, there would be no such need. But as it is, the instruction remains. To “work out” one’s salvation tells us that we are involved in a process. If you “work out” your two weeks notice before leaving a job, you stay for that duration. If you “work out” a problem, you don’t instantaneously arrive at a solution. No, you go through a process and arrive at the answer on the other side. The same is true as we “work out” our salvation. If you need further convincing of the ongoing nature of this process, read Colossians 1: 22 & 23 “he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” “If you continue…” denotes a relevant caveat, and “continue” becomes an important exhortation! So, “once saved, always saved” falls down where there’s no follow-through.

The second tangle we run into when we tackle the concept of being able to fall away is this: we all still sin. We mess up. We choose our own way instead of God’s sometimes. As soon as we begin to entertain the possibility of losing one’s salvation, the Accuser comes in trying to convince us that this has very likely already happened to us. This can get to be a very messy, fear-filled struggle in a hurry! So, very quickly, we need to remember the story of the Prodigal Son. [Luke 15: 11-32] Before we panic over falling away, we also need to see that it is possible to stray and to come back. How many times does Jesus emphasize the Father’s heart for those who are lost? And here’s something I hadn’t noticed until recently—who was prodigal? A son! The father was overjoyed to see his own son turning in the walkway home, not some stranger. And when Jesus talks about leaving the 99 sheep to find the one that was lost, he was speaking of retrieving one of his own. He isn’t talking about going out to find a wild sheep and bring it home.

Now, I must make an aside to say that I am in no way de-emphasizing the importance of evangelism. For certain, God wants the unsaved to come into His family. And I do believe that the parables I’m referring to were given with that as part of their intention. But in the midst of this, we must also realize that if God accepts our repentance and reliance upon Christ in the first place, then He will not reject us when we realize our more recent errors and turn back to Him. James said, “We all stumble in many ways.” [3:2] And John said, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:8&9]

There is one more point that needs to be made here regarding prodigality before we move on. Put simply, it is this: the possibility of being forgiven as a prodigal does not in any way imply that there is some path of “safe sin.” For John also says, “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” [1 John 3:5&6] Notice that word “continues” again? This passage doesn’t say that we who live in him won’t ever commit a sin again. That would contradict 1 John 1:8&9. No, this is referring to the person who “keeps on” sinning. I like to think of it this way: Which do you embrace? Life in Christ, or a lifestyle of selfish sin? You can’t be committed to both. In our walk with Christ, we may stumble, as James has said; but this is a far cry from pointedly and permanently walking the other direction. (I add “permanently” because what does stumbling look like in our lives, other than temporarily rebelling against God, then coming to our senses and asking His forgiveness.)

This brings us to the difference between prodigality and falling away. We’ve just been talking about how we as believers can sin on occasion yet still be forgiven. What, then, do we mean by “falling away?” Hebrews 6:4-6 says this:

“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”

And Paul wrote to Timothy, “The Spirit clearly says that in later days some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” [1 Tim. 4:1] We’ve already talked about the importance of “continuing on” in the faith. Here it is made clear that some will not do so. It is most certainly possible for people to be on the path for a time, and then leave it completely. Remember what Jesus said: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” [Matthew 7:13&14] The road is narrow; there are times when the prodigal strays from it, and returns or is brought back. There are also times when some abandon the path completely in order to follow another, more appealing way. Jesus also said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” [John 15:5&6]

That is really what this is about, too—remaining in Him. I don’t want to try to scare you into being a good Christian. I want to remind you that this Living in Christ is serious business. The lie that you can’t lose what you’ve gained is so dangerous! It tells you that you don’t have to pay any attention to the very real traps that have been laid for you; if you believe it, you’ll be walking like a blindfolded child into a forest full of bear traps. So be alert, keep your eyes open, remain in Him.

When Peter and the author of Hebrews addressed such serious issues, they also had these encouraging words to say:

“So I will always remind you of these things even though you already know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.  I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body…”  [2 Peter 1:12&13]

“Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show the same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” [Hebrews 6:9-12]

And remember the words of Jude:

“To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” [v. 24&25]

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