Ask Pastor Mitchell

On Wednesdays we “walk in the Word” through study & application of Biblical doctrine. Rightly understanding Biblical doctrine fuels doxology, delight in Jesus, & gospel centered discipleship. Today we consider a question emailed by a cohort participant.

Dear Pastor Mitchell,
I have a question I’m hoping you could help me understand. In our cohort, you mentioned that there is nothing a child can do to stop being their parent’s child. Similarly, for the elect, there is nothing we can do to lose the salvation given to us by God, that nothing can separate us from His love in Jesus.

However, what if a “child” abandons their faith? I have many friends who have strayed from God, especially those who have married people of different faiths or beliefs. As a result, they no longer believe in Christ and have completely abandoned their faith.
If they continue in this state and do not return to God before their death, wouldn’t that mean they have lost their salvation? I’m reminded of Luke 13:25–27:
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“Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
“Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
“But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’”

So, is it truly certain that one can never lose their salvation?
Thank you for taking the time to consider my question—I really appreciate it.

Thank you for your excellent questions and engagement of the content in real life circumstances. Unfortunately, all of us can identify with wayward children, family, or friends who go into a far-off country of rebellion against God and the things of God. A few responses I hope you find helpful.

- Believers are secure in a covenant relationship with God because His love and grace are based on His work in Jesus and not our work for Him. Jesus is our representative who perfectly obeyed God’s law and then died to pay the penalty for our rebellion, taking the curse of our sin upon Himself. Faith in Jesus and His work secures believers in salvation. As Paul proclaims, in Christ nothing can separate us from the love of God.  

The covenant security we have in Christ’s finished work means God’s preservation guarantees our perseverance. God is the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2) and no one/ no thing can snatch us from the covenant care of our Good Shepherd (John 10:28-29). God will complete the good work that He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6). The Westminster Confession of Faith summarizes this teaching in 17.1 saying, “They, whom God hath accepted in His Beloved... can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace..."

- This covenantal reality is captured in what we call “the perseverance of the saints.” The doctrine teaches that all those God chooses will persevere in faith to the end. God not only saves, He also sustains His people. If someone falls away permanently, it is not that they lost their salvation but that they never truly had saving faith. The Apostle John put it this way: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” -1 John 2:19

-Not all who profess to have faith actually have faith. There is false faith, a feeling that comes and goes, and non-saving faith (even the demons believe Jesus is God- and shudder! But they are not saved). This means that all who wander from "the faith" may not have actually ever had saving faith. Proximity to church, participation, or family association, does not save anyone.  Jesus warned of those who appear to follow Him but are ultimately self-deceived:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven...” Matthew 7:21–23 This aligns with your reference to Luke 13:25–27, specifically that some will claim closeness to Jesus but not actually know Him. It is possible for people to profess faith outwardly but lack regeneration and saving faith. The rebellion we see in friends and family does not remove people from God’s covenant care but often reveals they never had saving faith at all.

All of this said, Jesus illustrates the love of our Father through a wayward son. I am sure you are familiar with the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. Take a minute to read it and note, there are TWO lost sons in Jesus' parable, the one who is wayward AND the one who is self-righteous and believes his moral performance has earned the Father's favor. One of Jesus' main points is that when a child wanders off in waywardness, they can always return to the love of the Father. The son who went to a far-off country eventually returned to the Father’s love. The self-righteous son who was proximate to the Father but never came into the joy of the Father’s love. How can God's love be this extravagant, to welcome rebellious and wayward children home? Through the work of the Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:6-11 summarizes this well. 

​6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
 
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