Can You Lose Your Salvation?
Understanding Perseverance Biblically
Every Christian knows what it feels like to wonder, “Am I really saved?”
The battle with sin can be discouraging. Seasons of spiritual dryness can shake our confidence. And moments of weakness can raise questions we don’t always know how to answer.
But Scripture speaks into those moments of confusion and concern with clarity and comfort. And what God reveals about salvation is not meant to unsettle believers; it’s meant to anchor them.
The beauty of Scripture is that it doesn’t merely tell us that God saves His people; it tells us that He keeps them.
In other words, our security is not found in how tightly we are holding onto God, but in how certain we can be that God will always hold onto us.
Jesus’ Promise: Safe in the Shepherd’s Hand
When Jesus describes the relationship between Himself and His people, He doesn’t speak in vague terms. He speaks with certainty:
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27–28).
Notice that Jesus highlights three realities that define true believers:
He knows them. Not generally, but personally.
They follow Him. Imperfectly, but genuinely.
They will never perish. Not possibly. Not maybe. Never.
But then Jesus goes further:
“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:29).
And there it is. The security of your salvation isn’t found in your ability to cling to Christ. It’s found in the Father placing you into the hands of the Son, where no one can take you from His grasp.
If salvation could be lost, it would mean that someone, even you, is strong enough to break the grip of God. And Jesus says that’s impossible.
Paul’s Proclamation: The Golden Chain of Redemption
John 10 shows you who secures salvation. And Romans 8 shows you how He does it.
There, the Apostle Paul describes salvation as an unbreakable chain:
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined…
and these whom He predestined, He also called;
and these whom He called, He also justified;
and these whom He justified, He also glorified” (Romans 8:29–30).
Don’t miss the chain of unbreakable logic:
Everyone foreknown is predestined.
Everyone predestined is called.
Everyone called is justified.
And everyone justified will be glorified.
There are no exceptions. There are no broken links in the chain of this precious promise. And that’s why Paul ends the chapter with the boldest assurance in all of Scripture:
Nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
Not seasons of suffering. Not moments of weakness. Not the evil forces of spiritual attack. Not even death itself will be able to separate us from the love of God.
If you belong to Christ, you are safe in Christ—forever.
False Professors: Those Who Walk Away
But what about those who walk away? Many believers wrestle with doubts because they’ve watched people leave the faith they once professed. Did those individuals “lose” their salvation?
The Apostle John answers that question directly:
“They went out from us, but they were not really of us” (1 John 2:19).
In other words, walking away doesn’t mean salvation was lost. It means salvation was never present to begin with. Not everyone who professes faith actually possesses faith.
For example, some claim the name of Christ without being known by Him. And some show signs of interest, and even temporary excitement, but never actually bear the fruit of repentance.
This is why perseverance matters. Because by continuing in the faith, as imperfectly as it may be, it provides evidence that your faith is real and authentic.
Biblical Perseverance: A Fruit of Salvation
It’s important to understand that biblical perseverance is not simply gritting your teeth and trying harder. Instead, it’s the ongoing proof that God has changed your heart.
You can think of it this way: We don’t persevere in order to be saved. We persevere because we have been saved.
And the God who began the work finishes it.
As Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
Jude says the same: God is the One “who is able to keep you from stumbling” (Jude 24).
In other words, your perseverance is not the cause of salvation—it’s the evidence of it.
The same grace that saves you is the grace that sustains you.
Spiritual Peace: The Battle for Assurance
But what about the assurance of salvation? After all, a Christian can be secure and still feel uncertain.
For example, Peter walked on water and then doubted moments later. David wrote psalms of confidence, as well as psalms of anguish. And Paul wrote about assurance, but he also wrote about “fighting” the good fight.
This points us to an important truth: struggling with assurance doesn’t mean you’re unsaved. It means you’re human.
So how can we grow in our assurance?
There are three major ways:
Looking to Christ: Objective assurance is not found in anything you do. It’s found in what the sinless Savior has already done for you.
Walking in Obedience: In a subjective sense, walking in obedience to Christ increases our confidence in the Spirit’s work within us.
Turning from Sin Quickly: Repentance keeps the heart tender. Assurance grows when faith looks outward, not inward.
Holy Preservation: A Final Encouragement
If you are in Christ, you are His—completely, permanently, and irrevocably.
Your salvation is not held together by your discipline, your consistency, or your strength.
It’s held together by Him.
The Father planned it.
The Son accomplished it.
The Spirit seals it.
And all three persons of the Triune God preserve it.
Christian, you are secure not because your grip is strong, but because His grip is unbreakable. You hold fast, because Christ is holding you.
That is the promise of the gospel. That is the comfort of Scripture. And that is why you cannot lose what God Himself has given you.