Is it possible to 'give back' salvation?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible provides ample evidence that a genuine believer will never "give back" salvation. Romans 3:10-11 suggests that we don’t seek God but that He calls us. Only by God's grace does a person come to faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). Only Jesus saves, not humankind’s works.

Also, those who truly have God's Spirit living within them will not turn against Christ. While every Christian continues to struggle with sin (Roman 7:24-25), those who have been changed by God's grace cannot be separated from His love(Romans 8:38-39).

While only God truly knows the heart of a person, the Bible indicates that there are two reasons someone might abandon the faith or at least appear to: Believers who are living in sin and struggling with doubts about salvation can appear to have lost or abandoned it. Second, someone who claims to "leave the faith" never had genuine faith at all (1 John 2:19). Jesus pointed out that some who say they know Him are actually unbelievers. It should not surprise us, then, when some today who claim to be Christians and later leave the faith were never truly Christians at all.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Many of the Psalms testify to God’s faithfulness even though His children sin against Him. God will not remove His love from us (Psalm 40:1, 86:15, 89:30-33, 100:5)
• God’s faithfulness despite our unfaithfulness is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. Of God, the prophet Micah wrote, “You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old” (7:20).
• God has saved us, and no one can change God’s plans (Isaiah 14:27). We didn’t instigate our salvation, so we cannot do away with it.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Christ keeps us in the palm of His hand. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). Christ gives eternal life, so Christ ensures that we are secure in our salvation.
• God will not reject us because we’ve sinned too much. Jesus promised, “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).
• Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love, including any attempt to “give back” our salvation (Romans 8:38-39).
• Salvation is solely the work of God alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). We can’t give it back because we didn’t earn it.
• Those who are Christ’s are in the Book of Life, and He will never remove His children from that book (Revelation 3:5).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Return policies are usually pretty generous. You get thirty days, sometimes ninety, to give back what you bought. Salvation doesn’t work like that, though. The main reason is that we didn’t buy it, so we can’t return it.

Our salvation was bought with the blood of Christ. We didn’t pay for it, yet we get to keep it free of charge. That means we don’t have to live our lives worried about not doing enough good works or feeling insecure about eternity because we had a moment of unkindness. Even better, our salvation comes with a promise to remake us (2 Corinthians 5:17), so our behavior changes because we love Christ, not as payment for what has already been paid.

A Christian cannot "give back" salvation because this gift rests upon God's power, not our own. Instead, those who leave the faith are either those struggling who need our help or are those in need of genuine faith and the true gospel of Christ.

UNDERSTAND

• Believers do not earn or buy salvation, so they cannot give it back.
• Scripture teaches that once saved, believers’ salvation is secure.

REFLECT

• When were you saved, and how did you know you were saved?
• How does knowing your salvation is secure impact your faith?
• Have you ever felt that you aren’t “good” enough for salvation? How do you overcome such feelings?

ENGAGE

• What are some common beliefs and practices from other religions that reveal an emphasis on a works-based salvation?
• What arguments are used to support a works-based salvation? How can believers respond?
• In a society that often speaks of people in terms of what “value” they add, how might the Christian message of salvation as a free gift be received?