Question: Dear Greg,

I interpret 1 Peter 1:3, 4 as saying that once a person has been saved, he cannot lose that salvation. This naturally conflicts with the position that you can lose salvation if you sin and die without repenting. Am I missing something or misinterpreting scripture?

In Christ,

Dave

Answer: Dear Dave,

We have several questions posted on the general topic of "eternal security" – you can check under the category "Salvation."

As far as 1 Peter 1:3, 4 – we have a living hope by new birth through the resurrection – into an inheritance that can never perish – an inheritance is sure. The inheritance is kept for us, and as this passage goes on to say ("through faith we are shielded"), God keeps us for our inheritance. Our inheritance is in heaven, therefore nothing on earth can alter or destroy it. It’s reality defies our limited human comprehension ("no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9). Our inheritance is not simply land, territory, or even the new heavens and new earth. Our inheritance is salvation.

Verse 5 of this passage says that we are "shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed" – ready means that there will be no delay – it is finished and complete now. Christians sometimes hear the term "finished work of Christ on the cross" – that’s what is meant. Salvation is not what God does, what Jesus does, PLUS what we do. Salvation was a done deal as a result of the cross. What we do has no impact on salvation. We must not devalue or diminish God’s glory, his work, or the work of Jesus by suggesting that what we do is "salvific." This does not mean that we are free to do as we wish, and that God does not care if we obey him or not. But that is a different subject. The fact that we obey, and God wants us to obey is one thing – whether our obedience has any impact on our salvation is another.

Salvation is what God does. God (Jesus) is our Savior. God saved Israel out of Egypt. The salvation we are given as Christians is both here now, (already) – but awaits its fulfillment in the future (not yet). Salvation is a gift – it is given to us by the Father, because of his grace, as a result of the work of Christ on the cross. We are forgiven by his blood, and his righteousness is imputed to us. We are saints, holy, and children of God because of what Christ did – never what we do. Nothing we can do, or ever will do will be enough. Jesus paid a debt he did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.

Of course, salvation is not forced upon us. We must believe. We must accept. We must have faith. We must trust in the finished work of Christ. And this faith is not easy. It is far easier to believe that what we do, some kind of performance religion, impacts our salvation. We like to believe that for then we are in control. But the fact is – we are not in control. God is – always has been and always will be. "All" God wants from us is surrender and repentance – if we will give up trying to do stuff to think that we can earn rewards and ultimately our salvation – and instead trust completely in Jesus and his atoning work for us – then we are saved.

Faith is not our achievement – but in fact our faith is simply trust in God’s achievement. The goal of our faith is Jesus. We have the choice whether to trust in him and have faith – that will not be forced on us. But if we do have faith, we have an eternal sure inheritance – the inheritance of salvation is kept for us and we are kept (by God) for our inheritance.

Hope this helps, Dave. God bless.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht