Basic TrainingBible MinistriesGene CunninghamBasic Training Bible Ministries KBKnowledge Base

Can I lose my salvation?

No. The believer is eternally secure. When Paul tells the Corinthians “you are saved,” the verb is present tense — you are saved now, and you are going to be saved tomorrow, next year, and forever (1 Cor. 15:2). When he says they “stand,” the perfect tense means they took their stand on Christ at a point in time with the result that they will stand forever. You did not save yourself — salvation is received, not achieved — so you cannot un-save yourself; it rests on the finished work of Christ, not on your performance. Salvation is the once-for-all victory. And passages sometimes used to deny eternal security, such as believing “in vain,” do not mean a believer can fall away; in context Paul is answering those who doubted the resurrection itself, not warning the saved.

Also asked: Can you lose your salvation if your faith is not constant or if you stop following Christ?
Also asked, more loosely
What is the significance of present and perfect tenses in Paul's writings about salvation? · What does it mean for salvation to be a 'once-for-all' victory and how does that impact a believer's security?

Source: The Basics The Basics — Salvation (pp. 24-28) · Read this lesson in the book →

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