Monday 10th May 2010 - Can we lose our salvation?

On a forum that I look at the question was put: Can a person lose their salvation?
Here is my response.
"I am of the camp who believe once saved always saved. I do believe one can backslide. I have done this many time. At one time it lasted for 10 years as I recall. But Christ never gave up on me for one instance.
Consider Noah and the Ark in Genesis 7:16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.
Who shut Noah in? God did. Noah assented to it but God did it. There were 8 people saved on that day. All later were to backslide in various ways but it was God who shut up and sealed the ark. Just as we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Now, when could Noah leave the Ark? Not until 8:15-16. When God called him out.
"Then God said to Noah, 16 "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.""
I find great comfort in this.
Consider Jacob, probably one of the greatest swindlers and backsliders of the Bible. His saving grace was that he loved God and in turn was loved by God. Hence we read so many times the interchange of names between Jacob, the old flesh man, and Israel, the spiritual man.
I do acknowledge what people say. There is also a passage which mentioned that we shouldn't make light of Christ sacrifice, something about there being no further sacrifice. If I had time I would look it up.
By the way, maybe we can use some of those verses, which I will look up later, as a Triple M's memory verse program.
Just one more little question? How does one work out whether one is saved or not saved? And as we look at the people in our church are all of them saved? And what would be the evidence of that salvation?
I have been saved for over 30 years now and I some times doubt my own walk with Christ. But I know Whom I have believed......
You can look at the thread on this at St Luke's Forum.
Let me add some bits here. God's Covenants are conditional on what He does, not on what we do. Our part of any covenant is to allow God to do what He wants. Mind you, not that we have a lot of option in this. To quote my wife "God is gonna do what He will do anyway".
Hebrews 6:4-6 is an interesting passage. It would indicate that maybe we can. If we have once tasted the glories of God and then neglect them then there is no further repentance. I would then be asking was that person saved in the first place. Is there a genuine change of heart. I know we are a work in progress. But if one takes that passage to its logical extreme then I am not saved and further more have no hope of salvation. So, when I backslid was I actually saved in the first place. And furthermore, given my proven ability and guarantee to backslide again, am I saved now?
What to make of 1 Corinthians 1:12. I agree with this passage. We really do need to do this. Also Philippians 2:12.
Now, I am convinced even more, 1 Timothy 1:12 that I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed against that day.