Eternal security is the Christian teaching that a person who comes to genuine faith in Jesus Christ can never lose his or her salvation. Is this what the Bible teaches?
Several New Testament passages provide information to help answer this question.
In John 6:37-40 Jesus teaches, "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
Here Jesus makes several specific promises regarding those who follow Him. He teaches He will never cast them out, will lose nothing of all that God the Father has given Him, and will raise up every person who has believed in Him on the last day. Jesus very clearly stated that every person who genuinely comes to faith in Him will be with Him for eternity.
Jesus also teaches in John 10:27-29, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 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." Here we find Jesus promising to give His followers eternal life and declaring that no one will be able to take them from His hand.
Romans 8 is an entire chapter devoted to the theme of verse 1: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Many aspects of eternal security are then mentioned throughout the chapter, concluding with Romans 8:38-39, which promise, "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." There is no power that can separate a believer in Jesus from Him.
While some argue that there are other biblical passages referring to a believer losing his or her faith in Jesus, the consistent message in the Bible about the issue is that a person who has truly believed in Jesus as Lord cannot lose his or her salvation. There are other explanations for such troublesome passages.
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