Ep.1457: Can Christians Lose Their Salvation? (Part II)
Viewing beliefs about losing or not losing salvation in the light of Scripture
CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: Hebrews 10:26
Salvation is a foundational belief that every Christian stands upon. We all claim renewal as a result of Jesus dying for our sins. Sounds simple and straightforward until we begin to ask the hard questions about how salvation actually works. In Part I of this 2-part series, we took a hard scriptural look at the mechanics of salvation. We begin Part II by briefly summarizing our Part I conversation regarding what we believe the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation teaches us about salvation. Next, we will dive deeply into the very controversial question about a Christian’s ability or inability to ever lose that salvation. Answering this question needs clear and plainly stated biblical support. Let’s find it!
We continue our study on salvation by examining the Bible’s strongest warning passages and how they challenged the popular "once saved, always saved" view. While salvation is a gift from God, Christians must hold fast, remain faithful and avoid the danger of falling away. This episode builds on Part I by exploring how free will and personal responsibility all play a vital role in keeping our relationship with God strong.
The warnings in Hebrews
Part II takes us into the sobering territory of what the Bible actually says about falling away. Hebrews 10 warns believers who have already been enlightened not to drift into willful sin. Hebrews 6 describes the tragic condition of someone who had every spiritual advantage yet consciously turned away. Paul himself—after decades of faithful service—said he had not “already attained,” showing that glorification is conditional and not guaranteed simply by beginning the Christian walk.
None of this means salvation is fragile or easily lost; rather, it means salvation is relational. God never overrides free will, and the holy spirit is described as a pledge—a down payment of what God intends to complete. Our responsibility is to nurture that gift, resist the temptations that once defined us, and remain committed to the narrow path of discipleship. These warnings remind us that our choices matter and that the privilege of being called now carries profound accountability.
Key Takeaways
• Salvation is a free gift, but it does not override free will.
• Scripture repeatedly warns believers to “hold fast” and remain faithful.
• Falling away happens only through conscious, willful rejection—not accidental failure.
• The holy spirit is a pledge of future inheritance, not the completed inheritance.
• God is faithful to His promise; our role is to stay faithful to our calling.
I shared your links on this subject in a forum and this is the admin’s reply – But there is another serious problem with this podcast. It teaches that most of humanity will be resurrected in the future and then receive their first genuine opportunity for salvation. Jesus does not teach that in John 5:28-29. He distinguishes between the resurrection of life and the resurrection of damnation. Hebrews 9:27 also tells us that after death comes judgment, not another opportunity to believe. (Actually I was also shocked when I heard it.)
It’s good to hear from you again, Rose. While the King James Version translates the end of verse 29 as the “resurrection of damnation,” nearly all modern translations (such as the NASB, ESV, and ASV) translate it accurately as the “resurrection of judgment.” This word translated ‘judgment’ (or ‘damnation’) is the Greek noun krisis (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #2920). Krisis does not mean a pre-determined sentence or instantaneous execution of doom; lexical definitions show it means a trial, a process of investigation, a contest or an evaluation. It is the root of our English word “crisis,” describing a critical turning point where the outcome could go either way.
The “resurrection of life” applies to Christ’s faithful followers who have already undergone their trial and testing during this present Gospel Age (“judgment begins at the household of God,” 1 Peter 4:17). They receive life immediately upon resurrection. The “resurrection of judgment” applies to the rest of humanity. They are awakened not to be immediately condemned for sins inherited from Adam, but to enter a period of trial, learning and accountability under the righteous rule of Christ’s kingdom. As Isaiah 26:9 explains, “When the earth experiences Your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.”
Hebrews 9:27 states: “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment…” Notice that the writer uses the exact same word: krisis (#2920). The text states that after death comes judgment (a trial) — it does not state that after death all opportunity to learn and obey God is forever closed. The broader context of Hebrews 9–10 describes how Jesus offered himself once for all to put away sin. Because of Adam’s disobedience, all of humanity inherited death (“in Adam all die,” 1 Corinthians 15:22). Because of Jesus’ corresponding ransom price, “even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
We completely agree that Scripture does not promise a “second chance” to someone who has already received a full, spirit-begotten knowledge of the truth and willfully rejected Christ (Hebrews 6:4–6, 10:26–29). However, for the vast majority of human history — the billions who lived and died before Jesus, infants, the mentally challenged or those who never heard the gospel and born in the wrong time in the wrong place to the wrong family — they have never had their first genuine opportunity.
The Apostle Paul tells us that God “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge (epignosis, meaning full discernment) of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:3–6). Similarly, 1 Timothy 4:10 proclaims that the living God is the “Savior of all men, especially of believers.” Believers are saved first in this age by invitation; the world is redeemed and brought to their trial of judgment later in the kingdom.
Rather than contradicting Jesus and Paul, the understanding of a future, righteous day of trial highlights the profound depth of God’s justice and mercy — giving every person purchased by the blood of Christ a fair, uncontaminated opportunity to learn righteousness and choose life. If you’d like to explore this even further, we encourage you to check out two specific episodes where we walk through these scriptures verse by verse: Episode 1175: “Did God Make Heaven and Hell Humanity’s Destiny? (Part II)” — where we dig directly into the Greek context and harmony of both John 5:28–29 and Hebrews 9:27. Episode 1231: “What if I’m Not Good Enough for Heaven?” — which explores what Scripture reveals about God’s righteous, educational trial for the world during Christ’s kingdom. We’d love to hear your thoughts after giving them a listen! – Christian Questions
Christian Questions, I have read your explanation, but I believe you are still making Scripture say something it does not say.
You spend considerable time explaining the Greek word *krisis*, but the meaning of that word does not establish your doctrine. Yes, it means judgment. But where does Scripture say that this judgment involves resurrecting unbelievers and giving them an opportunity to repent and receive salvation after death?
Look at John 5 in context. In verse 24, Jesus says, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
Then, in verses 28-29, He describes two resurrections: “they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
Whether you translate *krisis* as judgment or condemnation, Jesus never says those raised for judgment will be given another opportunity to believe. You are adding that to His words.
You also appeal to Hebrews 9:27, which says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Again, where does that passage say judgment is a period of learning, repentance, and an opportunity for salvation? It doesn’t. You have taken the word judgment and inserted an entire teaching into it.
You quote Isaiah 26:9 about the inhabitants of the world learning righteousness when God’s judgments are in the earth. But that passage says nothing about resurrected unbelievers being taught the gospel after death. In fact, Isaiah 26:10 warns that even when favor is shown to the wicked, “yet will he not learn righteousness.” You cannot ignore that context.
You also quote 1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” But Paul is discussing the resurrection, not promising everyone a future opportunity to receive salvation. In verses 23-24, he continues by explaining the order of resurrection and Christ’s final victory. You cannot use verse 22 to establish something Paul never teaches there.
And 1 Timothy 2:4-6 tells us of God’s desire for all to be saved and Christ giving Himself as a ransom for all. I believe that. But God’s desire for people to be saved does not establish that those who die in unbelief will receive another opportunity after death. John 3:18 plainly tells us that the person who does not believe in Christ is condemned already.
I also notice that your argument relies heavily on the idea that everyone must receive what you call a “fair, uncontaminated opportunity.” But where does Scripture establish that requirement? We must be careful not to build doctrine around what we believe God ought to do rather than what He has revealed He will do.
You have explained at length what you believe happens after the resurrection, but you have not shown where Jesus or His apostles actually taught it.
So I would like you to answer one question directly.
**Where does Scripture explicitly teach that people who die without believing in Christ will be resurrected, taught the gospel, and then given an opportunity to repent and receive eternal life?**
If this is truly God’s plan for billions of people, surely we should be able to establish it from Scripture rather than constructing it from the possible meanings of Greek words and passages that never actually describe it.
I am not questioning God’s mercy or justice. I am questioning whether the doctrine you are teaching is found in His Word.
That is the issue we need to settle.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. We agree there is no single verse that states in one sentence, “Those who die without believing in Christ will be resurrected, taught the gospel, and then given an opportunity for everlasting life.” Our understanding comes from the way multiple scriptures fit together into one harmonious picture of God’s plan. The question, then, is not whether there is one stand-alone proof text, but whether the combined testimony of Scripture supports such a conclusion.
First, Scripture teaches that Christ’s ransom was provided for the entire human race, not merely for those who have heard and accepted him during the present age. Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:6). Paul tells us that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Significantly, the text places salvation before coming to a knowledge of the truth. Since the vast majority of mankind has lived and died without attaining a full knowledge of Christ, their “due time” for receiving that testimony must be future.
This harmonizes with Jesus’ statement in John 5:28–29 that all who are in the graves will come forth. Some receive a resurrection of life, while others receive a resurrection of judgment (krisis). As we previously stated, we understand this judgment not merely as the pronouncement of a pre-determined verdict, but as a period of testing, evaluation, correction and opportunity under Christ’s righteous kingdom.
Jesus’ own words regarding Sodom appear especially significant. In Matthew 11:23–24, he says it will be “more tolerable” for Sodom in the Day of Judgment than for Capernaum. Sodom’s inhabitants died centuries before Christ, yet Jesus speaks of them as having a future experience in the Day of Judgment. If their eternal destiny was irreversibly settled at death, it is difficult to understand how their judgment could be described as “more tolerable” than that of others who had greater light and greater responsibility.
We would also point to scriptures describing the future work of Christ and his church. Paul writes that God “reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,” adding that God was in Christ “reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:18–19). We are told “the saints will judge the world” (1 Corinthians 6:2–3) and the faithful will reign with Christ as priests during the thousand years (Revelation 20:6).
Those passages naturally raise several questions:
–If the world’s destiny is permanently settled at death, who is the “world” being reconciled?
–If all decisions have already been finalized, who are the saints judging?
–If all opportunities have forever passed, who is the “royal priesthood” ministering to?
–Why bind Satan for 1,000 years so that he should “deceive the nations no more” if everyone’s destiny is already pre-determined? (Revelation 20:1–3)
–Why give a final test for people at the close of the 1,000 years if they were already definitively sentenced when resurrected? (Revelation 20:7–10)
Combined, these passages describe an extended administrative process of judgment rather than just an announcement of a pre-determined verdict. We understand them to describe the future kingdom administration in which Christ and his glorified church participate in restoring humanity to harmony with God.
This brings us to the nature of judgment itself. We believe Scripture presents the Day of Judgment not as a brief sentencing hearing, but as an extended period of righteous administration. Acts 17:31 says God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. We understand that “day” to be the Millennial reign of Christ, during which mankind is enlightened, instructed, tested, corrected, and reconciled under kingdom conditions.
This is where Isaiah 26:9 becomes relevant. We agree that it does not, by itself, prove our entire position. However, it does reveal an important principle: “When Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” In other words, judgment has an educational component. We also acknowledge the very next verse, Isaiah 26:10, which shows that some may still resist righteousness even when favor is extended to them. Far from teaching universal salvation, that verse supports the principle that opportunity does not guarantee acceptance. For that reason, we do not see mankind learning righteousness and then entering judgment, nor do we see judgment occurring before instruction and reconciliation. Rather, the process of learning, reconciliation, testing, correction, and response is itself the world’s judgment.
Therefore, our understanding of the scriptural sequence is:
–Christ provided the ransom for all.
–The dead are awakened from Adamic death.
–Christ and his church reign as kings, priests, judges and ministers of reconciliation.
–Mankind comes to a full knowledge of the truth and learns righteousness under kingdom conditions.
This entire process constitutes the world’s judgment in righteousness. After full enlightenment and opportunity, each individual ultimately stands or falls based on their own response to that light.
Regarding the passages of John 3:18 and Hebrews 9:27, we agree that unbelievers presently stand condemned in Adam and that death is followed by judgment. The question is not whether judgment exists, but what that judgment entails. When these passages are considered alongside John 5:28–29, Matthew 11:23–24, Acts 17:31, 2 Corinthians 5:18–19, 1 Corinthians 6:2–3 and Revelation 20:1–10, we believe the broader scriptural picture points to a future age in which the world is judged through a process of enlightenment, reconciliation, testing and personal accountability.
So our conclusion is not built upon any one verse. It rests upon the combined testimony of the ransom for all, the resurrection of the just and unjust, the future reconciliation of the world, the judging and priestly work of the church, and the many kingdom prophecies describing a time when all will come to know the Lord and be accountable for their own response to Him. – Christian Questions