Consider my hypothetical struggle with anger. I resolve to curb my temper. I’m determined. I read all the books. I pray. I memorize verses. And I fail, repeatedly, despite my best efforts, and despite my best intentions. Finally my struggle becomes so painful that I get to the point where I’m feel like I’m ready to give up. Can I do it? Having genuinely received saving faith, can I now turn my back on it and walk away?
For the sake of argument, let’s assume we all agree that, thanks to the grace of God and the blood of Jesus Christ, my sins are I forgiven, and the process of freeing me from my sinfulness has begun.
The question on the table is can I so hinder that process that I actually lose my salvation? Can I fail to do something — fill in the blank here with your favorite Christian discipline: pray, meditate on Scripture, memorize Scripture, attend church, fasting, regular church attendance, frequent communion — such that I lose my salvation? Can I resist the working of God’s grace in my life to the point where I am no longer saved?
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Podcast Season 3, Episode 27