If I SIN, Will I Lose my Salvation?

Once we are adopted into the family of God through faith in Jesus Christ, we belong there for all eternity. A sinful act cannot take away our heavenly inheritance from us.

When we sin against God, He gently rebukes us and lovingly calls us back to Himself. When we stubbornly refuse to listen to Him, He disciplines us. We lose the joy of His fellowship. If we go on ignoring Him, we may even lose the assurance of our salvation because our hardened hearts would have lost touch with God's Spirit in us.

When we are adopted into God's family, we do our best to live worthy of His family's good name. Grace might have saved us, but it does not give us the license to continue sinning. Out of thankfulness to God, we must live our lives in a way that pleases Him. Membership in God's family, however, does not guarantee us sinless lives. Our transformation into Christ's nature is not instantaneous; it is progressive. That is why we still find ourselves falling into sin.

God understands our nature, and He has given us a remedy in 1 John -- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." As God's children, we are secure. Jesus did not only die to save us; He also rose to see us through eternity.

CBN International Ministries & OMF Literature