Did Peter lose his salvation when he denied Jesus?
Did Peter lose his salvation when he denied Christ or did he just sin? Why ask this question? The answer is, we all know people who no longer attend church or Connect Group, they may have been water baptized but then disappear. Fall into sin, too embarrassed to return, may or may not go back to church. Or your youth goes to University, the lecturer criticises Christians, and slowly your child say..."I am no longer a Christian, because.........."
I raised this topic on purpose. Why? Because many young believers watch Rhett and Link on Youtube. They have 16 million subscribers - and they are former CRU missionaries. They went to church, prayed, sang songs, did mission work, but could not connect the dots regarding, evolution, Bible, gay marriage and biblical marriage. Thye met nice people who were in gay marriage. (sinners can be nice) Easy question to answer.
FAITH DECONSTRUCTION
They have recently joined the chorus of “former Christians” who feel the need to share their “faith deconstruction” stories for all to hear. They are now agnostic. Tragic! Very tragic for young believers who watch these funny hilarious goofball show.
CAN A TRUE BELIEVER LOSE THEIR SALVATION?
Most Christians have asked this question at one time or another in their lives, and it is an enormously important question. They think about a friend or family member.
My answer to it is intimately connected to everything we believe about the redemptive work of God. Namely, do we really understand what Christ has done?
My answer is largely determined by whether we have the assurance of our salvation.
It is an important question for parents praying for their children, who went to kids church, youth, go to university, then walked away from the faith. Perhaps as a church leader, you have observed people come and go and wondered were they really saved? Your hearts break over this.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
The doctrine is called the “perseverance of the saints.” We have to be careful with this phrase, however, because it could be read by some to mean that perseverance to the end is something that the Christian accomplishes in his own strength.
This biblical doctrine does not say this, but the phrase can be misheard and misunderstood. As we will see, it is God alone who keeps us from falling completely away from grace.
In the gospel of John, for example, we repeatedly read that believers have “eternal life.” Not a temporary life, but eternal life.
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:36: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
John 5:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
John 6:35–40: “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 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.’”
John 6:47: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”
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.”
The Apostle Paul teaches the same doctrine in his epistles:
Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:29–30: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
Romans 8:35–39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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.”
1 Corinthians 1:7–9: “So that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Ephesians 1:5, 13, 14: “He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. . . . In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
This doctrine is well-grounded in Scripture.
This Biblical doctrine was not immune to semi-Pelagian thinking that plagued the church for years. They argued that
Many Christians responded to this argument. I will summarize in point form for you.
1. True believers can and do sin.
2. The sins of believers should cause them to humble themselves and flee to Christ.
3. If believers were left to themselves, they could not remain to stand, but God graciously preserves them to the end.
4. True believers, such as David and Peter (as mentioned on Sunday), can and do sometimes fall into serious sins, and these sins deserve death (according to the Bible).
5. However, God intervenes for His children and God does not remove His Holy Spirit from them completely. God renews them to repentance.
6. It is not by our own merits, good works or strength that we remain true believers, but by God’s undeserved mercy that we neither forfeit faith and grace totally nor remain in our sinful downfalls to the end and are lost.
7. God's promise cannot fail, the calling according to His purpose cannot be revoked, the merit of Christ, as well as His interceding and preserving, cannot be nullified, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit can neither be invalidated nor wiped out.
8. The persevering of our faith depends not upon our free will, but God's unchanging election, flowing from the unchangeable love of God the Father and the intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within us; and the nature of God's amazing grace.
9. Like Peter, and King David, you and me, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, our inner fallen corruption remains in us, we can fall into sin; and, for a time, this may continue where we receive God’s displeasure and we grieve His Holy Spirit. We can be deprived of some measure of God grace and comforts, our hearts hardened, and our consciences wounded, may bring temporary judgments upon ourselves and hurt others.
Do not mistake the intent of these scriptures. I am not saying “once saved, always saved.” - This idea is that a person lifts their hand for salvation, prays the sinner’s prayer, or is water baptized, then they live a completely unrepentant sinful life, yet will still be with the Lord in eternity. No. The Bible does not teach this.
Theology is not merely for pastors but for all believers. Any Christian who is asking whether true Christians can fall away is asking a theological question, and theological questions are interrelated. Study the Westminster Standards. Search the Scriptures.
So, can a true Christian lose his or her salvation?
No. God never loses His children.
Romans 8:29–30: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
Romans 8:35–39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 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.”
1 Corinthians 1:7–9: “So that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Ephesians 1:5, 13, 14: “He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. . . . In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
This doctrine is well-grounded in Scripture.
This Biblical doctrine was not immune to semi-Pelagian thinking that plagued the church for years. They argued that
True believers are capable by their own fault of falling into flagrant crimes and atrocious wickedness, to persevere and die in them, and therefore finally to fall away and to perish.
Many Christians responded to this argument. I will summarize in point form for you.
1. True believers can and do sin.
2. The sins of believers should cause them to humble themselves and flee to Christ.
3. If believers were left to themselves, they could not remain to stand, but God graciously preserves them to the end.
4. True believers, such as David and Peter (as mentioned on Sunday), can and do sometimes fall into serious sins, and these sins deserve death (according to the Bible).
5. However, God intervenes for His children and God does not remove His Holy Spirit from them completely. God renews them to repentance.
6. It is not by our own merits, good works or strength that we remain true believers, but by God’s undeserved mercy that we neither forfeit faith and grace totally nor remain in our sinful downfalls to the end and are lost.
7. God's promise cannot fail, the calling according to His purpose cannot be revoked, the merit of Christ, as well as His interceding and preserving, cannot be nullified, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit can neither be invalidated nor wiped out.
8. The persevering of our faith depends not upon our free will, but God's unchanging election, flowing from the unchangeable love of God the Father and the intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within us; and the nature of God's amazing grace.
9. Like Peter, and King David, you and me, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, our inner fallen corruption remains in us, we can fall into sin; and, for a time, this may continue where we receive God’s displeasure and we grieve His Holy Spirit. We can be deprived of some measure of God grace and comforts, our hearts hardened, and our consciences wounded, may bring temporary judgments upon ourselves and hurt others.
Do not mistake the intent of these scriptures. I am not saying “once saved, always saved.” - This idea is that a person lifts their hand for salvation, prays the sinner’s prayer, or is water baptized, then they live a completely unrepentant sinful life, yet will still be with the Lord in eternity. No. The Bible does not teach this.
Theology is not merely for pastors but for all believers. Any Christian who is asking whether true Christians can fall away is asking a theological question, and theological questions are interrelated. Study the Westminster Standards. Search the Scriptures.
So, can a true Christian lose his or her salvation?
No. God never loses His children.
