Why I Don't Believe We Can "lose" Eternal Life

When we are saved we become a new creation, according to 2 Cor. 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” This is the new state of being resulting from the action of the new birth. Where the new birth emphasizes the radical transformation we undergo, the new creation emphasizes the radical new person we become. How is it possible to become an old creation once again? Can we be uncreated? Now if we had any doubt as to the extent of this creation, Paul dispels it by specifying that the old things have passed away. All things have become new. If I go out and buy a new car and decide I don’t like it, I can give it back and continue using the old one. But if I have rebuilt the old car, sanded off the old paint and repainted it, torn out the upholstery and had it reupholstered, replaced the old engine, tires and electrical system and taken the old parts to the dump—how can I possibly untransform it and make it back into the old car? God’s work in this new creation is more than restoration, it is actual creation: we have been created a “new man” in God’s image (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10).

Eph. 4:24 makes it clear that we need to “put on” this new man in practice (see also 2 Cor. 3:18), but it also makes it clear that we have been created a new man in position. The Bible is also clear that we have a new mind (1 Cor. 2:16); this is not a matter of renovation of the old mind, but a new mind, namely the mind of Christ. John says that God will one day make a new heaven and earth, and a new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1, 2). The word ‘new’ here is the same as in 2 Cor. 5:17, “new creation.” Do you suppose the new heavens and earth could again become old? Could new Jerusalem become old again? When God creates something new, it remains new.

We have been baptized into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13): “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” The word Greek word ‘baptism’ comes from bapto which means “to dip or immerse” and was used for the dying of cloth. This complete identification with something new is powerful evidence of our radical and irreversible transformation. We become, in our baptism into Christ’s body, an actual part of His spiritual body on earth. The removal of some part of His body would be like a tonsillectomy or appendectomy—unimaginable for Christ’s spiritual body. This casual reference to major surgery becomes even more inconceivable when it is multiplied over multitudes of supposed lost salvations over the whole church around the world.

We are crucified with Christ, according to such passages as Rom. 6:6 and Gal. 2:20. Now though we were not aware of this when it happened, though we cannot feel it or sense it now, it is a truth given to us in Scripture. We must believe it. This is accomplished by the baptism mentioned in the previous paragraph. As baptism is identification, we are identified by God with Christ in His death (Rom. 6:4). In God’s eyes, when Christ died, we died. This identification, by the way, includes being buried, resurrected, ascended, and glorified. Where Christ died FOR our sin, we died TO our sin (Rom. 6:10-11). Too much flows from this concept to investigate it here; the important thing now is that it has been accomplished. How then can it be undone? How can we be uncrucified? “We were buried with Him through baptism into death,” according to Rom. 6:4. If this can be undone, I challenge anyone to explain how.

Finally, there is another wonderful truth in Rom. 6:6, our old man has been crucified with Christ, “that the body of sin may be nullified.” Much debate has come about because of the verb ‘nullify’. None of that is of much help in this discussion. What is important is the fact of it. If the body of sin has been nullified, how can it be reactivated? Our co-crucifixion with Christ has nullified the power the sin nature has over us, and consequently our need to obey it. For salvation to be lost, this power would have to be given back to the sin nature once again. The thought of this is incredible.

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Comment by ShekinahLife on July 31, 2012 at 2:08am: Wonderful writing...however may I assume that you have noted that you Rabbi Yeshua was from the tribe of Judah simply,he was a Yud' and as a member of the Community Historically speaking I believe he taught Judaism 101 as his initial testimonies show EG Matthew Mattisyahu 5:v17-19 ...I came to walk out the Torah walk. That is to stay on the Derech...On the way,... the path...of Torah instruction.
Can you wrap your mind and thought process to bring forth the Rabbis teachings He used at the Time of the Second temple...Obviously the New Testament was constructed over the timeline of 1700 years so that leaves even the Pauline, Hellenist teaching out of the equation...
Yeshua used none of the Roman slant to make his point only after the fact was the writings changed to Favor the Roman position...All of this is of course in Historical archives.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on April 28, 2009 at 1:00pm: God's word will also NOT return VOID, everyone that acts on the Gospel message will be saved, it is the POWER of GOD that KEEPS us saved NOT our WILL power!