Let me ask you something—has anyone ever given you a gift? A truly meaningful one? And when you received it, weren’t you filled with joy? If it was something truly valuable, didn’t you cherish it, protect it, and hold on to it with all your heart?
That’s the way I feel about the most important gift I’ve ever received—and that’s the gift of salvation. But here’s the problem: that gift, as precious as it is, has been misunderstood, misrepresented, and even twisted by many over the years. And I want to speak plainly with you today—heart to heart—about a teaching that has brought a lot of confusion to sincere people who just want to follow Jesus. It’s the idea of “once saved, always saved.”
Now, I’m not here to give you my opinion—I want to open up God’s Word and speak the truth as clearly as I can. I want you to understand why this matters so much. Because the Bible tells me something sobering: “It is appointed for men to die once, and after this the judgment.” And it also says, “Those who do not obey the gospel… will be punished with everlasting destruction.” Those are not my words—those are straight from the book of life.
So, why is there judgment after death? Because there’s a holy and loving God who created you and me, and He wants us to be with Him forever. But sin stands in the way. Sin separates us from the God who loves us. And so, naturally, we must ask the most important question a human being can ever ask: “What must I do to be saved?”
And the beautiful truth is—salvation is a gift. A free gift. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” It’s not something I earned. I don’t deserve it. But God, in His great mercy, gave it to me anyway.
But now hear me carefully—just because a gift is free doesn’t mean it can’t be rejected or abandoned.
And that’s where the misunderstanding comes in. Many people have been taught, “Once you’re saved, you’re always saved”—as if salvation is something you receive once and then you can never lose, no matter what you do afterward. They call it eternal security, assurance of salvation, preservation of the saints, or even free grace. But no matter what name it goes by, the question remains: Is it true?
Well, let’s go to the only authority that matters—the Bible. I’m not asking you to take my word for it. Get your Bible. Open it. Read it with me.
Because the first truth I need you to understand is this: The Bible must be the final authority in all spiritual matters. Not tradition. Not opinions. Not what you’ve always heard from others. Let God’s Word speak for itself.
Jesus said something powerful in Matthew 7:21-23—He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father.” And then He talks about people who did many things in His name—and yet He tells them, “I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
Now stop and think—these are people who considered themselves Christians. These were people who believed they were saved. But Jesus said, they were not. Why? Because they didn’t continue in obedience.
That’s the second truth I want you to hear from me today: God requires ongoing obedience from His children. Not to earn salvation, but to remain in a right relationship with Him. Because if you abandon His will, you can also abandon His gift.
Some people say, “Well, those people in Matthew 7 were never saved to begin with.” But that’s not what Jesus said. Only God knows the heart. But I do know what the Bible says about obedience, faith, and falling away.
Let me show you an example—Simon the Sorcerer. He believed, he was baptized, and he followed Philip, the evangelist. He was saved. But later, his heart turned toward sin again. Peter told him, “Your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent… and pray for forgiveness.” Simon didn’t need to be baptized again—but he did need to repent, because his soul was once again in danger.
And that brings me to a third truth I need you to grasp: A saved believer can fall back into sin and become separated from God again. That’s not my opinion—it’s Bible truth.
And yes, I know the objection—you might say, “But we’re not saved by works!” And I agree! You and I are not saved by earning our way to heaven. But the Bible is also crystal clear: obedience matters. The Bible uses the word “works” in different ways, but the kind of works I’m talking about are acts of faithful obedience. Jesus Himself said, “Let your light shine… so they may see your good works and glorify your Father.” James said, “Faith without works is dead.”
So here’s the fourth truth: There are things you must continue to do after being saved—not to earn salvation, but to walk faithfully in response to God’s grace.
And finally, let me leave you with this fifth truth: Submitting to God is always your choice. Salvation is a gift. But you still have the freedom to walk away from it. No one can snatch you out of God’s hand—but you can set the gift down and walk away by your own choice.
I hope you see now how dangerous it is to believe the false teaching of “once saved, always saved.” The Bible speaks again and again about remaining faithful, holding fast, being diligent, enduring to the end, standing firm. Why would God say all of that if there was no risk of falling?
But even if you’ve walked away from the gift… listen to me… you can come back. You don’t need to be baptized again—but you do need to repent, to confess your sins, and let God restore you.
So today I’m asking you—are you holding on to the gift of salvation? Or have you set it down?
Don’t gamble with your soul. Don’t take lightly the most precious gift ever given. Hold on to it. Cherish it. Protect it. And if you’ve never received that gift—if you’ve never obeyed the gospel—then let today be the day.
Because I want to see you in heaven one day. And I pray you want that too.
