“You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. See then the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; for otherwise you too will be cut off.” Romans 11:19-22 NASB2020

How does one ‘lose’ their salvation. If a person be in Christ he is saved forever for no one can snatch that person who resides in the palm of Christ. Yet the Bible seems to make clear some do fall away from the faith even while promising those in the faith that they shall never be released by God. Is the Bible messed up? We, the broken people of God, are messed up, not the Scriptures. When we think of falling away from God, of losing our salvation, we think of our constant disobedience. We think of that besetting sin that never seems to leave us. We think of that anger problem, that lust problem, that whatever problem that we have prayed about numerous times but still seems to lurk behind every corner we enter. We can’t shake the sin from which we repented so many times and so question our own salvation. This is not what causes a man to fall away. It is not our disobedience by which men walk away from the faith though it is the disobedient who do walk away. If obedience could keep us in the faith then we wouldn’t need a Savior. While we all must obey God for this proves our salvation, our love for God. It is our faith that makes us Christians and keeps us in the palm of God’s hand. Our faith in Christ not our obedience to Christ make us children of God. It is when we lose faith in God, when we deny Jesus as Savior and Lord, when we no longer place our trust in Him for our salvation and our sanctification that we fall away. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith in the completed work of Jesus appropriated to us keeps us in the family of God. Faith in the sufficiency of the cross of Christ to pay for all our disobedience, and faith in the resurrection of Christ to guarantee us a home in the kingdom of God is what makes us children of God. Obedience or disobedience to God reflects our love for God, our faith in God but it does not earn us either. God measures us by our faith not our obedience, it is grace through faith by which we are saved and not be works lest any man should boast before God.