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There are some who believe that once a man has been born again and become a child of God he cannot lose his salvation. When they see someone fall away from faith they say he must never have been really born again in the first place. That is sadly true in many cases nowadays! That is because of the watered down preaching of the Gospel which is aimed at increasing the number of so-called converts for the success of a ministry. Many people are given to believe that they have become children of God merely by accepting certain ideas or repeating a prayer. They have never experienced the supernatural work of God for salvation in their lives. Then when the going gets tough, they get offended and 'fall away from God'. But since they were never really with God to begin with, these are not really cases of falling away.

To be born again is an absolutely necessary experience for entering into a relationship with God (Jn.3:5). The usual sequence is like this. When someone hears the story of Jesus, the Son of God, he becomes aware that he is a hopeless sinner who stands accountable to the holy God who created him. That is when he hears the good news that Jesus has come and died on the cross in order to pay for the forgiveness of his sins. Filled with the conviction of his own sins and the hope that Jesus will forgive him, he repents from his sins and receives Jesus as his only hope of salvation. At this point God forgives him by washing his heart with the blood of Jesus, wiping away the record of his sins, and giving him a new heart that does not want to sin any more (Ez.36:26,27). The Holy Spirit begins to dwell in him and give him the strength to overcome temptations and to do what is pleasing to God. If someone does not experience the work of salvation from God in this way, he cannot afford to assume that he is a child of God.

This entry into salvation is like entering through a narrow gate, and walking with God for the rest of life is like walking on a narrow path (Mt.7:13,14). Salvation is not just about entering, but also walking through life towards the destination of becoming more and more like Jesus. From God's side He promises that He will preserve His children from being taken away from Him (Jn.10:29). But that alone does not ensure that we will not fall away from our side. We who have a free will with which we choose to repent and place our trust in Jesus have also the possibility to later choose to leave Him (Ro.11:20). That is why God gives His people many warnings in the New Testament to take heed lest they fall, for example, Heb.3:12.

Jesus warns about those who receive the seed of the Gospel which begins to grow in their lives, who later fall away when the pressures of life come upon them (Mt.13:22). Some people lose faith when they cannot figure God out philosophically or cannot explain some experience. Isn't this happening all around us? But if we cling on in faith, we can be assured of staying on with God.

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