Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Can a Christian stop believing and forfeit their salvation?

Can a Christian stop believing and forfeit their salvation?

Last updated on: March 25, 2025 at 8:00 am by Andrew Farley

0 Comments

Can a Christian stop believing and forfeit their salvation? 2024-12-05T14:02:14-06:00 Andrew Farley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Quick Answer: Can a Christian stop believing and forfeit their salvation? No, a Christian cannot forfeit or give up their salvation. This is because God has changed them from the inside out and given them a desire to always believe in Him (1 John 3:9, 23; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Romans 6:17). Believers love Jesus Christ with an undying love (Ephesians 6:24).

Diving Deeper: The question of whether or not a Christian can forfeit their salvation is simply another way of asking, “Can a Christian lose their salvation?” However, with this question the faith of the believer is in focus: “Sure, I may not be able to lose my salvation through bad behavior,” one might think, “but what if I want to give it up? What if I don’t want Jesus anymore?”

Here’s the truth: If you are a born-again believer, you will always want Jesus. In fact, Scripture states that you love Jesus with “incorruptible love” (Ephesians 6:24). This is because God has taken out your heart of stone and given you a new, obedient heart that will never stop loving Him (2 Peter 1:3-4; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Romans 6:17). If you’re a believer, then in your heart, you will always believe.

What about those who walk away? What about our children or friends or spouses who decide “not to be a Christian anymore”? Sometimes, it can be hard to discern what is going on within a person. If they truly received Christ as their Savior, then in their heart, they do still have an undying love for Him. Maybe they say they’re done with Christianity, but they are really only done with a particular church or religious atmosphere, because they were hurt by a group of people. Alternatively, someone who says “I’m not a Christian anymore” might have never had a genuine faith to begin with. They might have only wanted a conservative environment of clean living, family values, and Christian principles. In this case, they are simply deciding to not have that lifestyle anymore, but they never had Christ Himself living within them.

Whatever the scenario, our response can still be the same: We can love them and testify to God’s grace. If they’re a believer, then this may restore their hope that their loving Father is better than the treatment they received in a particular religious group. And if they are an unbeliever, they can begin to recognize the difference between “good living” and truly living in Jesus Christ.

In summary, a true believer cannot forfeit their salvation. Their old self has already died, and they are the new self (Romans 6:6, 11). We believers are “slaves of righteousness,” and there is nothing within the new self that wants to reject Christ (Romans 6:18; Ephesians 6:24). This reality, along with the total forgiveness of the believer, is what secures us forever with our God.

Let’s Make It a Conversation!
1. Have you ever known someone who said they no longer believe? How would you now explain their situation?
2. How does your identity as a new-hearted child of God factor into the false idea of forfeiting salvation?
3. What does it mean to you personally that you’ll never stop loving God?

Uncategorized

Previous Post

March 18, 2025

Is the Bible inerrant?

Next Post

September 29, 2025 Will some Christians be in hell?

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"I agree that the believer has a new heart which loves God and loves righteousness. ..."

Adrian Warnock

Do Christians have a deceitfully wicked ..."

""Some of us have even heard that we are to love God more than our ..."

1another

How can you love God more?

"“Paul was simply presenting his body to Christ because he wanted to do so.” That’s ..."

1another

What are spiritual disciplines?

"I don't know if I've ever used the term, but your point is dangerous heresy, ..."

1another

When did the New Covenant begin?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 December 2023 April 2023 March 2023 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 November 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 December 2016 November 2016 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 August 2014 May 2014 December 2013 October 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

On which mountain did Moses receive the Ten Commandments?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Mount Carmel Mount Hermon Mount Ararat Mount Sinai