I once spoke to a pastor who believed Christians could lose their salvation. I disagreed with him, and he attempted to explain his view using various passages from the Bible. However, he didn't convince me. I pointed out that while some passages may suggest the possibility of losing salvation, there are more that affirm we cannot.

When confronted with conflicting passages, we must turn to logic and reason.

I firmly believe that you can't lose your salvation. My logical defense is rooted in the Bible's assurances: we are in God's hands, sealed, and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Our salvation demonstrates that we were predestined—chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:11).

Moreover, the Bible states that when someone is saved, the heavens rejoice (Luke 15:7). I don't believe God would declare someone saved, cause heaven to rejoice, and then later retract that declaration, implying He was mistaken. Such a scenario would suggest that God is unaware of what is happening, which contradicts His omniscience.

Salvation is not the reason I'm bringing this up; it was the pastor's final response to me that made me realize a huge problem we have in Christianity. His final question was, "If we can't lose our salvation, what prevents me from sinning?"

The answer to that question is my relationship with Jesus Christ. It is my love for Christ, my marriage to Him, and my commitment. I was perplexed by his question and began to ponder what stopped him from sinning. I guess his answer would be the fear of losing salvation. This mentality would only bring about works and religion.

Marriage requires following certain principles to ensure a healthy relationship. A person can no longer live as if they are single; they must consider their spouse in decision-making and be accountable to them. But if this person follows these principles out of fear of losing their marriage and not out of a loving relationship, this marriage isn't a marriage at all. Why would anyone want to be in a relationship like this? I can assure you God Himself does not desire to be in this type of relationship (Hosea 6:6, Psalm 51:16, Psalm 40:6–8).

My deep concern is that this pastor and many Christians do not understand the importance of a relationship with Jesus. It is a committed love relationship with Jesus that assures salvation.

I, ____, take you, ____, to be my wife (or husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy law, and this is my solemn vow.

These words have never been more accurate when you think of salvation.

A marriage to Christ proves itself true through unwavering love and commitment, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, and in sickness and health. When there is love like this from the start, we follow the principles of marriage out of love, not out of fear or duty. This kind of marriage will only strengthen over time, enduring the ups and downs and ultimately proving its genuineness as it reaches its final destination.

I believe many people get married without fully understanding the level of commitment required, hoping their love will grow deeper over time. While this can happen, it is more likely that the relationship will become tedious and stagnant, eventually leading to divorce.

In the Exodus, God made the Israelites follow religion and laws—for God to dwell with them. He did this so that the people would get exhausted with religion and realize that God desired a relationship of love with them. A relationship like this can only be accomplished by surrendering to Jesus, a union, a marriage for better or worse, for richer or poorer, and in sickness and health. This relationship is the sanctification process, where God tests the validity of our union with Christ.

Without a relationship with Christ, your faith will stagnate. You'll become weary of merely following rules and religion, and without growth, love will not blossom. Without growth, there will be no fruit. Eventually, your faith will wither, and you will fall back into the ways of the world.

Sometimes, in marriage, people stay together because they feel they have nowhere else to go, have grown accustomed to their partner, or are afraid to leave. Similarly, some Christians remain in their faith because they have no other answers, Christianity has become a habit, or they fear losing their salvation. Such Christians may either go through the motions of their faith or eventually fall away.

When a marriage hits a low point, many couples choose to divorce, showing they were not committed "until death do us part." Similarly, those who walk away from Christ do not lose their salvation; they reveal that they were never truly saved.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. ~ 1 John 2:19

What would it take to walk away from a marriage?

Some Christians argue that while we can't lose our salvation, we can choose to walk away from it. And this raises the question: What could compel us to abandon the love of Christ? If Christ's love isn't enough to hold me, then what hope is there for me? And if avoiding walking away requires my self-effort, doesn't that suggest I can take credit for staying with Jesus?

What would it take to walk away from a marriage?

There would have to be no more love. However, our faith isn't mainly grounded in our love for Christ, but rather in His unwavering love for us. It is Christ who is the finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

A relationship with Christ involves highs, lows, struggles, and doubts. However, true salvation remains unwavering, holding onto Jesus regardless of circumstances. The Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit, committed through every situation, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to love and cherish—until death do us part, or in this case until an we spend eternity with Christ in Heaven.

A relationship (Sanctification) with Christ is essential, and it takes a surrendered commitment that begins with love. This commitment inspires us to follow God's laws because of love, and this love is what can assure us that we have been saved and will be with Christ at the end of our journey. It is faith that is freeing because the love of Christ is our inspiration.

Today, many Christians have replaced a genuine relationship with Christ with mere Bible knowledge, duty, and law-following, which amounts to religion. This kind of religion is what led the Pharisees and Sadducees astray. What we truly need is a relationship with Christ. A relationship like this will inspire us to do and become all that God wants us to be.