Page 57 - Discipleship Ministries Student E-Book

It is very clear from the Greek that this verse is not referring to faith as a gift from God. The word that in
this verse is the Greek word touto and it neuter in form and cannot refer to faith (pistis) which is
feminine. The antecedent of “it is a gift of God” is the salvation by grace through faith (first phrase in
the verse). It is God’s gift of salvation that is a gift from God, not our faith. While men are dead in their
sins, God holds every man accountable for their free choice to accept Christ or reject Him.

Adding Baptism
Another way to add to the gospel is to add baptism to belief. Scripture teaches that water baptism is an
outward sign to demonstrate faith in the Gospel and occurs AFTER we trust Christ by faith.

Acts 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to
their number that day.

Can a person lose his salvation?

The Bible’s answer is “no” because we do not save ourselves, but God saves us. If salvation was a work
that we did, then we could lose it. But salvation was totally a work of Christ, freely given to us in
response to faith. We did no works to gain it, and we can do no works to lose it. Let’s look at some
verses that demonstrate this fact:

Romans 8:30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he
justified, he also glorified.

According to this verse, from election to arrival in heaven God’s plan will not be thwarted.

We cannot lose our salvation, which is a gift from God, because all the things that happen when we trust
in Christ depend upon God’s nature, God’s power and God’s promises and cannot be reversed (Eph.
2:8). We are given eternal life (John 3:16, etc.). It isn’t “eternal” if we can lose it. We receive eternal life
as a gift (John 10:28; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23). We become God’s possession. The Good Shepherd
doesn’t lose His sheep (John 10:28-29). God’s seal can’t be erased (Ephesians 1:13, 14). All our sins,
past, present, and future, are totally forgiven (Romans 3:1, 23) so sinning cannot change the security of
our salvation.

We did not save ourselves! God gave the gift of salvation to us. If it was something that we did, then
sure, we could undo it. But God gave it freely in response to our faith to believe. Our names were
written in the Lamb’s book of Life. They cannot be erased.

How do you know you are really saved?
We are assured of salvation simply on the basis of our personal faith in Christ. However, there are
several passages in Scripture which indicate that once a person experiences salvation in Christ, his life
changes.

II Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the
new is here!

Galatians 5:22-23 teaches that believers will bear the “fruit of the Spirit” since the Spirit of God resides
in them. James teaches us that a person who shows no change in their lives, and who do not
demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (works of God) in their lives are actually dead (James 2:14-26).

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