Can a Christian “give back” salvation?

Answer

The concise response to this query is that a genuine Christian cannot “return” salvation. Interestingly, some individuals who acknowledge that a Christian cannot “lose” their salvation still argue that salvation can be “returned” to God. Those who maintain this perspective often cite Romans 8:38-39, suggesting that while external factors cannot separate us from God’s love, we can, through our free will, choose to distance ourselves from God. This notion is not only contrary to biblical teachings but also illogical.

To comprehend why returning our salvation is impossible, it is essential to grasp three key aspects: the character of God, the nature of humanity, and the essence of salvation itself. God, by His very nature, is a Savior. In the Psalms alone, God is described as the Savior of humankind thirteen times. God is the sole Savior; no one else can save us, and we are incapable of saving ourselves. “I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:11). Nowhere in the Scriptures is God depicted as a Savior who relies on those He saves to accomplish salvation. John 1:13 clearly states that those who belong to God are not reborn by their own volition but by God’s will. God saves according to His will and His power. His will is never thwarted, and His power is boundless (Daniel 4:35).

The plan of salvation devised by God was fulfilled through Jesus Christ, God in human form, who came to earth to “seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).As lost.” , (Luke 19:10). Jesus made it clear that we did not choose Him, but that He chose us and appointed us to “go and bear fruit” “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” , (John 15:16). Salvation is a gift from God through faith in Christ, given to those whom He has, before the foundation of the world, foreordained to receive it and who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit into that salvation (Ephesians 1:11-14). This precludes the idea that man can, by his own will, thwart God’s plan to save him. God would not foreordain someone to receive the gift of salvation, only to have His plan destroyed by someone wanting to accept that gift and then return it. God’s sovereign omniscience and foreknowledge make such a scenario impossible.

Man is, by nature, a depraved being who does not seek God in any way. Until his heart is changed by the Spirit of God, he will not seek God, nor can he. God’s Word is incomprehensible to him. The unregenerate man is unrighteous, worthless, and deceitful. His mouth is full of bitterness and cursing, his heart is inclined toward bloodshed, he has no peace, and there is no “fear of God before his eyes” (Romans 3:10-18). Such a person is incapable of saving himself or even seeing his need for salvation. It is only after he has been made a new creation in Christ that his heart and mind are changed toward God. He now sees truth and understands spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:14;2 Corinthians 5:17).

Ephesians 5:17).

A Christian is someone who has been redeemed from sin and set on the path to heaven. They are a new creation, with their heart turned toward God. Their old nature has passed away. Their new nature would never desire to relinquish their salvation and revert to their former self, condemned to eternal damnation for sin, just as a heart transplant recipient would never want to return their new heart and have their old, diseased one reinserted. The idea of a Christian surrendering their salvation is not supported by scripture and is inconceivable.