Answer: Although many scriptures in the Bible say you must repent of sin, the only time you need to worry about losing your salvation is when you no longer believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and you no longer confess with your mouth that He is Lord. Salvation comes when we receive. So, the only way you could possibly “lose” your salvation is if you deliberately reject Jesus as your Lord and Savior. And that is a pretty strong thing to do.

So, the question is: Have you stopped believing that Jesus is God’s Son and that He was raised from the dead? Have you deliberately rejected Jesus as lord? Probably not. If you had, you would be “speaking lies in hypocrisy, having your conscience seared with a hot iron,” like 1Timothy 4:2Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) says, and you wouldn’t really care about the status of your salvation.

It is more likely that the devil is just casting doubt on the work God has done within your heart. Satan may be using your recent sin as a way to heap condemnation on you, telling you that since you’ve committed a sin, you couldn’t possibly still be saved. He uses guilt and condemnation to lie to you about God’s grace. What a snake! The devil will use anyway he can to steal your faith in God and make you feel like a worthless piece of trash. But you aren’t!! You are a born-again Child of God and forgiveness is available to YOU!

1 Peter 3:18Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) tells us that Jesus suffered once for all sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. And Romans 5: 8-9Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) tells us, “But demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

These scriptures show us that Jesus died a brutal death on the cross so that all sins could be washed away. For you, that includes the sins you did ten years ago and the ones you might have just committed ten minutes ago. His blood can even take care of the ones you haven’t done yet! You see, God knew that we would mess up every now and then. (Romans 3:23Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)) That’s why He created such a fail-proof plan. But He doesn’t expect us to abuse His grace or wallow around in sin. He wants our conscience and our lives clean!

So, if you’ve sinned, all you have to do to have those sins off your conscience and the slate wiped clean is to go before the Lord in prayer and repent. Don’t ever let sin or guilt keep you from going to The Throne of Grace. Prayer is the place where you get rid of that awful stuff! How do you repent? By doing what 1 John 1:9Open in Logos Bible Software (if available) says! There it tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

By admitting the sin to God, asking for His forgiveness and making a quality decision not to do that sin again, you are fulfilling the requirement of repentance. The Lord will immediately draw on the blood that was shed by Jesus on the cross and use it to cleanse you of all sin. Then, He will erase the sin from His memory and never hold it against you anymore. It’s that easy!

But remember, like Brother Jesse says, “Salvation is free, but it definitely didn’t come cheap. It cost Jesus His life.” The salvation that you have today came at great expense to God and to His Son Jesus. God gave up His precious Son to be slaughtered for all mankind’s sins Jesus left His rightful place in Heaven to endure such death, just for you. So, be honorable and treat Him with love and respect. Don’t abuse His goodness and grace by using His forgiveness as an excuse to keep on sinning. (Romans 6)

Today, make a quality decision in your heart to change your ways into His ways! Begin to pray and read your Bible daily. Get into a good Bible-believing church where you can surround yourself with believer who can help you grow in the Word. Pray that the Lord will send you a godly friend who will help to disciple you during this early stage of your walk with Jesus. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect. “ (Romans 12:2Open in Logos Bible Software (if available))

You don’t have to feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of changing overnight. Just take it day by day and be faithful with what you know. Pretty soon, you’ll be so full of confidence and zeal, you’ll be telling everyone you meet how “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believeth on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life!” (John 3:16) You’ll be the one convincing others of just how easy it is to receive God’s gift of salvation!!

Jesse Duplantis