Losing Salvation?
QUESTION
"Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered." (Ezekiel 3:20)
Many suggest this verse teaches that an eternally saved man to lose his salvation by sinning. The Lord Jesus Christ taught,
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (John 10:27-28)
In this verse, the Lord teaches that He gives a gift called “eternal life” to His "sheep." This includes the promise that “they shall never perish." This statement is often used to suggest that it is impossible for someone who once possessed eternal salvation to ever fall from grace. If Ezekiel 3:20 is teaching that a saved man can lose his salvation, and John 10:27-28 teaches that a man cannot lose his salvation, don't we have a bald logical contradiction in the word of God?
ANSWER
Let’s look at the context of Ezekiel 3, paying close attention to whom Ezekiel is addressing.
“Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear. Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.” (Ezekiel 3:1-17)
The words are spoken to "the house of Israel" who are none other than the Lord's chosen people under the Old Covenant. They are typical of the elect - the Lord's chosen people under the New Covenant. It follows that this passage is teaching the consequence of rebellion in this lifetime for God's people who persist in disobedience and refuse to heed the admonitions of the word of God. To assert that this text has reference to someone losing their eternal salvation runs into numerous problems as it relates to the Lord's promises in John 10:27-28.
Consider John anD Peter
The apostle John wrote, "let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." (I John 3:7) Moreover, the apostle Peter taught, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Bearing those statements in mind, is the “righteous man” of Ezekiel 3:20 in possession of eternal life? Can an unregenerate man produce righteousness? No. His every thought, inclination and action of his carnal will is sin, being devoid of faith (Romans 14:23). Only a righteous man, one who is already accepted of God and in possession of eternal life, is capable of doing righteous deeds (Romans 3:10-18).
What then is the source of this man’s righteousness? Does it stem from his love for God or from God’s love for him? “We love him, because he first loved us.” (I John 4:19) Clearly the source is God’s love for him because no man, in his natural state can produce righteousness or find favor with God (Romans 3:10-18, 8:7, Hebrews 11:6). Moreover, since there is none good but God (Luke 18:19), it is likewise evident that God himself is the source of the man’s righteousness.
Thus the “righteous man” of Ezekiel 3:20 is both in possession of eternal life, and that this righteous standing is a free gift from God that is founded upon God’s love for him, not upon his love for God. The Lord Jesus Christ said of such men, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.” (John 10:28) Those who suggest that Ezekiel 3:20 teaches the possibility of losing one’s eternal salvation must insist that the Lord meant, “I give unto them eternal life, but some shall perish none-the-less.” That cannot possibly be what the Lord intended.
Consider Paul
Paul said, “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.” (Romans 8:33) If man can lose his salvation he should have said, “The sin of man lays a guilty charge upon the elect, that even the justification of God himself cannot overcome.”
Paul said, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34) If man can lose his salvation he should have said, “An act of sin committed by any man is sufficient to overthrow the saving efficacy of the death of Christ on their behalf, irrespective of Christ’s intercession for them at the right hand of God.”
Paul asked, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35) If man can lose his salvation he should have said, “Anyone can separate us from the love of Christ.”
Paul said, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37) If man can lose his salvation he should have said, “The love of Christ is no conquering force, given that it is insufficient to overcome the common, sinful inclination of the mutable creature.”
Paul said, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) If man can lose his salvation he should have said, “I am persuaded that life can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, given that a single act of sin is sufficient to defeat the saving efficacy of one who claimed to have put our sins away.”
Eternal Salvation Cannot be Lost
For these reasons, the common interpretation that Ezekiel 3:20 is teaching that a man can lose his eternal salvation is incorrect, illogical, and unstable. It is an example of crass “plain meaningism” rather than right division. Apart from examining the context and audience addressed in Ezekiel chapter 3 (line upon line), and reconciling those statements with precepts established elsewhere in the word of God (precept upon precept), one falsely concludes that when Jesus Christ says that he "gives eternal life unto his sheep and they shall never perish," that what he actually meant was that he "gives a chance at eternal life unto some potential sheep, yet some of them are gonna split hell wide open." That interpretation should be rejected by all professing Christians.
- Elder Daniel Samons