FRUITLESS DISCUSSION

"Just as I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, to remain on at Ephesus so that you would instruct certain people not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to useless speculation rather than advance the plan of God, which is by faith, so I urge you now. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith. Some people have strayed from these things and have turned aside to fruitless discussion..."

1 Timothy 1:3-6

Few questions in Christian culture today are as frequent—and as disturbing—as this: Can I lose my salvation? While this inquiry is often framed as a theological debate, its underlying premise reveals something much more troubling: an obsession with finding the lowest level of commitment God will tolerate while still granting us entry into eternal bliss with all its perks, blessings, and privileges.

This question, at its core, denies the full weight of biblical truth. It fails to recognize that Scripture never encourages Christians to fixate on whether salvation can be lost but rather to examine whether salvation was ever truly possessed. It distracts from the call to sanctification, from the call to obedience, from the call to adoration and devotion that necessarily flows from a heart genuinely transformed by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.

The False Security of a Misused Doctrine

The pseudo-doctrine of once saved, always saved—as it is often misapplied—has led many to believe that salvation is about transaction rather than transformation. Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21-23 shatter such a notion:

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’

These people thought they were saved. They were confident in their works, their religious activity, and their association with Christ’s name. But they were utterly deceived. Not once does Jesus say, “I knew you once, but you lost it.” Instead, He says, “I never knew you.” They never belonged to Him in the first place. Their lives bore no lasting evidence of sanctification, no true submission to the Lordship of Christ, no enduring fruit of the Spirit.

The Wrong Focus: Self-Preservation Over Sanctification

The churches exposed in the early chapters of Revelation were filled with people asking loaded questions like, Can I lose my salvation? Why? Because they had already abandoned their first love (Revelation 2:4). Because they had tolerated sexual immorality (2:14-15, 20-22). Because they had adopted the values of the imploding culture around them (2:13). Because they had a reputation of being alive but were dead inside (3:1-2). Because they were lukewarm and about to be vomited out of Christ’s mouth (3:16).

And yet, they still assumed they were secure, just as the sinful Pharisees did in Matthew 3:9. They had no concern for sanctification, only for self-promotion and preservation. They asked about eternal security not because they longed for conformity to the image of Christ, but because they wanted assurance of heaven without transformation on earth. But the gospel does not work this way. Christ did not come to offer a minimum-entry plan to eternity. He came to make the dead alive!

The Right Question: Am I Truly in Christ?

A true Christian does not anxiously fixate on the question, Can I lose my salvation? We are not called to fruitless discussions about minimum requirements. Instead, those who are born again are busy with the pursuit of holiness—not wasting time on fruitless discussion and debates. We are busy suiting up daily in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), disciplining our hearts, minds, and bodies (1 Corinthians 9:24-27), and pressing forward toward the upward call of Christ (Philippians 3:12-14).

Justification is a moment. Salvation is evidenced by movement—transformation from death to life, from the dominion of darkness to the kingdom of light. Paul urges believers:

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! -2 Corinthians 13:5

The real question is not Can I lose my salvation? but rather Do I bear the evidence of salvation? Are we daily dying to ourselves? Are we bearing fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8)? Are we crucified with Christ so that it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2:20)?

The Urgency of Mission

Jesus never called His disciples to contemplate salvation; He called them to work it out and proclaim it. The Apostle Paul didn't want the early church consumed with abstract theological debates about how much sin one could commit before losing their salvation (Romans 6:1-14). Instead, he instructed them regarding how to strategize and effectively take the Gospel to the ends of the earth... earth... earth...

Our lives are not meant to be spent calculating the threshold of grace—we are called to be ambassadors of the GOSPEL, citizens of heaven, and warriors in the advancing kingdom of God. The enemy delights when believers waste time in fruitless discussions (1 Timothy 1:6) instead of doing the Father’s will. Jesus told us plainly:

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. -John 14:15

Not to earn salvation. Not to keep salvation. But as the evidence of true salvation.

A Call to the Church: Abandon the Wrong Question

It is time for Christians and churches to stop entertaining the wrong questions. Let us no longer debate how much worldliness we can retain and still enter into heaven. Instead, let us devote our lives to joyfully gathering in worship, growing in sanctification, giving lavishly of our lives, and going forth courageously in the power and unity of the Gospel! Let us strive for and set our minds on things above... let us increase Christ’s renown, diminish our own, and do the Father’s will with joy and devotion!

Let us heed the warning given to those preoccupied with the wrong questions, lest we, too, hear the terrifying words:

I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness. -Matthew 7:23

Blessings & love,

Kevin M. Kelley

Senior Pastor

BigIslandChristianChurch.com