Hey Andy, I understand that in Colossians 1:21-23, Paul’s talking about being reconciled with God, but is he also suggesting that we can lose our salvation?
Hi, well let’s look at the passage:
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the Gospel. This is the Gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. –Colossians 1:21-23
You know, when I first read this, I thought, ‘so it’s obvious that those who are not established and firm in their faith and their hope in the Gospel will no longer be without blemish, but is Paul suggesting that they will also no longer be reconciled with God?’ But as I look at it more, I think it’s pretty simple to say that they key words here are “reconciled to”. For if we step away and begin behaving as we once did, are we not sinning? And doesn’t sin separate us from God, and so if separated, do we not again need to be reconciled?
Can you Lose Your Salvation?
Now, with all that in mind, the topic of secured salvation has been one for centuries, maybe even more, and I could share scriptures with you that I think could be used to support either side, really. However, I don’t believe this passage touches on it.
The Purpose of Paul’s Letters
It’s important also to remember that Paul’s letters were never written with the intention of being sermons, but always to respond to an issue going on in that church at the time. Paul’s letter to the Colossians was in response to heresies at the time that were seeping into the church. Such heresies included attempts to devaluate Christ by elevating speculation, ritualism, mysticism, and asceticism. So Paul combats those by reminding them of the supremacy of Christ, the completion of the salvation that Christ provides (our need for complete submission to Christ, and applying these Truths as Christians called and transformed by Christ. We were once enemies of God because of our sinful natures. But through faith in Christ, He’s transformed us. Stop referring back to your old ways, when you were enemies of God. Do you want to be His enemy again?
Decide Who You Want to Be
So in this passage, Paul’s not particularly suggesting that we can lose our salvation, but reminding the readers of who they were, who they are now, and if they are to listen to the heresies being leaked into the church, then they’ll be reverting back to their old ways and previous beliefs, before they’d heard and accepted the Gospel. So it’s like, ‘do you remember who you were before knowing Jesus? Do you remember your testimony and why you accepted Him? You don’t want to go back to being that person, do you? Then stop listening to the lies and cling to the Gospel that you’d heard and believed.’
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