CRUCIAL QUESTIONS

No. | 22

Can I Lose My Salvation?

R.C. Sproul

Can I Lose My Salvation?

© 2015 by R.C. Sproul

Published by Reformation Trust Publishing

A division of Ligonier Ministries

421 Ligonier Court, Sanford, FL 32771

Corporate Graphics

August 2015

First edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher, Reformation Trust Publishing. The only exception is brief quotations in published reviews.

Cover design: Gearbox Studios

All Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sproul, R. C. (Robert Charles), 1939–

Can I lose my salvation? / by R.C. Sproul. -- First edition.

pages cm. -- (Crucial questions series; No. 22)

ISBN 978-1-56769-499-4

1. Assurance (Theology) 2. Salvation--Christianity. I. Title.

BT785.S675 2015

234--dc23

2015018384

The Crucial Questions Series

By R.C. Sproul

Contents

One—Stones of Remembrance

Two—Those Who Fall Away

Three—The Unforgi̇vable Si̇n

Four—Impossi̇ble to Be Restored Agai̇n

Five—The Gi̇ft of Perseverance

Six—The Carnal Chri̇sti̇an

Seven—Our Great Hi̇gh Pri̇est

Chapter One

Stones of Remembrance

Soon after I became a Christian in college, a friend of mine took me to meet an elderly lady who lived alone in a small trailer. This woman was one of the most radiant Christian women I have ever met. She was an authentic prayer warrior; she would pray eight hours every day for all kinds of concerns. My friend explained to this lady that I had just recently become a Christian. Delighted, she looked at me and said, “Young man, what you need to do is drive a spiritual stake in the ground right now.” I had no idea what she was talking about, but she explained to me that I needed to make sure that my conversion was forever. I was to remember this moment in my life, the moment of my conversion, so that whenever I would come to struggles in the future, I would look back to that moment.

Her advice was reminiscent of an event in the book of Joshua, which tells the story of the Israelites’ entering the Promised Land. The Israelites had gone through the exodus, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Now, finally, they were preparing to enter Canaan. But this final leg of the journey wouldn’t be easy, either.

Between them and the Promised Land was the Jordan River. It was at flood stage; it had overflowed its banks and was about a mile wide. And of course, on the other side were the Canaanites, who had heard of Israel’s approach and were preparing to meet them.

As the people of Israel stood by the ...