Can we lose our salvation?

Interesting question, because it often highlights the differences between Protestant and Catholic understandings of salvation. Much of mainline Protestantism holds that once you have accepted Christ’s salvation, you are saved forever, and it is impossible to lose that salvation. How does that hold up to the Catholic understanding?

In the first place, we need to understand how we were saved (i.e. what Jesus did that saved us), as well as what we need to do to receive that salvation. To the first point, Jesus saved all of humanity through his sacrifice on the Cross. Through the events of Jesus’ Passion, death, and Resurrection, Jesus paid the debt of all sin to the Father–both the original sin of Adam and Eve and all particular sins past, present, and future (including our own, and even the sins of those who rejected him). He gave himself completely out of love for us, paying the price of our sins: death. He alone could accomplish this, because Jesus alone is both fully one of us (a human being) and at the same time fully God. It was humanity’s debt that had to be repaid, but only God could lift humanity out of its misery. And as a result of Jesus’ actions, heaven is open to all! He gives us the gift of salvation–freely.

So the Cross is where and how Jesus saved us, and he offers salvation to all of us as a free gift. What about how we receive this salvation? The answer to this is Baptism. When we are baptized, we are spiritually buried with Christ, and rise again to new life with him. The life we live afterward is the life Jesus has won for us and given to us. Age, life circumstances, personality, sexual orientation, race, and nationality make no difference: whoever it may be, anyone who is baptized has received Jesus’ gift of salvation.

So, the question that remains is our original one: Can this salvation be lost? Well… yes and no. In one sense, this salvation we have received by our Baptism forever claims us for God. For eternity, we are God’s children and belong to him, saved from the bondage, alienation, and death that sin brought upon us. However, we can choose to reject this salvation. We do this by committing sin–specifically, mortal sins, which are the most serious of sins. It’s called “mortal” sin because it deals a mortal blow to the life within us which we have received from God–it effectively leaves us spiritually cut off, without life, like one who is dead.

The good news, however, is that even if someone receives Jesus’ salvation in Baptism and then rejects it through serious sin, that person can always come back again to Christ–through Reconciliation/Confession. This sacrament powerfully reconciles us to God and brings forgiveness to all the sins we’ve committed since receiving salvation in Baptism. And after we go to Confession, our souls are restored to that same state they had when we were first baptized: spotless!For Catholics, salvation is both a one-time event and at the same time an ongoing journey. Reaching heaven is our final goal, and this requires us to walk toward it day by day. We can’t “earn” our salvation–only Jesus could win salvation for us–but even after we receive this free gift from him, we have to continue to walk with him and follow him. Without doing so, we will quickly be tempted to turn our backs on this precious gift we have received and go our own ways by committing sin. But if we persist and continue to ask for his help (given to us as grace), then we will have the strength to persevere–and what’s more, the gift of salvation we have received will bear more and more fruit in our lives!