One day I was talking to a gentleman who believed that if you “accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and savior” that your salvation is guaranteed. Once someone is saved, in his view, they are always saved.

When I challenged him on this point, he pointed out that when we are saved, we become children of God, and “Once you’re made a child of God,” he replied, “you’ll always be a child of God.”

Leaving aside the other issues raised by his comments, his main thought seems rather cogent. It’s true that when we are “born again” through baptism (John 3:5) we are adopted as a child of God (1 John 3:1). The Catechism of the Catholic Church says as much (CCC 1265). I think it stands to reason that once you become a child of God, you’ll remain a child for all time. Even the gravest of sins cannot undo one’s baptism — this is why there is only one baptism for the remission of sins (Ephesians 4:5). But is it true that as children of God we cannot lose our salvation, even if we die with unrepentant of grave sin?

Hebrews 12 provides some clarity on the issue. After explaining how God disciplines us as children for a short time “...in order that we may share in his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10), the author makes the following remarkable statement:

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled, that no one be an immoral or profane [worldly] person like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit his father’s blessing, he was rejected because he found no opportunity to change his mind, even though he sought the blessing with tears” (Hebrews 12:14-17).

Notice that Hebrews commands us to strive for “that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” In other words, holiness is a prerequisite for heaven, not just belief or trust in Jesus alone.

The second striking thing about this passage is that it applies what happened to Esau to Christians, and this is where our question is answered. To understand this better, we need to look at the biblical background to this passage.

Isaac had twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Because Esau was the first of the two to be born, he stood in line to inherit the firstborn’s share of his father’s estate. Esau, however, didn’t care much about his birthright, and he traded it to Jacob for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29-34). When it came time to bestow the blessing of the heritance, it ended up that Jacob received the blessing of the firstborn (Hebrews 12:16-17 / Genesis 27:30-40). When Esau found out, he begged for his father to give him a blessing as well, which Isaac could not do. After Esau insisted, Isaac gave him whatever was left, which sounds something like a curse (Genesis 27:39-40).

What is Hebrew’s point? By applying the story of Esau to Christians, the author is teaching that even though we, too, are children who stand to gain a heavenly inheritance, we, too, can trade this gift for the things of the world. And at the end of our lives, if we don’t repent, we, too, can lose our salvation like Esau lost his inheritance.



Our Lord makes a similar point with the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Like Esau, the prodigal son trades his inheritance for the chance to engage in immoral behavior. Unlike Esau, however, the prodigal son “comes to his senses” (Luke 15:17) before it is too late and repents. His father then restores him to the family and celebrates his return.

Therefore, it’s true that a child always remains a child. However, it is possible not to pursue holiness and trade one’s inheritance away for the things of the world.

Gary Michuta is an apologist, author and speaker and a member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Livonia. Visit his website at www.handsonapologetics.com.