Mariners Church Weekend Message Podcast

Episode: February 9 – Can a Christian Lose Their Salvation?
Speaker: Steve Bang Lee
Date: February 10, 2025

Episode Overview

This message, delivered by Steve Bang Lee at Mariners Church, tackles a foundational yet deeply personal theological question: Can a Christian lose their salvation? Through relatable stories, biblical teaching, and inviting illustrations, Steve explores what salvation truly is, what it means to be a Christian, and what Jesus himself says about the security of our relationship with God. The tone is warm, pastoral, and honest—aimed at comforting the anxious, challenging the skeptic, and grounding the faithful.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Real-Life Scenarios and Why the Question Matters

• Steve opens with everyday examples of people who seemed to follow Jesus but are now distant, including college students, wayward children, and public Christian leaders.
  • “These three scenarios are real life scenarios that I personally have walked through up close...” (06:30)
• The question—Can a Christian lose their salvation?—is not only theological, but urgent and personal for many.

2. The Spectrum of Christian Views on Salvation Security

• Summarizes various traditions and phrases:
  • Eternal Security ("once saved, always saved")
  • Perseverance of the Saints
  • Humorous reference: “I just had a really unique youth pastor... who reminded us all the time that once saved, always saved…” (08:10)
• Stresses respect for differing perspectives while focusing on a scriptural foundation.

3. Looking to Jesus for the Answer

• Central text: John 10:27-29
  • “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (12:50)
• Framing salvation in the very words and mission of Jesus—the One who accomplished it.

4. What Is Salvation? (Salvation = "Zoe" Life)

Biblical Language

• Jesus uses the phrase “eternal life” (“zoe” in Greek), not “ticket to heaven.”
  • Zoe = divine, relational, supernatural life with God, not just existing or feeling.

Illustration: The Lamp

• A lamp connected to power illustrates true purpose only when plugged into the source.
  • “Despite its bios, despite its sukhe, it’s only when we connect it to a life source... now this lamp is truly functioning the way it was designed to function. That is Zoe.” (18:50)

Salvation Is:

• Relational—life with God (John 17:3)
  • “This is eternal life: that they may know you... experientially in relationship.” (22:10)
• Transformational—not just a future hope, but an altered present.

Quality of Salvation

• The security of salvation is based on God’s unwavering character, not ours.
• “If the person you’re in relationship with is really fickle... the relationship would also be fickle. But we have an incredible Savior...” (25:30)

5. The Nature of Eternal Salvation

Eternal

• Jesus gives eternal (never-ending) life because He is eternal.
• Counters “battery pack” theology:
  • “We think our salvation is more like this battery pack... we think, ‘Oh my gosh, my battery is just draining...’ That is not the image of your salvation.” (28:00)

Enduring & Established

• “No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)
  • Jesus’s protective, "gangster" commitment to his sheep
• Also backed by the Father’s hand (John 10:29) and sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14)

The Real Security: God’s Grip, Not Yours

• “The strength of your salvation is not about the strength of the one who is saved. It is about the strength of the Savior.” (36:30)
• Cites John Stott:
  “It should be called the doctrine of the perseverance of God with the saints.”

6. What Is a Christian? (Sheep, Not Soldier)

• Jesus’s image is not a superhuman soldier or sage, but a sheep—dependent, easily lost, but always belonging.
  • Humorous sheep stories: “In Eastern Turkey, one sheep jumped off a cliff... 1500 more sheep followed...” (40:20)
• Sheep slip, stumble, and stray—yet respond to the shepherd’s voice.

Disciples as "Both Devoted and Obtuse"

• Even Jesus’s closest followers abandoned him, “yet, like sheep, in the end... they come back to the voice of their shepherd.” (45:40)

The Issue Is Direction, Not Perfection

• Christians will sin and stray, but salvation is about returning to the Shepherd.
  • “The issue is not your perfection. The issue is your journey... is there any part of you that would respond to that love by making a U turn?” (49:25)

7. Pastoral Encouragement for Strugglers

If You Worry You’ve Lost Your Salvation…

• “Directionally, you should actually be encouraged that you’re asking that question.” (53:00)
  • Story of an anxious college student; evidence of wrestling is evidence of spiritual life.

For Those Far from God or Concerned for Others

• Jesus pursues those who stray in love—God is at work orchestrating their return.

Bottom Line Answer

• “Can a Christian lose their salvation? No. God’s grip is stronger than your slip. God’s grace is bigger than whatever sin, slip, stumble or stray you have brought into this room.” (59:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Security:
  • “No one will snatch them out of my hand... That's gangster Jesus. This is fiercely committed to you Jesus.” —Steve Bang Lee (34:20)
• On Relationship:
  • “Salvation according to Jesus, is life and relationship with God.” (23:00)
• On Stunning Grace:
  • “He instituted communion not after his death and resurrection. He instituted it on the very night his own disciples would stray and abandon him. That's a message of grace for you and I.” (01:10:00)
• On Struggle:
  • “The strength of your salvation is not about the strength of the one who is saved. It is about the strength of the Savior.” (36:30)
• On Reassurance:
  • “If you’re nervously asking: ‘Have I lost my salvation?’ What if I told you that directionally you should actually be encouraged that you’re asking that question?” (53:05)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 06:30 – Real-life examples: campus, family, public figures drifting from faith
• 12:50 – Jesus’s words from John 10: “No one will snatch them out of my hand”
• 18:50 – Illustration: the lamp and the meaning of “zoe” (eternal life)
• 25:30 – Quality of relationship defines quality of salvation
• 28:00 – “Battery pack” myth of salvation vs. true relationship
• 34:20 – “Gangster Jesus” and God’s fierce commitment
• 36:30 – The real security: God’s grip, not yours
• 40:20 – Sheep jumping off the cliff (humorous illustration of human nature)
• 45:40 – Disciples’ failures & Jesus’s loyal pursuit
• 49:25 – Direction vs. perfection: returning to God
• 53:05 – Encouragement for those who fear they have “lost” their salvation
• 59:50 – Bottom line: “God’s grip is stronger than your slip”
• 01:05:00 – Romans 8:38-39 – Nothing can separate us from God’s love
• 01:10:00 – Communion: the ultimate reminder of grace

Closing

Steve brings the congregation to a place of assurance and gratitude, inviting everyone to recite Romans 8:38-39 aloud and participate in Communion—not as the perfect, but as the beloved sheep secured by a relentlessly loving Shepherd.

“God’s grip is stronger than your slip. God’s grace is bigger than whatever sin, slip, stumble or stray…” —Steve Bang Lee (59:50)

Takeaway:
Salvation is a secure, enduring relationship with God, established and maintained by God’s own power and commitment—not by human perfection. Struggle and questioning do not undo the Shepherd’s relentless hold. The invitation is to respond, turn, and remember: you are loved, pursued, and eternally secure in Christ.