Can you lose the Holy Spirit and become a Backslidden Christian?

Can you lose the Holy Spirit?


Can a Christian lose the Holy Spirit and lose their Salvation and become a Backslidden Christian? Will the Holy Spirit ever leave a believer? This is a question many Christians will ask whilst on their walk with Jesus but the scriptures are very clear on this fact and you are sealed with the Holy Spirit until your redemption. As the saying states "Once Saved Always Saved" but many disagree with this. It is clearly stated in scripture that it is a permanent thing and cannot be taken away, but if you Sin and do not repent you will be convicted of your sin and will either Quench the Spirit or Grieve The Spirit, but it will still be there.

However to confirm this absolutely, this article will take a look at the three most popular arguments about the Holy Spirit and whether it can be lost and you become a backslidden christian.

Evidence in the Old Testament suggests that David, Saul and Samson did lose the Holy Spirit but that was part of the Old Covenant where the Holy Spirit was more of a companion and not indwelling inside a person. Under the New Covenant the Holy Spirit actually resides inside hence the term "Holy Spirit Filled Believer" or "Indwelt with the Holy Spirit.

Some words and views on can a Christian lose the Holy Spirit this from the owner of this website that has some experience on the subject.



The Three Arguments
There are three thoughts or arguments on losing the Holy Spirit this creates a similar situation to the Pre, Mid and Post Tribulation Rapture debate although they are entirely different topics although not unrelated.

The three thoughts or arguments on the Holy Spirit
1. You CAN absolutely lose the Holy Spirit
2. You can absolutely NOT lose the Holy Spirit
3. If you lost the Holy Spirit.... you never had it in the first place

Lets analyse these 3 arguments with relevant scripture to prove their points.

1. You CAN absolutely lose the Holy Spirit

Those who quote this will come up with the three classic cases of David, Saul and Samson from the Old Testament who lost the Holy Spirit. Others often quote Adam and Solomon amongst others. Scriptures below relating to David, Samson and Saul.

In Psalm 51, David prayed:

Psalm 51:11
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Samson is another case of the Holy Spirit departing but is mentioned as the "Lord Departing" in the classic Samson and Delilah scene

Judges 16:20. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.

Saul is the third often quote example

1 Samuel 16:14
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

All three scriptures have one thing in common. They are all taken from the Old Testament.

2. You can absolutely NOT lose the Holy Spirit

This argument or theory is based on scriptures that state quite clearly that the Holy Spirit is something that is received and not taken away again as illustrated in the Bible quotes below:

John 14:15-16
15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;


Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

1 Corinthians 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

John 10:27-28
27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.


The comforter mentioned in John 14:15-16 is the Holy Spirit. These Bible quotes all have one thing in common, they are taken from The New Testament.

3. If you lost the Holy Spirit.... you never had it in the first place!
This argument is similar to No2 stating that you cannot lose the Holy Spirit but reasons that those who think they have lost it may never have had it in the first place. This can arise through a Fake Saving or a False Born Again experience whereby the person thinks they have been "Saved" and received the Holy Spirit but in fact they never originally received the Holy Spirit and therefore never had it to lose in the first place!

1 John 2:19, "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us."

Conclusions:
There are many other Bible Quotes in reference to "Salvation", being "Born Again" and "Saved" and of course "The Holy Spirit" but to answer the question again "Can you lose the Holy Spirit" and "Can you lose your Salvation" you have firstly have to look at the classic Bible quote

John 3:16
16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That in itself should answer the question.

Secondly if you take the 3 arguments of 1. You CAN absolutely lose the Holy Spirit, 2. You can absolutely NOT lose the Holy Spirit and 3. If you lost the Holy Spirit.... you never had it in the first place, you will realise the following.

1. The "You CAN lose The Holy Spirit" quotes scripture from the Old Testament based on the Old Covenant. In the Old Covenant the Holy Spirit was a temporary companion and was not indwelling in the person concerned but external and would leave when that person broke the statutes or when God saw fit.
2. The "You Cannot lose the Holy Spirit" and the "You cannot lose the Holy Spirit if you never had it" theories quote scripture solely based on the New Testament and are in relation to the New Covenant. The New Covenant relates to Christianity and this is what is relevant to Christians. In our case the Holy Spirit is not an external force but something that lives inside us and cannot be taken away, but the Spirit can be grieved or Quenched through sinful acts without asking for forgiveness as in Repentance. If you are a True Born Again Believer you will know what that experience is like and afterwards you tend to repent and not repeat it again. Even with the Holy Spirit inside us we will never be totally sin free but if we confess our sin by repentance, they will be forgiven but this does not give us a licence to sin freely or habitually as all sin will come under conviction by the Holy Spirit that lives inside a True Born Again Believer.

1 John 1:7-10
7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.


Another question that also arises frequently
While our relationship with God is secure in Christ, unconfessed sin in our lives can hinder our fellowship with God and effectively quench the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives.To conclude while the Holy Spirit will never leave us, the benefits and joy the Holy Spirits presence can in fact depart from us through unrepentant Sin but the Holy Spirit itself will remain. If we repent of our sins then God is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. That is the New Covenant This is why Jesus laid his life on the cross for us and as a result Christians are under The New Covenant and not The Old Covenant ways of the Old Testament.

Further recommended video from The Twelve Gates You Tube

Christian Life. You cannot Love the World

Twelve signs of the Holy Spirit. My personal experience. Part 2

The Narrow Gate and Narrow Way. Few Find it!

The Church in the Bible V Modern Day Church Denominations

The Seven Deadly Sins. 7 videos shot in Central London

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