Perhaps you have conversations like this one I had: “How’s your kid doing?” I asked.  “Oh, they’re really good. Lovin’ life. Dating a non-Christian, you know, but they’re nice. For sure my kid believes, but they’re just not walking with Jesus.”

It’s comforting to us sometimes to live in a make-believe world like that. But It is dangerously naïve to assume someone remains “saved” simply because they believe correct truths of Christianity, while at the same time resisting God’s lordship in their life. 

The Bible is clear every person is born in sin and separated from God (Colossians 1:21). Every one of us must intentionally turn back to our Creator, to rejecting a life that is independent of Him, daily  entrusting our whole beings to His loving lordship.  As The Salvation Army’s 9th doctrine affirms, “We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.”

John writes: “Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us” (1 John 3:24).

Salvation is not just an experience.  It is a relationship with the living person of Jesus Christ. He has taken our sinful nature upon Himself (1 Peter 2:24), and in rising from the dead He rescued us from the coming judgment  (1 Thessalonians 1:10). His indestructible Holy Love has brought us into the Life of God, and has brought the Life of God into us (John 17:17-26). “He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12).

We must remain united with the Person Who alone is Life (John 15:1-10). As Paul writes, “Now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).

To die physically while willfully separated from Jesus is to die without eternal life. To live on and on without end, having chosen to live separated from Jesus, is the definition of hell. To be “saved” logically implies that we are living in our Savior and He is living in us. We must nurture this relationship.

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

 ‘For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.

And my righteous ones will live by faith. 

But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.’ 

But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved” (Hebrews 10:35-39).

To die physically while willfully separated from Jesus is to die without eternal life. This is as serious as it sounds. So serious that out of infinite love, Jesus continually offers Himself to us continuously in mercy and love. He never rejects our cries for Him to rescue us from what we’ve done to ourselves (John 6:37).

Jesus welcomes our honesty. He’s not intimidated by our doubts, fears or even anger. Bring your questions to Jesus. Wrestling with faith is not the same as losing it. In fact, God gave you the ability to think rationally, to feel with great depth, because you are made in His image. And love, by definition, must be freely given and received. To be made in God’s image means we have the ability to choose Jesus, and we have the ability to reject Him.  

But friends, know this, it’s far easier to return to Jesus than resist  Him. Because He loves you, your salvation and  restoration are His greatest desire and He longs to continuously walk with you. 

Questions to ponder

• Reflect on areas of your life where you trust Jesus with your thoughts but not your choices. What might change if you fully entrusted Him with both?
• Think about how you’re nurturing (or neglecting) your connection to Christ today.
• How can you stay rooted in Him this week?

This article was originally titled “Continuously Dependent” in the September 2025 issue of The War Cry.