My dear friend, thank you for your very good question. I think the best way to answer this is to begin with what it means to be “saved.” There are several verses in Scripture which will outline the need for sinners to be saved, and how this is accomplished. Then once saved, I believe we can be assured that our salvation is not lost

To begin with, why must we be saved? We read very plainly in Romans 3:23-24 that all people are sinners, and we fall short of God’s perfect standard–“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…”. When the Bible says “all” have sinned, that means all of us, even those who we might consider to have lived good lives. Do you know that you are a sinner? Being a sinner is not a matter of degree–you are either a sinner or you are not.  You may feel you have not sinned like those around you, but the issue isn’t the number of sins you may have committed, but that you sin at all.  We read In James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”  The law sets the standard of perfect obedience, but we are not perfectly obedient. Additionally, there is a consequence for sin. We read in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  In Ezekiel 18:4 we read that “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”  Death is the consequence of sin, and death has been going on since Adam.  But the problem does not stop there.  There will be judgment for sinners after death. We read in Hebrews 9:27: “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

God’s Word tells us the truth about this judgment for sinners in Revelation 20: 12-15. We read in verse 12, “And I saw the dead small and great stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Those who are raised to this judgment of God are those who in life never believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and His redemptive work for us on Calvary’s cross. The end result for them is spiritual death, the lake of fire.

Now, God saw us in our very great need and has opened the way for salvation from such a judgment by sending the Lord Jesus into the world to be our Savior. We read in 1Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…”.  And again, in John 3:16-17 “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. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved”.

Now, salvation is not based on works, but rather on faith in the finished work of Christ on our behalf at Calvary. We read in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”.  Thus, we are saved by faith in Christ Jesus alone. We read in Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”. Also, reading John 5: 24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

And so, my dear friend, have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? If you have, then I believe that you are His, and that one day you will be with your Savior in heaven. We read in John 10:9, “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”  And again, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.…All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out, (John 6:35 and 37).

The Morrish Bible Dictionary says it like this: “The Lord said, “My sheep shall never perish.” The Good Shepherd calls His own sheep by name, and when brought into His own company they have perfect security, liberty, and sustenance”.

So, I believe that all men need salvation in order to have the sure hope of heaven, and that once saved, we will never be lost. But your question really has to do with our walk with the Lord once we are saved. So, how do we grow in our hunger and thirst for God’s Word, the Bible, and in our day to day communion with Him? Being conformed to the image of Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts once we are saved. We read in Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost…”. In order to grow in the Lord, we must be reading His Word and praying daily. God speaks to us in His Word, the Bible, and we speak to Him in prayer. But what if we have lost that desire to read His word or pray? I might suggest that you begin by reading small portions each day and asking the Lord to help you. He reveals Himself to us in the Bible, and I believe you will find that your appetite for God’s word will grow as you read the Word. God’s Word is powerful and living; and prayer too is an essential part of walking with the Lord. My dear friend, Christians need a consistent pattern of prayer in our lives.  David was known for coming to God regularly in prayer.  In Psalm 5:1-3, we read, “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.  Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.  My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”  Each and every morning, the Lord heard David’s voice; and in Psalm 63:5-6 we read, ”My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.”

David prayed each day, at the beginning of the day for sure, and he prayed and meditated at night as well.  We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that the children of God should “pray without ceasing.” I do believe that this fellowship with the Lord, through reading His Word and prayer, will result in an ever-stronger desire for more communion with Him through prayer and His Word. Our walk and service to Him begin at the feet of Jesus.  (452.1)  (SF)