Can we "Backslide?"

There are debates on this topic as to whether or not a Christian can really "backslide." What does it mean to backslide?

Backsliding is when a person is on the path to salvation and "slides back" into their sins, turning their back on God. This may not revoke your salvation but supposedly can lead up to it.

There are many Christians that believe this is possible to do, while others believe this is impossible to do. So, what are both points of view on this?

Christians that believe you "can" lose your salvation, they believe that a man can live out 50 years of a dedicated life to God, but can give in under certain circumstances to Satan's deceptions. Maybe a man of God lost everything and everyone he every loved... permanently. In having so much faith toward God, he was hurt when things didn't work out. Turned cold hearted. Gave up hope and sight of the light. Then turned to a life of sin (a drunk for example) to forget his sorrows. This is just a scenario, not a true story.

However, other Christians believe you "cannot" lose your salvation and believe that if you were once saved, you're always saved... no matter what you do from there on. They either believe that if you end up turning to a life of sin (like the above situation) that you were never "really" saved in the beginning; or that no matter what you do, as long as you do not blasheme the holy spirit, you will still go to heaven as you are forgiven.

So, which is the right way to believe? Can you lose your salvation or not?

Here's some scripture:

heb 6:4-6 4. For [it is] impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5. And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6. If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an open shame.

To me, this verse can be taken two different ways. In a general sense, it states in verses 4 & 5 that if you were once saved... (then verse 6) and turn away from God, you will not be able to come back and be forgiven (impossible to renew them again unto repentance). Scary huh?

The other way this can be taken is that if you're a Christian, there is no way you can get to that point in life where you turn your back on God. That if you truely worshiped God in the past, that it would be almost impossible for you to actually get to the point where you have no fear of God. And it says that if you do get to that point where you have turned, then something has obviously deeply convinced of this (brainwashed you) and you are so far gone that there's no hope for you anymore.

My overall point. These verses state clearly that you "can" lose your salvation. It is very hard to do this, but can happen. In my opinion, you can lose your salvation when you get to the point that you "do not" fear God anymore. If you can look to the skies in sincerety and tell Him you don't believe in Him and that He is not real. If you can honestly say that to Him, then I believe you have lost your way (salvation).

There are several scriptures in the Bible that reference to backsliding. The fact that this word even exists in the Bible shows that it can happen. If it can't happen, then why does the Bible even mention it? It's like skipping over those verses and saying "those verses don't aren't in the Bible."

Here's further references of "losing salvation."

exod 32:31-33 31. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. 33. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

psal 69:27-28 27. Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness. 28. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

Does God and Jesus have seperate books of life? Sounds like a name can be erased from that book.

There are more references. These are just a few.

So, what do YOU think? Can we backslide? Can we lose our salvation? Once saved, always saved?

Part of me reads these verses and thinks "yes," we can lose our salvation. The other part of me says (other than the one unforgivable sin) we are forgiven for all of our sins and pardoned by Christ once we become Christians.

So, what's your conclusion?