Born Again, But Going To Hell?

Q

I have come across yet another Christian who claims to have died from a stroke and after leaving his body found himself on the way to hell! Yes, there are many people proclaiming to be Christians who are not saved, but this man claims he was born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, could speak in tongues, had prayers answered e.t.c. Apparently when he died he realized he had not been living for the Lord like the Lord wanted him to, therefore was on his way to hell! He pleaded with the Lord who allowed him another chance! He floated back into his body and narrowly missed being sent down a very dark tunnel.

What I want to know is this: I do not believe we can lose our salvation and this man is claiming we somehow have to keep it up! How come some of these Christians are experiencing trips to hell? I need to get to the bottom of how and why this is happening. The man seems very sincere but is now telling people if they slip up on their walk they lose salvation. Thanks for helping me understand what exactly happened.

A

There’s an old saying that goes, “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.” It certainly applies in cases like this. The New Testament is very clear in stating that the only qualification for gaining eternal life is believing that Jesus died for our sins and rose again (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Jesus Himself said so (John 3:16, John 6:28-29, John 6:40).

Also Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Cor. 1:21-22 and others state in no uncertain terms that our salvation is guaranteed from the moment we believe and it’s the Lord who keeps us saved.

Belief and Security are two of the foundational principles the Bible teaches regarding our salvation. People who claim otherwise are preaching a false gospel that is incompatible with New Testament theology.