Can a born again believer fall away?
Born again believers worship God in spirit and in truth:
John 4:24 "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Other Christians worship God in vain:
Mark 7:6-9 "He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."
There is a contrast of meanings represented in this comparison: "in spirit and in truth" versus "in vain", the former being the opposite of the latter. Mark 7:7 further defines for us that to worship God in vain is to teach for doctrines the commandments of men. There are Christians who honour God only with their lips, but whose heart is far from him. They may profess to believe in Jesus Christ, but in reality, they love the commandments of men above the words of the LORD. Mark 7:9 tells us "... Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."
Jude 1:4 "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."
There are certain men who crept into the church. False prophets and false teachers teach the commandments of men, not of God. The ministry of false prophets is in turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness. Their audience are Christians who love "vain words", because truly born again Bible-believing Christians will not hear them.
John 10:8 "All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them."
John 10:26-27 "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"
Christians who turn unto false prophets have not believed in the words of the LORD on the first place, for if they have believed, they would not have turned their itching ears away from the truth. To love the commandments of men is to reject the commandment of God. To love vain words is to reject the words of the LORD, and to do so is to deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The opposite of "in spirit and in truth" is "in vain".
Proverbs 1:23 "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."
Here the Bible equates "I will pour out my spirit unto you" to "I will make known my words unto you." i.e. words are the physical form of a spirit, as much as the written Word is the physical form of the living God. God is a Spirit, and he is a living God.
Joshua 3:10 "And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites."
The word of God is God, and the words of the LORD is truth.
John 17:17 "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."
It is not possible to worship the living God apart from the written Word, as much as it is impossible to believe in the written Word without the living God. One cannot be decoupled from the other. In this post, I have established from Scripture that vanity (noun) is a strange god and a devil, an abomination, one which strange children serve and worship. Vanity is a spirit and the opposite of the living God and the written Word. To worship "in vain" is to serve vanity (a strange god and a devil), teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain."
To believe "in vain" is to reject the commandment of God (words of the LORD) for commandments of men (vain words). 1 Corinthians 15:1 says "... wherein ye stand". Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 1:24 "… for by faith ye stand."
Deuteronomy 32:31 "For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges."
The words of the LORD is the "Rock" wherein born again Bible-believing Christians "stand" (opposite of fall). This is also to say that vain words is the "rock" (which is no Rock) wherein other Christians build their house, and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, it fell, and the ruin of that house was great. These Christians have "believed in vain" according to Apostle Paul.
Luke 8:13 "They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away."
The false converts "on the rock" are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation "fall away". They are "on the rock" (which is no Rock).
John 5:39 "¶ Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."
They have not "digged deep" (Luke 6:48) and laid their foundation upon the Rock. They have not searched the scriptures, they have not found Christ Jesus. Therefore, they will not stand in the time of temptation.
Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
Whereas genuinely born again Bible-believing Christians are led by the Spirit of God, these so-called Christians are deceived by their hearts led by "vain words", which is also a spirit, but "another spirit" (2 Corinthians 11:4). This is an evil spirit which Proverbs 2:12 calls "... the man that speaketh froward things" that will lead them to reject the commandment of God for the commandments of men, and in so doing, these Christians will ultimately deny the only Lord God Jesus Christ. That's why the Bible tells us that Christians who worshiped God in vain have also believed in vain. That is because God is not the Spirit leading them and directing their paths, and for this reason, they will surely fall away.
What is "fall away"? The answer is found in the parable of the sower:
Luke 8:13 "They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away."
Jesus taught that there are four types of grounds whereby the hearts of every man and woman are represented:
The wayside ground;
The shallow ground; (they on the rock)
The thorny ground; and
The good ground.
Of all the four types of ground, only ground type 4 (the good ground) has produced fruits. In fact, this is the only ground type whereby fruits have been produced. Apart from the "good ground", no other ground types have produced fruits.
Of all the four types of heart, only "an honest and good heart" (Luke 8:15) is capable of bringing forth fruit of the Spirit. Only men and women with such a heart is capable of being saved. Apart from "an honest and good heart", there are no other preconditions whereby the Spirit of God can produce fruits in a person's life. Only those with "an honest and good heart" are capable of being born again by the Spirit of God.
God does not look on the appearance, but the heart of a person:
1 Samuel 16:7 "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."
Only God knows who has "an honest and good heart" (Luke 8:15). This is the man or woman, having heard the word, will keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. Then there are those who have type 2 and 3 hearts. While the seed which is the word of God according to Luke 8:11 sown on these grounds have becometh trees, they have not produced fruits. We have a picture of that which will happen to a fruitless tree in:
Matthew 21:18-19 "Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away."
Mark 11:20-22 "¶ And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God."
This phrase “withered away” is a reference to:
Matthew 13:5-6 "Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away."
Luke 8:13 "They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away."
While the seed of that fig tree has grown and become a tree, it failed to bring forth fruit. That fig tree is a picture of a false convert. Jesus cursed that fig tree, and it was dried up from the roots (Mark 11:22). It died, and fall away.
John 15:1-6 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit... 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
The end of a false convert is to be burned. But notice: he had a curse on him even as Jesus had cursed the fig tree which bore no fruit. Before he was dried up from the root, and fall away, he already had a curse on him. BTW, the term "fig tree" is found exactly 33 times in the King James Bible. 33 is a reference to the "man of sin", the Antichrist. Every truly born again Bible-believing Christian is saved by grace through faith. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, he being made a curse for us.
Galatians 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"
There is no more curse after Christ has redeemed us, when we are born again by the Spirit of God. But the ones who seek to be justified by their "good works", the curse is on them to do the things that are written in the book of the law.
Galatians 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."
So, to answer the question:
"Can a person lose his salvation after he was born again by the Spirit of God?"
The answer is no, because Christ has been made a curse for him i.e. he has redeemed him.
Jeremiah 31:11 "For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he."
God has accepted him by Christ who ransomed him from the hand of the Devil.
John 8:36 "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
Christ has redeemed him once, and he is free forever. He is no longer under the curse of the law. He is not like the fig tree which Jesus cursed in Matthew 21:18-19. There is no curse on him, and because there is no curse on him, he will continue to bear fruits all the days of his life.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."
"Can he fall away?"
Not possible, because Matthew 13:5-6 "withered away" is a reference to Luke 8:13 "... fall away". This same phrase "withered away" is also used in Matthew 21:19 where the fig tree which bore no fruit "... withered away". Before that fig tree "withered away", Jesus cursed it, and it died. Only dead things will "fall away". That which remain and is alive will never "fall away".
Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"
John 15:6 "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
The end of the cursed is to enter into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Likewise, the end of the fig tree which bore no fruit is to wither away and die. If a man abide not in Christ, his end is to be cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.