For if , after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first

  Good morning. There is disagreement as to whether or not the following verses indicate that someone can lose their salvation, or were just not really saved. For if , after they (the closest “they“ to this verse is talking about the false teachers, but it could refer to the ones they deceived) have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (that definitely sounds like they are saved), they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. This is true whether they have lost their salvation or are merely backslidden. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed to them. Anyone who did this would truly be miserable. An analogy might be someone who grew up in poverty; won the lottery; lived a rich and grand life; and then lost all of the money, and went back into poverty. It would be better for them, if they had never won the lottery. Again there is nothing definitive that says that they “lost their salvation“, but it does give one pause for thought. Father help us to always walk with You and to not turn back to the things of the world.

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