Question: If someone continues to sin everyday and doesn’t obey or live up to God’s Word, will he have salvation at the end?

Answer: That’s a great question, and there’s no easy answer, precisely because only God knows the heart. Only God knows if someone has truly given their life to Him by receiving Jesus by faith as Savior and Lord.

Of course, Christians continue to sin, but it isn’t something that should characterize their lives. On the other hand, if someone claims to be a Christian, and the person continues to wilfully sin with no remorse and doesn’t obey God’s Word, then there is the possibility that the person never received Christ in the first place. The Bible says that it’s possible to have knowledge of the truth and yet not be saved. “Even the demons believe that [there is a God]” (James 2:19). We are not saved by good works, but we are saved unto good works. That’s what James means when he says, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). So, a person who is truly saved will want to obey God’s Word and do what it says.

Again, we can’t judge whether someone is or isn’t a Christian by their outward behavior. But each of us needs to examine our own lives to make sure we are doing those things that please God, not because they work for our salvation, but because they are the outgrowth of our salvation.

The Bible says, “how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3). Listening to God and His Word means not just hearing, but also obeying (see James 1:22-25).