What Happens to a Person Who is “Born Again” and Then Turns Away from God Later? (KJV)

Aug 16, 2026 | www.gospelofjesuschrist.blog | River Wilde

I’m certain that most Christians have had this question come up due to some incident that occurred with someone that they were closely associated with.

So today, let’s not just take a “guess” at the answer to this question, let’s “investigate” through the scriptures.

If we stay specifically with the KJV, there is a strong biblical case that when a person is genuinely born again by faith in Jesus Christ, God does not later “un-birth” that person or remove eternal life from them.

Jesus’ language is especially strong.

John 10:27–29 (KJV)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, I give them eternal life unless they later fail. He says “they shall never perish.”

There are several other passages that reinforce this:

• John 5:24 — the believer “hath everlasting life” and “is passed from death unto life.”
• John 6:37 — “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
• Romans 8:38–39 — nothing in creation “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Ephesians 1:13–14 — after believing, Christians are “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,” which is called “the earnest of our inheritance.”
• Ephesians 4:30 — believers are “sealed unto the day of redemption.”
• 1 Peter 1:5 — believers are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.”
• Hebrews 10:14 — “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”

What about sin after being born again?

This is where an important distinction appears in the KJV. Scripture does not teach that Christians become incapable of sin after salvation.

1 John 1:8 (KJV)

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

A believer’s sin can damage fellowship, bring God’s chastening, rob the believer of joy, damage their earthly life, and result in loss of reward—but those things are different from God reversing the new birth.

Paul makes a remarkable distinction concerning the judgment of believers:

1 Corinthians 3:15 (KJV)

“If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

His works can be lost while he himself is saved.

And Hebrews describes God’s correction of His children:

Hebrews 12:6 (KJV)

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”

God disciplines the person as His son rather than describing the person as becoming unborn.

The strongest point may be the meaning of “eternal life”

Jesus said:

John 3:16 (KJV)

“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

And:

John 6:47 (KJV)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

If everlasting life could ultimately become temporary life, the wording becomes very difficult to explain.

So, from the KJV passages supporting eternal security, I would make this conclusion:

A genuinely born-again person can stumble, sin, lose fellowship, experience God’s discipline, and lose rewards—but Scripture repeatedly describes the believer as having everlasting life, being sealed until redemption, kept by God’s power, and never perishing.

And that fits beautifully with salvation by grace:

Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

If our works didn’t earn the new birth in the first place, our continued performance isn’t what maintains it. Salvation rests ultimately upon what Christ accomplished, not upon our ability to remain perfect afterward.

I hope that this gives some insight into this important question. As always, if you would like conformation of the truth of this teaching, please include God in your continued studies of this principle.