 Does the parable of the talents demonstrate that a person could be saved and then lose their salvation? When you look at the parable of the talents, there are some that believe that this particular parable demonstrates that a person could lose their salvation. I don't think that's the case for a couple of reasons. One, we already understand what salvation is. The Bibles told us that those that start believing do not stop believing. We see this as a prophecy from Ezekiel, from Jeremiah, from Hosea, from many other places in the Old Testament. But even going forward, remember we need to recall or think about who Jesus is speaking to. So let's go to Matthew chapter 25 verse 40, 24. I'll start there. This is after he has given the talents to his servants, 1, 5, 1, 2, and in this case, this last one is one, the first to actually use what was given and produced more. That's important. The last one, though, was given one and did absolutely nothing with it. Well, I think that this is speaking of Israel. Matthew's entire book is reflective of his relationship with Israel. So you see a lot of Jewish imagery and so forth coming up. But again, Jesus is speaking to these Jews. And I think this is also in relation to Israel. And let's see if it applies. He says, And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, Master, I knew that you were a hard man. I knew you'd be a hard man reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid. And I went away and hid your talent in the ground, see you have what is yours. But as master answering said to him, you wicked lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank. And on my arrival, I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore, take away the talent from him and give it to the one who has a talent. So he says, For everyone who has more shall be given. And he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And so for some, they may say that this is kind of proof that he had something. God took it away. Well, what if what he had was just simply the knowledge, the word of God, the oracles? Paul speaks about this in Romans. He says, Well, what benefit is there in being Israel and being Jewish? He says in this regard that the oracles of God were entrusted to them. And so what happens to them to Israel, those very same oracles, the word of God, taken away from them and given to who? To the Gentiles for the time being now. But this person, those people who are entrusted with it, they will go into everlasting torment. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And so I think this is really speaking of Israel. Besides, it would be a contradiction if a person in this case is talking to spoken of, but they could have salvation be given it to them and then turn around and then lose it. But then there's kind of there's a contradictory passages where we see that he says that the person that he's given this to, they will never perish. Jesus says that all that have come to him, they were given him by the Father and he will raise every last one of them up and will not lose one. Well, if this person, this person with the one talent is lost, well, then that's at least one person. And therefore, Jesus is wrong. And there we have a contradiction. So it couldn't be that, could it? So if we think about it that way, that Jesus is painting the picture of to Israel about the kingdom of God, I think that makes sense. And I think that shows or demonstrates that there is no loss of salvation, especially from looking at this particular passage.