IF WE… 2nd Timothy 2:12 Persevering in faith despite hardships, persecution, and suffering will be rewarded when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. Our salvation is secure in Christ, but there may be times when, like Peter, we fail or even deny our Lord under the pressure and pain of persecution. This verse means that if we “disown” the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are not, nor ever have been, a child of God. Such a person is not a Christian.
He will disown these people when He says, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” The person described has never placed their personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They may believe He is God, the Savior, the Redeemer, and the only way to heaven, but that does not mean that, as guilty, lost sinners, they have trusted Him as their own Savior and Lord.
A sincere profession of believing in Jesus does not prove salvation. Our actions demonstrate our faith. There are “things that accompany salvation.” “Faith without works is dead.” We face a challenge: even if we suffer for Him, we might fail because of our lack of faith when facing life's pressures or opposition.
But our Lord will never fail us—ever. He has promised to be with us until "the end of the age." He is always available to us because we belong to Him. We are also called to remember that we are "to deny (ourselves), take up his cross, and follow Me." God does not change in any way, so He will fulfill His promises despite our lack of faith.