Question:
What if, in “the heat of the moment,” one tells a lie to protect himself before he realizes what he is doing? Will he lose his salvation?

Answer:
No. However, that person should still deal with that lie as a sin and not justify it as being allowable under the trying circumstances.

Let us be sure to keep our accounts clear with God. Let us remember to confess our sins when they happen. When we do so, we will find that God “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).