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Post by Sarah123 on May 7, 2015 15:23:55 GMT
Is this person still saved?
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Post by Gr8tful on May 7, 2015 16:03:57 GMT
Sarah 123, only the Lord knows the heart of man. If the person genuinely gave their life to Christ and for whatever reason turns their back on Him, I believe eventually they will come back to Him. Something in their life caused this turn and it may take time to work it out. But the bible also speaks of the different types of seeds.
4While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
9His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
“ ‘though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.’a
11“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Luke 8:4-15
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Post by Benjamin on May 7, 2015 23:02:46 GMT
The evidence of true conversion isn't just professing belief in Christ, but also being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture speaks over and over about this point.
Hebrews says that "it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted of the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss, their are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace."
That is; if someone were truly in Christ, then rejected Him, there would be no salvation for that person.
We know from Scripture, however, that those who are in Christ are eternally secure (1 Peter 1:4-5, Philippians 1:6, John 10:27-29, Romans 8:35) - so the "Christian who becomes an Atheist" is in fact a contradiction in terms. It is impossible to be truly in Christ, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and then to reverse that process. This "Christian" then, was never saved at all, and never truly knew Him - they were only "enlightened" (that is, understood intellectually"), "tasted" (sampling, rather than truly partaking), "shared" (rather than had a personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit), and so on. It's all surface, all shallow - no regeneration through faith in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, has ever taken place.
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Post by Gr8tful on May 8, 2015 1:54:27 GMT
Yes I agree Benjamin! Sorta what I was trying to say, but you said it much better!
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Post by shiloh on May 8, 2015 2:20:19 GMT
See, I don't understand how one can ask Jesus into their heart, repent and ask for the Holy Spirit to lead them and then become an atheist.
My question is, were they ever really saved to begin with, or are they like the Prodigal son?
We can't judge that, but we are told, "You will know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:16 )
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Post by peaceinthestorm on May 8, 2015 2:22:55 GMT
If a child no longer believes his mother is real, does he stop being her child?
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Post by shiloh on May 8, 2015 2:30:41 GMT
My answer is no, Peace. It's an obvious question. However, can that child reject his or her mother? I say yes, but in the sense that child is just angry at that time or has lost his or her way. It's rebellion. But God always calls us back and will never let go, just as a mother or father would.
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Post by shelayne on May 8, 2015 7:07:31 GMT
Hmmm. This exact question was asked before. You might search for the thread by "Jerome L" a few months ago. There were many responses on that thread as well that may aid you in your question. As others have said, it really depends on what you mean by someone who "used to believe in God", after all the demons believe in God, and they tremble, yet they do not have a relationship with Him. They have not had a heart change that comes from knowing God and wanting the heart of Christ. Remember, it is not a "mind" thing with God, it is a "heart" thing, and only He knows the heart, and whether or not someone's faith is genuine. Sitting in a pew and praying along with the pastor or priest means nothing to God, if there is no heart in it. Someone may say they believe in God, but it doesn't mean that they truly BELIEVE.
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