Were Those Who Have Left the Faith Ever Truly Christians?

 April 18, 2024

Thursday

There are many people who preached Christ as Savior at one time that no longer do so. In fact, they say that they do not believe. At one time, they gave evidence of believing, but now they claim that they don't. People ask me, "Were they Christians in the first place or were they able to lose their faith and salvation?"

It is neither my responsibility nor my desire to give damnable judgement to anyone. So, I cannot tell you what the stories of the individuals are. I do not know them. I do not know what has happened in their hearts. I can only tell what the scripture says.

John spoke of people who at one time were a part of the congregations he is familiar with. They left the congregation voluntarily and began preaching a false gospel. I am not sure what that gospel was but it wasn't the gospel of Jesus Christ. John warns of these people.

1 John 2:19 (NASB 2020) ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be evident that they all are not of us.

I know that many of you will point to a time in your life that you weren't in church. You might even have said or did things that indicated that you weren't truly a believer. Yet, you came back. The question is: Did you ever really leave?

I am one of those people who left the church at one time. No one could have known that I was a Christian by the way I spoke or lived. I did damage to the cause of Christ by the way I lived but I always knew that I believed even if I said I didn't. So, when I hear of those who once preached and told others of Christ leaving their faith behind, I can't tell whether they have truly left Christ or that they are denying their faith because of some other reason.

Some of these people who have left are encouraging others to join them. Maybe you could consider this a false gospel. Maybe it is the litmus test for determining who they are. I do know this: Once you have truly established a relationship with Jesus Christ, you can't simply divorce Him. He will always be your Savior even if you do not acknowledge it.

Some of these people must have been amazing frauds. They could espouse the cause of Christ better than I can and I know I am a believer. They may have even done great good in the lives of many who followed them at one time.

So, if they can truly "leave the faith" they were never of the faith. I pray that isn't their case. I pray they are wandering away and come back someday.

This teaches us that we don't need to follow people who profess Christ but follow Christ Himself. Even if every word that is said by a preacher, Christian singer or author drips like honey to our ears, we must keep our focus on the One who saved us and loves us throughout eternity. He will never leave. We can put full trust in that.