"Former Christians"

So, you can still see yourself possibly losing your faith one day? Well if you do, it will - according to the author of the OP - mean that you never were a Christian.

I can never get the Spirit of Christ out of my regenerated spirit.

I knew a young man who asked Jesus to leave him. He was caught between two choices - to go to a Christian conference or to spend the weekend at some sports entertainment. He was so frustrated with the situation that he told Jesus to leave him - "Jesus - Up and OUT !!!"

A Christian may black out and have amnesia for a time. She can never undo the regeneration of the human spirit. She can never get Christ to leave her.

I just take your words at face value. I don't know your inner being. "The Lord knows those who are His ...". But if some "Been There Done That" "Former" Christian, card carrying skeptic was really born of the Spirit, I don't believe it is possible to undo that birth. Such a person wanting to have nothing more to do with Jesus Christ is never going to no longer be a child of God.

At most such a person can postpone a relationship with the Father for perhaps the rest of their life and one thousand years, or some portion perhaps of one thousand years.

The eternal age does not begin immediately at the second coming of Christ. There is at least one thousand years where God still has time to work on His children - a kind of "Summer School" for some believers.

My friend said angrily to Jesus "Jesus - leave me - Up and Out!"

Today the man is serving Christ full time working with hundreds of other young people shepherding them through the trials of being a highschool follower of Jesus.

Personally I don't agree with him. Do you?

I have a hard time posting and reviewing what another post said at the same time. If the OP said that a man born of God cannot be unborn or something like that, I do agree.

None of us who believe know what the future will bring. No one knows what will happen under the sun. What trials, what calamities, even what tragedies await any Christian, he does not know.

I do know the program of Christ. Every experience is designed to cause my roots to sink deeper and deeper into Christ. Every situation is the raw material for transformation.

I know that He promised that He will not allow me to be tempted above what I am able to endure. He will always provide a way of escape. And the way is to sink deeper into Himself. He has overcome the world.

The OP:

Every forum has a handful or more, so-called "former Christians." People who claim they were faithful believers (usually during childhood while they lived under their parents' roof). The Reformed Christian doctrine (which I adhere to) explicitly denies this possibility.

In some cases they may have been so. More often in many cases they weren't.

One thing is for sure. Want to sell books? Just proclaim yourself to be a Christian once and now an Atheist. The public LOVES that.

As objectively as possible I tried to analyze the claim and see if I could come up with a viable reason why it is said to happen. Generally speaking, the typical self-proclaimed "former Christian" will say they aren't Christian anymore because they grew up, started thinking for themselves, and realized the ridiculousness of it all.

Well, Jesus told Peter in essence - "What difference does it make to you what John back there does? You follow Me." (paraphrased from John 21:20-22)

You don't want to follow the Lord Jesus ? Just step out of the line. The guy behind you may want to follow Jesus. No pushing please.

Originally posted by sonship
I knew a young man who asked Jesus to leave him. He was caught between two choices - to go to a Christian conference or to spend the weekend at some sports entertainment. He was so frustrated with the situation that he told Jesus to leave him - "Jesus - Up and OUT !!!"

I think it is obvious that this kind of thing is not what the thread was about. This is a case of someone who believes, and in fact firmly believes, yet doesn't like the consequences. We are talking about people who have lost their belief for whatever reason.

I think it is obvious that this kind of thing is not what the thread was about. This is a case of someone who believes, and in fact firmly believes, yet doesn't like the consequences. We are talking about people who have lost their belief for whatever reason.

Jesus is into transforming people's soul. He is into changing people from the old to the new.

No soul likes all of the consequences God leads him through for the Holy Spirit to achieve this transformation.

People - go back and read the story of Jacob the man whose name God changed. God changed his name from Tricky Scoundrel to a Prince of God.

Through many trials God led Jacob. Eventually God came down and wrestled with him PERSONALLY. It is very instructive.

Everyone whom Christ saves He is also wrestling with to change them into a prince of God, an Israel.

Originally posted by sumydid
I got what I should have expected. A torrent of answers posed as questions.

Funny how most skeptics squirm in their chairs and spout off with questions and thinly veiled hostility, when asked a simple yes or no question.

FMF, for everyone else's benefit and certainly not for yours, the point is this. IF you ever were a Christian and now you aren't. ...[text shortened]... it's true. I'm not going to bother with all the answers posed as questions. Thanks.

A real Christian is known by the fruit he/she manifests...Love, Joy, peace,faith, gentleness, etc....the fruits of the spirit are found in Galations.
Many Christians who seem to drop out, are not what many here think...many Christians simply get born again and stop growing and stagnate. They cannot even be distinguished from an unbeliever.
A Christian must continue to grow in Christ, must be nourished with the milk of the Word, be fed via holy spirit. They must apply what they learn, faith grows, the more we obey and act on what we do know, the more God gives us...the closer we desire get to God and act on it through prayer, study, etc...the closer God draws to the Christian...It would help to read and meditate on the parable of the Sower...

Originally posted by checkbaiter
A real Christian is known by the fruit he/she manifests...Love, Joy, peace,faith, gentleness, etc....the fruits of the spirit are found in Galations.
Many Christians who seem to drop out, are not what many here think...many Christians simply get born again and stop growing and stagnate. They cannot even be distinguished from an unbeliever.
A Christian ...[text shortened]... r God draws to the Christian...It would help to read and meditate on the parable of the Sower...

Since I do not exhibit any gentleness to the unbelieving atheists does that rule me out as being a Christian in your mind?

Originally posted by RJHinds
Since I do not exhibit any gentleness to the unbelieving atheists does that rule me out as being a Christian in your mind?

Repent of your evil ways RJ.
Repent now and you shall be shown mercy.
I am an unbeliever, an infidel. Show kindness to me.
Give me your e mail address and I will give you my
P.O. Box number where you can send me lots of
your hard earned cash that you were going to give
to your pastor next Sunday.

I can picture you sitting there now, asleep in your pew
like Homer J Simpson.

Originally posted by RJHinds
Since I do not exhibit any gentleness to the unbelieving atheists does that rule me out as being a Christian in your mind?

No...please read the entire message...

Originally posted by checkbaiter
No...please read the entire message...

Given the contents of your post, it would seem that RJH would not be a 'real' Christian, though I suppose he could still be a Christian that "cannot even be distinguished from an unbeliever."

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
Given the contents of your post, it would seem that RJH would not be a 'real' Christian, though I suppose he could still be a Christian that "cannot even be distinguished from an unbeliever."

Perhaps, but I don't know him personally, only he and God can answer that. My point is that as a Christian, anyone, including myself, can stop growing and seem just like an unbeliever without any real trust in God. It is a daily decision to become like Christ or the world.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
Perhaps, but I don't know him personally, only he and God can answer that. My point is that as a Christian, anyone, including myself, can stop growing and seem just like an unbeliever without any real trust in God. It is a daily decision to become like Christ or the world.

Well said, CB.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
Well said, CB.

Thanks Grampy...as you can probably attest, it is a daily struggle. That is why Paul said "I die daily".

Originally posted by checkbaiter
Perhaps, but I don't know him personally, only he and God can answer that. My point is that as a Christian, anyone, including myself, can stop growing and seem just like an unbeliever without any real trust in God. It is a daily decision to become like Christ or the world.

Well, you're the one who put a definition of a 'real' Christian out there which evidently wasn't what you meant. So do you have a revised definition of a 'real' Christian or would have 'former Christians' have been as 'real' as anyone else?

Originally posted by checkbaiter
Perhaps, but I don't know him personally, only he and God can answer that. My point is that as a Christian, anyone, including myself, can stop growing and seem just like an unbeliever without any real trust in God. It is a daily decision to become like Christ or the world.

Do you believe in evil-lution?

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
Well, you're the one who put a definition of a 'real' Christian out there which evidently wasn't what you meant. So do you have a revised definition of a 'real' Christian or would have 'former Christians' have been as 'real' as anyone else?

I don't know if there is such a thing as "former Christian". Once some one has received Christ, 1 John says it is "seed". Like a natural birth is by seed, so is the spiritual birth by spiritual seed. You cannot get "unborn"... you can however be out of fellowship with God if one continues in the ways of the world and turns away from God. However his state is still a Christian. His standing is not. That is why you will see no difference between such a believer and an unbeliever.
If what you are looking for is the question of losing one's salvation, I would say no...