Backslidden or Never Saved

[David1701]

On 8/12/2019 at 5:06 AM, ReneeIW said:

How do you know if someone has backslid or was never truly saved in the first place? 

John says is 1 John 3:9 

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
 

So, if a professing Christian goes through a period of time where they revert to their old sinful ways, how do we know if they are backslidden or not truly saved?

 

1 John 3:6-10 (ESV)

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

This is really quite clear.  A born-again Christian cannot revert to a life characterised by sin.  There may be areas of weakness and none of us is perfect, but the overall tenor of a born-again Christian's life will be that of righteousness.

[Deadworm]

 A case in point is Canada's most eminent ever Christian leader, Charles Templeton.  With Billy Graham, Chuck founded Youth for Christ and converted thousands with his powerful preaching.  In the late forties and early 1950s the evangelical consensus was that Chuck had more potential as a mass evangelist than Billy Graham.  When I was a student at Princeton, a group of Canadians listened to a tape of his old sermons.  He preached with great power, passion, and anointing.   Once his prayers even raised the dead!

But Chuck was a victim of the Domino Theory of Scripture, the belief that if the Bible contains errors, none of it can be trusted.  He challenged his pal Billy Graham with his growing doubts and Billy had no answer, except to blindly reaffirm his faith in God's inerrant Word.  Chuck tried to be a liberal Christian for a while, but eventually his integrity drove him to agnosticism.  He renounced his faith, divorced his Christian wife, and began drinking too much.  He became one of Canada's most eminent editors and media personalities, but as an avowed agnostic.  Only God knows if he lost his salvation.  But I think that's possible and he was definitely once a born again Christian.

[David1701]

19 minutes ago, Deadworm said:

 A case in point is Canada's most eminent ever Christian leader, Charles Templeton.  With Billy Graham, Chuck founded Youth for Christ and converted thousands with his powerful preaching.  In the late forties and early 1950s the evangelical consensus was that Chuck had more potential as a mass evangelist than Billy Graham.  When I was a student at Princeton, a group of Canadians listened to a tape of his old sermons.  He preached with great power, passion, and anointing.   Once his prayers even raised the dead!

But Chuck was a victim of the Domino Theory of Scripture, the belief that if the Bible contains errors, none of it can be trusted.  He challenged his pal Billy Graham with his growing doubts and Billy had no answer, except to blindly reaffirm his faith in God's inerrant Word.  Chuck tried to be a liberal Christian for a while, but eventually his integrity drove him to agnosticism.  He renounced his faith, divorced his Christian wife, and began drinking too much.  He became one of Canada's most eminent editors and media personalities, but as an avowed agnostic.  Only God knows if he lost his salvation.  But I think that's possible and he was definitely once a born again Christian.

I have heard about him before and, according to the Bible, he was definitely NOT a born again Christian.  It just shows how religious one can be, without being saved (like Judas Iscariot).

1 John 3:6-10 (ESV)

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by David1701

[Deadworm]

14 minutes ago, David1701 said:

I have heard about him before and, according to the Bible, he was definitely NOT a born again Christian.  It just shows how religious one can be, without being saved (like Judas I

 

He led thousands to Christ, was a marvelous Christian, and was Billy Graham's best friend.  Your response just shows how judgmental you can be about a believer you don't know, regardless of the facts.

[David1701]

17 minutes ago, Deadworm said:

He led thousands to Christ, was a marvelous Christian, and was Billy Graham's best friend.  Your response just shows how judgmental you can be about a believer you don't know, regardless of the facts.

He was not a believer, as was proved by the fact that he went back to a life of sin.

1 John 3:7-10 (ESV)

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

I'm going by the word of God and you are going by your judgment about that man's life.  One of us is being judgmental alright, but it is not I.

[Deadworm]

29 minutes ago, David1701 said:

David: "He was not a believer, as was proved by the fact that he went back to a life of sin."

David pontificates from judgmental ignorance about a man he never knew whose ministry saved thousands and whose prayers even raised the dead!  No, David, Chuck was a radiant Christian who lost his faith over intellectual doubts and the demands of his conscience to be honest about the truth as he now saw it.  You are denying the facts to support your unbiblical theological agenda.  That agenda needs to be decisively refuted in a separate thread.  So stay  tuned!

 

 

[David1701]

1 hour ago, Deadworm said:

David: "He was not a believer, as was proved by the fact that he went back to a life of sin."

David pontificates from judgmental ignorance about a man he never knew whose ministry saved thousands and whose prayers even raised the dead!  No, David, Chuck was a radiant Christian who lost his faith over intellectual doubts and the demands of his conscience to be honest about the truth as he now saw it.  You are denying the facts to support your unbiblical theological agenda.  That agenda needs to be decisively refuted in a separate thread.  So stay  tuned!

Everyone should note (including you, Deadworm) that this poster has provided no quotes of Scripture; in fact, not even references; but only his opinion about this man's life.

I quoted appropriate Scripture that clearly states that no-one who has been born again can practise sin.

[Deadworm]

Readers should note that David Taylor has never heard Chuck Templeton preach.  I have; and I know the reverence with which older Canadian evangelicals hold his memory and his unique role as a prolific soul saver.  My forthcoming post on OSAS will decisively refute David's warped and heretical view of biblical teaching on this issue.  Again I say, stay tuned!

[branchesofHim]

On 8/11/2019 at 9:06 PM, ReneeIW said:

How do you know if someone has backslid or was never truly saved in the first place? 

John says is 1 John 3:9 

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
 

So, if a professing Christian goes through a period of time where they revert to their old sinful ways, how do we know if they are backslidden or not truly saved?

You are being ridiculous on purpose.....right?

Please, everyone, read the bible and see that even the righteous fall into sin on occasion because of the fleshly nature. It's simply existence in the world. Nothing more nor less. Shalom.

[David1701]

8 minutes ago, Deadworm said:

Readers should note that David Taylor has never heard Chuck Templeton preach.  I have; and I know the reverence with which older Canadian evangelicals hold his memory and his unique role as a prolific soul saver.  My forthcoming post on OSAS will decisively refute David's warped and heretical view of biblical teaching on this issue.  Again I say, stay tuned!

Sad to say, but your mind-reading skills seem to have eluded you!

1) My surname is not "Taylor".

2) How do you know whether or not I've heard Templeton preach?

3) I've already provided biblical proof that someone who has been born again CANNOT revert to a life of practising sin.