Is this a way to lose one's salvation?

[Matthew Frazier]

Hey CF I’m back! I’m also back with an inquiry that I’ve always questioned as a Christian, especially in the wake of Joshua Harris’s (“I Kissed Dating Goodbye”) renouncement of his faith. Another major figure whose faith/salvation status whose been of interest to me as a music fan is John Lennon. Though he was raised in the Anglican faith, he renounced it in interviews at the Beatles’ peak, claiming to speak atheism/agnostic over the entire group, further beating the dead horse with his controversial “we’re more popular than Jesus” remark. (Wiki over Religious Views of the Beatles) Yet, in the last full decade of Lennon’s life he claimed he was “Jesus’s biggest fan” and expressed interest in Christ both in his personal life and in a few of his later songs (“Talking with Jesus”). Reference: CBN (John Lennon: One of Jesus' "Biggest Fans") Although the CBN article I found about Lennon states he renounced his faith once again nearing his untimely murder in late 1980, he stands out as an example of many people whose salvation status I question due to his roller-coaster ride of faith in his lifetime. These two prominent figures, Harris a former Christian author, and John Lennon, one of the greatest songwriters in pop music history, lead me to the question I hope to gain insight on: Is it possible to lose salvation after confessing faith in Christ early on then renouncing it or is this faith in vain? Have at it!

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Is it possible to lose salvation after confessing faith in Christ early on then renouncing it or is this faith in vain? Have at it!

Both.

 

[Matthew Frazier]

Both.

I appreciate the quick response. Would it be cool for you to share further explanation behind your answer?

 

[redleghunter]

Is it possible to lose salvation after confessing faith in Christ early on then renouncing it or is this faith in vain? Have at it!

I gather the question would need a prior question first.

"Has anyone with the Spirit of God lost the Spirit of God?" I am speaking in terms of:

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16)

We hu-mans make all sorts of statements based on our feelings. For someone to say "yeah I was a believer, then was an atheist then believer again, I would say they are speaking academically according to their human frailty and imperfections.

But if you address Romans 8:16, that is very sobering and straightforward.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Is it possible to lose salvation after confessing faith in Christ early on then renouncing it or is this faith in vain?

Yes it is possible to lose salvation after confessing faith in Christ early on then renouncing it ,
and yes the so-called faith "confessing faith in Christ" might have been merely an attempt to "pretend" to be something they were not, so some might not have had a real faith to start with, thus "faith in vain". All this is in accordance with all Scripture, clearly.

 

[bèlla]

We need to distinguish between religion and faith. They’re not the same. Many people are reared in Christian homes and grew up attending church. They sang the songs and recited the creeds but never accepted Christ as their Savior or had a personal relationship with God. They had a tradition of religious observance but no root within themselves.

As adults they begin to question their beliefs and reconcile childhood experiences. Some continue and deepen their trust. Others pursue different religions or abandon them altogether. The latter group is known as nones and their numbers are increasing.

In respect to your question, it’s possible to believe in God’s existence. But not to subscribe to a religion or Christian denomination. Most describe themselves as spiritual.

In Lennon’s case its doubly hard to walk that path in light of his lifestyle and fame. I’d posit it’s very lonely too. You’d need a welcoming community that won’t exploit his membership. Many in that situation choose churches popular with others like themselves or opt for private services instead.

 

[charsan]

Is it possible to lose salvation after confessing faith in Christ early on then renouncing it or is this faith in vain

To me that is not losing but walking away, I am not sure I would couch it in those terms. We are on a journey of Salvation and will not know of our complete Salvation until death, we can deviate from our journey in many ways like in your example of people walking away

 

[Mountainmanbob]

They don't lose it.
They never were.

Study the Parable of the seed.

M-Bob

 

[1213]

...Is it possible to lose salvation after confessing faith in Christ early on then renouncing it or is this faith in vain? Have at it!

I have understood salvation means your sins are forgiven and so you are saved from the judgment that would come because of sin. Now, that salvation, or forgiveness remains. Your old sins are forgotten. However, if you reject God and sin again, do new sin, then it is not useful, even if the old is forgiven, because there is new sin. Faith is not in vain, because you can be sure that what is forgiven, doesn’t come back to haunt you. But if you are not faithful to God and reject Him, the new sin is a problem.

 

[Jonaitis]

Hey CF I’m back! I’m also back with an inquiry that I’ve always questioned as a Christian, especially in the wake of Joshua Harris’s (“I Kissed Dating Goodbye”) renouncement of his faith. Another major figure whose faith/salvation status whose been of interest to me as a music fan is John Lennon. Though he was raised in the Anglican faith, he renounced it in interviews at the Beatles’ peak, claiming to speak atheism/agnostic over the entire group, further beating the dead horse with his controversial “we’re more popular than Jesus” remark. (Wiki over Religious Views of the Beatles) Yet, in the last full decade of Lennon’s life he claimed he was “Jesus’s biggest fan” and expressed interest in Christ both in his personal life and in a few of his later songs (“Talking with Jesus”). Reference: CBN (John Lennon: One of Jesus' "Biggest Fans") Although the CBN article I found about Lennon states he renounced his faith once again nearing his untimely murder in late 1980, he stands out as an example of many people whose salvation status I question due to his roller-coaster ride of faith in his lifetime. These two prominent figures, Harris a former Christian author, and John Lennon, one of the greatest songwriters in pop music history, lead me to the question I hope to gain insight on: Is it possible to lose salvation after confessing faith in Christ early on then renouncing it or is this faith in vain? Have at it!

Parable of the Seed and Sower. He falls into one of those categories, but definitely not the seed sown in good soil.