Never a Christian

For many years, indeed centuries by now, many Christians have thought that since they are in control of their own salvation (becoming a Christian), they would also be in control of remaining saved (a Christian). Therefore, some believe that if they chose to become Christians, they can also choose to no longer be Christians.

My assumption is that many that once claimed to be Christians, and now are 'ex-Christians' (whatever that means), fall into this category of "former" Christians.

This comes from preaching a God from the pulpit that is at the mercy of its creatures. This type of Christianity preaches a "god" that must beg his creation to believe in him. By some divine fiat he ascribed some sort of almighty free-will to humans that he cannot violate, and as a result people can either choose to follow him or to stop following him. This, therefore, can occur several times in a person's lifetime!

Now, that is serving and believing in a small god! A god that has no control over his creatures, and, in fact is completely subject to the sovereign control of his creatures! Who wants to serve such a small god anyway?

The Bible makes it clear that those who leave Christianity after a profession of faith, were never Christians to start with.

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us."
1 John 2:19

Jesus made it clear that once He saves someone, He saves that person completely!

"Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, ~26~ but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. ~27~ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ~28~ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ~29~ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. ~30~ I and the Father are one.'"
John 10:25-30

Once Christ has saved someone that person will never perish, and no one will snatch the saved person out of His hand! This is called the Perseverance of the Saints, or like I like to call it, the Preservation of the Saints. Christ is the One who does the "saving" and He is also the One who does the "keeping."

Salvation belongs to the Lord. Why would He make it dependent upon us to "save ourselves" when the very reason we need salvation precludes us from being able to make such a saving choice?

To understand salvation Biblically, read the online book The Reformed Faith by Loraine Boettner.