“I used to be a Christian.” Sometimes we hear these words when we are out witnessing: when we hand out Gospel tracts, do one to one witnessing and open-air preaching. People will come up to us and tell us that we believe in a fairy tale and that we should leave people alone.
When we hand an atheist a tract or try to witness to them they usually respond with something like this:
“I’m an atheist.”
“Oh really. Did you grow up with a Christian background?”
“Yes, I used to be a Christian, but now I know that God isn’t real.”
“What changed your mind?”
“When I was in high school I just figured out during science that there really isn’t a God. Plus, I couldn’t ever feel God’s presence, so He isn’t real.”
“What science proves that there is no God?”
“Evolution.”
“You can’t prove evolution. So how can you use something that is unprovable to prove that there is no God?”
The conversation usually continues from there. But here’s the problem folks: God does not give you the Holy Spirit with one hand and then take it back from you with the other hand! You are either saved or you are unsaved. I don’t know why so many people seem to have false starts, but they do. I know because I was one of them. I didn’t become an atheist, but I wrongly thought that I could go on living my life selfishly for myself without Jesus being my Lord. I wanted Him to save me, but I didn’t want to surrender my life to Him. For more on that, you can read my testimony.
When I tell atheists who say that they were former Christians that they really were never a Christian to begin with, they usually say one of the following two things: “You can’t judge me or you don’t know me.” I don’t usually know them, but I do believe the Bible. I know the God of the Bible and I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ my Lord. Again, God would not give you the Helper – the Holy Spirit to reside in you and then take the Spirit back from you.
1 John 4:13 states, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” Again, there are no take backs with God. If He has saved you, then you are saved! You dwell in Him and He dwells in you through the Holy Spirit. 1 John 4:15 goes on to say, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God.” This is another confirmation from God’s Word that God actually lives inside you when you are truly saved! I believe God and I believe His Word – each and every time over any and all atheists.
So if you are not a Christian today, you never were one in the past. You may have thought you were – just like I wrongly thought for 33 years. But if God did not transform your life, then you never were a Christian. That’s what separates Christianity from all other religions in the world. Christianity is supernatural. We are saved by God’s grace. It is not about us! Once God saves you, He doesn’t leave you in your sinful state. Through the Holy Spirit, He starts sanctifying you. Through His Word – the Bible, God reveals to you that the things you used to think were alright, really are not. God tells us to be holy because He is Holy.
Again, God changes you from the inside out. Not only that, but Jesus said that we would know His disciples by their fruit (works). Our works don’t save us, but after we are transformed, we change how we view the world and other people. You start doing things for God and for others that you would never do before. So if you say that you were formerly a Christian and now are not one, can’t you see how this is contradictory to the Bible?
If God saves you, then you are saved. The thing to remember is that because God changes you, He will not allow you to wallow in your former sins. If you were a womanizer, then God will convict you to stop your womanizing ways. If you drank too much alcohol, God will convict you to stop drinking. If you say you were saved and there was no change after your salvation, then you really weren’t saved.
Do not be deceived. Do not wait until Judgment Day to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. It will be to late then. The Bible says today is the day of salvation. Don’t put this off. Forget about your false start in the past. If God is convicting you, surrender to Jesus Christ our Lord right now. Cry out to Jesus to save you. Repent and believe the Gospel.