Is there such a thing as an ex-Christian?

Answer

This is a question with a clear and explicit biblical answer. First John 2:19 states, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” This passage makes it evident—there is no concept of an ex-Christian. If a person is genuinely a Christian, they will never stray from the faith, as stated, “…for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us…” If someone who professed to be a Christian renounces the faith, they were not truly a Christian. “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us…their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” Indeed, there is no such thing as an ex-Christian.

It is crucial to differentiate between a genuine Christian and a Christian in name only. A genuine Christian is someone who has wholeheartedly relied on Jesus Christ alone for salvation. A genuine Christian comprehends what the Bible teaches about sin, its consequences, the identity of Jesus, His redemptive work, and how it brings forgiveness of sin. A genuine Christian is an individual who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, has been transformed into a new creation “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”, (2 Corinthians 5:17), and is continually being conformed to the likeness of Christ. A genuine Christian is sustained by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:13,30;2 Corinthians 1:22). This authentic Christian can never become an ex-Christian. Anyone who has genuinely and completely put their trust in Christ as Savior could never disown Him. No one who truly

Anyone who truly understands the wickedness of sin, the dread of sin’s repercussions, the compassion of Christ, and the kindness and leniency of God, would never abandon the Christian faith.

There are numerous individuals in this world who assert to be followers of Christ, yet are not. Being a Christian is not synonymous with being an American or having fair skin. Being a Christian does not entail merely acknowledging that Jesus was an exceptional teacher or even striving to adhere to His teachings. Being a Christian signifies embodying Christ and being a disciple/servant of Christ. There are individuals who have had some affiliation with a “Christian” congregation and subsequently disavowed that association. There are individuals who have “experienced” and “tried out” Jesus Christ, without genuinely accepting Him as their Savior. Nevertheless, there is no such thing as a genuine former Christian. A genuine Christian will never, and could never, disown the faith. Any individual who professed to be a Christian, but later repudiates the Christian faith, was never genuinely a Christian.