Expert: Dr. Ronald E. Shultz - 3/13/2004

Question
If a person 18 years old accepts Jesus as their personal Savior, believes, and is baptized and at a later date, he/she suffers a tragic event, blames Christ, never prays again, never goes to church again, never believes in Christ again, and turns to worshipping drugs, alcohol, or other idols,  will he/she still go to heaven or have eternal life in heaven?



Yes, I am Earl's little "Dale Evans." Although most of Earl's relatives live in Edenton, NC, he lived in Rocky Mount, NC for almost 25 years operating businesses and raising horses. We now live in Kitty Hawk where the waves were 10-12  feet this week. We appreciate your expertise in religion and your willingness to share your knowledge. Happy Trails!  

Answer
I have fond memories of NC and would return, but with six grandchildren in Fort Worth I would have to leave without my wife and I confess that after 33 years I have become right fond of her so I reckon I will stay right here.  

Matt 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
(KJV)

I make no claims to apostleship, but I have tried to follow the freely give portion of this passage.  Most of my ministry is without pay, gratuities or whatever.  I have given more of my books away than I have sold and have given back some checks when I have spoken at small churches. The Lord gave me what I have so I cannot keep it back for lack of mammon. Yet, I am not starving to death and live a comfortable life.  There is great liberty in my ministry because of this since I do not have to fear losing my living because I have offended the deacons and they can't cast in my teeth that I am only in it for the money.  

If the Lord allows me I hope to retire in four years from my secular job and then go into some form of full time ministry.  With a retirement check I can actually take a lower salary from whatever ministry I am allowed to serve.

You ask a hard question and it is even harder because I expect you are asking in relation to a loved one. I cannot know a person's heart. We can judge fruit and yet if we would have judged those then the Prodigal Son would have died and gone to Hell while he was in the pig pen, but he lived to return to the Father.  In that sense, as long as there is breath there is hope that the person will either return to the Father as a repentent son or as a repentent sinner.  Either way will work.  

I don't know many, if any, Christians that have not struggled with various sins.  I know many, myself included, that have at one time or another have blamed God for events in our life.  Some have gotten over it and others never return to church.  

The issue in the scenario you gave me that would cause me to doubt that the profession of faith was genuine is the "never believes in Christ again" and worshipping the idols, which I may need more clarification there.

Most of the hurt, angry folks that I have known have never denied that Jesus is Lord and turned to other gods.  Most just stay home mad and maybe get into various sins of alcohol or sex, but if you can reach them in love they will tell you that they still believe Jesus is Lord and even believe that He has saved them. These folks are prodigals or wounded sheep and by God's grace in time they will be healed and return to God's fellowship and the fellowship of His people.

John 10:4-5
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for (KJV)

John 10:16
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (KJV)

The wounded sheep do not follow other shepherds in their heart though by their sins they are following the devil and flesh, but those are certainly not strangers since they are known to all. They follow an "old" deposed shepherd so to speak but they would denounce both though they are being swayed by them.

I have always taught that any Christian is capable of any sin. The soberest and purest man or woman may find themselves drunk or in adultery given the "right" conditions. Many fall in the areas they feel they are the strongest because they fail to heed the admonition in 1 Cor 10:12.  

The one thing that I have always believed due to these passages is that while a true saint can fall into all kinds of sins and spend time in a far country and blaspheme the Lord they will not become cultists. They will not claim "another" shepherd. They may claim outwardly to be atheists, but in their heart they are pricked continually and in a time of chastening or despair they will profess Him.

If they clearly deny Christ and become a disciple of another god or a cult then I contend from these passages that they were never saved.  They were like Judas.  There was exposed to the truth but it did not really take.  They got excited, which is what I suspect the Passion will do for a lot of folks but they did not truly convert.

Being in the Bible belt there is a great danger of folks knowing too much "intellectually" so that they make an intellectual decision before the Spirit truly works on their heart and in a sense they become innoculated and resist the Spirit's draw to salvation because they think they already did that. Actually, they have responded to a familial/cultural practice. The Jews had the same problem.  I was born a Jew so I am good to go.  I was born in the South into a born again Baptist family and I know all the phrases and handshakes so I am good to go.  They know the ritual before they know the reality and learn to love the ritual and are comfortable with it.

How long would such a period of "backsliding" last only God knows and as I said in the other question there is a sin unto death so the period may last unto death.  We may not see a period of revival in that person's life before they die and make the assumption that the person died unsaved yet they may have died because they were saved and God brought them home in a "woodshed" state.  We will not know until we get there.

John 10:27-30
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one. (KJV)

If they are truly sheep then they are saved forever.  The Shepherd does have a rod and staff and a slingshot to get wayward sheep back into the fold and the wolves and bears away from them. He can break a leg so that he can carry and nuture them.  In our case, He can take us to our eternal sheepfold early.  

Again, I cannot speak to your loved one's condition.  By the fruit I would say it does not look good from man's eyes.  God knows.  

Hosea 2:5-7
5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.
7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. (KJV)

I would suggest that you pray in context.  Ask God to place a hedge of thorns or protection around him/her.  Ask that evil be kept from them and keep them from evil.  Ask that they find no pleasure in their paths and that all their "lovers" lose interest in them.  When your loved one becomes hurt and confused may God lead His sheep back to Him or adopt them.

I would pray for them as if they are lost.  I fear that too often we take comfort in eternal security for folks who never entered into that security.  We also tend to pray harder for lost people than for backsliders.

I wish I could have given a more upbeat answer, but truth is not always upbeat.  I do pray that God will implement Hosea 2 in your loved one's life and bring them into the joy of Christ.  Blessings unto you and your family!

Bro. Ron