Ahhh, but that’s the rub isn’t it...how do you define “fall away”? And how long do you have to fall away before you aren’t saved any longer? Let me give you my example to highlight the point.
I was saved at a young age and continued in the faith through college. However, I joined a fraternity in college and became addicted to alcohol. I struggled for several years with my addiction and every time I drank I cried out to God for help. I was not active in a church during that time, but I never denied God. During that time away, some would have seen no fruit and little evidence of my faith (except that the folks at my favorite bar nicknamed me “preacher” because I talked about Jesus all of the time). By His Grace I overcame my reliance and now don’t have the slightest desire for alcohol. The point is this, what amount of fruit is sufficient to “maintain” salvation? Who has to see that fruit (MacArthur?). What form must that fruit hold? How much time does a believer have to “fall” and then come back? Was I not saved until I returned to the faith the second time? Each case is unique and only God truly knows.
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalms 34:18)
AMEN. Thank you for the testimony.
In fairness to JM, he does give testimony of people he knew who made a public confession and then went on to deny God never to return. Most of his sermons are directed at the mental assent easy believism. I will dig up the interview where he talks about this. JM also points out David a lot to show we will not be perfect in our walk.
I think our one Biblical example of someone who proclaimed to believe but died in his sins was Judas. One might say he had a mental assent and then when push came to shove he not only denied Christ he betrayed Him.
Since salvation is only confirmed if you persevere to the end, I'd say it would be a good idea not to die in that state.
I'd also say that as long as you are worried about it, then there is a flicker of eternal life left. When you fall away and don't care one whit about ever returning to your Christian walk, then I'd say that you may be there.
The problem is that you refer to it as not being saved "any longer." The correct way to look at it is not whether you are saved "any longer" but whether you were saved in the first place.
Jesus said that he would go to the ends of the earth to retrieve his sheep that have wandered away. He also said he would lose none of them. So if you are one of his sheep, He will find you and bring you back to the fold. If you are not one of his sheep, then when you wander away, you are truly lost.