CCP131: On Losing Your Religion

Nov 22, 2024

The discussion dives into the provocative question of whether salvation can be lost, probing biblical interpretations and the concept of apostasy. It touches on the rising number of 'nones'—those with no religious affiliation—and the growing trend of faith deconstruction. Delving into the emotional toll of loved ones losing their faith, the hosts emphasize the importance of compassionate dialogue for reconnection. The conversation also highlights salvation as a personal journey of acceptance and the vital role of perseverance in one's spiritual life.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

What is Salvation?

Salvation is about receiving God's free gift of eternal life through Jesus.
It involves recognizing Jesus as Lord and believing in his resurrection.

INSIGHT

Receiving Salvation

Accepting salvation involves openly declaring Jesus as Lord and believing in his resurrection.
It's a relational commitment, not just transactional, intellectual, or emotional.

INSIGHT

Four Steps to Salvation

Accepting salvation involves a four-step relational process.
It begins with recognizing one's sinfulness, turning from old ways, believing in Jesus, and receiving God's gift.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a question that has been debated quite a bit within the church: Can someone lose their salvation? While there are some Christians who would say, “once saved, always saved,” the Bible clearly points to cases of apostasy, defined as “the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief.” Jesus Himself even said that, at the end of time, “many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other” (see Matthew 24:10, NIV).

Episode Links

As Alexis mentioned at the top of the podcast, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the release of Dr. White's book The Rise of the Nones. The “nones” represent people who, when asked to define their religious affiliation, simply respond by choosing "none of the above". Since the release of the book, the nones have only continued to rise. This was the topic of a past podcast episode that we'd encourage you to go back and listen to: CCP32: On a Non-Christian America. There has also been a growing trend with people “deconstructing” their faith - the process of rethinking foundational stances related to lifestyle, associations and beliefs, and usually in relation to a previously held spiritual faith. For more on this topic, again we'd suggest that you listen to CCP28: On Deconstructing or check out a series delivered by Dr. White at Mecklenburg Community Church called “The Deconstruction Zone.”

Many who argue against the possibility that people can lose their salvation point to the idea of election - that God has decreed already those who will (or will not) be saved. This is one of the central doctrines of Calvinism, yet another past podcast episode. In fact, this has been one of the most popular episodes of the Church & Culture Podcast, and you can find CCP59: On Calvinism HERE.

Finally, if you know of someone who has walked away from the faith, someone who has essentially returned the free gift of their salvation, Dr. White encouraged us to continue to try to evangelize them. There are a number of series that Dr. White has given at Mecklenburg Community Church that may help you to be able to share with someone wrestling with their faith. They are gathered under the category of “Evangelism & Apologetics” HERE.

For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.