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This past weekend, we went to a conference in Kansas City and while there, we visited Terri’s brother and his boys. Dinner was a little informal and we ended up with the 4 older boys, in the range of 4-10 years old or so, ready to eat before anybody else and I knew Gabe was starving, so I asked our nephew, Zach, to pray so they could eat. He started his prayer with, “Dear Jesus, …”

Afterwards I got to thinking about this and realized that Gabe also starts his prayers with “Dear Jesus.” This struck me a little odd since Terri and I always start our prayers with “Dear Father” or “Dear Heavenly Father” and I wondered who was teaching these kids to pray “Dear Jesus” and why? Is that something we should pray? Is that modeled for us in the New Testament?

I did a search through my New Testament and the answer is: I can’t find any case where someone prays or recommends praying to Jesus. I would be interested to hear thoughts from others regarding a Biblical basis for starting with “Dear Jesus” because I can’t find anything in my Bible that would suggest this as being orthodox.

On the one hand, I’m not sure there’s any harm in it, but Jesus did give us the model in Matthew 6:9-13:

Pray then like this:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

I guess I’m conservative enough that I don’t see a reason to go beyond what Jesus teaches here when there is almost nothing else so clear in the Bible telling us how to pray. Most of the text in the New Testament exhorts us to pray to God often, to do so passionately, and to seek to pray for the right things. Other than Jesus’ own words, I see nothing else suggesting more detail than this.

I think I will be suggesting to Gabe that he pray, “Dear Father” or “Our Father” or “Lord” from now on, though I don’t think I will criticize him or anyone else for saying Dear Jesus. They are, after all, all one God so praying to Jesus or the Father or even the Spirit is still a call to same substance.

Cheers.

I saw this over at Biblical Christianity a few weeks ago and decided it needs to shared here as well.

Via: Pro Life

A common complaint against Christianity is that no All-Powerful God could allow the world to be as it is, filled with starving children, abusers, rapists, and murderers, and terrible natural disasters. Yet, that is exactly the world Christians say God permits. In the words of Jesus,

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (Matthew 13:24-30)

God may permit evil to grow and allow good things to happen to all people for a time. But, someday soon, the harvest will come and evil of any kind will be tolerated no more. Let him who has an ear to hear, listen and repent! Amen.

By the way, this is a continuation of a series I started on my old blog, in case you are interested.

By providence, I came across a quote from a friend that I must strongly disagree with:

Jesus preached plenty about loving others, regardless of their beliefs. He didn’t ascribe other beliefs to the devil.

I do not know when he posted this quote or the full context, but I can say that this statement is categorically incorrect. From what context I do have, I know this is stated after insulting the integrity and infallibility of scripture. Now, this person would call himself a Christian, but I know he is not. I can, on the basis of this statement alone, say he is not a Christian. I am able to make that judgment only because Christ and his Apostles made the same judgment. I shall demonstrate.

Aside: I am about to make a scriptural defense of the doctrine I know to be true. I do this knowing that this person (and most others) do not trust scripture. However, I appeal to scripture because anyone called by God will trust it as an authority and will not casually cast it aside. Therefore, I speak to any seeker that may read this and, in the meantime, pray that my friend will be drawn to trust scripture one day and hope that with consistency and reliability I can demonstrate here might be able to help someone understand this issue. Amen.

Other Beliefs

Jesus, and his followers, are not OK with “other beliefs.” Other beliefs are, in fact, ascribed to the devil by Jesus. Let’s go through this and show how consistently and completely the BIble rejects other forms of belief. First, let’s start by saying that the English word for “other beliefs” is “idolatry.” In the words of my Oxford Dictionary, idolatry is “extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone.” Idolatry is a very, very bad thing according to all of the Bible. In fact, it is number one on the list of the Ten Commandments:

You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)

I’d say that is pretty clear. However, just in case that’s not good enough, God elaborated and explained in detail what he meant:

You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)

God is jealous. He wants us to worship Him and Him only on His terms and only on His terms. Anything less is idolatry by God’s own definition. So, let’s get it clear how bad idolatry is.

“Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the LORD alone, shall be devoted to destruction.” (Exodus 22:20)

God commanded the death penalty for idolatry. While the death penalty is no longer commanded because Israel is no more and because of the fulfilling work of Christ on the cross, we have this knowledge still: God is jealous unto death that He be the only God worshipped in his chosen nation.

“You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), …” (Exodus 34:13-14)

God is awesome and deserving of praise. Therefore, this kind of jealousy by him is a virtue where it would be idolatry for us to be jealous for the worship for ourselves or any other god. God is jealous for your worship.

“But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.” (Deuteronomy 18:20)

Anyone who claims to speak for God, but then speaks in the name of another was to suffer the death penalty in God’s chosen nation.

“‘Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the LORD, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’” (Deuteronomy 27:15)

This is a formal legal curse by God for anyone who even secret had idols in Israel. Even secret idolatry is condemned. If you worship an idol in your heart, you are under this curse.

“What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:15-16)

The Church of Jesus Christ is completely incompatible with any other belief. Jesus may show compassion to sinners and unbelievers, but in the day of judgment, anyone who remains in unbelief will be judged and condemned.

“Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” (Colossians 2:18-19)

Even seemingly good practices like denying oneself physically can be idolatry if it usurps the primacy of God. Any practice or belief that stands in the place of worship of God is condemned and disqualifies one from achieving eternal glory.

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

Everyone lives forever. Some will spend eternity worshipping God in all his glory. The rest will suffer torment in a place described as a lake of fire.

But let’s hear it in Jesus’s own words. Let’s hear what our Lord and Savior has to say and see if he agrees with God the Father on this.

“No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:13-21)

Unbelievers stand condemned already before Jesus comes to them. Once this Jesus comes, you can either believe him on his terms and have eternal life, or you can die in your condemnation. Jesus will tolerate no other belief.

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” (Matthew 4:10)

As for ascribing other beliefs (a.k.a. idolatry) to Satan, here is Jesus doing just that. Satan tried to get Jesus to worship something else, namely Satan. Jesus doesn’t condemn worshipping Satan, he condemns the worship of anything that is not God. Idolatry is exactly what Satan wants more of in any form because he hates God.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:1-7)

Jesus is preparing the way for those who believe in him. He offers no salvation for anyone else.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:12-14)

There is only one way Jesus accepts: His way. Every other way leads to destruction.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Therefore, it is not enough to believe in a Jesus. You must believe in the Jesus, this Jesus. The New Testament is full of references about false teachers and those who would try to add to or take away from the teaching Jesus came with. This too is condemned.

On this basis, I can say what I’ve said, “I can, on the basis of this statement [the quote at the top of this post] alone, say he is not a Christian.” It takes away from the clear and repeated teaching of every part of the Bible. There is one way and only one way to heaven. All other ways lead to death.

Jesus will certainly show mercy to anyone who comes to him. Jesus has even provided common grace for all to experience for a time. There are good things to be had by both believers and unbelievers in this life. Yet, the deciding time is now. All must die once and stand before judgment. Once dead, no man can change the course of his life. He will either be rewarded for his good works as a soul ransomed by Jesus or he will be condemned as a sinner. Jesus has left us with no third option. The decision stands before us all continually, even me, and demands an answer: Will you believe in Christ and call upon his name or will you worship the idol of your choice? Choose wisely.

Amen.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:5-11

This time of year, a lot is said about Christmas in the world and most of it is either wrong or missing the point. Some will say Christmas is about giving or Christmas is about mercy or Christmas is about charity or Christmas is about peace on earth and goodwill toward men. All of these may be excellent, but all of them miss the point. Christmas is about Christ (it is the Christ Mass after all) and not just any Christ, but the Christ. He is God become flesh, born of virgin birth, raised as a carpenters son, engaged in a three year long ministry, willingly chose to die on the cross, and is raised to life on the third day. He is a real historical person. All of human history centers on this one man and Christmas is when we celebrate his arrival on earth.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” — Luke 2:11-14

Christ’s whole ministry, even including his birth, was humble. He was born to peasants. His mother was probably still a teenager when Jesus was born. We do not know anything about the circumstances of the birth itself, but we know that his very first bed was a feeding trough for horses or cattle, probably in a stable or cave. His birth was announced by angels, but the announcement is not sent to any religious or political authorities, but to some local sheep herders. We know that his father was a laborer, most likely a carpenter, but possibly a mason. He was taught in the synagogue as was the custom among Jews of that day, but this was not a prestigious training such as the apostle Paul received, but the more common variety. Humility more than anything else characterized the life of Christ even though He was God. (John 1:1)

There are those who would distract from Jesus at this time to examine Mary, even to the point of engaging in heretical idol worship of her. Mary was no goddess. She had no special power. She has no power now. She was not especially virtuous or holy or conceived without sin or whatever. All of that is just made up by overzealous blasphemers. Mary was chosen to be the most blessed mother of the Messiah. That is quite enough honor to be had all by itself. “all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48) I’m certain she would be horrified by how some have chosen to magnify her. In her own words, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.” (Luke 1:46-48) Magnify Christ and through him the Father, anything less is idolatry.

There are yet others who want to make Christ less than He is. The unitarians, the Mormons, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and all the other Socinians, to them Jesus is just a god or like a god or created by God as another god. These too are blasphemers who will, if they fail to repent, be forced to admit that Christ is Lord one day, but it will not be a pleasant admission. (Philippians 2:11; Revelation 20:15) Christ may have humbled himself to take on the nature of man (Philippians 2:8) and may have submitted to the Father (John 5:19), but is fully God and was never anything less. (John 1:1-2; John 10:30; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Titus 2:13; 1 John 5:20)

Christmas is about Jesus Christ. It is a time to reflect upon Him and the work of redemption He provides. Christmas is a time to reflect upon his birth, his life, and his ministry. Jesus was a man of humble origins seeking to bring humbles sinners to repentance. He healed a few, but did not heal everyone. He blessed a few, but not everyone. He invited a few to follow Him, but not everyone. He even admonished, yelled at, and whipped a few who deserved it. (John 2:15)

Above, all he came to bring a message, which I think is summed up perfectly in John 3:1-21, when he spoke to Nicodemus, the rabbi about being born again. He concludes with this:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.” — John 3:16-21

Left to ourselves, we all stand condemned. The invitation to come into the light is still at hand. May each of us seek the light anew or seek it now for the first time.

To Christ be all the glory and honor and to the Father and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A common argument against Calvinism is that it can’t be true that God only picked a few to be saved from eternity past because God wants to save everyone. The proof text for this is found in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise [to return again] as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” How can it be that God only chose a few if “all should reach repentance?”

The problem is, that this single verse is not a complete picture of God. God doesn’t desire solely to show mercy, but he also desires to show his wrath. Consider Romans 9:22-24 (emphasis is mine):

What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—-even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles.

Notice that God desires to show his wrath and his power, not just mercy. Sin must be punished and God will send the sons of Adam who do not repent into eternal punishment. God prepared these “vessels of wrath” just as He prepared the “vessels of mercy.”

This whole passage in Romans immediately follows Romans 9:20 where Paul rebukes the hypothetical person who questions why our Creator would work in such a way that cannot be resisted. The answer is simply this: God is glorifying Himself because He is the Creator and this is how He works. Like it or not, that is our God.

Therefore, in 2 Peter 3:9, we cannot understand God’s desire for repentance to be that everyone is able to choose purely out of our own free will, but that God has some say in the matter. He has made us each to fulfill a purpose and for some that purpose is to provide an example of God’s glory, wrath, and power to those of us whose purpose it is to receive mercy. The terror of God’s wrath is terrible to consider but makes the mercy that He has shown through his Son, Jesus Christ, that much more glorious.

Cheers.

I keep beating this horse, but it keeps coming back to life. I’m going to keep it short and sweet this time. This is aimed at Christians who cannot decide whether you want to be a materialist or theist.

Delusion #1: You are too dumb or too uneducated to have a scientific opinion. Incorrect. It is the substance of the arguments that matter, not the experience of the person presenting them. This is a cheap shot to disqualify an person without actually confronting her argument. If you have made this argument, you cheated, but only against yourself.

Delusion #2: Evolution is not a belief system. Actually, it is. In fact, it is considerably more theological in nature than scientific. A scientific theory must be falsifiable, but every time a falsification is made a new tweak to the theory is made to account for it. Compare what is called “evolution” by textbooks today to what Darwin wrote over a century ago. Evolution is merely a popular form of experimental theology that will adapt as much as necessary to fit the facts. By the way, I have no argument with theology being paired up with science and see that as a perfectly legitimate and even unavoidable practice. I just want you to be honest about what evolution actually is.

Delusion #3: Evolution and Christian Theism are compatible positions. Not at all. There are people who try to hold to two diametrically opposed belief systems simultaneously. This is sometimes called post-modernism or relativism. When you compartmentalize your belief systems so that in one context (friends/family/church) you believe in one thing and in another context (work/school) you believe in something else, you are living a lie. Post-modernism is ridiculous and irrational because it considers this kind mental disconnect normal. It allows you to say contradictory things that still make you feel good.

Nobody can actually live her life this way, though. Rationality is the actual normal expectation everyone has and the default position to which everyone returns. If this incongruity describes you, then you will eventually try to harmonize these two contexts. Then, you will become confused. Finally, you will cause confusion for others because contradictory positions don’t harmonize (harmony is rational, belief in a contradiction is madness). Please, prayerfully, stop trying to be a walking contradiction and pick a context and a belief system. Be rational.

Christian theism and the standard model of scientific evolution are not compatible. There is no rational harmony to be had. Pick one and move on.

Cheers.

For the past 15 years or so, I have been in or helped to lead a small group Bible study of some sort. In that time, I have formed some fairly definite opinions on what’s good and bad regarding such things. This summer, I have been attending a Sunday School (er, Grace Bible Hour) class on small group leadership. The goal of this class is for the leadership to explore and explain some of what they are thinking of doing with small groups. As such, small group Bible study ministry has been in my thoughts.

Don’t Force It

I would say the largest obstacle to success in the Bible Studies I have attended is the attempt by church leadership or even leaders in the group to force some sort of stricture on the group. Here are some examples:

1. The group must split every year or two to be healthy.
2. The group must adhere to curriculum X.
3. The group must, each meeting, spend X time on study, Y time on fellowship, Z time on prayer.

These kinds of regulations could only have been thought up by some life-sucking bureaucrat. They are total bunk. Here’s why: these kinds of rules assume that the groups are made of robots or plants that progress at a steady, well-understood rate. They assume that people can be stuck in a box and expected to stay there. However, people are not simple, ever. People do not like to be boxed in. These rules are demeaning and stupid and onerous and are hindrance.

Leaders Lead

A healthy group has healthy leaders. If they are healthy leaders, the strictures are just going to get in the way of them doing their job. Let the leader establish how the group works. Let him work with his members and work out the dynamics. Let him react to what things are working and not working on the ground.

If a group does not have healthy leaders, then it is time for someone to help out the group and interfere with it, but not through regulation. Help should be personal and charitable. How this interference happens is also going to be a matter of how the small group fits within the church government. In a typical Baptist church, that probably means the leadership cannot do much but try and help the poor leader as much as possible or try to convince them to take on another person to lead with them or for them.

Christ First

Finally and vitally, The most important thing a small group Bible study can do is keep their eyes on Christ. He cannot just be first in word. You cannot say he is first and then actively pursue some small group growth ministry as your model. The small groups must focus on prayer, on exploring and understanding the Word, on application of the Word, on worship, on evangelism, on encouraging and lifting up our brothers and sisters.

Once Christ is your focus, the practical business of building a group, adding new members, establishing new groups, etc. can be brought in and follows naturally. It should not be an afterthought and cannot be ignored. Yet, I think the danger with any program of small group ministry is a temptation to focus on practical matters rather than Christ. Pragmatic ministry is a great danger and I think one we should work against that danger by seeking Christ first.

Cheers.

Last week I mentioned a story about how deconversions are glorified by many secularists. As I was making coffee today I was thinking about blogging about my 2 Peter study and was reminded of one of the most popular recent posts of my old blog. That post was part of a series of Christian myths I looked at and one of them was the myth of “I used to be a Christian”.

I’ve sometimes wondered why that particular post was more popular than others (“more” being purely relative, it was not popular compared to any “real” blog). I suppose it may have been linked on some forum somewhere or whatever, but still. Why reply or post it even? I’m nobody. I had no real following and it was nothing but ranty blog. Thinking about it now, I realize there is at least one reason someone may have taken it seriously: deconversion is a sacrament.

I’m sure the atheists out there get annoyed at us Christians projecting our religious practices upon others. Still, though, whether you call them sacraments or something else, there are certain activities that are sacred to every group. You attack that practice and expect to face the group’s wrath in return.

I think this is the case for agnostics and atheists and their deconversion. It holds the same sacred place in their hearts as a conversion experience does for certain Christian sects and cults. As long as you can point back to when you became wise, you know your experience is authentic. Attack that and you are attacking a sacred cow. Prepare for righteous indignation.

Interestingly, I don’t see the conversion experience of much important in my Bible. It’s not unimportant, as we do see Saul’s confrontation that leads to conversion and we see conversions reported in the New Testament, but they aren’t especially glorified after the fact. Living a life that glorifies God and seeks out knowledge of Christ and him crucified seems to be the important facts after conversion. Conversion is just part of the process. Of course, now I’ve just stepped on the practice of deconversion and conversion tales… oh well. No one has commented on my new blog yet, so maybe that’s enough to get a comment. Eh? Probably not.

Cheers.

DJP commented yesterday on the deconversion of Anne Rice, of Interview with a Vampire fame.

Before getting to the point, an aside. I note that she deconverted from Roman Catholicism. I want it clear that the Vatican does not preach the same gospel one finds in the Bible or even the early church and the fathers. The Reformation happened for significant reasons that the Vatican has not yet corrected.</aside>

However, I find it interesting that her deconversion is more newsworthy than her conversion. Why? Why does it matter? I believe it is considered newsworthy because there are more people interested in maligning any form of Christian religion. The nuance of doctrine within “Christendom” is irrelevant to an outsider. As far as they’re concerned, the points I make in the paragraph about Rome are meaningless. A person is still all under the umbrella of “Christian,” whether that be Catholic, Mormon, Orthodox, some variant of evangelical, fundamental, reformed, whatever. They are all in the same boat as far as your typical unbeliever is concerned.

In fact, that is kind of a vital part of the story. This confuses the real issues that authentic Christians are trying to tell and allows a person to conveniently lump all the nuts in one bag. “I don’t have to listen to X because I’ve talked with Y before and he was weird before and then deconverted later. Your crazy religion must be false because his was.” Deconversion is glorified by the unbelievers as showing authenticity for their own unbelief. “See! That person was a true believer and deconverted, so it must all be a lie.”

This is part of the reason why I think the doctrine of perseverance is so important. If a person is saved, he remains saved. (John 10:27-28) If he deconverts, it only demonstrates that his salvation was inauthentic to begin with. (Hebrews 3:12) Some have said this leads to some sort of antinomianism (the belief that law doesn’t apply to believers) whereby I can stay saved despite whatever it is I do, but that’s not right. In fact, it is the opposite. You demonstrate the authenticity of your conversion by following the Lord Jesus and obeying the commandments.

This is also why doctrine is important. It’s not enough to be under the “Christian” umbrella as perceived by an unbeliever. You have to know and believe in the correct God. A person who does not persevere, never put his faith into that God. he believed in something or someone else. This happens quite often. (Matthew 7:13-14)

So, despite the glorification of these acts, I will repeat myself as saying that there is no deconversion, only a person changing one form of unbelief for another.

Cheers.