Many years ago, I noticed something interesting when I went to a Christian concert and they had an “altar call”. Hundreds went forward to accept Christ. Almost no one kept that relationship with God. Fascinating.
Years later, I attended a Power Team performance. If you are not familiar with them, they are ‘muscle men’ who perform many feats of strength and then, have an “altar call” after a message about the saving grace of Christ. I watched hundreds go forward to receive Christ. They did excellent follow up and had all the participants fill out ‘follow-up’ cards.
This time, I knew the pastor and a year or so later, asked him the outcome of the event. What I had expected was found to be true. Nearly none of the hundreds continued in their faith.
What happened?
I began to search the Word in light of this situation and found something interesting. In order to be “born again”, one must have two things, the Word of God and the calling of the Holy Spirit. Without one or the other, one cannot be “born again”. We see this in Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in John 3:5. If you research the word ‘water’, you will see that it represents the Word of God. (This would be a different conversation so I won’t delve into it here).
So, what did happen to these people if they heard the Word of God at these performances? I found that what had happened was that they were not being drawn by the Spirit of God but rather by the “soul” of the performers. The soul is the mind, will and emotions. What had happened was that the performers were reaching the other's soul (emotions) rather than the Spirit of God reaching their spirit, causing them to be “born again”.
We (who don’t see the spiritual realm) look at these people as they “fall away” and say, “see, they lost their salvation”. Rather, it appears that they were never saved. They had a soul experience rather than a spiritual experience.
As to the eternal Security of the “true believer”, one who has truly been born again; I believe that this cannot be changed.
ROM 11:29 says, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”. When God gives us Spiritual gifts, as outlined in Rom. 12, Eph. 4 and 1 Cor. 12 and calls us (to salvation), it is irrevocable.
Also, when we look at Romans 8:29-31 and Eph. 2, we see that it is God who calls us and causes us to be saved, an amazing and awesome gift.
