Rather than responding to specific posters, I've decided to make a general answer.
As for the people who fall away never having had faith in God - many have, or at least claimed to have.
As for the people who fall away never having had faith in God - many have, or at least claimed to have.
I wonder why that isn't obvious to others.
I refer to someone like Matt Dillahunty of "The Atheist Experience".
For 20-odd years - someone who was born into a Southern Baptist family, gave himself to (God/ the cause of Christ), was a faithful follower, was intent on taking up the Ministry, in line with instruction from 1Peter 3:15 and the like, and, to paraphrase him, could not find justification to support the claims in the Bible. He then became an atheist.
For 20-odd years - someone who was born into a Southern Baptist family, gave himself to (God/ the cause of Christ), was a faithful follower, was intent on taking up the Ministry, in line with instruction from 1Peter 3:15 and the like, and, to paraphrase him, could not find justification to support the claims in the Bible. He then became an atheist.
However valid or invalid his findings were, I find it unfeasible that he never really believed.
Was he pretending all those years?! Was this a (childhood-thru-20s) scam? There are apparently other, former colleagues to can testify to his (at least apparent) walk with Christ.
As for the seed planted and then being whisked away - this seems to allude to Christ's parable. I don't know how long it would take for the seed to "drift away" -30 years seems a long time.
It is obvious that in both cases, Matt and Chuck did believe, and even for quite a number of years. They were saved. They "shall never perish" because Jesus said so in John 10:28 about those He gives eternal life.