Nearly everyone on earth has heard of Billy Graham.

But did you know that he and Charles Templeton were vying to see who would be the lead spokesman for conservative Christianity? Both men, along with Torrey Johnson, founded Youth for Christ.

Sadly, Templeton fell away. He became an agnostic, then an atheist.

When I speak about the believer’s security, people sometimes ask about Charles Templeton. “You’re not saying that an atheist like Charles Templeton is with the Lord now, are you?” “Templeton denied Christ and His shed blood.” “Templeton is a cautionary tale about how a Christian can lose salvation.”

I haven’t studied what Templeton believed before he fell away. It’s possible that he never believed in Jesus for the gift of everlasting life.

However, if he ever believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of everlasting life, he is with the Lord today even though he fell away.

The Lord was clear in John 3:16 that whoever believes in Him will never perish. He also said that the believer will never hunger (John 6:35), never thirst (John 4:10-14; 6:35), never be cast out (John 6:37), and never die spiritually (John 11:26a).

As they say in Spanish, “Nunca. Nunca. Nunca.” “Never. Never. No Never.”

Here’s the problem with throwing Charles Templeton under the bus. What if YOU fall away? What if you lose your faith?

The Lord Jesus promises that whoever believes in Him is eternally secure from that moment forward. They have everlasting life. They will never perish.

I don’t know whether Templeton is with the Lord or not. But I do know that everyone who ever believed in Him for the gift of God is eternally secure.

Keep grace in focus.