Can Christian Believers Fall Away?

We are having a discussion in our home church group and I thought I would share what I wrote.

After coming out of Calvinism and the years since, I have taken the position that if the scriptures are not clear, God did not want them to be. I see many examples of this in the scriptures. I warn about sin when the scriptures warn and comfort those who are seeking and following God, when the scriptures comfort.

One example I cannot get over is Jesus told his disciples that he is the vine and they  are his branches, but he said that if they did not abide in the vine, his Father would cut them off and put them into a pile to be burned. So many of the most serious warnings were given to his disciples.  

In several places, It appears that we can fall away after we have been born again.  I think there is a possible key to this. The children of Israel complained against God and said his ways were not fair in how he would destroy a righteous man if the righteous man turned from his righteousness and did evil. This is in Ezekiel 18. I quote from the ISV. Please note that these words are Jesus' words. 

25“Yet you keep saying, ‘The LORD isn’t being consistent with his standards.’ Pay attention, you house of Israel: Is my behavior really inconsistent with my standards? Isn’t it your behavior that isn’t just?

26“When a righteous person turns from his righteous deeds and does evil, he’ll die because of that evil. He’ll die because of his unrighteous acts that he committed. 27When a wicked person quitsk his wicked behaviorl and does what’s just and right, he’ll be enabled to live.m 28Because he reconsidered his transgression and turned away from everything that he had been doing, he’ll certainly live and not die. 29Yet Israel’s house keeps saying, ‘The LORD isn’t being consistent with his standards.’ Is it my behavior that’s inconsistent with my standards?n Is it not your behavior that’s inconsistent with my standards?”o

30“Therefore, Israel, I’m going to judge you according to the behavior of each and every one of you,” declares the Lord GOD. “So repent and turn from all your sins so that sin won’t keep on being a stumbling block for you. 31Stop your transgressing—the deeds by which you’ve rebelled—and then make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, you house of Israel? 32I don’t take pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the LORD. “So repent, so you may live!”

I believe some of the confusion comes from the fact that God sees the end from the beginning. I believe he treats those fairly in time, even though he knows they will fall away. He does not punish them early, but in his love he warns them. I see this so clearly in Cain. God in his love, asked him why he was downcast and told him if he did well it would go well with him. At that moment, Cain could have repented, but he did not and will hear “I never knew you”.  If a righteous person turns from his righteousness and does evil, according to God in Ezekiel he will hear those same words.

Could it be the failure of warning of sin and falling away is the reason we have countless thousands of Christians who have never been born again and thousands of believers who will or have fallen away? Have thousands of other believers fallen away? Satan sent his preachers into the field to create weeds and choke out hearers of the gospel. 

I just keep warning when it is time and encouraging when it is time. As the heavens are high above the earth, so are God’s ways higher than ours. I do not believe God will be upset with me for teaching what he said.