Poll : Will Charles Templeton Be in Heaven?

Charles Templeton was a former evangelist who became agnostic and an atheist. See the link below.

Charles Templeton - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Templeton

This poll was inspired by an interchange in the thread: Once saved always saved (OSAS) debunked. Free Grace 2 in post 202 gives a resounding "yes" to this question. I found that interesting enough that I wanted to find out what other people thought.

You can of course opt out and "just let God make the decision," but maybe think about the implications that might have with assurance of salvation . . . ?

That was an interesting read, thank you (I'd not heard of him before, that I can recall.)

When I quoted your post, it looked like you had meant to include a third link?
Your T from the first word following the link, however, was placed in the wrong spot.
That likely messed up the link, which I could not fix.

Oh! But then this also showed up in preview. You did not close the quote tag, which is why it did not display.

Chester said:

Charles Templeton was a former evangelist who became agnostic and an atheist.

Click to expand...

LOL. That link brings one back to this thread! Here is the proper link

FreeGrace2 (<= click!) Hold down Ctrl when you click link, so you do not navigate away from this page

Thanks for your help.

Actually the only link I intended was to the wikipedia article on Mr. Templeton.

No, he won't be in heaven; because, as everyone knows, Templeton was never saved to begin with.

Praise God glory to Jesus we have not say in this. So does God only look at one point in time? We do.. but God is out side of time. He sees the end from the start. I think all our life matters to God. I pray we would look at this if it was our son daughter we were talking about well this is a person a GOD created it.. and this God came in the flesh and died for him. Man tends to always look at the negative huh. Trust me this is something I am a expert in HAHA And yet delivered from through Christ.

Could he not in his last days.. "I was wrong.. Jesus forgive me"? Or did God just toss out when He found Him .. only looked at the end?

I was the same as magenta hadn't a clue who Charles templeton was.


I think Jesus gives us the answer:

But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. - Matthew 10:33

I would just go to the word to find the answer

1. The person was “of us”. He was an evangelical and part of many church
2. He departed from us - he left the church and became an agnostic. In effect claiming he does not know if God exists or not. In effect denying christ. “He who is not with me is against me”
3. As An Antichrist. He exposed the fact he was never of us, For if he was of us he never would have left. But he left to prove he was never of us.

all this of course is found in 1 John 2 and is just as applicable today as it was in Johns day

of course we can not judge, Because we do not know the mans heart. Something could have happened that affected his faith. So bad he started to question if God even existed anymore.

Is this a true antichrist? That he questions? One can not say because we can not know his heart.

What we can say is IF HE WAS SAVED. He had been given eternal life. And if he recieved eternal life. He is still saved. Because eternal is eternal. And does not equal conditional.

so my final answer would be I can not answer based on that article from Wikipedia.

The question is was he truly saved in the first place? If he was born again, then his spirit is alive and his spirit cannot die. Eternal life is just that, eternal. What he will lose is his soul, which is the ability to express the new life within. This is what Lord Jesus meant by losing your life here and now to gain it in eternity.

Those who die backslidden will not enjoy the benefits of the Kingdom of God. They will have eternity to ponder the waste of their lives. That is true even if the individual maintains an outward appearance of Christianity.

It seems that the truth of the "second salvation" is rarely taught. I know that some denominations forbid it. I don't know why, it is in God's word. It is this lack that leads to confusion.

I am inclined to believe that he was not born again. It takes much more than an intellectual acceptance of facts to be born again. Many know about Christ. However, it is essential to know Christ, not just know about Him. When you know something, nothing can persuade you to change your mind. If all you have is mental assent, it is easy for someone or something to change your opinion.

Many fall for Satan's deception, which he used so successfully with Adam and Eve. "Has God said............?", casting doubt on God's word. It seems that Templeton listened to Satan's whispers. If he was born again, I doubt that he would have fallen into the trap. When I battled with similar issues, the Lord was able to speak to me because I was spiritually alive.

We will find out in due course. I do not accept that the failure of a few overturns the truth of God's word. The Bible is clear that there are two salvations. The first is eternal and based on what Christ has done for us. The second requires our active cooperation with the living Lord Jesus within. No Jesus, no life. Know Jesus, know Life.

Obviously not everyone knows or the question would not have come up. I am inclined to agree with you as to where he was at.

It seems to me the answer is quite simple. Charles Templeton's own testimony is that he was not a believer: he did not believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, and as far as we know this is the way he died. Based on that evidence he is clearly in hell today.

On the other hand, we need to give room for a possible death-bed conversion, though I know of no such event. So, in the end, I leave his eternal destiny in God's hand. We simply know that those who believe will be saved, and those who do not believe will not be saved.

I don't question whether he was saved to begin with, neither what he did after.

Actually I don't know if he had a death bed repentance or anything. I don't know, & without God revealing it, neither does anyone else.

Thinking out loud!
This is the issue with people in this age, everyones got a cell phone,spy cam or something or other.

We are not here to corral one another,we have the good shepherd for that!

We have NEVER been placed in position to say anyone's final destination!

May God have mercy on EVERY soul before death stills that heartbeat!

Notice the emphasis on the need to have enduring faith in the Gospel, and not believing in vain:

Romans 15
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:


Galatians 3
3 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

Hebrews 3
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

I am not answering the poll. I will let God determine the contents of someone's heart. I did not even know the man.

Did he die in denial of Jesus/God? If so, then he will not be in heaven.

However, regardless of his History, IF he repented and sought salvation BEFORE he died, even on his death bed, he will be in heaven IF God granted him salvation.

Sometimes, God will kinda say "Enough is enough" and turn people over to their own sin filled lives. Romans, Chapter 1 shows us this.

I cannot say yes or no.
Only God can do that.

I had never heard of him either.
Did a bit of research.
It seems his rejection of Christianity was as a result of one thing, or the focus of rejection.

That being the biblical account of creation.

A couple of links worth a read

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/charles-templeton-missing-jesus/

https://creation.com/the-slippery-s...ous-evangelist-goes-from-hope-to-hopelessness

Is "so-and-so" going to be in heaven?
(1) I am not the judge, God IS THE Righteous JUDGE, so, no problem "opting out"

(2) I believe God's Word Of Truth For me, so, "might have implications" is moot;
I Cannot "judge" {fruit inspector?} that for others, either. IF others don't believe
God's Word Of Truth For THEM, then that is God's Business With THEM, as I can only
"plant/water The Seed, But God Gives The Increase" (1 Corinthians 3:6), Correct?:

God's OPERATION On All HIS New-born babes In CHRIST!
God's FREE Gift of ETERNAL Life!

Of course, this Word Is Spiritual, so This has to be first, to "receive The Blessed
Teacher, The Holy SPIRIT!" (1 Corinthians 2:13), Correct?: God's Simple Will!

Please Be Richly Encouraged, Enlightened, Exhorted, and Edified!
(2 Timothy 2:15; Romans 16:25; Ephesians 1:3-9; Ephesians 3:9 =
Grace/Mystery fellowship, today?)