Amen sister! In regards to Luke 8:13, even though this shallow ground hearer is said to have "believed," he is never said to have been "saved." How do we know that the shallow ground hearer was never actually "saved?" I will give the reasons. First, his heart condition is
contrasted with that of the
"good ground" hearer, who's heart was
"good" and
"honest." Thus, his heart was not "good," being like the soil to which it corresponds, being
"shallow" or "rocky," lacking sufficient depth. Such soil represents a sinner
not properly prepared in heart. People who "believe" and "rejoice" at the preaching of the gospel
without a prepared heart, and without a good and honest heart, and without having "root" in themselves, do not experience real salvation. Unlike saving belief, temporary shallow belief is
not rooted in a regenerate heart. How can
no depth of earth, no root, no moisture, no fruit, represent saving belief? It can't and it doesn't.
IN CONTRAST TO - Mark 4:8 - But other seed fell on
good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. Luke 8:15 says, But the ones that fell on the
good ground are those who,
having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. The rocky soil represents a person not properly prepared in heart so the seed planted ends up with a lack of "root" (lack of being firmly rooted and established).
The same Greek word for "believe" (pisteuo) is used in James 2:19, in which we read that the demons "believe" (pisteuo) "mental assent" that "there is one God," but they
do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31)
and are not saved.
John has portrayed people who "believe" to some level or degree but are clearly not saved. There is a stage in the progress of belief in Jesus that
falls short of firmly rooted and established belief resulting in salvation. As we see in John 2:23-25, in which their "belief" was
superficial in nature and Jesus would not entrust/commit Himself to them.
Also, in John 8:31-59, where the Jews who were said to have
"believed in him" turn out to be
slaves to sin, indifferent to the words of Jesus’, children of the devil, liars, accused Jesus of having a demon and were guilty of setting out to stone and kill the one they have professed to believe in.
So there is no loss of genuine faith or salvation or being unsealed by the Holy Spirit here. Those who are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise are
sealed until the redemption of the purchased possession. (Ephesians 1:13-14) Praise the Lord!