I know this question haunted me at one point. The problem is it only haunted me AFTER I was saved (I lived most of my life as a false convert, for my testimony visit this post.) No one ever openly questioned me or told me that I should examine myself to see if I am in the Faith or not (2 Corinthians 13:5.) The next logical question them becomes, how can I know if I am in the faith or not? This post is for all you readers who profess being a Christian. You need examine yourself to make sure that you yourself are not a false convert. I took this list from The Lawman Chronicles blog on what warning signs will be present in a false convert. Below this list is a Sermon Jam that my fellow blogger Wretched Sinner put together. It is from a sermon that Todd Friel, host of Wretched Radio, did about how you can know that you are a Christian. PLEASE listen to it it is only about four and half minutes long. [EDIT] Also if you want to hear more information about this subject please listen to two messages by Ray Comfort called Hell's Best Kept Secret and True and False Conversion, you can listen to these for free at the Living Waters' website (on the right-hand side.)
Ten Marks of a False Convert:
- You believe that you are inherently a good person, thus denying the doctrine of Original Sin.
- You commit idolatry of the mind and blaspheme the very character of God by denying essential doctrines such as judgment, hell, regeneration, and justification by faith alone; and you replace the truth with lies such as sinless perfection and open theism.
- You think that only the red-lettered words in your Bible are the words of Jesus and, therefore, the rest of the Bible can be interpreted and applied to your liking.
- You believe that a person can be a Christian while wantonly engaging in habitual sin; such as homosexuality, fornication, adultery in mind or body, the support in any way whatsoever of the murder of the unborn, or any other sin.
- You believe that because a person has prayed a prayer and asked Jesus into their heart, then they are saved.
- You believe a person can be a Christian, even if they bear no fruit after making a profession of faith in Christ. You treat the grace of God as a license to sin. You like the word “backslider.”
- You struggle with the thought of missing a meal; but going days, weeks, even months without reading your Bible doesn’t faze you.
- You pray when you want something from God; but beyond that you have very little time for conversation with Him.
- You believe that Darwinian, macro-evolution is a scientific fact and compatible with belief in the God of the Bible.
- You see evangelism as a gift other people have; and you have no real concern about the fact that 150,000 people die every day, with the vast majority of them bound for hell. You soothe your conscience by convincing yourself that “friendship evangelism,” as it is most commonly practiced among American Christians, is actually in the Bible. You think that if you “let your little light shine,” you don’t have to verbally proclaim the gospel.
I pray that you read through this and listened to the audio, please consider these things. If your pride is saying that you are ok and this is just one person's opinion, please put that away and truly examine yourself. You do not what to be one of those who on the Day of Judgment says, "Lord, Lord..." and Jesus in turn says, "Depart from me you worker of inequity, I never knew you!" I know how you feel, you think that you are a Christian that this offends you, ask yourself why.
2 comments:
While the problem of false converts and carnal assurance is a horrible one, I do think that you ought to dwell also on the comfort of justification by faith alone.
"Blessed are the meek in spirit". Many true saints are also greatly troubled by doubts, many of which are exacerbated by their sins etc. All of us struggle now and again. We need to hear the good news of the Gospel, that in Christ, we have full assurance of our salvation.
We also need to hear that Abraham was justified without works, and considered "not his body now dead". There is a common problem, which filtered down from certain Puritan teachings (although most stuff from the Puritans is really good!). This is the idea that "assurance" was only for certain Christians, and almost like a second blessing - which in fact formed the basis for the acceptance of second-blessing Pentecostalism and the perfectionism of John Wesley.
This is totally wrong and contrary to the Gospel. The Gospel assures God's people, not on the basis of their works, but solely on the basis that Christ has died for them personally, so that all their sins are paid for, and so they are saved eternally, and are assured not only of forgiveness today, but of perseverance to the end, and of the sufficiency of God's grace for them throughout all their trials and struggles with sin, that though they may slip and stumble, even frequently, and possibly even into heinous sins (like David who committed murder and adultery, though he hoped on God from an infant - Psa 22:9-10), that the Lord will raise them up, and in Christ, He is their shepherd, so that they shall not be in want.
"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin". This is a conscious blessing too, and conscious because of the conscious activity of faith in Christ alone without works. Justification by faith alone, is a practical and experiential doctrine. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see. This means that assurance is not separate from faith. Every believer in Christ alone, is assured of their eternal salvation by His death and resurrection.
The answer to carnality, is not to shed doubt on this doctrine, that we are assured of our salvation, not by our works at all, but entirely by Christ's work on the cross. All believers ought to be certain of our one hope, because the Bible assures us that all those who hope in Christ will not be ashamed. The Spirit of God works this assurance of personal salvation in our heart by the word of God which testifies to us of the truth, and by the Spirit's work, we believe it, and also believe it when it says that if we believe, we will be saved from our sin.
It was ironic calumny of the papists that justification by faith alone was a licentious doctrine. In fact it is precisely the only basis by which we can do anything good in the sight of God. "Whatever is not of faith is sin". And as I said "faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see". It is because we have full assurance of salvation in Christ that we have gratitude towards God and can be zealous in good works.
The answer to carnality is not to try to cause someone to doubt this truth. It is to exercise Christian discipline. I know that I am saved, by faith alone without works, in Christ alone. By faith alone, I am justified before myself, that is, I see that I am justified (declared righteous) before God on the basis alone of Christ's blood shed for me. But for another person to be justified before me, I cannot see their faith, though they may claim to have it. I see then that another is justified, not by faith only, but by their works.
This is the teaching of James 2 and the exhortation of "Examine yourselves". "yourselves" is plural and so we understand in the context of the rest of the Bible that it is an exhortation to support one another, and stir each up to love and good deeds, and take on the responsibilities of godly Christian discipline (I Cor. 5). II Pet. 1 has another commonly misunderstood verse. He says "make your calling and your election sure", but this does not refer to convinced yourself of your salvation by your works.
It is to make it sure to others, to give them comfort an encouragement, and that God's name would be santified among His people, especially before the heathen. "Let everyone who names the name of Christ, depart from iniquity." This is very evident from the fact the additions are made onto the foundation of faith. Which as we read, is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.
Nor does this passage suggest a possibility of falling from salvation. Adding to our faith, all these things, and endeavouring to make our election and calling sure to others will keep us from sin (which is an appropriate translation). The prior verse is translated imprecisely in the King James, it refers again to James 2, that if a man lacks these things, we can only assume that he is blind to the Gospel, and has "forgotten the purification for his sins of old" (i.e. born in sin, sinned in Adam, no attention given to his need of Christ). Not that he was actually purged.
I could go on, but you get the picture. Justification by faith alone is the heart of the Gospel, and can never be compromised. Biblical faith in Christ alone cannot be separated from personal assurance of salvation. Assurance is not by works, but by the Spirit's work in us, the sealing of the Spirit which is precisely faith in Christ alone (Eph 1:13). We know we are sealed, by faith, not works. If it were by works, we would never have assurance, and would forever be doubting our salvation. This is doubting the truth of the Gospel, and whomsoever believeth shall not perish.
Assurance by works is contrary to the Gospel, and cultivates doubt, not faith. It is Christian discipline which must be exercised, and those excommunicated from the church will know that they need to repent, because the impenitent will not inherit the kingdom of God, so ordinarily, there is no salvation outside the true church (that is, a church which is a pillar and ground of the truth).
Blessings.
In response to Wiseguy I would only say that faith and true belief has an appearance that can be seen. The entire book of James is about showing you have faith by your works. If you claim you have faith in Jesus, but you do NOTHING about it, then you are wrong. Questioning assurance is highly important in this day an age because Christianity has been so watered down that a lot of people think they can be born in to it. Jesus himself said that in the day of judgement people would come to Him thinking they had served Him and his response would be "depart from me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you."
The Bible is abundantly clear that your works do not save you, but they do show you whether or not you are saved. It is by faith in Christ that I am able to do these works, but that doesn't mean they are earning my salvation. If someone somehow managed to do all that he should do to be a Christian, but rejected Christ, he would not be saved. But likewise, if someone claims faith in Christ, yet continues in wanton sin, doing nothing for the Kingdom, then he is not saved. You know the tree by its fruit, and fruit is works. A Christian is not saved by works, but he is known by them.
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