Most people reading this blog will profess Christ as their Lord and Savior. Most may very well be true followers of Jesus Christ. But since most professing Christians in America are not true Christians – given the apostate condition and man-centered theology of American evangelicalism, coupled with the reality the average person on the street cannot communicate the Gospel in a country where nearly 80% of the population professes Christianity (1) (to say nothing of the moral depravity of our nation where 20% of the mothers aborting their children are professing evangelicals (2)) – there is a decent chance that some readers opening up this article will have a false profession of faith and therefore remain condemned under the wrath of God. If so, this article is for them, or perhaps even for you.
I get it. You responded to an altar call when you were 8 years old, or 30. You asked Jesus into your heart and you really meant it. You made a decision to follow Christ, and have ‘recommitted your life to Christ’ five times since. You were not ashamed when you stood up in the crowd to repeat the preacher’s sinners prayer. You were among the sea of people flooding the baseball field, proving your new commitment at the popular evangelistic crusade. You have been baptized, maybe twice for good measure. Your baptism might have even been at one of those nifty spontaneous baptisms, where hundreds of others were baptized with you. So many share a similar experience as you, it must be real.
I get it, because I share a similar experience, but sadly I lived as a false christian for 22 years. Maybe this is you too, but you don’t really know it. Maybe this article will help you see you’re not really saved at all. And maybe, as it is my hope, you will examine yourself as to whether you are truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). If you find that you may not be, let’s talk about that. May the Lord’s grace open your eyes as He did mine over five years ago.
Please consider:
You might be a false convert if…
- You think you are a good person (Romans 3:12).
- You control your own life and are submitted to your own will (Luke 9:23).
- You call Jesus ‘Lord’ but do not do what He says (Luke 6:46; 1 John 2:4-6).
- You think you’re a believer but not a disciple, as if being a disciple is a 2nd step of commitment for the Christian (Luke 14:25-33).
- You do not love the brethren as evidenced by your lack of fellowship with them (John 13:35; 1 John 3:14; 1 John 5:1-2).
- You are not submitted and committed to a local church (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5).
- You have not departed from iniquity (2 Timothy 2:19).
- Your habitual reaction when confronted with biblical truth with regards to personal sin is the 11th commandment, “Thou shall not judge” (___________).
- You think you might be a “carnal christian” (Galatians 5:24; 1 John 1:6; 1 John 3:6).
- You are not willing to cut off the things that cause you to sin (Matthew 5:29-30).
- You cohabitate with your boyfriend, girlfriend, or fiancee, defiling what is supposed to be the “marriage bed” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Hebrews 13:4).
- You condone or promote in any way the things God hates such as abortion or homosexuality, or endorse politicians who fight for their legalities (Psalm 1:1-2; Psalm 119:104, 163; Proverbs 6:16-19; Romans 1:24-32).
- You cherry pick which parts of the Bible you believe to be true and applicable to your life, thus refusing to submit to passages you deem outdated or irrelevant (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
- Your idea of worship is jamming to the Top 40 or favorite classic rock song by your megachurch’s relevant hipster band on Sunday morning (John 4:23-24; Hebrews 12:28-29)
- You do not hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6).
- Your character is consistent with the old man instead of the new man (Colossians 1:1-17).
- You love your sin (John 3:19).
- You habitually practice sin (1 John 3:1-10).
- You are a mere hearer of the Word (James 1:22).
- You love your own life more than Christ (Matthew 10:39).
- You believe in any form of sinless perfection (1 John 1:8-2:2).
- You believe Christians are not governed by law to which they are to obey (Romans 6:1-2; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 5:3).
- You are a gossiper and slanderer, and sow discord among brethren (Romans 16:17-18; Proverbs 6:19; 1 Peter 2:1-3).
- You are not teachable (Matthew 5:5; Matthew 11:28-30).
- You are a drunkard, fornicator, adulterer, a liar, a coward, an idolater, a murderer at heart, and a blasphemer (Matthew 5:21-22; 27-28; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Revelation 21:8).
- You habitually harbor anger and resentment, and refuse to forgive those who have sinned against you (Ephesians 4:25-32; Colossians 3:8, 13; Matthew 6:14-15).
- You are a friend of the world and an enemy of God, in fact, you hate Him by evidence of your sin and friendship with the world (James 4:4; Romans 1:30).
- You are a slave to sin and hostile to the Law of God (John 8:34; Romans 8:7)
- The works of the flesh are manifest in you (Galatians 5:19-21)
- You love the world and the things of the world, and the love of the Father is not in you (1 John 2:15).
- The world loves you (John 15:18-19).
- You are a child of wrath and live to gratify the lusts of your flesh (Ephesians 2:3).
- You follow the ways of the world and are controlled by the god of this world (Ephesians 2:2).
- You do not understand the things of God, nor can you (1 Corinthians 2:14).
- You do not seek God (Romans 3:11).
- You walk in darkness (1 John 1:6).
- You live according to your sinful nature and your mind is on what your nature desires (Romans 8:5).
- You live as an enemy of the cross, your mind is set on earthly things, and your end is destruction (Philippians 3:18-19).
- You are ashamed of the name of Jesus and His words (Luke 9:26).
- You are storing your treasures on the earth (Matthew 6:19-21).
- You try to serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).
- You live in repentantless worldly sorrow, which brings death (2 Corinthians 7:10).
- You claim to know God but by your actions you deny Him (Titus 1:16).
- You do not love the truth and take pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).
- You are consumed by the cares of this world and with fulfilling your desires for the pleasures of life (Luke 8:14).
This is just a small sampling of Scripture’s testimony of life before Jesus Christ. If you find yourself described above in any measure, you might be a false convert.
Do not be deceived, friend. The longer you have been a professing Christian while remaining in the conditions represented above increasingly speaks to your life’s reality that a bad tree cannot produce good fruit (Luke 6:43-45). It is not that your profession lacks maturity; rather, your profession lacks genuineness. Your persistence in sin gives every indication that you are still dead in your sins and remain on the path of destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).
Consider the beauty and worth of Christ for you to truly repent from your sins and truly follow Him. This is a good place to start: Do You Know Him?
The alternative is for you to continue deceiving yourself, having rejected this warning, and wake up in hell one day to get what you deserve in the holy justice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will not be your Savior as you presumed, but your Judge and Executioner. Make haste, and examine yourself today.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
5For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 1:3-11
Footnotes
1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States#Religion
2) http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/prabort2.html
Hope Ministries (@hereshope4today)
September 4, 2014
Thank you for this great exposition of scripture. I pray many look in the mirror of God’s law ( as I have) and allow it to expose us for what we are outside of Christ- filthy sinners in need of a wonderful Saviour.
Justin Edwards
September 4, 2014
Amen, brother…I share your prayer.
Denise Flores
September 4, 2014
Thank you. “You might be a false convert if…” jump started much conversation between my husband and I. We printed two copies. We’re going to use it as a “bible study” together. We’re going to go through each point and scripture you noted… Sometimes that “ouch!” prompts us to action.
Justin Edwards
September 4, 2014
Wonderful, Denise….please don’t hesitate to follow up with any comments or questions.
Kurt Baney
September 4, 2014
I never thought about making a distinction between being a believer and being a disciple. If I am a true believer, I must swallow my pride, step out in faith, and proclaim the gospel. That is how we truly love our neighbor.
Justin Edwards
September 4, 2014
Yeah, unfortunately, Kurt, some do teach that: https://airocross.com/2012/05/11/greg-laurie-all-christians-are-not-disciples/
Marusha
September 5, 2014
“In any measure…”
I’m sorry, but in this flesh there will be a measure of the sinful attitudes you describe above. Please amend that statement you made. Those who are truly saved yet struggle with assurance can easily fall into despair with that sort of careless language. Please consider those Christians and perhaps rethink some of the things you said. The Scriptures you provided and the things in the list themselves are fine. Could you perhaps call them signs of not being saved rather than making it seem like a check list? I understand what you are doing here and I appreciate it. Just a little more thoughtfulness would be appreciated. Thank you.
Justin Edwards
September 5, 2014
Hi Marusha, thanks for your comment. That particular sentence says one *might* be a false convert if they find themselves described, and therefore should take great diligence to examine themselves to see if they are truly in the faith. Could you please identify any bullet point where a Christian could be identified but shouldn’t have any concern for the condition of their heart?
Despeville
September 5, 2014
How many of those above you are finding as applying to you?
Justin Edwards
September 5, 2014
Most of them did at one point in time, Despeville; but, by God’s grace, none of them do any longer, at least not as a pattern of life because I have been set free from the bondage of sin and am no longer controlled by the god of this world. Do you have any concerns you would like to share?
Despeville
September 5, 2014
No, but thanks for the response. I did not see anything about “pattern” above but maybe I missed it. So given your recollection would you say then when they they did before even in one point you were then a reprobate and false convert?
Justin Edwards
September 5, 2014
I was certainly a false convert and was well-represented in the spectrum of Scriptures listed. I was deceived for 22 years until the Lord gave me eyes to see how wicked my heart was and I had trampled on the blood of Christ for so long, taking pleasure in the very sins that He suffered for in my place. It brought me to my knees where I cried out to God for mercy, and He saved me and set me free.
stevekerp
September 6, 2014
Hi, Justin –
I linked your article as Homework this past week. Paul Washer has also dealt with this, as has Francis Chan (“Luke Warm and Loving It” – http://www.rogershermansociety.org/lukewarm.htm ). The core of the problem, I believe, is lovelessness. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthinans 16:22 “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.” We have lots of folks who what what Jesus offers: eternal life, forgiveness of sins, not going to hell. But they don’t want Jesus Himself. They become “fans” not disciples. “Not A Fan” should also be required reading.
At the core is love for Jesus. If you don’t love Him, nothing else matters. Not church membership, not clean living, not compromise, not following the rules or breaking them. A person who does not love Christ is not a candidate for baptism or any other “Christian” thing. So number one on your bullet list might have been: “You do not love Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 16:22)”
Very best,
Steve
Justin Edwards
September 6, 2014
I agree, Steve, and thanks for sharing your thoughts. I did mention loving Christ when I wrote, “You love your own life more than Christ (Matthew 10:39).” This is ultimately what it comes down to – the evidence of true saving faith is loving Christ, and the evidence of loving Christ is obedience to Christ’s commands.
mwitasblog
September 6, 2014
Truly true.
Mike
September 7, 2014
The distinction that this article fails to make is the MIND. The items on that list are our target. It’s important to know and believe in your spirit and mind the things on that list, but it doesn’t mean you are a False Christian if you mess up and fall short. None of the people in the Bible (except Jesus) could fully meet the requirements in that list, and neither can any of us.
Romans 7 21:25 “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.”
I do however agree that many American “Christians” are deceived and might not be saved.
Justin Edwards
September 8, 2014
Hi Mike, thanks for the comment. I agree our battle with sin is in the mind. This is why we are instructed in Romans 12:1-2: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Our battle with sin is a constant battle, and one that must be waged for the duration of our Christian life. But the issue regarding the heart and the possibility of a “false conversion” rests in the characteristic pattern in the professing Christian’s life. 1 John 3:1-11 makes it pretty clear what the pattern of life for the Christian will be and will not be.
Regarding the Scripture passages provided in the the article, could you please give an example of what you are referring to? Which ones could a professing Christian identify with yet have no reason for concern and thus have no reason to examine themselves as to whether they are truly in the faith? Looking forward to your reply. Grace and peace to you.