SUMMARY: What about those who say they have faith in
Jesus but show no evidence of a changed life. All of
them may believe in the historical Jesus who lived
2000 years ago, but few believe what He taught,
what He promises, what He commands, what He
accomplished and what He is doing now. They may
be victims of a counterfeit gospel, a watered down
version that is offered by a generic god of love.
This gospel offers “fi re insurance” with no call to
repentance (Luke 24:47). It is a gospel of cheap
grace which fails to instruct people to say “no” to
ungodliness and worldly passions (Titus 2:12).
The other counterfeit gospel which deceives
people is the grace-killing gospel of works. First
introduced by the Judaizers, this gospel nullifi es
God’s grace by adding requirements for salvation
such as circumcision, baptism, sacraments, good
works, law keeping, penance or indulgences (Gal.
1:6-9).
THE visible Christian church is no longer
a sanctuary for the people of God.
Instead, it has become a huge mission
field that needs to be evangelized.
Churches are now fi lled with professing
Christians who say they have faith but have never
been born of God.
This should not surprise us
because of the parable Jesus gave describing
the last days in Matthew 13:25-43. He spoke of
a landowner who sowed good seed [sons of the
kingdom] in his field, but while his men were
sleeping, the enemy came and sowed weeds [sons
of the devil].
Jesus said the landowner is the Son
of Man and the enemy is the devil.
Today we have many weeds in our churches
because church leaders are not protecting the fi elds.
Many have been growing their churches man’s way
instead of God’s way.
This self-serving strategy has
produced some tragic consequences — the most
serious of which is the false hope it gives to the
unconverted weeds.
Some of the weeds are victims
of unbiblical methods of evangelism; others are
victims of counterfeit gospels.
These victims cannot
tell you the essential elements of the Gospel or
what God requires for entrance into heaven. Some
know their eternal sin debt must be forgiven, but
very few know they also need the righteousness of
Jesus and to be born again of the Spirit.
The Necessity of the New Birth
Jesus told Nicodemus “Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God” (John 3:3). Only the triune God can bring
forth life.
Jesus said: “just as the Father raises the
dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives
life to whom He wishes” (John 5:21). “It is the Spirit
that gives life” (John 6:63). God calls the spiritually
dead to life through His Word. “In the exercise of
His will He brought us forth by the word of truth”
(James 1:18). God’s children are “born again not
of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that
is, through the living and abiding word of God” (1
Pet. 1:23).
Saving faith comes from hearing the word of
Christ.
From it we learn the essential doctrines of
salvation: the attributes of God, the gospel of grace
and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. When
people hear the Word of God, enabled by the Spirit
of God, to trust the Son of God, they become a child
of God, all for the glory of God.
Just as man could not initiate his physical birth,
he is unable to cause his spiritual birth.
Before any of us were born, we could not have pleaded with
our parents to conceive us. We did not exist! The
same is true in the spiritual realm (John 1:12-13).
Children of God are not born of blood (spiritual life is
not inherited genetically), nor of the will of the fl esh
(physical life cannot produce spiritual life; fl esh can
only produce fl esh), nor of the will of man (spiritual
life cannot be initiated by the desires of men).
So, how do we help the unconverted weeds see
they have been misled or deceived? As believers,
we should encourage everyone to test their faith for
their own good as well as for the glory of Christ.
Paul wrote: “Examine yourselves to see whether you
are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize
that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you
fail the test” (2 Cor 13:5). Peter exhorted us: “Be all
the more eager to make your calling and election
sure” (2 Pet. 1:10).
I love to hear testimonies of how our Sovereign
Lord calls lost sinners to Himself. So, when I meet
Christians, I often ask them to describe the events
surrounding their conversion.
A red fl ag goes up if
they say they became a Christian at the moment
they were: baptized, came forward in an altar call,
repeated a prayer, signed a commitment card, joined
a local church, or were born to Christian parents.
Speaking the truth in love, I explain to them that no
one can become a Christian without repentance and
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).
Many Believe a Counterfeit Gospel
What about those who say they have faith in
Jesus but show no evidence of a changed life. All of
them may believe in the historical Jesus who lived
2000 years ago, but few believe what He taught,
what He promises, what He commands, what He
accomplished and what He is doing now.
They may
be victims of a counterfeit gospel, a watered down
version that is offered by a generic god of love.
This gospel offers “fi re insurance” with no call to
repentance (Luke 24:47).
It is a gospel of cheap
grace which fails to instruct people to say “no” to
ungodliness and worldly passions (Titus 2:12).
The other counterfeit gospel which deceives
people is the grace-killing gospel of works.
First
introduced by the Judaizers, this gospel nullifi es
God’s grace by adding requirements for salvation
such as circumcision, baptism, sacraments, good
works, law keeping, penance or indulgences (Gal.
1:6-9).
If we do not lovingly confront victims of
unbiblical evangelism and counterfeit gospels, they
may one day hear the most terrifying words anyone
could ever hear when Jesus says: “I never knew you; depart from Me.” These horrifying words will
be heard by many professing Christians on the last
day (Mat. 7:22-23).
Two Ways To Test Faith
Those who want to test their faith now, before
it is too late, can do it two ways — objectively
and subjectively.
The objective test is this: Have
you believed the objective truths of God’s word?
Paul wrote: “after listening to the message of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, having also believed,
you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit” (Eph.
1:13).
The word of God is our supreme authority
for knowing objective truth. We must believe the
eternal Gospel as it is revealed in Scripture. It is the
same Gospel today as it always was.
The subjective test asks the question: Is there
evidence of saving faith? Genuine faith results in
good works but a faith without works is dead (Eph.
2:10; James 2:17).
This second test is subjective
because there are different levels of maturity and
growth as believers walk with Christ.
New babes
in Christ may not show as much evidence as those
who have walked with Him for many years. When
we are fi rst born into God’s family we look nothing
like His Son.
But as we grow in the grace and
knowledge of God, through the power of the Holy
Spirit, we are conformed into the image of Christ.
We see this in the physical realm also. When a
baby is born, he may look nothing like his parents.
But as he grows, he begins to take on the physical
characteristics of his parents.
John the apostle gives us a portrait of what
God’s children look like in his fi rst epistle. Those who
are born of God are adopted into His eternal family
to walk in the light (1:6-7); keep His commandments
(2:3-5); do not love the world system (2:15); yearn for
the return of Christ so they can be like Him (3:2-3);
live to please Him and avoid sin (3:7-8); love His
other children (3:14) and use apostolic doctrine for
discernment (4:6). Each of us must determine if this
is a picture of how we look.
Two Kinds of Faith
The test of one’s faith is vital because the Bible
speaks of two kinds of faith — a “God-given,
supernatural, saving faith” and a “dead” faith that
is found in the unconverted natural man.
Paul wrote
of people who believed in vain because they did
not hold to apostolic teaching (1 Cor. 15:2). Jesus
spoke of others who believed for the wrong reasons
(John 2:23).
Dead faith is limited to what the natural man
can comprehend without divine help because he
has been blinded by Satan and cannot see the light
of the Gospel (2 Cor. 4:4).
That is why Paul wrote:
“your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men,
but on the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5).
God-given faith is initiated in the will of God
and is a gift granted from the Father above (Phil.
1:29; James 1:17).
It will be perfected by the Son
of God as the recipient conforms it to the Word of
God. Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of this faith
which is the assurance of things hoped for and the
evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1; 12:2).
Those with God-given faith enter the narrow
gate bringing nothing but their sins to the cross (Mat. 7:13).
Those with dead faith enter through the
wide gate bringing their fi lthy rags of righteousness
(Mat. 7:14).
Those with God-given faith prove it by bearing
much fruit to the glory of God (John 15:8). Those
with dead faith prove it by bearing bad fruit for the
glory of self (Mat. 7:15-17).
Those with God-given faith desire to test
and prove their faith with Scripture alone (2 Cor.
13:5). Those with dead faith prove their faith by
denominational teachings and man’s traditions
(John 12:42-43; Acts 15:5-10).
Those with God-given faith will not habitually
hear or follow a false teacher (John 10:5,8). Those
with dead faith will not habitually follow a true
teacher (John 10:19).
Those with God-given faith trust God’s power
to protect and keep them (1 Peter 1:5). Those with
dead faith trust their own power to keep them from
falling away.
Dead faith touches only the intellect. Godgiven
faith involves the whole person. The mind
understands, the heart desires and the will acts
upon the Word of God.
There are several probing questions we can
ask those who desire to test their faith. Have you
renounced every false way that opposes the Gospel
of grace? Do you live in thanksgiving and praise for
being chosen and adopted into God’s eternal family?
Do you prove to be Christ’s disciple by abiding in
His word? Do you discipline yourself for godliness?
Do your friends, neighbours and co-workers know
that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Saviour? Do you
have a desire to share Jesus Christ with others or
are you ashamed of His Gospel?
God’s children will know they belong to Him
because “The Spirit Himself bears witness with
our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16).
The Spirit does this through the Scriptures that
He inspired. All of God’s children take Him at His
Word!
About the Author...
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Appeared in Issue 21.1 CETF NR 35 April 2006
"...contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" -- Jude v3
© Copyright 2006 Christian Witness Ministries, except where noted. All rights reserved
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-Last revised-
Monday, October 09, 2006
