1Jn 2:4-6 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (5) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (6) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
One of the biggest plagues infecting the visible Christian church today is this – willful ignorance regarding who a genuine Christian is. Wrong answers are being given because man’s traditions are reigning as the source of doctrine rather than the Bible. In most local churches, a Christian is anyone who says they are. And this lie is responsible for permitting wolves to hide among the sheep, all the while devouring those who really do belong to Christ.
It is not difficult to answer the question. Who is a Christian? Let’s have God’s Word answer:
1Jn 2:9-11 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. (10) Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. (11) But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1Jn 2:29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
1Jn 3:8-10 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (9) No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. (10) By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Mat 7:17-20 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. (18) A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. (19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
And we could go on and on. Merely saying “I am a Christian, I believe in Jesus,” is not enough. Prove it. Where is the good fruit? If the person’s life is characterized by sin, if a man for example (or a woman) is habitually abusing their spouse, that person is not born again. The fruit exposes the real nature of the heart.
Think about Jesus’ words – you must be born again. BORN again. Made a new person, a new creation. Old man put to death in Christ, and a new person raised. Radical change. An entirely different mindset. And yet, most local churches are enslaved to this lie that we must believe someone is a Christian because they say they are a Christian and it is wrong to “judge” them. Yet Jesus tells us to examine the fruit.
Church members who are walking in sin (like that evil man in the church at Corinth, see I Corinthians 5), are regularly excused with at best stupid mantras like “well, you know, we are all sinners.” Or “we must not judge.” Those statements are lies which deny God’s own Word and permit evil people to walk among the saints. God’s instruction to us is not unclear:
1Co 5:11-13 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. (12) For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? (13) God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Are there people in your local church who are “so-called” Christians, who are characterized by reviling (a biblical word for the abuser), then why is the church associating with them? Why is the church serving them the Lord’s table? Why are they not being purged from among the saints?” More often than we would like to think, it is because many of the members of the church – even many pastors and elders – are only “so-called” brethren themselves. It is by no means a rare scenario wherein even most of a local church membership is unconverted.
If God’s Word is faithfully preached, the real nature of church members will be exposed. Darkness hates the light. The children of the devil hate Christ’s true people. They will do all they can to silence the ministry of the Word and if that doesn’t work, they will do just as John said:
1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
And THAT is true church growth!
Yes
Being raised with and by RASN’s, I thought I wasn’t saved–even though I was. I had no idea how unique I was in my huge family. I thought I was nothing. This is what the worthless ones desire from us. That we truly believe we are what THEY are–worthless.
The upside downness will continue to get worse as the progression to the end gets nearer. People who belong to Jesus, unless taught by the Holy Spirit, will think THEY are the problem.
Whenever you read in the bible how God displays his glory and power, expect that in the last times, these will be mimicked and manipulated by the worthless one and his spiritual human children. It may sound like science fiction to us, but evil has been working behind the scenes since the beginning, as all of us know. God will allow evil to be in charge for a short time but this is so that those who patriciate in it, will be spectacularly and EASILY destroyed by God, and God will be glorified. God is the TRUE source of all power, while those who use evil technology think they can’t lose. The worthless mind is completely deceived.
The weather, the human body itself, our thoughts, all of it will be able to be manipulated remotely. This is where we will have to look to God, stand on His truth, keep speaking truth to ourselves, praying for protection for ourselves and God’s children, and praying against evil, will have to be carried out.
God has a plan and it will be glorious for himself and his children. Not one thing the worthless one do, will be forgotten. Those evil ones who lurk in His church who are of their father the devil, will be utterly and completely destroyed.
Z
Pastor,
My one question that I can’t seem to get clarity about is this:
I know the abusers in my life who did harm to me mentally and physically are not and never have been born again. I know where they will spend their eternal lives.
But what about those who usually do all the born again things you’d expect-go to church, Bible studies, read the Bible and prayer daily…and don’t abuse BUT when it came to all the many times in my life that those people callously looked the other way regarding the known abuse of children, the habitually sinful acts and lifestyle of my ex-parents and ex-siblings, these people CHOSE to habitually disobey God’s Word and sat/sit with, associate with, ate with, walked with, cozied up to unrepentant sinners who were doing sinful harm to me. They enabled and covered up for these abusers to others in the church and outsiders and falsely elevated their stature to “very fine examples of Christians”. They turned their backs on my husband and me as clear adult victims of evil after we were viciously attacked by my ex-family’s revenge plot and ran to the sides of these wicked people immediately. Embracing abusers as they always did for their own self-preservation and self-interest and also for monetary bribes and gain.
These ex-relatives and ex-church friends who “seemingly are good Christians” in all other aspects of their lives-but they’ve NEVER repented of or shown remorse or asked for forgiveness from us for what they chose to do that was wicked & disobedient to God-what is their eternal fate?
To me they are children of the devil even if they don’t sin in other areas of their lives. They live a lie. They enable and embrace evil. But they aren’t AS wicked in as many ways or as grossly as my ex-family. They didn’t abuse their kids. They showed them love.
But they turned their backs on other kids-me (and my ex-siblings) when we were being brutally beaten. They were afraid of the abusers wrath. Cowards. And selfish.
But does that mean they will go to hell too since they will NEVER repent of their lifetime of sins against God and us? I know there aren’t “Mortal and Venial Sins” as in my Catholic false religion upbringing. But in this scenario, are there levels of sins and levels of participation with evil? Hell is hell. It’s for unrepentant habitual sinners.
But it’s often said that hell is for those who reject Jesus and God. His enemies.
I know these habitual abuser-allies seem to revere God and proclaim Jesus as Savior in the rest of their lives. They used to tell me “The Blood of Jesus covers the abusers’ sins” and “God’s grace covers their sins”.
Not if they aren’t repentant! I know that much. That’s mocking God, His grace and His power.
So it’s the “habitual” part that trips me up. Abuse and fraud, perversions and criminal activity were part of my ex-family’s daily life and no repentance ever. Hell for sure.
But these others-the allies of evil-didn’t live lives of abusers or criminals. Disobedient to God continually in this area for sure. But all of us disappoint God at times. Not continually in one area of life over our whole lifetimes though! We do feel sorrow over it and we repent. And we do better. Let sanctification happen.
Are all those who embraced and enabled this evil sin of abuse (and other sins) also going to hell?
Thanks for any clarification.
Jeff Crippen
Apologies for taking so long to answer. I think the key word here is “cowards.” There will be no cowards in heaven. In this case, a coward is someone who refuses to pay the price for following Christ. I can understand when a Christian initially is naive about or ignorant of the schemes of the devil. We have all been fooled by the wicked at one time or another. But anyone who genuinely knows Christ at some point will be brought to the realization of what a devil in disguise looks like in reality.