False Faith By Paul Chappell share on Facebook share on Twitter forward to a friend Friday, Mar 21, 2014 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22–23 If you go to downtown Los Angeles, you might meet a man I came across one time when I was there. His delusion was immediately apparent when I spoke to him and he told me that he was Elvis Presley. He wasn’t joking—he sincerely believed it. His belief dictated his behavior and the way he viewed the world. Of course he wasn’t really Elvis, but he was trying to live as if he were. The same thing can happen in the church as well. Jesus warned that not all those who profess to be Christians actually are. We should not live in doubt and fear regarding our salvation. The Bible clearly teaches that those who are saved can never lose their salvation. At the same time, the reality is that there are some who have declared their faith who have never been saved. Paul admonished the members of the church at Corinth in this matter. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and hearts will produce fruit. We can grieve the Spirit and hinder His work, but if our faith is real—if we have truly been converted—there will be demonstrable evidence to that fact. Simply saying that we have faith is not enough. James issues this clear warning: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). Today’s Renewal Principle: Examine your life to make certain that your life is bearing fruit and giving witness to the fact that you possess a true and living faith.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 18:02:34 +0000
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