A Tale of Two Converts

In this article I will try to illustrate something that I believe is a common mistake within churches today. Though my story is fiction, it is based on observations I have made and situations I have seen. In setting this up, I need you to use your imagination for a few minutes and let me take you to a imaginary town in the "Bible Belt" of the Southeastern United States. In our small imaginary town there are two churches. One is called the Antinomian* Fellowship Church and the other is called the Arminian* Fellowhip Church.

On a certain Sunday, each of the churches had wonderful services. The two pastors delivered glossy sermons on how God loves sinners and has a wonderful plan for their lives. The preachers make clear that this offer is for all who will simply believe in Jesus Christ. In each of the services, as the invitation is given, a young man approaches the front and prays the "Sinner's Prayer".

Needless to say, both of these churches are happy to have a new convert and within weeks each new convert is baptized and becomes a member of their respective churches. Both the Arminian Fellowship and the Antinomian Fellowship do all they can to nuture and instruct their new converts. All seems to be going well at first. The two converts attend their respective church services regularly, begin paying tithes, and are very helpful around the church. However, after a while, some things start to change! The two stop attending church, stop fellowshiping with other believers, and before long they are both living in outright sin! The two young men eventually renounce Christ and claim their time as Christians was "just a phase" they went through!

When the pastor of the Antinomian Fellowship Church is asked by his members about what became of the convert that left the church, he reassures them that the young man is still saved and on his way to Heaven because God remains faithful to His promises even when man does not. When the pastor of the Arminian Fellowship Church is asked the same questions about the young man who left their church, he warns the church members that the young man has probably lost his salvation and needs to repent and return to the fold if he is to ever expect to make Heaven his home.

Now back to reality for a few minutes... This scenario is not uncommon in todays church world. However, the question must be asked: Which of the pastors in the story above is correct? Did the one fellow from the Arminian Church backslide, renounce Christ, and lose his salvation? Is the other fellow from the Antinomian Church still saved in spite of his backsliding and renouncing of Christ? Obviously both pastors cannot be correct! It is not an option to accept such contradiction. What if there's something both the pastors in my story fail to understand?

I propose that both the Arminian view and the Antinomian view do not take in account one very vital thing: False Conversion! What the pastors in my story miss is this: Every person who "walks the isle" and prays the "sinner's prayer" may NOT actually be Born Again! Sometimes there are false conversions. Often these false conversions are wrought of the flesh and by the manipulation of silver tongued preachers, and not by the power of the Holy Spirit! There is no change of heart (or Regeneration) in the sinner and therefore no genuine faith or repentance. There has been no change! The "converts" in my story were never "new creatures in Christ"!!

A hog returns to the mud because he's just a hog! It is his nature to wallow in the mud. Unless a hog (the sinner) is changed in his inner most being by the power of God, he will return to the mud (the life of sin) at some point. Only "new creatures in Christ" will endure to the end! Therefore the Antinomian pastor is in error for proclaiming his former member is still saved and going to Heaven -thus giving the backslider and the church false assurance. At the same time, the Arminian pastor -while correct in assuming the person is not saved- also errs in saying the fellow was truly saved to begin with! In this situatuion the theological positions of both the pastors leave no room for what really happened in this case. Both pastors failed to discern the Bible's teaching on false conversion!

You see, the fact of the matter is that when we harvest souls there will always be some tares mixed in with the wheat. The tares may look much like the wheat at first, but they will never yield any true fruit. Many of our Lord's parables illustrate true and false conversion though I think many miss this vital teaching. In Matthew 13, the Lord Jesus illustrates true and false conversion very clearly in the Parable of the Sower. In this parable, there are 4 types of ground. All the various "ground" except the "good ground" represents false conversion. This is proven by the fact that none but the good ground ever yielded fruit! All the rest "fell away" because nothing genuine happened within their souls. The ground of their hearts had not been properly prepared to receieve the seed!

I agree with Evangelist Ray Comfort when he teaches that one of the failures of the modern church and reasons for the high "fall away rate" in churches, is due to the fact very few actually preach the high and holy standards of God's moral law. The majority of churches today may preach "the good news", but they leave out the reason why the good news is so good: that's because we have all sinned against a Holy God and deserve nothing but Hell! All humanity has broken His moral law and we are unfit for Heaven. Unless we repent of our sins and truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven! A proper understanding of this truth will help a person see what makes the Gospel such "good news"!

Many of today's churches and preachers are too worried about offending people with preaching God's Word. Sermons are being watered down or turned into some sort of self help psycho-babble. The sinfulness of man and his need for salvation is replaced by messages about prosperity, finding "purpose in life", or how to have "your best life now". Preaching the whole council of God is frowned upon and deemed to be old-fashioned by the modern pulpiteer. The aim of the modern sermon to create a "warm fuzzy" feeling and maybe a "decision for Christ" instead of repentance unto Life!

For a great handling of this topic, please visit the link below and listen to the message "Hell's Best Kept Secret". May God bless you and empower you as you do!

http://www.livingwaters.com/learn/hellsbestkeptsecret.htm

-Rhett

footnotes:

* Antinomianism- also known as "No Lordship theology"- is the belief that Jesus can be a person's Savior and not Lord. Antinomians often teach that Christians who are saved by Grace are under no obligation to observe the moral laws of God. Antinomians usually teach a twisted version of Perseverance that allows a "convert" to go on living in gross sin or even denying Christ without fear of Hell. This theology in effect makes Grace a licence to sin. Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries is a good example of an Antinomian. His book "Eternal Security" is full of Antinomian teachings.

* Arminian Christians often affirm genuine God wrought Salvation can be lost through disobedience on the part of the believer.