Greetings Brethren,
Throughout this sermon series, "The Unconverted 'Believer'", we have shown that it is a difficult matter to demonstrate and convince many who presume they are Christians that they may be yet unconverted, still in their sins. They have convinced themselves and many have reinforced for them that they are "saved." But if and when the biblical record is considered and their profession and the experience of their claims are assessed, there may be reasons that they should question the validity of their profession. But more often than not, they remain confirmed in their delusions. And one of the reasons for their steadfastness in their false assurance is that they have drawn conclusions about their spiritual condition based on how they think God has been at work in their lives. They have convinced themselves that God must be for them because of what they have seen and experienced. One may think, "Because God has so clearly blessed me, I am certain that I must be a true Christian." On the other hand, there are those who may be true Christians, they believe they must be numbered among those nominal Christians, because they, too, have concluded from God's dealings with them that they could not be in God's favor, that they could not be true Christians. The problem is a failure to assess and evaluate rightly God's work in the lives of the people of the world. All too often strangers to Christ wrongly believe that God is for them, even while true Christians believe wrongly that God is against them. The problem with both groups is that they are drawing wrong conclusions regarding God's dealings with them. Today we address this mystery |
