8 Dec 2011
Hebrews 6:7-8
Hebrews 6:7: “For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”
This goes back to “you will know them by their fruits”. Yes, we all know that Christians do sin, and sometimes they sin in truly awful ways. But the point is that there is a real difference between those who are actually saved and those who are not. People who are saved have the Spirit within them, and that fundamentally changes who they are. There is a world of difference between the saved and the lost.
It is true that, today, it’s pretty much impossible to tell the difference between church members and atheists. You can look at any statistic you want – divorces, attitudes on homosexuality, number of abortions, etc. – and there is no statistical difference between church members and non-church members. What this means is that a great many people who call themselves Christians are not Christians at all. They are simply fooling themselves. Why do we know this? Because genuine salvation results in a genuine change. As Jesus said, a good tree will bear good fruit, and an evil tree will bear evil fruit.
Here is another way to think about it: if you’re in love with your sins and hate the thought of holiness, then why on earth do you think that you’ve been saved? If you have no interest in seeking God, can’t stand the Bible, and dislike spiritual truth, then what reason do you have for thinking that you’ve become a new person in Christ? Telling God “Don’t you dare tell me what to do!” isn’t a sign of salvation; it’s a sign that you have never known God at all.