Question: What would you say
to a lost person who says
the reason I'm not a Christian
is because there's so many hypocrites in the church?
Clint: Well, I would say to that person
what they're calling the church is wrong.
I would say to that person,
what you're calling the church
is not the true church.
It might be a religious organization.
It might be a denominational gathering.
It might be some religious institution,
but it's not the true church.
The true church of the Bible
is not populated with hypocrites.
That's not to say that a true Christian,
a true believer can't be caught in hypocrisy.
Peter - when he denied the Lord Jesus,
that was an act of hypocrisy.
He had said earlier, "Thou art the Christ."
You're the Christ. The Son of the living God.
Jesus confirmed that statement
and said He would build His church on it.
And then later you have Peter
caught in an act of hypocrisy
denying the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's an act, but Peter was not a hypocrite
in his lifestyle.
There's a big distinction there.
Later on in Galatians 2,
you have the Apostle Paul confronting Peter
over an act of hypocrisy
that had the tendency to lead others astray.
But Peter was not living a life of hypocrisy.
So the true church is not populated by hypocrites.
The local church, local denomination,
or some religious institution -
that might be the case.
So first I would counter with that thought.
What you're calling the church isn't the true church.
And then I would say secondly
to that individual, you're not being honest.
The reason you're not a Christian
is not because of something somebody else is doing.
That's just an excuse.
The reason that you're not a Christian
is because you don't want to submit to God.
That's everyone's problem.
They're proud.
They don't want to bow the knee to God.
They don't want to yield to free grace.
They don't want to receive
from the hand of someone else salvation.
They want to earn it on their own.
They want to love their sin.
They want to keep their sin.
They don't want God on His terms.
That's why they're not a Christian.
So I guess that's how I would approach that.
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