How to Address Someone Who Seems to Be a False Convert

Mack: In what way is it appropriate

to address a professing believer

who appears to be a false convert?

Nate: Preach the Gospel to them.

I mean, we kind of answered that
a little bit a few minutes ago,

but I think you're making a judgment

about another person's faith.

They seem to be a false convert.

I don't know. I've interacted
with folks before

that they say they were a Christian.

There were some things in their
life that don't seem to add up.

To a certain degree - not all the way -

but I'm going to talk
to them as a believer

and impress on them the same mandates

that any other believer would have.

Well, you know, when you're
in your prayer closet,

when you're repenting of your sin,

how's your walk?
How's your faith in Christ?

And you just bear down on them

with a Spirit-filled mandate

to do the things that believers do.

But again, opportunities to just
share the Gospel again with them

because I guess if you're being made aware

of the possibility,

you're finding out some way,

in some sinful way or some
gap in their testimony,

there are opportunities to tell them:

well, I've noticed this about you.

Well, that's interesting, you know.

You impress them on it.

I mean, I don't think we have
any reason to hold back

and press on them and say,

well, if you're a Christian,
then this is true for you.

And if at a certain point, they say,

well, I don't know if I am a Christian,

then you can say let's
address that problem too.

I had a husband and wife -

the husband professed to be a believer

for twenty years or whatever.

Eventually, it was deemed pretty obvious

that he was not a believer.

And one of our counseling sessions

toward the end before they ended up

getting a divorce - a biblical,
sadly, divorce, he said,

"Well, I don't even know if I'm a
Christian anymore. I don't even know."

I said, well, I'm glad
you're being honest.

And then began to minister and tell him

what the Gospel was again

and call him to repentance and faith.

And to this day, I still pray
he does come to faith.

But I don't think it changes much.

You just have to see through
some of the subterfuge.

Hope that's helpful.

Mack: Any added comments?

Jesse: We're looking for evidences of life

and I think we have to distinguish between

evidences of life in Christ versus

maturity in life in Christ.

So we need to be careful here.

So I would affirm everything
you just said, brother.

And then I would add:

make sure you're not looking
for maturity in Christ

versus evidences of life in Christ.

And that can be hard to
distinguish and take time.

You don't want to discourage

a genuine, fragile believer

by telling them they're not saved.

That's not your role.

And so be careful in that.

Tim: In 1 Thessalonians 5,

you have some people in the church

specifically identified as being

unruly, weak, faint.

And I've often wondered,

if we had the most unruly

or the most weak Christian that ever lived

and they were in our church,

how many in our church would probably

think that perhaps they're not saved?

You know, Paul speaking
to those Galatians,

they keep going down that same road.

He's talking "separated from Christ"

and "fallen from grace"

and it's not a good direction.

You perish in that direction.

And yet, he talks to them
as being brethren.

You have the Hebrew letter written

to people that are drifting,

and yet they're charitably called -

the Corinthians -

very charitably called brothers.

Was Paul wise enough to recognize

that perhaps some of the
Corinthians weren't saved?

Or perhaps some of the
Galatians weren't saved?

Of course.

But he sets forth that truth,

and that truth is as applicable to those

that are believing and are weak,

those that are believing and straying,

or those who may be deceived.