SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT PROFESSING BELIEVERS
[Letter adapted for ministry and to avoid names and references]
[Letter adapted for ministry and to avoid names and references]
Dear _______:
I appreciate hearing of your outreach to witness to some sincere seekers of God, and you said you often hear professions of faith, but then later see no evidence of reality. I tend to agree with your assessment that they may appreciate the thought of blessings, and give intellectual assent to the truth, but have not really received Christ. God says: "...by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt.7:20), and we need spiritual discernment. Truly one needs to re-emphasize the fundamentals as you have, and we should not be quick to embrace one as a true believer upon their statement of a belief, for time will reveal any reality of trust and devotion to the Lord.
Attached are a couple of papers which I have along this line to try and simplify the thought of believing. People use the word: "believe" so broadly that it can miss the point. I prefer "receive", "trust", "know", and "hath", etc. (1 John 5:12). I often say: I believe in the famous man, George Washington ---our first president, but I don't believe ON him. We know "...devils also believe" (James 4), but there won't be any devils in heaven.
I perceive that the best anyone can do is to get acquainted with the Lord Jesus by talking to Him, thanking Him for dying for one's sins, stating that they are now receiving Him as Savior and Lord, and committing it all to Him. That is what I had to do many years ago, then I got up from my knees and went to bed. The next morning I think Satan was sitting there waiting to say: "What was that all about last night? Are you getting fanatical in religion?". I talked with God and said something like: "I don't know what more I can do, for I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior". The thought came to me: "You did not just receive a teaching; you received the Teacher, and that is IT". I felt GOOD and was satisfied God would take care of me. In time the indwelling and sealing of the Holy Spirit became clear and real to me. I still feel GOOD. I believe the Spirit will come in and make one alive unto God in His time --how, we are not told (see John 14:23), and we will have that conviction and assurance in time that it is settled as we go on (note John 14).
If you can continue with these dear ones and make it clear that believing speaks of a personal relationship, not just an intellectual reasoning of the mind, they might begin to place greater trust in knowing the Lord rather than just believing a doctrine or teaching about Him. Do you think so? Certainly one is not ready to be at the Lord's table until they have life in Christ (1 Cor. 11: 27-29), and the saints need to examine one.
Well, thank you for sharing the thoughts, and I will continue to pray for your outreach in the gospel work. Look up always!
- Sincerely in Christ, Robert DeWitt
　
