Let's start with ourselves, the people in this group, this "church." How did we get inside? How did we become a member of this group? One of our primary claims is that we live God's revelation. What qualifies us to be those who can claim to care about what God said? It is in part because we made that change Jesus was trying to make in people. He didn't spend His time amongst humanity to bolster the religious regime of His day. He openly quarreled with it.
Let's talk about that change. What do we call it? We use terms such as "saved," and "born-again," etc. How do you get that change? Did you go and ask for it? "Lord, change me!" If you did, why? What motivated you to ask God that? Could it be rather that He came to you? It was His idea. Would you come if He didn't call?
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9
For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14
Do you get the distinct impression that, not only do you have to be called, but there's some who might have refused to heed that calling? Now, I've never spoken to anyone who claims to have rejected God's call, without sooner or later changing their minds and accepting that call. So I don't know if it's possible to really ignore God if He calls, but these verses seem to suggest that we could. One thing is sure: if He doesn't call, you won't know to come.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. For you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of God, he is not His. Romans 8:7-9
So, if God, via His Holy Spirit, does not enter your life (heart, mind, etc.) in some way, you cannot turn to Him. It's His idea. If He does not call, you cannot come. Try to envision the process. We acknowledge that we cannot. We cannot know how it is that God can reach inside our inner selves and touch us without leaving us a chance to say, "No." Yet we are told that we are unable to say, "Yes." There are things in His Word that will never make sense to us while we live on this plane of existence.
When do you go from being "lost" to being "saved"? Can we point to a time, a specific moment? Now John says we can know for sure that we are saved (1 John 2:3, 4:13, 5:13 "that you may know"). At what point did you know, become aware of it? Can you point to a specific moment when you had crossed over? I hope not. Try as we might, with our Western instinct to pin things down with mathematical precision, it's not that sort of discrete "moment." It completely eludes that sort of definition.
John says you can rest assured, but what he says is not "empirical" -- it's not evidence that can be used in a court of law or in a scientific lab. The evidence is primarily to make you feel certain and secure, secure enough to try the difficult things He demands of you. By faith, you commit yourself to something you understand imperfectly -- you simply assume His Word is true and act on that basis.
Is it possible to fake the Christian walk? Yes, up to a point. Now, I happen to know for certain that a well-trained psychologist or psychiatrist can work with you, and get you to change your behavior. In fact, that's about the only thing they can really do: they can get you to act differently. But if there's something really wrong inside your head, no one can fix that. There's the potential in psychology for you to fix things somewhat, if you can be shown what's wrong, and someone can explain what it ought to be like. But no one on earth can actually change what's inside of you.
We can be highly conditioned to the point that the inner core of our being is deeply buried under a shell of adaptation. It's called "brain-washing" and we don't have room to examine it here. Suffice to say, there's a limit to such conditioning. So yes, we can fake conversion to some degree. It's been my experience that sooner or later the facade will collapse, because there are too many things that can disturb folks inside their contrived veneer. Put them in the pressure cooker, and what's really inside a person comes out. But, up to a point, it can be faked.
I cannot truthfully claim to look into the Lamb's Book of Life (Revelation 21:22-27). That's a privilege for the Lamb of God Himself. We cannot, as fallen creatures, penetrate the mystery of God and His salvation. We can know we have it, but really can't tell how we know. We can talk all day about what the Holy Spirit does in our lives, and we can demonstrate His power by changing, by exhibiting the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25). Only those who have experienced it can understand it. Those outside have no capacity to grasp it.
The basic principle is that I have to take your word for it at first. If you confess Christ, I am required to accept that confession for the time being. If you show me that you have no power whatsoever to do good, and constantly fail, but then show remorse and sorrow for it, I have to assume He's at work in you. Your sorrow is a behavior that I can observe, and it can counter the impression I get from what you do with your hands, feet, and words.
Over time, I see the results of His presence in your life. It's not His plan to call you just for fun -- "He who calls you is faithful, Who also will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24). If He brought you into this Life in the Kingdom, He will see to it that everything you really need is provided, and you will become a new creature.
Since I know He works that way, if I see no change at all, what should I do? How long is "long enough" to wait before I decide something's not right? I can't look and see if you're actually saved, but I am supposed to decide if I can work with you. When it becomes apparent that I cannot, it is time to act. If I can't work with you, then I either have to move me, convince you to move yourself, or I have to convince the group to move you. And if the group won't "do right," I guess it's time for me to move on. Sad as division may be, it has a place in God's work.
There are plenty of lesser problems that don't justify that sort of action. I am required to be patient, put up with anything that doesn't really hinder the work. But all too often, there comes a point when working together just won't work. No human agent has the right to decide that for me. It's between God and I.
In the meantime, what do I do? I decide to keep working. I keep working the work that He gave me. Why? Why doesn't God just do what He wants and let me watch? It would surely be a lot more efficient, and a lot less of it would come out messed up! So why me, and why you? Why this ludicrous circus of conflicting human demands on His holy work?
Wrong question. Better: Where are His hands and feet? Where is the face of Jesus?
You and me.
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Ed Hurst
03 June 2003, revised 23 October 2003
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