A Brief Look at False Conversion

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter." Matthew 7:21

False Conversion? This is not a term that you would hear in the contemporary church in the 21^st century, however it is exactly what is going on in most "evangelical" churches today. This is an issue that is polluting the very heart of the American church. First, let's define false conversion. The idea that a person is saved simply because they have been led into the "sinner's prayer" or that they have been baptized or even affirmed by someone, does not mean that they are in fact saved. More common terms that people use to declare their salvation are as follows," I've accepted Jesus into my heart", "I walked the aisle", "I grew up in church", and the all famous classic…."I'm a good person, so I know that I'm going to heaven."

There is not a one of these terms that can be found anywhere in Scripture, but this gives you a good idea of how the majority of "Christians" talk and the lingo that is used to define their spirituality. This is where the danger of false conversion comes into play. Many church-going people are duped into this belief that they are saved, when in essence so many have been falsely confirmed into this thought.

A major movement in the church today is the Seeker Sensitive Movement. It is easily associated with Bill Hybels as one of the unofficial founders, but others have followed his pattern blindly. The Seeker Movement basically designs church around the "seeker" or the "sinner" so that church is now comfortable for them. They want to create an environment that makes a sinner feel welcome and does not confront the sin head on and give them the true saving Gospel. They want to sugar coat and falsely affirm people into believing that if they just pray the prayer, then they will be saved, completely avoiding the hell and sin topic most times altogether. When we get away from preaching the Scriptures and doing church for the world, we are conforming to their standards and not those of God. Be very careful of this movement with all of its flash and rock star appeal, it can lead a sinner right to hell all the while feeling comfortable going there. It is not the sinner's fault if they are going to this type of feel good atmosphere, but it is the pastor's fault for not taking advantage of preaching the Gospel to them while they are there. Doing church for the goats is not what we are called to do.

Simply believing in Jesus does not save someone. We are all bad people. God gets nothing good when He saves anyone. For example, look at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). When looking in the mirror of the Ten Commandments, it is clear that every person has broken each of the commandments. We are born guilty before a Holy God. It is repentance (a turning from sins) and putting your complete faith and trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross for salvation that saves you. The sinner needs to realize that he must beg Christ to accept Him! We don't need to approve Him, we need Him to approve us! Repentance from sins and faith in Jesus Christ alone is the ONLY way to salvation. Repentance involves a deliberate change of direction. You were going one way, now you decide to do a 180 and go a completely different direction. When you follow Christ this means your life as you know it is over and you give Christ absolute authority to run your life. It's not about you anymore. You are finished. Christ is now your Master, and you are His grateful slave because of what He did for you in His death and resurrection. There is no alternative.  There is no other way.

By Vince and Lori Williams