God will not change anyone who does not want to be changed by Christ.
If you came to Christ to get a better life but have no desire to please Him or follow His Word, then you will not be saved. If you came to Christ to feel better about yourself or for any selfish reason you cannot be saved.
Repentance, confession of sinfulness and believing on Christ is the only way to become born again.
Far too many believers in the church do not address problems to cause confession so that people can grow in holiness.
Romans 15:14
"I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another."
Hebrews 3:13
"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
Romans 12:10
"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."
Colossians 1:28
"Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
The fear of being accepted by people has led many people to care more about themselves than the well-being of others. They fear being rejected so they never correct in order to help others grow in holiness.
Holiness: Set apart from the world.
When we let the world into the church and pander to the feelings of unsaved people they do not become like us, we become like them.
1 Corinthians 15:33-34 " 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.…"
Did you know it is sin to ignore the sin of another brother or sister? Did you know it is pride in us that prevents us from telling the truth to help another believer.?
We ought to speak the truth boldly with the Love of Christ to help them, if they leave offended then let them go. The church gathering is for the purpose of worship and training, not an evangelistic service.
We do not love someone if we do not correct sin in their lives. It is hate to ignore the sin because we would not care what happens to them, we only care about what makes us feel better about ourselves for the moment.
Perhaps many do not want to correct bad behavior because they know how angry they would be if someone corrected them and they don't want the other person to be angry with them.
If an unbeliever wanders into the gathering of believers they ought to be enticed to know more about Christ or they will reject the principles of His Word and walk out.
A non-believer ought never to attend a gathering week after week feeling perfectly comfortable without conviction. And yet, this has been happening for a long time leaving the church gatherings full of unbelievers who think they are going to heaven for having attended a church group.
It is harder to reach for Christ a person who is a pretender when they have been coddled all their life in church without challenges about their unsaved state.
In our modern churches, the ones who are chastised are those who have offended someone by telling them the truth.
This reminds me of the story of the two psychiatrists walking along a road and meeting up with a man in the ditch who was broken and bleeding. The two psychiatrists shook their head in disbelief and said; "the one who beat this man needs our help."
Yes, it is true, many in the church have twisted the gospel to mean mere manipulation by flattery to entice the unbeliever into remaining. They stay because they are in love with the attention they get and because they think salvation means being a good person in the pew every week. They don't realize that they have no good in them to be able to be saved. And, what they think is good is not good according to God's standards. They don't know that confessing our sinfulness is the only way to come to Christ and that trusting in Him to change them is the only way to become born again.
If you don't believe me just ask someone in your gathering if they are born-again, they probably won't know what you mean and they will answer with; "I go to church every week", as though they think that makes them saved or safe or good.
John 14:5-7
5“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”
John 14:15 "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. "
Those who love Christ will not fight against His commandments, they will love them and desire to become more like Him, even broken at times when they have discovered they have sinnned.
Just because someone attends church and hobnobs with Christians does not mean they are saved. Even if they have good morals and avoid sin will not save them. It is trusting in Christ Who paid for sins, something we could never do that causes Christ to come and live in a believer and begin the process of cleansing for the entire rest of their lives.
Judas was with Christ and the apostles, he was a pretender, wanting to associate with them but not trusting in Christ. Jesus Christ called Judas a devil, even though he had been with Him and the apostles.
John 6:69-71 "…69 We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 He was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was later to betray Jesus.…"
Someone who believes they have been good enough to deserve heaven will not make it. Those who think they are better than others will not make it. Being with the people of God, attending church every week does not make anyone born-again.
John chapter 3
Romans 3:10-11 "10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God."
1 John 1:8
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
Romans 3:23
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
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