As a pastor, I often meet people who doubt the authenticity of their conversion. The burden of sin is constantly present in their minds, and their shortcomings are always in plain sight. Most of the time, I find that these are faithful brothers and sisters who need comfort and reassurance.
But there is another group of people in our churches that is much more worrisome: those who have a firm but unfounded confidence in their conversion. You may have met such people. They know the right words, avoid public scandalous sins, and live morally. But they have no real fruit, no evidence that God’s Spirit is truly changing their lives. Often they have a hidden area of secret sin that they do not seek to cleanse.
Such people are hard to reach—as if they have already been «grafted» with the Gospel. They think they already have the most important things, and therefore they do not seek anything more! And if there is any area of hidden sin, they have long since reconciled themselves to it.
Unfortunately, our churches are partly responsible for having such people in our midst. Let me suggest six ways we pastors can inadvertently foster false confidence in such people.
Six Ways Pastors Promote False Confidence
1. Assume that all members of the Church understand the Gospel
It’s easy to assume that people in our churches understand and believe the gospel. But in reality, many churches take the message of the gospel and its understanding among their members for granted. As a result, our churches are filled with people who may understand some of the implications of the gospel (like how to be a better husband) but don’t apply the gospel to themselves personally.
This is spiritually dangerous, for a moral life can be a testimony of faith in the Gospel, but it can also be a sign of self-righteousness and Pharisaism. We must first emphasize that justification is by faith alone, and repeat this again and again, or the works we see will not be the works that confirm saving justification. When the Gospel is not clearly proclaimed, people will think that their morality or church attendance gives them reason for confidence.
In short, don't preach morality for its own sake. Never. Preach the Gospel every week. And then, after the Gospel has been clearly proclaimed, speak of the commandments that necessarily flow from it.
2. Give them a superficial understanding of sin
The Bible teaches that sin is not just something we do; it is who we are in our sinful state. We are all spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-2), slaves to sin (John 8:34), and condemned to the righteous wrath of God (Rom. 1:18). We are sinners to the core of our being.
People with unfounded confidence often misunderstand the nature of sin. If sin is limited to external acts, they can solve their problems by themselves, through effort. However, if we encourage them to regularly reflect on the biblical teaching on sin, they will be forced to realize their need for the new birth and salvation that comes from outside, not from within.
3. Take Church membership and Church discipline lightly.
Membership in a local community is intended to give believers assurance of salvation. It is a collective confirmation that a person is a Christian.
But when a church treats membership lightly, allowing those who do not attend to remain members, it fosters a false sense of security. How many people go to hell because their membership, which is carelessly monitored, gave them a false sense of security?
4. Teach them to base confidence on past external actions
The gospel demands a response from us. Sometimes churches offer a way to express our new state of initiation: saying a «prayer of repentance,» coming forward, or filling out a card. Such outward actions can be a sincere response, but they can also be misleading. One can say a prayer, walk forward, or sign a card while remaining lost in one’s sins.
When we encourage people to find assurance of salvation based on some outward action that can be performed without being born again, we put them in great spiritual danger. How many people live assured of their way to heaven simply because they once said a prayer of repentance in childhood?
5. Do not link justification and sanctification for your listeners
In an effort to emphasize God’s free grace, one may teach the truth of justification by faith alone in Christ but fail to convey the whole picture. However, Scripture teaches that the justifying work of Christ always produces the fruits of righteousness in the lives of believers (see, for example, Romans 6:1-14).
The gap between justification and sanctification is very dangerous for believers. But it is doubly dangerous for those who have false confidence, because such teaching encourages them to think that it is possible to live in open rebellion against God and at the same time remain righteous in His sight.
6. Teach them to ignore the Bible’s warnings
Scripture is filled with serious warnings for those who choose sin or fall away from the faith (e.g., Matt. 5:27-30; Heb. 6:1-6). In our efforts to clearly teach about God’s sovereign care for His people, we can inadvertently minimize these warnings, giving the impression that they do not apply to believers.
However, these warnings have a purpose. They are true and are one of God's means of keeping His people from apostasy. A wise pastor will emphasize the seriousness of sin and apostasy and will urge all his listeners to remain in the faith.
