“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Have you ever heard of a nominal Christian? Local churches are full of them. A nominal Christian is defined by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism as “a person who has not responded in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord.” They may claim to be Christian, even be faithful in attending worship services and active in church affairs. The truth is they are tares in the field of wheat.
In terms of evangelism, they are the very toughest to reach with the Gospel. Why? Because they already think they are saved and ignore the pastor when the altar call is given. The invitation is not for them. Some even sit on the pews on Sundays and pray the person on the pew with them will respond.
They are also mostly good people, who do not sense the need for salvation in their lives. They do not see their moral failings or their lifestyles as sinful. Even those who know they are not saved, feel they have more than enough time left to make that decision. It’s not the most urgent need on their list
Frankly, it’s the nominal Christian we should worry about the most. We see them in church every Sunday. I care about them as much as I care about the vilest of sinners – if there is such a distinction. The truth is they are going to face the same judge we will all face one day. To sit there and think they will go to heaven is a deadly conclusion to reach.
So how do we get to them? How do we reach them with the Gospel? How can we wake them up so they can see their need for a savior? I believe pastors have to speak to them, too, during the invitations at the end of their services – help them to understand they are not saved.
Scripture provides certain conditions for salvation. There is one in particular I think pastors should point out more often. Perhaps it’s written as a reminder for those who think they are saved. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Pastors frequently tell their congregations that the day will come when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This verse is repeated in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Apostle Paul used it in Romans 14 to prophesy the day that the unsaved will face the Judgment Seat of Christ. But the Prophet Isaiah used it to call the unsaved to salvation. “Look to me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other,” he wrote at Isaiah 45:22.
So those of you who are pastors should follow the Apostle Paul’s instruction at Romans 10:9 and ask those attending your services if they have ever said the prayer of confession. Many sitting in their pews have never uttered the prayer that Paul writes is necessary for salvation. Perhaps pointing to this truth is the way to get them thinking about how they are living, and whether they have met one of the most important biblical conditions for salvation.
Don’t lose faith, my friends. I believe anyone can be saved. As one of my favorite pastors – the late Dr. Adrian Rogers – used to say, “None is so good he need not be saved, and none is so bad he cannot be saved”.
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