Were those people ever saved?
John MacARthur responds in this 6 message series, The Gospel According to Jesus.
1.The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
3. The Lordship of Christ: Introduction
When interviewed about this series he said:
People, who believe that when a person is saved and they believe only for one moment and then walk away from it, are conservative Bible-believing people. They’re articulating a theology that says salvation is a result of and is secured by a moment of faith, whether or not there’s a transformation in life.
And that’s the concern to me because I look at Matthew 7, and I hear the Lord say that many are going to say unto Him, “Lord, Lord, we’ve done all these things in Your name.” And these aren’t people who are denying Him; these are people who are supposedly serving Him – at least in their own mind.
And He says to them, “I don’t even know you; depart from Me you workers of iniquity.”
So, apparently a person who claims to know the Lord, but who has a pattern of life of working iniquity, will not be admitted to heaven. And we’ve got to be consistent about taking what Jesus said and building our theology of the gospel on that.
He continues in saying:
What does Jesus mean when He says, “Follow Me”? Another way to approach people, rather than saying, “Will you believe,” is, “Are you willing to follow Jesus Christ?”
Jesus said it – He said this, “If you love Me, you keep My commandments. And the one who knows Me is the one who keeps My commandments.” So, it is a continual believing which results in a change in behavior. I mean let’s face it; our life is a reflection of what our beliefs are, if they’re true beliefs.
As you look back from the time of your salvation, after you gave your life to Christ, or however you termed it, did you have a desire to obey Him? To follow Him, to do His will? If your answer is yes, the Spirit of God began to produce that in your life.
I’m not saying that everyone, at the point of salvation, fully understands all the implications of Christ’s lordship. I’m not saying that a person, at the point of salvation, fully understands the sinfulness of sin. I’m not saying, at the point of salvation, that a person fully loves God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. What I am saying is that when God saves someone, He begins to produce those things in their life, a growing love for Him, a growing willingness to obey, and a growing hatred of sin.
This series by John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus, reveals that “today’s gospel message rarely matches the gospel Jesus taught.”
Join John MacArthur in carefully examining The Gospel According to Jesus—the full and distinctive message our Lord Himself proclaimed. This valuable study will enable you to more effectively share your faith in the true, life-transforming and exclusive message of redemption in Christ. *gty.org
*Feature Image provided by IStock Javier Photography
