Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test
yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in
you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 2 Corinthians 13:5
Sometimes we mistake being in church for being in Christ. There is
grave danger when we suppose that the two are the same. Being in Christ
naturally places one in the church of God, but merely being in church
doesn't automatically place one in Christ. So how does one come into
Christ to make being in church meaningful?
Jesus preached, saying, repent and believe; the apostles preached the
same, making belonging to the kingdom of God subsequent on repentance
and faith. To be in church without repentance, is to be without Christ.
Unfortunately, this is the grave danger that face many unconverted in
church. Someone may ask, how can I know that I am an unconverted church
attendant? Great question.
Jesus answers this question in a very simple but practical way when
He said, by their fruit you shall know them. A tree must produce after
its kind. Or said differently, a tree is known by the fruit it bears.
When a person repents and believes the gospel, a most wonderful thing
happens: a transition takes place. In the words of the apostle Paul,
such a person is translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom
of God's dear Son. This transition equally results in a changed
lifestyle. But to claim to be born of God and yet live like a child of
the devil, is first signal that one is merely making an unsubstantiated
claim of being in Christ. This is not saying that entrance into the
kingdom of God comes by changing how we behave, but rather, that coming
into the kingdom of God brings about a change in how we live.
Should such a person, who is only in church and not in Christ die in
this state, he/she would have transited from church to hell. Meanwhile,
people will be saying of such a person that he has gone to be with
Christ, when during his lifetime he was never in Christ. Transiting from
church to hell is a frightening possibility, hence the need for this
warning; but the greatest security against eternal damnation is found
only in Christ.
For those of us who are cumbered with the great responsibility of
guiding people to God, the distinction of being in church and being in
Christ needs to be made because there are many people in the church who
are not in Christ.
Toni
