The Plowman

Introduction:
It’s a great hymn.  One of my favorites.  I especially like to sing it at funerals because it is such a confident affirmation of our faith.  “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!  O’ what a foretaste, of glory divine!  Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.”  There is no more comforting feeling than that of knowing you are secure.  To know that you are safe in the arms of a loving and gracious God who has promised to keep you forevermore.  But what if your assurance is a false assurance?  What if what you know to be true turns out to be false?  Have you ever known something only to find out it wasn’t true?  I mourned the loss of a classmate for years having been told of his tragic death only to run into one day at the doctor’s office some 10 years after his “death.”  It makes you wonder, “What else do I know that isn’t true?”  Then you start to look at your spiritual life.  Who hasn’t had the thought, “How could I be a real Christian and still do that?”  Then you read about those who will be surprised on the day of Judgment, “But Lord we preached the Gospel in your name, we cast out demons, we healed the sick” and He replies, “Depart from Me.  I never knew you.”  Questions.  Doubts.  Fears.  How are we to respond to them?   Are we to live in uncertainty?  Are we to push such thoughts away and blindly trust?  Are such thoughts always the work of the devil?  Are they all unhealthy?

We are Baptists.  We are those “once saved, always saved folks.”  How are we to respond to questions about our faith and the certainty that we belong to Christ?  Do you remember last week I said, “The problem with my questions is that when I come to Scripture and answer one - the answer creates five more?”  Last time we asked the question, “Is it possible to be a carnal Christian?”  I said the answer is no.  You are either saved or lost.  There is no third category.  A man whose walk is characteristically or habitually ungodly is not a “poor Christian” he is not a Christian at all.  Yes, Christians sin.  Christians can and do fall into great sin and it can be for an extended time but the man who lives in sin, without the conviction of the Holy Spirit; who has no desire for fellowship with Christ or His church; who lives without regard for the will of God has every reason to question whether he has ever been born of the Spirit of God.  I fear such a man will be in that “surprised” crowd on the day of judgment.

1. The Basis of Assurance
2. The Testing of Assurance
   • The doctrinal test - 1 John 2:22-23
   • The love test - 1 John 2:9-11
   • The test of obedience - 1 John 2:3-6
3. Conclusion

Introduction:
I like things cut and dried.  Don’t you like things “in their place?”  Isn’t it great when you’re not left wondering why or how?  Especially when it comes to matters of faith.  It is so much easier if you can take biblical truth wrap it up in a pretty package put a bow on it and then sit it on the shelf and forget about it.  If I ever need it - I know where it is.  It I need to show it to someone I can get it down.  Oh, and I want everything clearly labeled.  And if you don’t mind, I’ll do the labeling.  The problem of course is that faith is not nearly as “cut and dried” as we would like for it to be.  It is, at times, messy.  It can be confusing.  No matter how hard I try - “He” just won’t fit into my box.  There are things about our faith that are clear and easily understood on the face of it.  There are other aspects that are mysterious and beyond our understanding.  And there are those things that are too clear and so we do our best to distort or reinterpret to ease our guilt.  Is it possible to know if a person is a Christian?  Can you tell who is and who isn’t?  Is it proper to even consider such things?  What about the relationship between a Christian and sin?  Is it possible to be free from sin?  Can you be a Christian and live in open sin?  Does the security of the believer mean “just trust Jesus and then live however you want to live?”  Is Christ’s life and death sufficient for salvation?  Is there nothing we bring to it?  What about the “Spirit-filled” life?  Questions I’m sure you have a lot of them - I know I do.  The problem with some of my questions is that when I go to the Scripture and find and answer - the answer creates more questions!  This evening we begin a series of messages on “questions.”

I want to begin this series by asking, “Is it possible to be a carnal Christian?”
This is a common teaching.  It is the notion that it is possible to be a genuine Christian and yet live a sinful life.  A life that does not reflect the will of God nor is interested in the things of God.

By genuine Christian I mean:

• You have genuinely repented of your sin.
• You have placed your faith and trust in Christ.
• You have been regenerated, made new by the working of the Holy Spirit.
• Christ lives in you through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Yet:

• You live without regard for Christ.
• You live without thought or concern for the will of God.
• You have no interest in His church.

The “carnal Christian” teaching says while not ideal, not really what God wants or expects of us, such a person can rest assured they belong to Christ and are therefore guaranteed a place in glory.

Can such a view be supported from the Scripture?  That’s what I want us to explore. I want to walk through 4 things in answering this question. I think it is important to walk through these steps to gain the best understanding.

1. First, let’s consider some amazing Scriptural declarations concerning genuine believers.
   • John 7:38
   • Romans 6:14
   • Romans 8:14
2. That brings us to some disturbing questions.
   • Considering the facts just mention, why is it some Christians do not sense the presence and power of the Holy Spirit?  How is it some Christians are dominated by sin?  How is it many do not recognize the leadership of the Holy Spirit?
   • Christians through the years have tried to answer the questions I’ve raised.  How is it a Christian’s life contradicts God’s promise?  Some answers have been better than others.  Many have concluded this is further proof that salvation can be lost.  It is obvious to many that you could not be a Christian and live such lifestyles.  Those who hold to eternal security, who believe that once God begins His work he will complete it - seek another solution.
3. That brings us to a common but less than adequate explanation.
   • Many have come to the conclusion the some Christians are not spiritual but rather “carnal” or worldly.  This is the carnal Christian doctrine.
   • This is a sober warning to us.
4. A word of caution.
   • So to answer the question - Christians often sin and often sin grievously.  Christians can fall into gross immorality.  But no, a Christian cannot habitually and characteristically live in sin and disobedience.  Such a life is a betrayal of a profession of faith.
   • Such a lifestyle demands a serious and careful examination of one’s soul.