Salvation: Who is a TRUE Believer

The speaker discusses the concept of true believers in Christianity. They explain that a true believer is someone who has received Jesus Christ into their heart and is born again. They emphasize that there is no middle ground - a person is either a believer or they are not. The speaker also mentions that believers can lose their salvation if they do not have a genuine faith and do not repent of their sins. They use examples from the Bible, such as the parable of the pound and the parable of the unforgiving servant, to support their points. The speaker concludes that only Jesus can judge who is a true believer and that all believers are equal before God until the time of judgment. Welcome to our weekly exhortation. Thank you for joining me. Thank you for your precious time. My name is Guy Lambeau, Servant of God, Servant of Jesus Christ. Today, we would like to know who is a true believer. It is claimed that if a believer loses his Christian character, it is because he is not in the first place a true believer. Like we always said, the loss of Christian salvation is a biblical truth, past, present and future. But some Christians cannot stand the fact that a believer can lose his Christian character. They claim that if a believer loses his Christian character, his Christian salvation, it is because he is not in the first place a true believer. Let's see if this affirmation is true. But first, we will see who is referred to as a true believer according to the Bible. I hope this will further our understanding of the Scripture at some point. Shall we gather at the river where bright angel feet have trod With its crystal tide forever flowing by the throne of God Just so you know, we are not contrasting between the son of the kingdom and the son of the evil one. We are just talking about the sons of the kingdom, Matthew chapter 13, verse 38. Personally, I am not sure I have read the word true believer or genuine believer in the Bible. The only thing I know is that us men use this group of words to describe people according to God's heart. Now, who is a believer? First, a believer is one who has received the truth that Jesus Christ is the son of God into their hearts, resulting in a new creation, John chapter 1, verse 12. But, as many as received him, to them gave the power to become the sons of God. So, the one who is born again and who keeps the word of the prophecy is called a believer. Revelation chapter 1, verse 3. In Romans chapter 8, verse 14, it is written, As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Now, considering this definition, the group of word true believer does not seem to hold water. We are either Christ believers or we are not. Either we keep the word of God or we don't. There is no middle ground. So, there is only one way to become a son of God according to Jesus. John chapter 3, verse 5. To be born of water and of the Spirit. It is only through regeneration. Those who are regenerated are the born again Christians, the children of God. To them, God gives His Spirit. In addition to His Spirit, God gives them His law. God says, those who will keep His word will overcome the world. They are the blessed ones. My point is this. What makes a person a true believer is the fact that he is born of water and of the Spirit. He is regenerated. Anyone who goes through that spiritual process is a son of God. In a word, under normal circumstances, a true believer is a son of God. Period. You see, God says only the person who has faith. We cannot deny the fact that true believers can lose their salvation. Otherwise, how could someone be set free in the first place if he did not believe in Jesus or call upon Jesus to save him? We saw in Matthew chapter 12, verse 43 to 45 there, God's power operates by the Holy Spirit to set man free. And the Spirit of God works through Jesus. There is no other name under heaven by which we may be saved. So, a true believer is simply someone who comes to God through faith in Jesus. A true believer is the one who is set free from the power of sin because he believed in Jesus and confessed his sins. So, initially, everyone is a son of God, a true believer, because he is born again. We can see there, it is the manner in which you come to know Jesus that matters. Parable of the Pound In order to understand the picture, I would like to compare the parable of the pound, Luke chapter 19, verse 11 to 27, and the parable of the talents, Matthew chapter 25, verse 14 to 30. If you read the parable of the pound carefully, you will see there it emphasizes one aspect of the spiritual life, namely that we all start out the same. What do I mean? Well, what I mean is every believer has the same one pound to start with. God has treated each servant equally by giving him the same Holy Spirit, the same life, an equal portion of life. We have the same gospel, the same life from Christ. That's the meaning of the one pound that each believer received. Then, with time, what happens? Well, some end up with two talents. Others have five talents, ten talents. There was an increase. Some servants grew more in their spirituality than others. You see, the parable of the pound has to do with the Christian life at the beginning, and the parable of the talent has to do with the Christian life at a later stage, when there has been an increase of power, and things have begun to change when God is instructing more and more to the believer. See, faith is basically a response to God. That response determines the level of increase in power and ability. As that goes on, the difference becomes wider and wider. Some grow spiritually. They become spiritual giants. But, some are what I could call spiritual pygmies because they never grew. But, the fact that some grow spiritually more than the others doesn't change anything in the status of son of God until Jesus comes back. Presently, all the believers are the same. This is why God has set a time for the judgment of believers. The judgment will determine who is a good servant and who is a wicked servant. As for now, we haven't really seen it just yet. So, it's not up to you and me to call someone a true or a false believer, except Jesus, the judge. Because by doing so, we are judging each other. Matthew chapter 7 verse 1. So, let's understand this. For the time being, all believers are equal before God. If all believers have been forgiven and received the gift of the Holy Spirit, if for the time being all of them are equal before God, it follows that all believers are son of God. They are true believers. I can almost say that to be born of water and of the Spirit is the criterion that makes someone a true believer. Nothing else. Whether someone is good or bad will depend on the decision of the judge, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Now, remember, we said either you are a believer or you are not. And that there's no middle ground. Either God forgives your sins or He retains them. The case of Simon the Sorcerer in the book of Acts can enlighten us. Acts chapter 8 verse 9 till 14. The Bible says that when Philip proclaimed in Samaria the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women, including Simon the Sorcerer himself. Later, Peter and John prayed for the new believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit. But notice this. All of them received the gift of the Holy Spirit except Simon the Sorcerer. Why? Well, because his heart is not right before God. Simon the Sorcerer was full of bitterness and captive to sin. The Bible says that he was a wicked believer. Actually, his plan was not the salvation of his soul but for evil purposes. He didn't receive the forgiveness of God. He was not saved. My point is this. I mean what I want to say from this example is that if God forgives you, He forgives you indeed. You've become a son of God, a true believer. But He will not forgive if He sees that you are not willing to be saved. This is to tell you that all those who are born again are true believers. They are sons of God. If God doesn't forgive you, like in the case of Simon the Sorcerer, you are not a true believer. You are not a son of God. So, under ten deaths, all those who received the Holy Spirit are children of God. They were justified. Their house has been cleaned. It has been set in total order. Those are the ones who draw near to God because they recognize the four spiritual conditions. They are the ones in whom God has poured out His compassion. Praise the Lord. You know, compassion is a feeling. It is not a superficial feeling. It is associated with something deep inside of you. We have compassion when our heart takes upon itself the suffering of the other. Remember in Matthew chapter 14 verse 14, it is written that when Jesus went out, He saw a great multitude and He was moved with compassion for them and He healed their sick. Jesus was moved with compassion. This same word is used of the Lord Jesus in the filling of the five thousand. He looked upon the crowd. He saw them hungry. He felt their hunger and He had compassion on them. Friend, we should be thankful because if Jesus didn't show us no mercy, we would be lost. Yes, we would be lost. Praise the Lord. Now, I will give you one example from the Bible to show you that a born again Christian, what you can call a true believer, can fall away and lose his salvation. I should point out that the loss of salvation doesn't concern a non-Christian because the non-Christians are not saved. How can one lose something that he doesn't have? So, the loss of salvation is about believers. About children of God. In fact, in the parable of the unforgiving servant, Matthew chapter 18, verse 21 to 35, the servant owed his master ten thousand talents. This was a huge amount of money. Since the servant could not pay the ten thousand talents he owed, the king ordered that he be sold along with his wife, his children and all his possessions. When the servant heard the verdict, he fell upon his knees before the king and begged for mercy. Be patient with me and I will pay back everything, he said. The king took pity on the servant. Remember this word. He took pity. Compassion. Right? So, the king cancelled the debt completely and let the servant go. Surprisingly, when it was his turn, this servant refused to forgive his fellow servant who owed him money and had his debtor thrown into prison. When the king was informed, he was so upset that, this time, he turned the unforgiving servant to jailers to have him tortured until all of his original debt was paid. Friend, remember this. The king turned the unforgiving servant to jailers to have him tortured until all of his original debt was paid. But this servant was forgiven already. He was forgiven. The shocking aspect of this behavior is his failure to exercise toward his fellow servant even a little of the generosity with which he himself had been treated. This man received forgiveness. The servant received forgiveness but does not show such forgiveness. What this parable is saying is this. The servant received forgiveness but he does not want to show such forgiveness toward his fellow servant. Then the king, filled with anger, decided to put the debt of 10,000 talents he forgave him back on the shoulder of the servant. The man was handed over to the torturer until the debt was fully paid. The Apostle James brings out this reciprocal relationship between man's mercy and God in James chapter 2, verse 3. There it is written, For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. This means the person who is not merciful cannot expect to receive mercy after judgment. Praise the Lord. So according to this parable, if the debt represents our sins, if the king stands for God, and if the servant symbolizes the disciple, then the conclusion has to be this. As the martyr revoked the earlier consolation of his servant's debt, so too God will revoke his forgiveness of a disciple's sin if that disciple, like the first servant in the parable, refuses to forgive the sin of another disciple. Question. Was the servant in this parable a true believer? Of course, yes. He is a true believer. Why? Well, because the martyr was moved with compassion for him. The martyr took pity on the servant and cancelled his debt and let him go. This stands for forgiveness, for mercy. He was forgiven, he was saved, he was cleaned of his debt. And this servant, he sincerely believed that only God can save him, can forgive him. That's why he fell upon his knee before the master and begged for mercy. You cannot beg for mercy someone who cannot give you mercy. The servant recognized that the only person who can forgive him was the master. That's why he fell upon his knee. So this servant was forgiven. He was a true servant. And yet, later, the master revoked the earlier cancellation of his debt. The master decided to put the debt of ten thousand talents back on his shoulders. This means simply that God will revoke his forgiveness of a disciple's sin. If that disciple, like the first servant in the parable, refuses to forgive the sin of another disciple, the disciple will lose the grace of forgiveness. In Matthew 18 chapter 27, it's written, And the Lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. If Jesus didn't forgive our sins, we are not saved. We will not be his children. And you see this servant too, he was forgiven. The Lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. Then in Matthew chapter 18 verse 32, it is written, Then someone in him, his Lord said to him, You wicked slave, I forgive you all that debt because you intruded me. So first we saw that, that means he was completely free from his sins. That's the proof of being a true slave, a true believer. But then his salvation, his grace was revoked. This is explained by Matthew chapter 18 verse 32. Then someone in him, his Lord said to him, You wicked slave, I forgive you all that debt because you intruded me. But now the master decided to put the bag on his shoulders, 10,000 talents. The master said, OK, since you could not forgive your fellow servant, I am reclaiming, I am withdrawing the forgiveness that I gave you. That's what it means. So this servant was a true believer. He was born again. May God bless your understanding, friend. So, the servant was forgiven. I don't see how we can deny it. He did get a complete remission of debt. This being the case, does it not follow that he represents a Christian who has truly experienced God's forgiveness? And because this believer has provoked himself unworthy of God's mercy by refusing to forgive others, the initial forgiveness was withdrawn. Praise the Lord. Friend, I couldn't end this message without saying a word on some populistic counter-argument. When we take Paul's teaching as a whole, it is easy to notice his emphasis on the faithfulness of God in fulfilling the promises made to his people. Let's look at a few examples of this. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 24. It is written, He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. The God who calls men to his kingdom will not fail to prepare them to enter in by making them holy. Philippians 1 verse 6. There it is written, And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ. Having begun a good work, God will carry it through to the end. Then, 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 7 to 8. It is written, Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift, as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. After divine grace has been bestowed richly on the church, the Lord Jesus will also confirm them to the end so as to be blameless. Another verse. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13. It is written, No temptation has overtaken you except such as is in common to man. But God is faithful, whom will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. When temptation comes to the believers, God is faithful and will not let them be tempted beyond their strength. He will provide a way for them to endure. Now, John chapter 10 verse 28 to 29. There it is written, I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. Says the Lord, Friend, all these are the promises of God to His children. But, do you know why God makes promises to us? It is so that we stay faithful to Him. That's the point. You know, as Christians we use these verses that I have just read to go against the fact that a child of God, a true believer of God cannot know his Christian qualities. But, saying this is based on a flawed logic. Because, as reassuring as these promises are, they do not eliminate the possibility for a disciple to rebel against God and refuse His protection. The faithfulness of God does not rule out the possibility of the faithlessness of man. In other words, divine protection does not rule out the need for human vigilance. I just want to say this. There is nothing automatic or magical about God's promises to keep His people from evil. And, this is shown by the fact that it is possible for the believer to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. God will not force us to obey Him if we choose to disobey Him. Let me close with those words. You give the healing and grace our hearts always hunger for. The loss of salvation concerns the children of God only. It is about the sons of the kingdom. Otherwise, how can someone lose something that he doesn't have? The non-Christian has never made any commitment to Jesus. He has not been saved. Saying that a true believer or a child of God cannot lose his salvation is based on a flawed logic. Furthermore, in many places, the Bible talks about a believer's assurance of salvation. God has called His elect to be conformed to an image of His Son and to participate in His glory. There is no power in the universe that can stop that. On the other hand, many exhortations in the Bible are addressed to believers which imply that they also have their part to play in their salvation. And, this is what we emphasize in this passage about the unforgiving servant. The need for this kind of example that I gave shows that there is a possibility for a Christian to fall away. God's grace does not operate in a mechanical manner where the believer is inevitably carried on to perfection. It cooperates with his free will. You know, God has given to those who trust Him the first fruit of the Holy Spirit, the seal of the Holy Spirit. He is our guarantee. We must make every effort to hold on by God's grace to this guarantee. We must keep the Holy Spirit in our lives by obeying Him day by day. The believer who commits himself to the grace of God in this way can be certain that nothing will separate him from the love of God. He can rejoice right now in the hope of final salvation. Friend, Obedience But, the fact that you have been set free doesn't mean that you will automatically remain free. No. You know, any truth that is rejected for a long time can become a lie if no one says anything. It can destroy people's lives. This is exactly the case of the loss of Christian salvation that many struggle to accept. May God help us. Thank you for your time. I have spent more than the time available for this message. Sorry about that. I thought it was so important that this precision be made so that no one is unaware. If God wills, we'll be together next week. God bless. God bless. God bless. God bless.