In Part 2 of this series, we talked about several important reasons why it is imperative to progress in our sanctification, such as the alignment with who we already are in Christ (indicatives), and the avoidance of several different types of spiritual loss. The most detrimental is the loss of “fake salvation”, a state that can only be discerned through a clear retraction of faith, and after a thorough process of church discipline. Part 3 continues to describe this process.
Below is a brief walk-through of the church discipline process Jesus outlined in Matthew 18:
1. Identification of Sin: Paul makes it clear that heinous sin should not be ignored by the community, but judged and dealt with (See 1 Cor 5:1-12). The process begins when a fellow believer identifies sin in another member’s life (Matthew 18:15). This step involves addressing issues that might be leading the individual away from the truth, not every single sin someone commits.
2. Private Confrontation: This process starts with private confrontation between the parties involved. This step aims to bring about repentance and reconciliation. This must not be done in a spirit of condemnation (Rom 14:4), but in that of gentleness, tentativeness, and self-evaluation (Gal 6:1). It cannot be stressed enough that the erring Christian must be considered at all times as a born again believer who has full access to the aforementioned indicatives in Christ; a person who needs encouragement to fulfill the imperatives in alignment with those indicatives. They should never be prematurely judged as an unbeliever. If the person repents, it reflects their openness to correction and their genuine faith. Even if their repentance is followed by repeat offenses, their continued desire for forgiveness and rescue from sin’s power warrants the “seventy times seven” forgiveness principle (Mt 18:21-22). However, some will reject encouragement and refuse to seek forgiveness and rescue, which leads to the next step.
3. Involvement of Witnesses: If private confrontation and discipleship doesn’t lead to resolution, the matter is brought before two or three witnesses (Matthew 18:16). This step ensures accountability, allowing others to assess the situation and encourage repentance. This should likely involve church elders; those gifted in teaching, discipleship and discernment. Again, the erring Christian is still treated as a born again member of Christ’s body who is in need of discipleship, not an apostate.
4. Church Involvement: If the issue persists, it is brought before the entire church community (Matthew 18:17a). The church’s involvement underscores the seriousness of the situation and aims to lead the individual toward repentance and away from apostasy.
5. Treat as Unbeliever: If the person refuses to listen to the church, formally rejects all association with the church, and renounces their faith in Christ, they are to be treated as an unbeliever or a tax collector (Matthew 18:17b). This formal departure is the only legitimate means to consider a former “Christian” a fake believer, because this is the only way they genuinely “manifest”. I liken it to toothpaste being squeezed out of the tube. What’s truly inside doesn’t come out until it’s squeezed out! The church discipline process is the squeezing. It spurs a disciple to move on in their spiritual journey, whether toward growth or apostasy. Without it, a false convert will go unnoticed because they won’t be pushed to a decision of rejecting Christ and the church.
John comments on fake believers being identified by their formal departure:
“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” (1 John 2:19, ESV)
John teaches that the apostates’ departure from the assembly (and from God) serves as evidence that they were never really converted. Although they did many alleged “good” works during their religious journey, Jesus suggests they will hear these frightful words when they stand before Him – “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Mt 7:23) [13].
It’s important to approach this process with humility, love, and a desire for the individual’s well-being. As stated, the primary aim is not to judge someone’s salvation but to bring about repentance and restoration, ultimately reflecting the redemptive heart of Christ and His desire for His people’s growth and unity. Manifested apostasy is only an indirect byproduct this process.
The church’s judgment in Matthew 18 to excommunicate someone is a serious act of discipline, but it does not infallibly declare that the person is reprobate or beyond hope. A clear example is the man in 1 Corinthians 5 who was delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” This shows that the goal of discipline is ultimately restorative, not merely punitive. In fact, many scholars believe that this same man repented and was restored to fellowship, as Paul urges the church in 2 Corinthians 2:6–8 to forgive and comfort a repentant individual, reaffirming their love for him.
Challenges with Attempts at Church Discipline
While a church discipline model seems like a simple solution to the nagging question of assurance, it is far from simple. It may have been simple in the early church, where the body of Christ was unified under apostolic authority and doctrine. The church is now splintered into so many denominations with various interpretations of scriptural commands and ordinances. Many have very narrow belief requirements (beyond the core salvific beliefs), deeming all other beliefs “heretical”. There isn’t sufficient communication across denominational lines. People can slip out of one church into another, or out of one denomination into another, without notice. They take their bundle of sin and rebellion from church to church, getting a fresh unchallenged start on each new prey.
Even churches that employ discipline struggle to employ it the way Jesus prescribed. Some denominations employ it for certain sins, such as dissension or ecclesiastical trouble-making, but not as a way of life to tackle sins that are destroying relationships, homes, marriages, and families. There is also the tendency to employ it in a judicial sense, where “charges” are brought against members, and they are commanded to appear before a session and give clear evidence of their repentance. Jesus’s model is more grassroots, entailing less governmental structure and more relational discipleship. Finally, many church discipline models exercise excommunication on the basis of “failure to repent of a gross crime”. Here’s an example:
BCO-30-4: “Excommunication is the excision of an offender from the communion of the Church. This censure is to be inflicted only on account of gross crime or heresy and when the offender shows himself incorrigible and contumacious.” [14]
The model I’m proposing would never fully excommunicate someone based on a failure to repent of a specific sin, but only after their formal renunciation of Christ and His church. There must be a difference between distancing ourselves from unruly members (2 Thess 3:14-15, Tit 3:10-11) and an outright declaration of their apostasy from Christianity (1 Jn 2:19). The aforementioned discipleship process could be used to determine both of these consequences. Some churches call the former a “suspension”, while the latter is an “excommunication”. Of course, the latter would be hard to implement, especially when many offenders cease to respond to the disciplinary process once it escalates, making their formal renunciation of the faith undiscoverable by the church. Nevertheless, while there is a temptation to consider an unruly person “unsaved”, to do so prematurely, without a witnessed renunciation of the faith, is presumptive.
Encouragements for the worried believer
The point of this article was not to simply convey information, but to nurture a paradigm shift; a shift away from timidity and lack of confidence, to victory and the pursuit of holiness. If you are a professed believer in Jesus Christ who sincerely cried out to God for salvation, He saved you! He saved you from your past sin, and He will save you from His future wrath! Where we often struggle is in the middle! But rest assured, He is also saving you from the present evil age to the extent at which you cooperate with His sanctifying grace.
But how do I know I’m saved?
You can know you are saved because “the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom 8:16). How does He bear witness? Through our actions? Of course not! We would fail the test miserably if we laid our own righteous acts against the perfect holiness required by God. John’s First epistle gives various tests that help identify the regenerated man when He surfaces, but this is only to suppress our own misguided fears, and is not intended to be used to cast doubt on our salvation when He doesn’t surface (or doesn’t surface enough). True confidence comes through the “anointing from the Holy One” that abides in us when we “know the truth” (1 Jn 2:20) and confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (v22, 23). As long as that Spirit-empowered truth, or anointing, which we received in the beginning, remains in us, we can know we abide in the Son (v24, 27).
I don’t know if I love and fear God enough to be saved
We are commanded to love God with our entire heart, mind, soul, and strength (Mk 12:30-31). Every time we sin, we fail to love Him, as Jesus said loving Him means keeping His commands (Jn 14:21). So, thankfully salvation isn’t based on some minimum level of love, other than that which is demonstrated in obeying the call of the Gospel itself (1 Pet 4:17, 2 Thess 1:8). Beyond that, love is a fruit of the Spirit flowing from the indwelling Spirit’s work in our lives (Gal 5:21). It is something we “add” to our initial faith, and not something integral to it (2 Pet 1:5-7).
The same thing applies to the “fear of God”. Yes, the fear of God is to hate evil and depart from evil (Prov 8:13, 16:6). Nevertheless, no one departs from all evil immediately when they are saved, and therefore, not everyone completely “fears God” perfectly in this life. Over time, we are perfected in holiness in the “fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1).
Our own human relationships should serve as a good analogy here. My love for my wife is not the same now as when I first married her. It has become more deep-rooted over time, and I suspect it will continue to do so forever.
How can I possibly know Him if I still sin?
1 John states that we “know him if we keep his commands” (1 Jn 2:3), and that he who sins has not “known him” (3:6). However, this doesn’t mean that we don’t know Him at all until we keep all of His commands! John elsewhere told his readers that they already knew Him (2:13). To understand this, we have to think about the indicative and imperative pattern, combined with the dual nature of the believer. When we are saved, our regenerated inner man knows Him, as a definite relationship has begun. Yet, as we obey scriptural imperatives, we align with our identity, grow in that relationship, and know Him more experientially. Accordingly, our full knowledge of Him is reserved for our future salvation, or resurrection, when we receive eternal life (Jn 17:3). Paul agrees when he cries, “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection … that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection.” (Php 3:10-11, ESV)
How can I possibly have a regenerated spirit if sin flows from my heart?
Jesus does state in several places that sin flows from the heart; “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Mt 15:19, c.f. Mt 12:34-40). However, unwarranted fear arises when we equate the heart with the spirit. As I already demonstrated, the Christian’s spirit is regenerated, sinless, blameless, holy, and alive! The flesh, on the other hand, is weak, mortal, and prone to illicit indulgences. At any given moment, there is a battle between these two natures in the believer’s “mind”. I propose that the New Testament equates the heart with the mind, not with the spirit. Like the mind, the heart is where “understanding” occurs (Mt 13:15, Jn 12:40, Acts 28:7); where “thoughts” (Mt 15:19, Lk 24:38, Acts 8:22) and speech (Mt 12:34) originate; where “doubt” occurs (Mk 11:23); where “pondering” occurs (Lk 2:19, 51, Mt 24:48); where reasoning occurs (Mk 2:6, Lk 5:22); where the imagination resides (Lk 1:51); where ideas are “conceived” (Acts 5:4) and secrets are hidden (1 Cor 14:25). The heart is where “thoughts and intents” arise (Heb 4:12), and the conscience is exercised (1 Jn 3:20, Rom 2:15). As a representation of affection, the “heart” is a fitting symbol for the mind. After understanding (or failing to understand) its options, the mind places its affection on a given appetite (whether spiritual or fleshly), and then triggers the physical being toward that action.
Believers can have heart problems while they are saved. When Jesus spoke of the “stony ground” hearts that would be “offended” by persecution (Mk 4:17), he was actually describing his own disciples, including Peter, who would be “offended” and scattered when Jesus was arrested (14:27, 29-30). David, a man after God’s own heart, needed his own heart purified (Ps 51:10). Simon, a baptized believer (Ac 8:13), had a heart that was “not right before God” (8:21). Does this mean that it’s okay to have a “bad heart”? Not at all! Paul admonishes us to let Christ dwell in our hearts by faith (Eph 3:17). We are to let Christ be the center of our understanding, thoughts, and choices. A failure to do so does not invalidate our regeneration, but validates our need for sanctification.
Though I’m a believer, and act like a believer, how do I know I’m not a tare who looks a lot like the wheat?
Jesus used a lot of agricultural imagery to describe spiritual things. The parable of the wheat and the tares, found in Matthew 13, tells a simple story about the Jews who were being presented the Gospel of the kingdom. They all had the same ethnicity and covenantal background. However, the true Jews (wheat) were those who accepted Christ by faith, while the children of the wicked one (tares) were those who undeniably rejected Christ (Jn 8:42-44). The latter claimed to know God, but their works denied them (Tit 1:16); the main work being unbelief (v15, c.f. Jn 6:29, Heb 4:2). In the end, they will be judged according to their iniquity, while the former will be exempt from that condemnation, being found in the book of life! If you trust Jesus for your salvation, you are a child of the kingdom whose name is written in the book of life.
Another agricultural illustration Jesus uses is the vine in John 15. Jesus talks about fruitless branches being broken off (15:2), and about non-abiding branches being cast into the fire (v6). Does this mean that sin in our lives will result in our being cut off? If that were the case, then it would mean that works sustain our salvation! No, Romans 11:16-24 makes it clear that the grafting and breaking-off of branches is by faith and faith alone. While stellar abundant fruit is Jesus’s goal for our lives, faith itself is the primary fruit that pleases God (11:6). Also, the fact that you have concerns about your salvation is fruit in and of itself, demonstrating a humility and desire for God’s rescue. That’s not a branch or a tare that will be burned!
I’m nervous about how narrow the way to eternal life is? Am I good enough?
It is true that Jesus said “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Mt 7:14). However, if you have exercised simple belief in the core salvific truths and the repentance outlined earlier in this article, you are on the narrow path of life, not the wide path to destruction. The narrowness of the path doesn’t change the aforementioned requirements. In fact, I would argue that a salvation that is based on self-rescue, measured by works, is dangerously close to the wide path of destruction. Many Jews in Jesus’ time were bound by man-made traditions and strict law-keeping, as seen in Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark 7:1-13. They had a hard time accepting faith-based salvation. Still today, a majority of the world has not embraced the life changing truth of the Gospel. As of this writing, only 31.5% of the world is professedly Christian [15]. The remainder is blinded by false religion and secular atheism. This confirms Jesus’s saying, “those who find it are few”. Yet, this bleak promise is balanced with another promise, namely, that the number of Abraham’s children would be like the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky (Gen 22:17), “a great multitude that no one could number” (Rev 7:9).
I feel terrible about how I sinned so much as a younger Christian!
Don’t let regret pull you into defeat and doubt about your salvation. That is exactly what the “accuser of the brethren” wants (Rev 12:10). Instead, let God, through the convicting power of His Holy Spirit (Jn 16:7-11), use those regrets to fuel your future obedience. You are His workmanship; His project; His pottery. As your loving Father, He is here to pick you up, brush you off and propel you forward; not to kick you while you’re down and call you an absolute failure. Nothing is wasted! The good and the bad are forming you, as all things work together for good, for your ultimate glorification (Rom 8:28-30).
I pray that these encouragements magnify your appreciation for your salvation and your gratitude for God’s limitless grace, fueling a life of obedience and alignment with who you are in Christ. I pray that you don’t suffer the aforementioned losses, but flourish in your spiritual journey with full assurance of faith.
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End Notes:
[13] The fact that these false prophets, in their post-mortem state, address Jesus as “Lord, Lord may suggest that they never departed from their professed belief in Christ, and now, surprisingly, get condemned to hell for doing too much iniquity while they were Christians. I believe, however, that they were apostates, who, as described in 1 John 2:19, eventually departed from the church and the faith. They now plead with Jesus based on their pre-apostasy alleged religious works, which may or may not have been genuine. They only address Christ by the title “Lord, Lord” because every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is “Lord” in the post-mortem state (Php 2:11). The same can be said of goats in Mt 25:44, who also call Jesus “Lord” when they face their judgment.
[14] Book of Church Order, Presbyterian Church of America
[15] https://florida.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/sj14-soc-religmap/world-religions-map/
The Middle Ground 