WAS HE/SHE SAVED?

Have you ever been to a funeral and heard someone ask, “Was he saved?” What do you say? Can you know whether someone was really saved or not? Are there clues? Is it possible that your pastor is not saved? Apparently it is in the Netherlands. There is a pastor by the name of Klaas Hendrikse who is known as the "atheist pastor." After twenty years in the ministry he says his unbelief has GROWN stronger with time. Now if you were is district supervisor, wouldn't you be concerned about this? Well they conducted an investigation and they came to the conclusion that his statements are "not of sufficient weight to damage the foundations of the church," and his ideas "are theologically not new, and are in keeping with the liberal tradition that is an integral part of our church." So, there can be atheists in the pulpit.

So how can you tell if a professing Christian is a real Christian?

One description of being saved is found in Romans 8:9 where it says, “. . . And if anyone does NOT have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Now, how can you know whether or not the Spirit of God dwells within an individual? Your doctor can test you for the presence of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar level, and high body temperature, but there is no instrument that you can press up against someone’s heart and measure the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Well, you might think, he was a church member and even involved in ministry, perhaps even an ordained ministry and serving as a pastor. Isn’t this proof that he was saved? Not necessarily. Take a look at Matt 7:21-23 where it says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many (not just a few) will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoer.’ 

So, it appears that not everyone who is a church member, who sings in the choir, or serves on a committee, or even in the pulpit, is necessarily saved. In fact, Amos, the Old Testament prophet came across a high priest by the name of Amaziah, who may not have been saved. In Amos 7:12 Amaziah confronts Amos who has been preaching a message from God and he says to him, "Get out, you seer!" Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don't prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king's sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom." You may have known a pastor who felt the same way. A "Pastor Amaziah" who says, "Do not teach the Book of Revelation at this church." Do not teach the Book of Genesis and creationism here." "We don't want to much Bible in our children's ministry program." "Do not teach on controversial issues." They may profess to be Christians, but they may not be. They may be a member of the clergy not because they were saved and called into the ministry, but perhaps they were influenced by family members to follow the family tradition and entered the ministry more as a career choice than a calling from God. I had a friend in the Army who was an attorney. He said that he hated his job. When I asked him why he became an attorney, he said, "Because my wife wanted to be married to a professional." Well, that marriage didn't last. Perhaps some go in to the ministry because of family tradition. Granddad was a preacher, dad and Uncle Joe were preachers. At every Thanksgiving dinner they all ask, "Have you answered the call of God yet?" The next thing you know his secular career takes a downturn and he reads this as the hand of God calling him into the ministry.

Matt 7:15-17 says that Jesus cautioned us to watch out for false prophets, and wolves in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their FRUIT you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?”

If we can recognize the type of tree by the type of fruit it produces, what are the fruit by which you can recognize a true Christian and true prophet (or pastor) from a false one? Let me suggest that you consider what Paul wrote in Gal 5:19:-23; “The acts of the sinful nature (the unconverted or carnal, immature Christian) are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will NOT inherit the kingdom of God. BUT, the fruit of the Spirit (the Holy Spirit found in TRUE believers) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” So we can see that the type of fruit one produces is a clue as to whether or not someone is saved.

Another clue is found in I Cor 2:14 where Paul wrote, “The man without the Spirit (the unconverted) does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” So the unbeliever either can’t understand the Bible or they consider it or parts of it as nonsense. If someone has no interest, understanding or respect for the Bible, this may indicate that he is unconverted.

Psalm 15 gives another list of traits to be found in a righteous person. These include those who: speak the truth; do not slander; does his neighbor no wrong, and keeps his promises. So here we have another clue as to a person's spiritual status.

Do you get the ideas here? Being a member of a local congregation, serving in a leadership capacity, etc. are not proofs of conversion. A truly converted or mature Christian will put forth good fruit. They will be known for living a moral life and treat others with kindness, patience, gentleness, etc. and they will respect the Word of God and not brush it aside as foolishness. 

So it appears that some church goers may not be true believers. Is it possible that non-church goers are true believers? Perhaps your neighbor who appears on the surface to have little interest in the things of God?

In a recent survey, it was found that three out of five non-church goers are professing Christians. And, perhaps they exhibit more fruit of the Spirit of God than church goers. Perhaps they were, at one time, church goers, but for one reason or another have been repelled by the church.

What about the non-church-goers who have expressed contempt for the things of God? Might they have been saved at the time of their deaths? I think so when you consider the thief on the cross in Luke 23:42. Here we see a man being executed with Jesus who repents and turns to Jesus saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus, answered, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise.” The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:21 that “Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him . . .” Paul is saying in this passage that everyone really knows that there is a God. It is clear from the creation itself. Many simply doesn’t want to acknowledge God because they want to live their lives without interference from God. But, when they are facing death, as the thief on the cross was, they finally surrender to God and are saved. It is my impression that many who deny God in their lives, when faced with eternity, will surrender to God, as the thief on the cross did.

Now, let’s go back to the original question that we ask when someone has died, "Was he saved?" He wasn’t saved because he was a member of a church or employed full-time in the ministry. Those who are not members of a church may be saved, but simply turned off to the church. Those who have expressed nothing but contempt for God may have been saved at the very end of their lives. So, don’t assume someone is saved or not saved based on position, membership or professions of faith. Be skeptical of those who profess faith but show little fruit of the Spirit and don’t lose hope and assume that those who have produced little or no fruit of the spirit are not saved or that those who expressed no faith until the end of their lives did not call out to God in their last moments of consciousness and were saved.