19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Just because someone states openly that "Jesus is the Son of God", doesn't necessarily mean that that person is a Christian.
Yes, yes: I know of the verse that some may be thinking of.
Yet, if we read James' letter, we see that there is more than just a profession of faith that determines whether someone is really a Christian by God's standards, or not.
The Lord Jesus Himself, in His address to the people in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), states plainly, and soberly, that there are many (yes, MANY) who profess Him to be Lord, and such will be denied by Him (Matthew 7:21-23).
This is not to crush your faith, beloved; no. Rather, it is to put you to the task of self-examination; to see if you are walking in the faith, or not walking in the faith.
The road to eternal life must be traveled upon by the believer. It is NARROW. It is full of tribulations.
We cannot just take our token of salvation, bury it in the sand, and expect it to draw usury(I'm not talking about money here, as MANY preachers make this parable out to be; I'm talking about the Gospel, and the preaching of it).
We have to "walk the walk" as well as "talk the talk".
People are watching us. GOD, is watching us. Let us be true to HIM and not be caught deceiving ourselves through vain imaginations of sainthood because we attend a gathering once, or twice a week. It takes more than an hour a week to keep us for eternity (I'm not saying this to mock a song lyric; God forbid. I'm speaking practically, in order to shew the seriousness of maintaining our profession in a consistent manner; so that we're not accused by the Accuser of the Brethren, of being hypocrites).
We must bear one another's burdens. As Christians, this is one of our many duties (yes, we have duties to carry out in our walk). We must be compassionate toward our brothers and sisters REGARDLESS of their level of understanding. It IS NOT OUR DUTY to declare that someone is not a Christian because they may hold, or not hold, to a certain viewpoint at a certain point in time. This is for GOD to judge.
Our duty is to pray for those who may be deficient in their understanding, and to go to them IN LOVE (As we are commanded to do).
(Note: I have, in the past done the opposite of what I'm stating here, particularly with regard to my last statement. I was wrong and have repented for it. In my zeal for accurate, doctrinal preaching, I became blinded to the love and compassion that must be shown toward others: not that the doctrine was wrong; it was me that was wrong. I was chastised/disciplined for it in love by Our Father in Heaven with a bodily affliction as a reminder, to preach in love toward the Brethren; and to remember mercy, just as Our Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ, showed mercy to me).
I thank you, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for your time spent in reading this post.
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless and preserve you .
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