Should Churches Welcome Professing Believers Living Sinfully as True Christians? Absolutely NOT!
I did remember having my rather arduous task of being a defender of the Christian faith as every Christian is called to be, I would like to really point this out that it's a big issue of "easy believism" to assume that certain people who are living sinfully and say they are Christians, may be Christians and have absorbed them into the flock. In truth, it sickens me. To be honest, even with the liberty in Christ Jesus without having to do good works to earn or maintain salvation, yet because Christ works in me (Philippians 2:13), I just don't feel like I want to sin all I please because God's grace is a radical life changer (Titus 2:11-15) which therefore has changed the goat to a sheep, a bad tree to a good tree and a tare to a wheat by the virtue of spiritual rebirth which means I want to do more good works as much as possible. Again, you must be born again because man in himself is NOT basically good as most people think they are that's where atheism's flaw is- thinking man is basically good YET failing at it. However the Bible does warn of people who pretend to have been reborn as sheep but are still wolves from within. And this is what is happening, Antinomianism as a heresy exists. Antinomianism is the belief that a person after being saved can live the way they want, sin all they want - folks that doctrine is DEMONIC! From the apostles to the reformers, they held true to the fact that the elect of God will live righteously. As a Calvinist and a Lordship theologian, I really dare say that if you receive in people living sinfully into the church assemblies, you are condoning to their sins!
In fact, Romans 4:5 cannot be used to argue by any means that a Christian can live like the rest of the world and still go to Heaven- rather it further supports the fact that professing believers who live like the rest of the world are NOT saved to start with. Why? Just think of cutting it through and through with this- the Greek word there is "pisteon" or "complete reliance" to which the person does not do his or her work yet relies upon the work of the one who justifies the ungodly, faith is counted for righteousness. It is not the kind of faith that is dead or superficial, it is the kind of faith that is radical, the faith that is repentant, the faith that leads to a true rebirth and change of purpose. That repentance or metanoneia or "the change of mind for the better" will not make a person think they can sin all they please and still go to Heaven. Of course, I do not believe Christians are sinless but they do sin less. Yes a Christian CAN fall into sin yet still remain saved, however God in His mercy and love will not let sin go unpunished even if the salvation is not lost. Losing one's salvation when a Christian stumbles is still works salvation. Folks as said, salvation is the work of God and if God has justified you and counted you for righteousness and that if God works in you, there is no way you can sin all you want. In fact, you'll hate sinning through and through and long to be free from it. Thankfully through the truth of eternal security, a Christian CANNOT lose their hatred and conviction of sin as well since they cannot lose their salvation. Sadly Antinomianism is Satan's way of misrepresenting the truth of eternal security and it misleads to a false security.
Then they argue, "Well Jesus did receive sinners." Yes He DID receive sinners but He did NOT sin with them. Sinners who came to him whether they be Pharisees like Nicodemus, harlots like Mary Magdalene, or the tax collectors like Matthew and Zaccheus- they came to him repentant and humbled! I am not by any means like the Pharisee who doesn't believe that I am a sinner in need of the Savior, no. I know I am just as worse as anyone, a victim of the reality of the total depravity of man- no matter what good I have on the outside can never hide the sinfulness on the inside. What drove me to Jesus was recognizing my really evil self, sinful, harsh, a bad person and fed up with it, I came to Christ. And did Matthew and Zaccheus stay as tax collectors and Mary Magdalene a prostitute or Nicodemus a Pharisee? No. They were radically changed from cursers to Christians! In fact, Jesus received sinners and not only forgave them, He also cleansed them from all unrighteousness. Wherever the Gospel was spread, sin faded and service to God became the way of life. As said, saved to serve NOT to sin. As much as I am to love heretics but I am to hate and dispel heresy. True love for sinners DOES NOT include condoning sin. That would mean homosexuality is still wrong, stealing is still wrong, prostitution is still wrong and ANY SIN is still called sin.
Seriously if the Lord Jesus Christ or His servants like the Apostles, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon and John Knox had a Facebook account if they were born in this era today, I doubt it he will add those wolves in sheep's clothing into their accounts for the sake of accommodating them. In fact, I could not imagine myself living in sin and claiming I am a Christian that Christ would ever dare say I am His disciple. No way that could happen because as said, by their fruits you will know them. As said, Christ knows who are His. They hear, they obey and well when they disobey, He spanks and they NEVER completely fall away. The evidence of my eternal security can come like when if I am forced by the Inquisition to renounce my faith, the Spirit of God helps me overcome my fear and I would choose to be tortured than to give up my faith in Jesus. That's proof of once a Christian, always a Christian! In fact, all I could imagine was that if the Lord Jesus Christ had Facebook or Google + friend requests from such wolves, He would only message them saying, "I NEVER KNEW YOU!" and delete every false convert from the list of friends. He would never sit and dine with such degenerates in Starbucks to sin with them- rather He would talk about their sin which is an issue that needs to be addressed. He would only take repentant sinners. He dined with REPENTANT sinners, BROKEN of their pride and all and not with people who love their sin. He didn't dine with the Pharisees because those hypocrites loved their sin of self-righteousness!
It is also pretty detrimental to any Christian assembly to welcome people who claim to be Christians and yet live otherwise. Why? These wolves will slowly but surely destroy the ministry. What the Christians should do is to examine these people, witness to them about the REAL Gospel as it should be, tell them their faith was a sham and really convict them of their sins. I read how Pastor John Macarthur had some rebaptisms when some false converts soon got a true conversion. Or another, I do remember after viewing both Hell's Best Kept Secret and True and False Conversion both with Pastor Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron in two different days, I do agree that false conversion is something that must be watched out for. In Paul Washer's case, it's something to really watch out for people who say a prayer they did not mean then live like devils as not saved to start with. Again Lordship theology is NOT works salvation- rather it shows that either you are saved to begin with or not saved to begin with! I am glad for churches who are now dealing with false conversions like it should be dealt with- not just accept them as Christians with a damning assurance of salvation. Also, one should consider forget about big donations if that money came from the Devil.