Genuine Conversion Compared to Sham Conversions

I was viewing Pastor Ray Comfort's "True and False Conversion". The easy believist crowd has been very quick to judge it to be a works salvation video. However in truth, there will always be evidences of TRUE CONVERSION from FALSE CONVERSION and I am yet to read Pastor Comfort's "Revival's Golden Key". Remember Ephesians 2:10 is clear saying that Christians are created unto good works, 1 Corinthians 6:11 is clear that such were some of the Corinthians and they were CHANGED. Now as you read through, you'll see a lot of my lecture on true and false conversion! You may find me quoting Pastor John MacArthur's "The Gospel According to Jesus" as well or at least in part, summarizing that book.

Why is it very important to know of the fruits? So they say, "Ah Christians can be fruitless." Oh no, that is so dead wrong and in fact, I really refuse to believe in the existence of carnal Christians and fruitless Christians. Matthew 7:16-20 show this, "Ye shall KNOW THEM by their FRUITS. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth EVIL FRUIT. A good tree bring forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth EVIL FRUIT. A good tree CANNOT bringeth forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits shall ye know them." Jesus was definitely showing that there will be a difference between who are His and who are not. In fact John 8:44 calls the degenerate man the child of the Devil!

In John 15:6 we read, "If a man abideth not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned." Does that sound like a Christian? Obviously not, these are false converts or what Pastor MacArthur coined as "Judas Iscariot branches". Reading from John 15:1-8 we read of the Christians as branches bearing fruit in contrast to the fruitless branch. It's just very near to chapter 17 of John when Jesus finally shows Judas Iscariot is a false convert (John 17:12). So what we read in here is that in John 15:8 saying, "Herein is My Father glorified that ye may bear MUCH FRUIT so shall ye be my disciples." Also in that chapter of John we have Jesus throwing in acid tests in verse 14 saying, "Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you." Of course, obedience is not the prerequisite but it definitely IS a result of of salvation. Christians may backslide, disobey but NEVER completely fall away because God restores them and they will sin less as the days go by not like the rest of the world that sins unto its own ruin.

In another case, I have also been listening to Pastor Washer's preaching a lot these days. In fact, he really stresses the evidence of genuine conversion is bearing fruit and continued fellowship (1 John 2:19). That is, people who are truly converted DO NOT FALL AWAY.

What you read right now will blow your mind, what you read will shake your world!

Pastor Comfort's lecture on True and False Conversion shows the four fruits from the Bible and I have elaborated them myself as well:

1.) Continued repentance and faith (Matthew 3:8)

• Repentance is not just a one time act in order to get saved. When you have metanonea or change of mind and purpose, does not that change lifestyle?
• Remember Zaccheus? After he saw his sinfulness, much has happened to his life. Zaccheus was really changed in action as well.
• Peter as well after he denied Jesus, he repented of his blasphemy and was truly sorry for it compared to Judas Iscariot's "repentance"
• David was an example of a true convert. Remember 2 Samuel 11? What happened to David was that he committed adultery with Bathsheba. However true conversion showed when he repented of his sins and wrote Psalm 51 asking God to restore him back from the wayward path.
• Solomon was another true convert. He wasted much of his life yet he wrote his repentance in Ecclesiastes. Nehemiah 13:26 calls Solomon the beloved of God.
• Even Lot showed some proof. 2 Peter 2:7 says, "And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked." He was stupid enough to enter Sodom yet sin vexed him a lot.
• True Christians remain in the faith and endure to the end. 1 John 2:19 describes false converts as, "They went out from us but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." These people are like Judas Iscariot pretended to be Christians but in the end, fell away. I've remembered the testimony of somebody who converted from Roman Catholicism and joined in a Baptist parish. However, I later found out that he jumped into the Ang Dating Daan cult after the IFB pastor supposedly lost a debate against that homosexual hypocrite Eli Soriano or another, into the Church of Joseph Smith and his latter day saints or Mormonism

2.) The fruit of good works

• Matthew 1:21 says, "And she shall bring forth a Son and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people FROM THEIR SINS." Fundamental preaching goes with the theme, "God does not save the people in their sins, the saves them from their sins." That was the stand of people like Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry, George Whitfield, Arthur Pink and Aiden Towzer. In the contemporary you have MacArthur, Paul Washer, John Piper, Comfort and Robert Charles Sproul to name a few.
• In John 10, we see the true marks of salvation. The sheep have a listening ear. Some people have used this chapter to try and debunk the idea of once saved, always saved. I'm here to use to show the marks of people who are truly saved and that salvation cannot be lost. The sheep hear His voice, they follow. John 10:26 says, "But ye believe not because YE ARE NOT MY SHEEP as I told you."
• Acts 26:20 says, "But shewed first unto them of Damascus and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea and then to teh Gentiles that they should REPENT and turn to Goda nd do works meet repentance." First, this is not a works salvation verse but rather, if you're truly repentant, life will show.
• 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are SANCTIFIED, but ye are JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." In short, I would really NEVER believe in the foolishness that any elect of God would remain a homosexual, thief, murderer, adulterer, whatever. Did you not read "And such were some of you..." Paul wrote the letter to them to tell them how much the Gospel has begun to change lives. It's never a sin all you want, how can I sin all I want if I have been redeemed?
• Ephesians 2:8-9 goes to verse 10 that says, "For ye are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should WALK IN THEM." Listen, Christians are never saved to sin but to serve. In fact, this verse goes together with Titus 2:11-14 saying, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation unto all me, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from ALL INIQUITY and PURIFY unto Himself a peculiar people ZEALOUS UNTO GOOD WORKS."
• Hebrews 9:14 says, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from DEAD WORKS to serve the living God?" God redeems men from their dead works (self-centered, I will work my way to Heaven mentality) to good works, which is doing the good God ordains, not what they think is good only because it serves their selfish ends.
• James 2 mentions the chapter of true faith. A real dynamic faith is not passive but active. Though salvation is not by works, it will create works. A faith that produces no works as a result is a false faith, a sham and not genuine faith.

3.) The fruit of thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15)

• As I grew in my Christian life, I grew thankful to God for everything even the bad times and chose to murmur about the world than God. I couldn't blame God on the bad things to happen, I blame the world. God had a purpose of letting them happen to remind me that I am not remaining on Earth, that I am going to someday join Him in Heaven while remembering that others are heading for Hell. Christians become thankful to God and in return, they become thankful to others.
• Christians would be willing to do and most of the time do it. Why do I give tithes and offerings? To be saved? No, because I am saved. I do not lean on a legalistic system that says, "You must do good works if you want to make it to Heaven." but rather, "I am doing good works because I am thankful that God has secured me for Heaven." mentality. Why do I joyously declare my tithes? Why do I give offerings? Why do I do this page? It's because I am thankful to God.
• I may suffer from ingratitude problems but not so much like the world does. The world keeps blaming God. The supposed Christian who becomes an atheist is a false convert. Romans 1:21 is clear saying, "Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, NEITHER WERE THANKFUL; but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened." I remembered how I used to believe that Christians can be de-converted but in truth, they CANNOT be de-converted. They will continue in Christ from day one to finish. Again, you CANNOT lose your faith in Christ. The world may torture the Christian, the Christian may get scared of the torture instruments, sweat, cry during the torture but when asked, "Will you renounce Christ?" then he keeps saying, "No." no matter how scared he may be of the instruments of torture ready to do the unimaginable.

4.) The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22)

• As the children's song goes, 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, temperance..." and I remembered that song as a new Christian. There will be a change of temper.
• Love is a virtue but not the worldly kind of love but the love in 1 Corinthians 13 which should be posted on the walls on Valentine's Day rather than the pagan Cupid symbols! Love is different from lust... lust is unbridled desire, love in 1 Corinthians 13 is patient, kind, not envious or causes envy, selfless, humble, forgiving and rejoices in the truth. The pagan world may say, "You Christians aren't loving us by telling us Jesus is the only Way." Oh how foolish that is! You can do works without love (selfish motives) but you can never have love without works. A loving parent will discipline the child out of concern for the child. Likewise, I write the offensive truth not to start fights but to warn people they are on their way to Hell. That's really love. And Jesus showed greater love than He paid for what cannot be paid- the penalty of sin. Want to pay for your sins yourself? Then go to Hell and burn there forever.
• Because love is patient, love can wait. I had bigger problems with impatience when I was not yet saved, I began to lose them when I got saved and I have learned to be more patient the more God trims the hedges. God has patience too but it has its limits.
• I had a hot temper, it didn't disappear immediately. Or note that Moses had a hot temper but yet he didn't slap Miriam out of anger. I used to be very impatient but God has granted me patience by His grace which goes with temperance but that doesn't mean I won't fall into anger, I only become less angry.
• I've begun to learn to be kind to others for other's sake, not kindness for seeking self-benefit. In the virtue of kindness, it becomes very easy to get offended at bad labor practices and how people are mistreated. Sometimes, it even leads Christians to intervene against bullies in our society not minding the consequences that could happen to them.
• Christians become less and less proud and meekness surfaces. How can meekness not be present when the Christian came to God humble and repentant? Christians see themselves as sinners only saved by grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 is clear saying, "For by GRACE are ye saved through faith, it is not of yourselves. Not of works LEST ANYONE SHOULD BOAST." Nobody can say, "Hey I made it." That's the HUGE problem of conditional security is "I made it." Christians will flourish unto good works YET they keep in mind they are but saved by grace.

Now for the parables linked and the marks of true conversion from false conversion:

1.) The parable of the sower (Found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20 and Luke 8:1-15)

Jesus has clearly illustrated this- the seed is God's Word. We should really see the fact that in these Gospels, there are the sowers and the types of soil. So what do we see? This is the key to understanding ALL parables.

We have the truth found in the three chapters:

• The wayside soil
• This is where the birds eat the seeds and trampled by the others before they could even start. So what happens? Before they could even grow, they were destroyed. So here it's a hard ground and can't grow.
• The shallow soil
• For shallow soil, first roots may grow. However according to Pastor Comfort's illustration, we do get a lot of difference. First, the illustration shows there are two plants. One seems healthier than the other. However as the sun continues to shine and water continues to nourish it, we begin to see a MUCH CLEARER difference. So what happens? Because of that huge rock underneath, the roots could not dig deeper and eventually the plant dies.
• We see, these people pretend to believe the Gospel, they may know a few verses to hit on my face to stop me from evangelizing and saying I'm just writing garbage BUT these people will fly away from the flock proving they are Judas Iscariots (1 John 2:19). I just thought of how somebody I knew converted from being an Evangelical to becoming a Roman Catholic after her marriage to her husband. She knew the Bible truth but she didn't apply it. Would have she been saved, her marriage to her Roman Catholic husband would not convert her. The contrast was my churchmate who married her Roman Catholic husband yet she could not be converted to Roman Catholicism. She had truly loved the Bible's truths and tales, quite early she'd been bred. No matter how her husband tried to convince her, she would not. Instead, she ended up converting her husband to becoming a born again Christian.
• These can also be the infiltrators that enter the Church. They may even claim to be "born again" or even go as crooked with the term "born again Roman Catholic Christian" when it's in fact a crooked trick. These infiltrators are revealed when persecution comes- they reveal their real loyalties, turn over the Christians and like Judas Iscariot, show their true colors.
• The weedy soil
• Weeds are never good for plants. I wake up to pull the weeds from the garden because they would kill the plants. The weeds are very bad because they block the sun which is needed for the plants to nourish. These are worldly concerns. Think about the rich young ruler- his love for money really prevented him from repenting of his sinful state. Worse, he thought he could justify himself.
• The thorny soil
• The thorns will choke up the plants the moment they grow. There is this thorny plant called the matador vine that kills the trees. It looks very good that the plant is growing, however the matador vine eventually kills the tree. The thorns also suffocate and kill the growing plant. That's what happens with worldly concerns.
• Speaking of worldly concerns, I really remembered how much I didn't want to get saved at first because of worldly concerns until I saw myself in Hell. I've noticed how in my evangelism done to Roman Catholics to where I used to attend Mass as a child, that accursed Jesuit parish! The parish itself was really ran on money, no surprise there for me. I would say, "How would you like to know for sure you can have eternal life? You know nothing you do can save you." I would present them the Gospel, tell them they need to repent of their sins and receive Jesus Christ. However the whole problem was that I was replied, "Hell, I don't want to join you and your boat of born again trash. I like it here. All my friends are here. I've known a lot of poor born again Christians and a lot of wealthy Roman Catholics." Sadly, he left sorrowful because he was so engrossed with the world!
• Then there is the no desire for fellowship. They have faked their conversion. After they say the sinner's prayer after being preached to, they go back to LIVING LIKE DEVILS. Pastor Washer was so against the watered down evangelism of his day it's so easy for those who want to live the way they want to throw mud at his face.
• Worldliness is also another issue. I really have absolutely no reason to believe that people who claim to be Christians yet their only concern is about how to please everyone, the latest brands, getting an iPhone to "look good", wearing expensive clothes and any of that nonsense. In fact, they are going to be willing to get rid of their supposed faith in Christ for the expensive stuff like Esau sold his birthright for just one mess of lentil pottage or Judas Iscariot sold the precious Savior for just a mere thirty pieces of silver! I've met a supposed "Christian" family who quarreled with a Baptist school for this reason which had to do with the rules that forbade a lot of evil stuff like liberal hugging and kissing in public, banning women from wearing sexy clothes in school and all that rules that were written for the GOOD of the students. Wow, they claim to be Christians and yet they are like that? The mother was even a big fat meanie who I could really say is a very mean woman. She pretends to be good when her boss is around then she shows just how mean she is and she kept badmouthing the Baptist academy to the point that she should be sued for libel! Or another, how can Christians ever HATE to listen to Gospel music and LOVE carnal music? Something is PRETTY WRONG!
• Maybe I should mention arrogance. Arrogance is really a huge mark of false conversion. I really can't help but think that perhaps some people I thought were Christians were actually false converts. Why? I had my thoughts on them claiming to be born again Christians, saved and yet they were arrogant and spiteful. They think they have become somebody like those crazy works salvation crowd and the conditional security crowd. The conditional security crowd believes that they must do works to stay saved and it's all a self-centered Gospel. For somebody I know, he thought he was somebody special already to the point he dared to claim he was appointed king of the Universe by Jesus! Oh that's just as arrogant as the Papacy where the Pope claims to be the Vice President of Jesus! What blasphemy! No true Christian will claim by any means to be the King of the Universe!
• The good soil
• Now I had put to my thoughts on the good soil. These people are not letting their desires for fame, fortune and worst of all self-righteousness alter their making a GENUINE decision for Christ. Such people, if I must say have seen themselves as lost sinners.
• We have the stories of Rahab and Ruth, the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. Rahab was a prostitute of Canaan. Ruth was an idolatress. Both were called out of their sinful lifestyles to become part of israel. 
• The story of the ex-publicans Matthew and Zaccheus, their conversions are examples of true conversion. Matthew didn't say, "Hey Jesus, I need to pack my bags and ask the internal revenue office I can still keep my job as a tax collector." No- Matthew wrote his resignation letter that might have sad, "Dear Roman Governor, Sorry I cannot collect dirty money for you anymore. Today I am a follower of Jesus. Love, Levi." And Levi became known as Matthew. In the side of Zaccheus his conversion led to radical change. From a cheater, he became a giver.
• The testimony of Paul is another. He started off as a persecutor of the Church, he was really so much of a troublemaker. In fact, he had a lot of zeal to kill Christians. Acts 9:1-31 shows the story of a drastic change. Paul did not believe once then continue to be a persecutor, no his life changed from SIN to the Savior. His testimony changed him from an attacker of the Gospel to a propagator of the Gospel. This kind of testimony has also changed the lives of various people like Pastor Al Fadi a former Muslim now a born again Christian with zeal to destroy the born again Christians became one of the most powerful pastors for Christ. Looking through Catholicism: Crisis of Faith, testimonies of the former priests and nuns on how Christ changed their lives are very powerful to listen to.
• These are when the rocks, thorns, weeds and the ground is softened by sorrow which works repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." This heart is repentant, sees the need for God. These are not the, "I don't need God." crowd, these people are not the "God I am thankful I am not like the others who are blah blah blah..." but rather "Lord Jesus, be merciful to me a sinner." Please note that salvation is NOT found in repeating after me, but rather in the Lord Jesus Christ. When I prayed my sinner's prayer, I was really talking straight from the heart asking for forgiveness, not repeating after a preacher. That sorrow makes the person say, "Lord save me from my sins!" not "Lord save me in my sins!" Oh what a difference.

2.) How the other parables connect also to true and false conversion which I pray will help you understand that these are not stories of conditional security but rather, stories that shows who are saved against those who are not:

• The house on the Rock and the house on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:46-49)
• The two builders are compared. Many hear the words but do not do them. Jesus compared them to two builders- one on the Solid Rock that is Jesus Christ, the other is on sinking sand which are their own righteousness, manmade religion and whatever trash the world has to offer. So when the rain hits and the floods come, the false convert gets swept away while the house built on Christ stands, every other ground is sinking sand as the song goes, "My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but only lean on Jesus name, on Christ the solid Rock I stand, all over ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand!" In fact, evidences come when a Christian stands firm in hard times while false converts quickly switch sides.
• The unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-25)
• The story we see a man who owes so much to the king, he gets relieved of those charges and YET when somebody with a minor offense comes, he refused to forgive. I am not stressing that Christians lose their salvation when they fall into the state of unforgiveness, I am stating that true converts can be very unforgiving at times but not in an indefinites tate. If he would have truly been sorry for that 10,000 talents debt he owed to the king, he would have given more time to the one who owed him less. Obviously bitterness is a mark.
• The great banquet (Matthew 22:1-14, Luke 14:15-24)
• At the end of the story, we discover that somebody who had NO wedding garment was then cast out. In Jewish tradition, guests are given their wedding garment to wear, not bring their own wedding garment. So there are the wedding garments of the righteousness of Christ which is not adequate to the garments that the unwelcomed guest had.
• The ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)
• The story of ten virgins shows the difference. The five virgins had oil, true converts. Those without oil, false converts. Notice at the end of the story, you hear the groom say, "I NEVER KNEW YOU." Why was that? Simple, the foolish virgins were not saved to start with. Those who had oil were the true converts. This in fact really shows how the Christians stand out against the rest of the world. If God knew them before then said, "I never knew you." that would make him a liar.
• The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:12-17)
• The story shows the real servants from the false. The first two servants are productive, one keeps the talent hidden underneath the ground and later returns it. Why a wicked servant? Obviously they were tasked to invest it. The first two were true converts, they bore much fruit. For that wicked servant, he was a false servant not a true one as he was condemned to be thrown into the outer darkness. Why the master tasked the wicked servant with only one talent might be because he knew the wicked servant was up to no good or he determined to show the other two who was the impostor. Regardless, the wicked servant was exposed.

As said, time will come when Jesus will separate the sheep and the goats. In fact, He will reward the Christians for the good they've done for Him (but remember, again salvation is not by works but it will result to real good works) and the rest of the world condemned into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. If you have read this, I hope it will lead to a life changing experience. Believe me, MANY will hate me for writing this!

You may read Ray Comfort's work here:

• http://assets.livingwaters.com/pdf/TrueAndFalseConversion.pdf