The Invincible Church, Part 9

In addition to confidence, Christ's promise gives us the correct perspective regarding the attacks of Satan and their effects on the church. Events and numbers alone are meaningless if there is no interpretive principle by which we can understand the truth about them. For example, just because there appears to be many new converts flowing into a congregation does not mean that the message and method that attract them are sound, and it does not mean that all of them are true converts. There are certain principles in Scripture by which we may ascertain the genuineness of their faith to a high degree of accuracy. Likewise, when the onslaughts of Satan appear to have certain effects, what appears to be happening might not be what is in fact happening.

We need reliable interpretive principles. One central principle must be Christ's promise that he would build his church, and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This means that whatever happens, we must not say, "Look, the church is about to be destroyed. The Christian faith is about to become irrelevant. All men shall despise our religion, and soon it will be forgotten. Perhaps the original gospel has expired in its power, so that we must change if we are to survive." Because of Christ's promise, this is always the false interpretation of events and numbers, and other indicators of religious trends.

In fact, because of the promise, we should always assume the opposite interpretation to the above when things seem to be going against us. We should rather say, "Unbelief appears to be rampant. Heresy seems to proliferate. Immorality is the norm. It appears difficult to make new converts. And it seems hard to retain some who have professed the faith. All these things, then, must have their place in what Christ is doing as he builds his church, and all these things will not result in the destruction of the church, but rather the edification of the elect. The forces of hell will not annihilate the Christian faith." The divine promise is sure and fixed, but the individual events and their interpretations are not. So it is the promise that makes sense of the circumstances, and not the other way around.

We can be even more specific in our understanding of these circumstances, because Scripture provides us with many more interpretive principles. For example, Romans 8:30 says, "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." A person comes to faith in Christ because God has chosen him, predestined him to be saved, and at his appointed time, gives him faith in Christ to believe the gospel. This verse tells us that this person will without fail proceed all the way from justification to glorification. In other words, a person who has been predestined for justification is equally predestined for glorification. Predestination does not apply only to faith and conversion, but it applies to the completion of salvation in the person. Therefore, any person who has been predestined for salvation will surely be saved. There is no chance that he would finally forsake the faith and be condemned with the unbelievers.

The same doctrine is taught in John 10. There Jesus explains why some people disbelieve the gospel, and why some believe it:

The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."

Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:24-30)

Those who are not already Christ's sheep will never become Christ's sheep. The Jews demand, "If you are the Christ, tell us plainly," to which Jesus answers, "I did tell you." So Jesus affirms that he has been explicit enough with the Jews concerning the fact that he is the Christ. Their unbelief cannot be attributed to any deficiency in the content or presentation of the message, since it is Christ himself who is speaking, and we can assume that he testifies about himself in a complete and perfect manner. Still, these Jews refuse to believe, and Christ explains that it is because they are not his sheep.

On the other hand, those who are Christ's sheep are already Christ's sheep even before they believe. In fact, the reason they believe is because they are already Christ's sheep when they hear the gospel, the voice of Christ. The time that a person is "born again" and believes the gospel is not when he becomes Christ's sheep. But it is because he is already Christ's sheep that he becomes born again and believes the gospel. Conversion happens when Christ's sheep hears his voice and begins to follow him. Again, for this to happen, a person has to be Christ's sheep already, before he hears the voice of the shepherd.

Then, concerning the sheep, Jesus says no one can snatch them out of his hand or the Father's hand. In other words, only his sheep will believe the gospel, all of his sheep will believe the gospel, and none of his sheep will turn to disbelieve the gospel. In Paul's language, we could say, only the chosen or predestined will be saved, all those who have been chosen or predestined will be saved, and none of those who have been chosen or predestined will turn away from the gospel and be condemned. Paul also teaches, as John and Jesus do here, that those who have not been chosen for salvation but rather created for damnation, will be hardened so that they will not and cannot believe the gospel and be saved.

This doctrine constitutes a sure and fixed interpretive principle by which we can understand some of the things that occur in the world and in the church concerning people's attitude toward the Christian faith. For example, an application of this doctrine would naturally yield John's statement, "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). The general principle is that if a person who professes to be a Christian really and finally renounces the Christian faith, then he has never been a Christian in the first place.

Any person can speak the words, "I believe in Christ. I am a Christian," and join a church, but doing this does not guarantee that he is truly a believer in Christ or a Christian. Under the right conditions and in the right contexts, a false convert will very likely react in a manner that exposes his true self, that he is in fact a non-Christian. In connection with this, we need to ask ourselves three questions. First, how did this unbeliever manage to infiltrate the church and position himself as a Christian undetected? Perhaps the preaching has been flawed, and the church's standard sub-biblical. Second, does the church in fact generate those conditions and contexts that would naturally expose this unbeliever? Perhaps the doctrine and the culture of this church makes the environment habitable even for non-Christians. Third, when this false believer speaks or behaves in a manner that exposes his true nature, what does the church do about it? Perhaps it is reluctant to practice confrontation and exercise discipline. Thus the false convert remains in the church.

Such negligence and disobedience in our churches have resulted in an almost overwhelming number of false believers in our congregations. They in turn resist our doctrines, affect our policies, pressure our leaders, confuse our missions, tarnish our reputations, corrupt our flocks, control our finances, and drain our resources. So severe is the problem that many churches of God are in fact synagogues of Satan. If we were to suddenly obey biblical teachings on church discipline – and we should – tens of thousands, thousands upon thousands, and even millions of church members would be excommunicated today. With all those professing believers in our churches who deny biblical inspiration, who practice witchcraft, who commit adultery, who endorse homosexuality, doctrinal tolerance, interreligious dialogue, and such things, this number is by no means an exaggeration. But this mass excommunication is unlikely to occur, because many churches are negligent and disobedient when it comes to maintaining the purity of the faith or the community.

However, even when we are unfaithful to his commands, Christ is faithful to his promise. He is still building his church, and he is still ensuring that the gates of hell will not overcome it. And when the forces of hell begin to gain multiple footholds in the churches themselves, Christ will do something about it. So perhaps one reason that Christ ordains the attacks of the enemy is to do exactly what he promises us – that he will build his church, and that the forces of hell will not overcome it. But he also says that no one can snatch away from him true believers. Therefore, the net effect of an exodus from our churches as a result of the attacks of the enemy is a purging of false believers from the church. Christ does for us what we are too cowardly and unfaithful to do.

The attacks bring shame and suffering upon the believers, but the church in fact becomes healthier for it. As the letter to the Hebrews says, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees" (12:7, 11-12). The world's mockery against the church spurs true believers toward greater faith and excellence. It wakes up slumbering Christians from their spiritual stupor. It encourages self-examination, resulting in biblical and genuine assurance of faith, instead of a mere assumption of salvation. Through their constant assaults, God trains our intellectual muscles and tests our spiritual character.

In fact, for those believers who are able to exercise accurate perception, all the attacks of the enemy serve to confirm the excellence and superiority of their religion. Christians who have been well-taught marvel at the irrational nature of the non-Christians' arguments and maneuvers against the church, and they further marvel that their fellow non-Christians (both within and without the church) are convinced and moved to action by them. Every hostile campaign of the enemy is a public testimony to the stupidity and wickedness of the non-Christians, and in contrast, the perfect coherence and righteousness of God, so that in every instance God confirms to the elect his own wisdom and derives glory for himself out of the situation.

Meanwhile, not one true Christian is lost. All those who turn away are non-Christians to begin with, or are unbelievers posing as believers in the church. The attacks of the enemy only help to divide the righteous from the unrighteous in a more distinct manner than our own half-hearted effort has been able to do. Neither is our influence on culture or our campaign against the world diminished by the forces of hell. Just as God reduced Gideon's army from about thirty-two thousand men to only three hundred, he will do more with a small number of true believers than with a large congregation burdened with an overwhelming number of unbelievers, who are nothing more than spiritual and social liabilities as long as they are identified with us. Their departure poses no loss to the church, but rather a cleansing and a deliverance for us. All things serve the promise of Christ, the edification of the elect, and the condemnation of the reprobate.