Since this post centers on George Zeller's refutation of free grace and we are discussing Matthew 7:21-23. I think his paper titled "Is It Wrong to Question A Person’s Profession of Faith?" to be relevant.
https://www.middletownbiblechurch.or...io/profess.pdf
Quote:
A profession of faith is an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief or faith. A Christian profession is when someone claims to have trusted Jesus Christ. Such a person says that he is a Christian and that he has believed in Christ at some point in time. It is a clear Scriptural principle that not everyone who professes Christ actually possesses Christ. The person who “has the Son” (1 John 5:12) is the person who truly possesses Christ and has eternal life. Just saying that you have believed on Christ does not make it a reality. Receiving Christ by faith (John 1:12) is a spiritual transaction that must take place in the heart.
Once this transaction is made in the heart, and the person has genuinely received Christ as Saviour, he has eternal life and he will never perish (John 10:27-30). Nothing said in this paper is meant to question the Biblical doctrine of eternal security, that a true believer is safe and secure in Christ forever. The issue being dealt with here is that not everyone who claims to be a believer in Christ is a genuine believer.
|