I remember a call I got about ten or fifteen years ago from my late friend Bob Swift. I had said in a magazine article that ninety to ninety-five percent of all professing Christians are not born again. I based that on the fact that well fewer than one in ten church people indicate that they are sure of their eternal destiny simply because they believe in Christ.
Bob Swift said something like this: You cannot know what percentage of people in Christianity are born again because you have no way of finding out what people believed in the past. It is true that assurance of everlasting life is very rare now. But how many of the people who lack assurance now had it at some point in the past? That could be thirty or forty percent. Or even higher. We just cannot know.
Ever since then, I have stopped suggesting percentages. But I do point out that there is widespread lack of assurance among church people today.
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of my book The Gospel Is Still Under Siege. You can see the degree to which Bob Swift’s words influenced me.
We cannot be sure what percentage of church people are born again. We can conduct surveys and determine that a certain percentage of church people today believe that simply by faith in Christ, they have everlasting life that can never be lost. But we cannot determine how many of those who gave a works-salvation answer believed the faith-alone message in the past, and hence are born again, but deceived. Nor can we know how many of those works-salvation people will come to faith in Christ for everlasting life before they die.
But what we can and do know is that the works-salvation evangelistic message will not result in anyone’s salvation. The only way anyone can be born again is to believe the faith-alone, apart from works, promise of everlasting life that the Lord Jesus taught.
Works salvation did not work for the Pharisees (John 5:39-40; 6:28-29). Works salvation did not work for the Judaizers (Acts 15:1; see also Gal 1:6-9). Works salvation has never been a saving message, and it never will be. The only way to have everlasting life is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for it. Irrevocable salvation is received by faith alone in Christ alone or not received at all. That is true for everyone, including good Christians.
Modern-day Judaizers are considered by most in Christendom to be born again. That is clear evidence that the gospel is still under siege.
If you have friends or loved ones who lack assurance of everlasting life, you would love to have an opportunity to share with them that being sure is simple. Just take the Lord Jesus Christ at His word. You would like to show them John 3:16; 4:10; 5:24; 6:47; or 11:25-27.
Church people who lack certainty of their eternal destiny––whether they are confused believers or people who lack everlasting life––long for that assurance. For many, it is their lifelong quest. But it need not be a quest. This issue can be settled by simply understanding and believing Jesus’ promise of everlasting life to all who believe in Him.
We can tell who is born again. We cannot tell, of course, by examining their behavior. Even false prophets look like sheep (Matt 7:15-20). But we can tell by examining their beliefs. Whoever indicates that he is sure of his eternal destiny simply because he believes in Jesus is born again.i
But the opposite is not true. We cannot tell who is not born again. Even if the person you are talking with does not believe the promise of life now, they may have believed in the past.
Many Evangelicals need everlasting life. As we keep grace in focus, let us share the wonderful message of life with as many as are open.
i I realize that some people trying to con churches out of money will profess to believe whatever you say to them. But that is a rare occurrence. If you are talking with a friend or loved one, it is unlikely they would lie to you about this.
