It is not uncommon for Christians to fall into sin, so that their lifestyle resembles that of unbelievers. They may even fall into a time of hypocrisy where the public faith they profess does not coincide with their hidden sinfulness.
During this time of deception and disobedience, it is difficult to know if this person is actually a true believer or just a goat in sheep’s clothing.
The real test is time. While a true believer may continue like this for a while, eventually the Holy Spirit will either convict this person of their sin or God will destroy their life to the point that they are so miserable that they can no longer continue in their sin.
One sure sign that a person is not a true believer is the public endorsement of a sin that God’s Word clearly condemns. It is manifested by such interpretive gymnastics that the clear verses to the contrary have to be so twisted as to make what the Bible says unrecognizable.
Even in my darkest hypocrisy and most deceptive sin, I never once believed my sin was okay with God. My deception was that I didn’t believe God would judge me as severely as He did. Any doubt of my status as a true child of God was calmed in the parable of the 100th sheep in Luke 15.
I know I am a true child of God because, after becoming so utterly lost, instead of ending up in hell, Jesus Christ left the 99 and sought me out until He found me, broken and bleeding, and threw me over His shoulder and walked me back Home.
If anyone reading this is convicted of your sin, do not ignore the voice of God’s Spirit. Repent before God allows your life to be destroyed either for your ultimate good or your ultimate destruction in an eternity in hell. It may cost you everything to leave your sin, but God’s Word promises that you will be blessed beyond comprehension if you repent. If you are a true believer, you can come kicking and screaming or humble and repentant.
Trust me when I say humbling yourself is a far better, and less painful way rather than putting up a fight. Either way, the Good Shepherd will win. It is so much better to cooperate rather than resist.
