Expert: Dr. Ronald E. Shultz - 11/27/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Ron,
I was raised in the very conservative church of Christ.  Many things have happened in my life that have left me very confused.  God has been and continues to be very close to my heart or I don't think I would still be alive at this point.  He is my strength and my shield.  But I have a question...many actually, but let's start here...what exactly is an "unbeliever"?  What do they look like, sound like, act like?  

Thanks for your input.
Ever searching for truth,
Kimberly

ANSWER: Dear Kim,
        
         Most often we think of an unbeliever as a Jew, Muslim, Atheist, Buddhist, etc.  However, there are people the bible calls tares and they look, sound and act like believers but are not truly believers in their heart or actually believe a different gospel than what the bible teaches.

         I am not sure where you are going with this one but knowing COC doctrine, I am wondering if you feel like you have lost your salvation or because of the things you have gone through has caused you to doubt and because of that you think you are an unbeliever.   Doubt is not always unbelief.  Thomas gets a rough deal but in reality he did not want to be hurt or be deceived though I believe in his heart he desperately wanted to believe what he heard.  It did not take much for him to bow at Jesus' feet and call Him Lord.  I am not sure he even looked when Jesus offered.


         Moses had doubts.  Jeremiah called God a liar.  All of the people God has ever used failed in some way and yet they were believers.   I don't know all your details but if you were ever saved, you are still saved and a believer even if you doubt, are depressed or confused because salvation is all about Him and His work and not ours.  He is faithful when we are not.  

         SO, I hope I have answered this one sufficently for you.  If not, ask for more details or give me some to work with.  If I have, let's go to question 2.  I can answer as many as you can ask.  ;-)

         Blessings to you and peace be unto you in the name of Jesus!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Ron,

Thank you so very much for your response.  Your initial paragraph was more in line with my question.  My salvation, by the grace of God, rests as sure as my hope and my belief in Christ.  If I can just polish the curbs on the back streets in heaven, I will be content.

I have been on a journey of spiritual growth over the last few years and the teachings I was raised with confuses me.  I am one of those souls who have looked too much to those who seem to teach "The Truth" because I seek it so, but the contradictions between actions and teaching are too evident. Love and forgiveness are preached, but not practiced, and even the teaching itself seems to contradict Christ's love for all men by excluding others based on human decision.  There seems to be an awful lot of scripture used in part to condemn and hold people in guilt and little attention paid to the spirit of the word in whole to allow for God's power to save (at least what I've observed).

Within the few churches that I have been a member of in the past, and even within my own family, I have seen people act one way in public (church) and another way in private (home and towards others).  There is an over abundance of "Law" vs "Gospel" (just learned that in Lutheran class..it was quite an "ah ha" moment).  My weakness is that I know that I stand condemned, not worthy, but I know and believe that through Christ I am washed clean.  At least I know that now.     

Almost everything I have read deals with the being "bound" to an unbeliever and is therefore linked to those poor souls looking for a biblical reason to separate from a spouse so as not to be ostracized by their congregations.  Unfortunately this seems to automatically spawn the "divorce" issue and the definition of "unbeliever" gets left out.

The scriptures speak of "wicked" and "righteous", "believers" and "unbelievers".  Just who are they?  And how do we test for these spirits?  What is the "different gospel than what the bible teaches"?   Whew, I wish we could sit down to a cup of coffee and hash this out, I have great respect for how you are able to communicate your understanding!  Again that first paragraph...that's the gist of my question.  

Prayerfully Searching,
Kimberly

Answer
I am glad you did not seek to sweep the street of gold for that is my job.  Having the doorknob of Heaven in my back and not in my chest is reward enough for me.  

I reckon you need to come over to the Baptists before you get too confused.  ;-)  Honestly, though a buffet is fine when you are at a steak house it can cause massive indigestion in the spiritual realm.

Just the two groups you mention have enough disagreements in doctrine to floor most people.  The COC believe you can lose your salvation or not get it at all if you believe but fail to be baptized.  Luther was a good old boy but he did not leave enough of the Catholic hoo-ha behind when he became a Reformer.  You won't lose your salvation in Lutheran doctrine but babies are baptized when the Bible teaches only those who can truly exercise their faith to be saved are candidates for baptism.  He at least taught immersion though most Lutherans do not.  He did dump the goofy recrucifying Christ by turning the elements into the literal body and blood of Christ but still made it a mystical thing when it is a memorial and nothing else.

There is a difference between law and grace but then again law was not graceless and grace is not lawless.  As far as actions go, no saint is perfect and there will always be hypocrites and tares (fake wheat). Babes in Christ will dirty their diapers and if they never get proper training they will do so all their lives. You have to look to Christ and His Word and often ignore other professing believers.  Looking at people will make you stumble and quit.  

The divorce issue is quite plain actually.  If both people are believers when they marry there is no out for them except death.  They can separate to work things out but if they divorce they are not to remarry.  If a person gets saved and the other spouse does not then if that unsaved spouse says they can't take the "religion" the other spouse got and takes off then God does not punish His kids for what the devil's kid did in this area.  The saved and abandoned spouse can remarry without sin.  If the divorce happened before salvation the that is under the blood and the new creature is free to remarry.  That is all in 1 Cor 7.  

The wicked are anyone not saved.  The Righteous are those who are saved.  The wicked may sometimes actually live better lives than the Righteous but since salvation is not of works that does not help them.  Very little is taught about spiritual warfare or much else outside of salvation in many churches and in many they mess up the Gospel by adding a bunch of stuff to what God said thus teaching another Gospel other faith and faith alone.

The other Gospel can have many forms but anything than what was originally preached by Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is another Gospel and will damn people to Hell no matter how moral or religious a life they live. Many groups who may have had some other doctrines wrong but at least preached the Gospel have fallen by the wayside and now teach pop psychology or traditions.  We are in the age of apostasy or falling away and finding a church that really wants to be all God meant them to be is not easy.  

You test the spirits by the Word.  That is why we are to study.  A lot of folks talk a bunch of stuff that does not square with Scripture.  It would be easier if we could have that cup of Joe but I suspect you are not near Dallas.  I might have a friend in your area as I do talk to people around the world.

I did write a 7 week New Member's course on some key doctrines that I could send you if you write me at mavmin@live.com.  That might be a good start for you as it is fairly detailed.  If you write, I will give you some phone numbers as well.  

May you keep studying and may God grant you great wisdom and discernment.  Thank you for your kind words!