False Conversions are Suicide for Local Churches
[False Conversions are Suicide for Local Churches Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries May Newsletter]: "Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in the nation's capital, warned on the opening day of the 2012 Together for the Gospel Conference that false conversions are "the suicide of the local church." Thousands, if not millions, of church members sitting in America's pews aren't really born-again Christians, a Washington, D.C., pastor said April 10 to a pastors' conference in Louisville, Ky. Dever said. "When a congregation is made up of many people whose lives more resemble the works of the flesh than the fruit of the Spirit, the experience of following Christ together, of love and encouragement and spurring on and mutual avocation and accountability, all of this is eroded and cooled and diminished. The church becomes more like the world." He said pastors unwittingly contribute to false conversions with watered-down teachings aimed at drawing a bigger crowd. "False teachers create false converts," he said. "And false converts -- guess what they do? They hire false teachers." Associated Baptist Press ABP News
Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "But, if works don't have anything affect on your spiritual status, and don't even necessarily say anything about your spiritual status..."
Who are you talking about? Mt 7:16, Deut 5:10, 1 Jn 5:3
"You are not saved by your works. You work because you're saved." ~ Adrian Rogers
"...[W]hy should anyone care?"
We don't want our neighbor going to hell (2 Cor 5:11). We care about what God cares about (2 Pe 3:9).
"Why would they amend their lives if they've been taught that all they have to do is believe and good deeds make no difference to God whatsoever..."
We are not forgiven because we work (Psa. 49:7, 8; Psa. 127:1, 2; Eccl. 1:14; Isa. 43:26; Isa. 57:12; Isa. 64:6; Ezek. 7:19; Ezek. 33:12–19; Dan. 9:18; Matt. 5:20; Luke 17:7–10; Luke 18:9–14; Acts 13:39; Rom. 3:20–31; Rom. 4:1–8 vs. 9–22.; Rom. 8:3; Rom. 9:16, 31, 32; Rom. 11:6; 1 Cor. 13:1–3; Gal. 2:16, 19, 21; Gal. 3:10–12, 21 vs. 1–29.; Gal. 4:9–11; Gal. 5:2, 4, 6, 18; Gal. 6:15; Eph. 2:8, 9; Phil. 3:3–9; Col. 2:20–23; 2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 3:4, 5; Heb. 4:3–10; Heb. 6:1, 2; Heb. 9:1–14; Jas. 2:10, 11). We are forgiven because of God's grace (Eph 2:8-9). We are created for good works (Eph 2:10).
"...[B]ecause they're all so hopelessly corrupt anyway?"
We have no righteousness of our own (Isa 64:6, Ro 7:18). Christ's righteousness is imputed (Ro 1:17).
"It probably sounds like a good deal to them."
Man way seems right but it leads to death (Pr 14:12).
God's way is not something that man would naturally envision (Ro 5:8, Jn 3:16).
See:
Roman Catholicism
