WHAT IS WRONG WITH PROFESSIONS OF FAITH

A Individual may make a profession, without ever having his or her confidence in his or her own ability shattered. That's because he, or she has been told nothing of his or her need of having a new nature imparted, which is not within his or her power, and consequently,if he or she does not recieve it, he,or she, is not dismayed. He, or she, has never been told it is essential, so he or she sees no reason, to doubt whether he or she is A Christian. In deed, the teaching he or she has come under, militates such doubts arising. It is frequently said, that a man, who has made a decision with little evidence of a change of life may be a ''Carnal'' Christian, needing instruction in holiness, or if the same individual should gradually lose his new found interests, the fault is frequently attributed to lack of ''Follow-up,'' or Prayer, or some other deficiency on the part of the church. The Possibility that these marks of worldliness and falling away are due to the lack of a saving experience, at the outset is rarely considered. If this point were squarely faced, then the whole system of appeals, decisions, and counseling would collapse. This is because it would bring to the fore, the fact, that obtaining a new nature, is not in man's power. It would also show that it takes much longer then a few hours, or days, to establish whether a professed response to the Gospel is geniune. But instead of facing this, it is protested that to doubt whether one who has ''accepted Christ'' is A Christian, is tantamount to denying God's Word, and that to give up altar calls, is to give up EVANGELISM ALTOGETHER.