Mature Christians only please. Are there real Christians in false religions?

Question

I'm not talking about people who were recently converted and God hasn't called them out of their religion yet because they are just babes in Christ. I'm talking about people who claim to be a Christian all their lives and still remain in their false religion and don't care that it has evil doctrine's and practices that go against the bible? I'm not talking about any particular religion. Just think of the worst one that you know is false that claims to be "Christian" and apply my question to that. What do people think. I'm torn between the scriptures that refer to those who stay in these religions as spiritual harlots and in Rev. Jesus says, "Come out of her my people" and saying that God accepts them where they're at. I don't want to judge anyone, I'm just asking in a general way. Thanks so much for your imput.

To trish - I never mentioned Catholics. If you look at my answers you'll see I never bash anyone. I tell the truth about it's doctrines and if that offends you, I'm very sorry. It's not my fault it teaches abominations. You should be mad at the church for teaching these things.

To yachadhoo - I understood everything you said. Very good answer. But I have a question . Aren't we all obliged to research what the doctrine's of our own church are? If we have been in the church a long time and don't know what the doctrines are or don't pray to God to know what He thinks of them, are we innocent?

Answer 1

"I'm talking about people who claim to be a Christian all their lives and still remain in their false religion and don't care that it has evil doctrine's and practices that go against the bible?"

Many people claim to be Christian and are not. I will say this, there are no real Christians who stay in false religions. True Christians care more about being pleasing to God then they do about staying in a "church" that practices false doctrine. True Christians separate themselves from evil, whether the evil comes from false doctrines or another source. True Christians don't turn a blind eye. True Christians have their eyes wide open.

Answer 2

Okay, so you're not talking about non-Christians who act Christian without believing in Christ. You mean people who claim to be Christian even though their doctrine is unorthodox. Sure. Doctrines are made by people to explain their understanding of God. Jesus didn't spell out exactly how heaven and hell work. (He did mention something about cutting limbs and gouging eyes though.) He never mentioned the Trinity. Those ideas are our best guesses. God will do what God does regardless of what we think. And if someone thinks Jesus came from Saturn and lives in the Sun now, as long as he gets the idea of loving your enemy and serving your neighbor, the credal errors shouldn't matter. Seriously, do you think God will judge our lives with a Biblical trivia test? Won't he rather look for evidence that our lives have been changed by our beliefs? (Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned, etc?) Don't tell God how to manage eternity, he knows. Jesus is not a Catholic or a Protestant or any other human denomination.

Answer 3

No. Can I make it anymore simple.

And as for "God accepts them where they're at" I would like to see some verses for that.

Here are some verses to support my answer:

Rom 8:9 / If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Rom 8:14 / For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

John 16:13 / when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth

1 John 4:6 / We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Eph 4:4 / There is one body, and one Spirit (side note: Col 1:18 the body and church are one and the same in this verse)

So you must have the Spirit or be born of the Spirit otherwise you are not His child. Rom 8:14

Rom 8:8 / So then they that are in the flesh (not of the Spirit) cannot please God. Why because they are not lead by the Spirit and since the Spirit of God leads us into all truth why would a real Christian who is lead by the Spirit be in a false religion?

Answer 4

I don't see how someone who knowingly stays with a false religion that goes against the Bible can be a real Christian. Isn't it when a person chooses to follow Christ that they are considered a Christian? If a person is in a false religion & doesn't know it is false they are following Christ to the best of their ability and God accepts them where they are at. When they learn more and choose to follow the new light and leave the false religion they are Christ's followers. If they learn new light and remain in the false religion they are dis-associating themselves from Christ by their choice.

Christ's call to all is "come out of her and be ye seperate" but those who refuse to leave when they know better will be lost.

Answer 5

Interesting question. I would have to say "that's up to God" at the final judgment. Real Christians (the Church, the Body of Christ founded on Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit, with Jesus Christ as her head and all baptized persons being the members has the right to define that term) would mean those who have been Baptized and believe all of the articles of the Apostle's Creed (the Creed of Holy Baptism).

Now, that being said, we are told to "judge not, lest (we) be judged". Only God knows the heart. We cannot (and should not) make that call.

Still - the best question of the day!

Answer 6

To me, each one would have to be Checked-Out
for their Own Personal Statement of Faith.
If they Passed the Test for a Born-Again Child of GOD, then I could say that they have been Decieved, and are in the Wrong Church.
No Matter What Level of Faith they have Reached.
Were not Outta Here till were Outta Here.
Devil is 24-7.
If it WERE Possible, even the Very Elect would be Decieved.

You won't Lose your Salvation (right to go to Heaven) if you Stay in the Wrong Church all of your Life.

You have to Commit the Unpardonable Sin, to Lose your Right to go to Heaven.
Hope this helps.
Ditto.

Answer 7

I don't think that staying in a maze of error would be possible for a Christian. God had prepared me for years before the day came and I saw I was lost in a cult. At that time I had to separate. It wasn't a matter of choice. It almost cost me my home and family but I couldn't stay in a false religion and stay true to my Lord at the same time... Jim

Answer 8

It is impossible to give a universal statement on the salvation of all members of any denomination of Christianity. Not ALL Baptists are saved. Not ALL Presbyterians are saved. Not ALL Lutherans are saved. Salvation is determined by personal faith in Jesus alone for salvation, not by titles or denominational identification. Despite the unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, there are genuine believers who attend Roman Catholic churches. There are many Roman Catholics who have genuinely placed their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. However, these Catholic Christians are believers despite what the Catholic Church teaches, not because of what it teaches. To varying degrees, the Catholic Church teaches from the Bible and points people to Jesus Christ as the Savior. As a result, people are sometimes saved in Catholic churches. The Bible has an impact whenever it is proclaimed (Isaiah 55:11). Catholic Christians remain in the Catholic Church out of ignorance of what the Catholic Church truly stands for, out of family tradition and peer pressure, or out of a desire to reach other Catholics for Christ.

Answer 9

Mature are not it is depend to your faith. Just because you become Christians 10-20-30-40-50 years dont mean that you are mature in Christ. But I dont have any right to judge anybody about Faith. It is personal relation with God

Answer 10

I got a little lost in this question, and I'm not sure I'm mature. But we are each responsible for seeking God.

There are many Christian denominations because people interpret the bible differently. They are drawn to the one they believe to be the most correct application of the bible (that is if they ever leave the one they inherited from their parents)

Is my choice more correct than your, or is your choice more correct than mine? Only God knows