In recent years I have been greatly concerned to find many, many church members, and many outside the churches, who show no evidence of ever having been born again, who can give no definite testimony to their faith in Christ, yet are content and untroubled about the future. I read in the Bible again and again plain warnings to those kind of people. From the many times this question is brought up in the Bible, it is evident that there is a real and terrible danger of one's being deceived and depending on a false hope, only to discover at last that he is eternally lost.
The Saviour said, "Behold, a sower went forth to sow. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away" (Matt. 13:3-6). Clearly the seeds falling on stony places represent those who have heard the Gospel and were somewhat moved by it but not genuinely converted. Jesus explained that class of hearers in these words: "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended" (Matt. 13:20, 21). Here are pretended Christians but with no root in themselves. They have received the Word with joy temporarily but had no real work of grace in their hearts, no new birth, no actual regeneration. Jesus in this parable mentioned two classes of unsaved people - those who carelessly let the Word of God pass by without concern, and those who receive the Word gladly and make some claim as Christians and have some hope of Heaven but are never truly saved, having no root in themselves. This indicates that the Saviour knew multitudes would claim to be saved who were not.
It would appear from the words of our Saviour that some would be at the very gate of Heaven, expecting to sit down to the wedding feast with all the saints, then be cast outside. In Matthew, chapter 22, Jesus tells of "a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding." When they refused to come, then all were invited. Servants gathered all they found, bad and good, and the wedding was furnished with guests. But the Saviour said that "... when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:11-14).
Here was a man who expected to attend the wedding supper, even came into the house with others who had on the wedding garments. Doubtless the man was well satisfied with his own garments. They seemed to him white enough, I suppose, but they did not meet the strict requirements of the King. The man without the wedding garment was speechless before the King and was cast outside into outer darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth by those who longed to enter but could not! Surely Jesus meant that many will desire Heaven but will miss it. Many have false hopes and are deluded even while they are damned. You may have heard God's invitation, you may have felt that you are all right. Possibly you have compared yourself with other church members and are sure that you live a better life than they. Perhaps, even, that is true. At the same time, if you do not have the required wedding garment, you will be cast outside when God the Father makes the wedding feast for His Son, Jesus Christ, and when all the redeemed are caught up in glory to the wedding supper. Are you sure that you are saved? Do you know, are you absolutely sure, that you have on the wedding garment of Christ's righteousness?
Again Jesus warned about this matter in the parable of the ten virgins. In Matthew 25 He tells of "... ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps." While the bridegroom tarried, and all the girls slumbered, the wicks which had no oil burned out. The five wise virgins who had oil in their vessels with their lamps, slumbered, and found their lamps needed trimming. But when the wicks were trimmed, the light was clear and strung again. But the foolish virgins had no light because they had no oil and their lamps went out. The foolish virgins then went to buy oil. But when they returned, others had entered in to the marriage and "the door was shut." The bridegroom said to them, "Verily I say unto you, I know you not."
Again, surely Jesus meant to show us that multitudes expect to be saved who will not be saved. Many have lamps with no oil. Many have hopes, but their hopes are not well founded. Many hide themselves behind a refuge of lies and say, "Peace," when there is no peace. There are many lost people mixed in with the saved. If Jesus should come today, it would be a startling and horrible disappointment to millions to learn that they would be left behind, unsaved, unregenerate sinners who never had the oil of salvation!
And so it is again and again in the parables and teachings of Jesus. He told about a net let down into the sea which gathered up good fish and bad. The good fish were taken and the bad fish were thrown away. Notice that the point of the story is not that there were bad fish in the sea, but that bad fish got in the net with good fish (Matt. 13:47-50). Jesus told about wheat, and tares planted in the wheat, so that men could not tell the difference. Both alike were left to stay until the harvest and then would be separated. So we are told, "The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels" (Matt. 13:39). At the end of the age God and His angels will separate the saved and the lost. Notice there that Jesus was not speaking about tares out in the pastures, nor in the fence corners, nor in the weed patch, but tares in the field with the wheat! There are many lost people in the churches. There are some deceived, unregenerate sinners posing as children of God who will be brought to the horrible disillusionment one day to learn that they are lost forever. I beg you as kindly and tenderly as I know how, make sure you are saved. Settle it for certain today. Every preacher should search out his own heart until he can know beyond any doubt that he is a child of God. Preachers have been deceived and have died unsaved, as did Judas Iscariot. Jesus said, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" (Matt. 7: 22). Surely, since so many religious workers will be found unconverted, you ought to see again to your foundation and know whether your hope is a false hope. If again you find the sweet certainty, the double assurance that you are a born-again child of God, you will have cause for rejoicing anew. Jesus said, "Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). But if you should find yourself unsaved, then how important that you find it out now before it is too late!
No wonder the Apostle Peter under divine inspiration wrote: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure" (II Pet. 1:10). And again the beloved Paul was moved by the Holy Ghost to write, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (II Cor. 13:5). If you will read the book of Hebrews, you must be struck with the repeated exhortations, the warnings to those who might think themselves saved but are deceived.
Jesus told of two men who went up into the Temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee thought he was all right, in fact, said he was all right. He prayed, he tithed, he fasted, he lived a good moral life, yet he went down to his house lost. Paul held the garments of those who stoned Stephen, and went about breathing out threatenings and slaughter. As he started down to Damascus, Paul would have said that his soul was safe. Later on he tells us that after the strictest sect he had lived a Pharisee and had tried to live blameless according to the law. But when the Lord Jesus appeared to him from Heaven in a light shining brighter than the sun, Paul found that he was nothing but a poor, lost sinner persecuting Jesus Christ! I tell you, you had better be warned by the Scriptures and make sure that you are saved.