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People who profess faith in Christ but remain in sin, bear no fruit to God, demonstrate no grief over sin, but stubborn persistence in sin, are headed for hell. They may have confessed with their mouth, but their works deny Him. And those who preach a Gospel that allows this lack of repentance and absence of the transforming work of the Spirit of God, are preaching a false Gospel, which is a wicked offense that God will punish.

I know people who made professions of faith and demonstrated that very lifestyle, one that showed NO evidence at all of salvation.

No desire to read the word, no interest in prayer or fellowship with other believers, a casual attitude towards sin, taking salvation for granted.

And I also know a couple who profess to be believers, (him I'm sure about but her I'm not) who think that is you simply pray a prayer, you are saved, even if you never show any evidence of salvation.

I have often wondered if people come to that kind of theology because of their lifestyles, that they are still after several decades of being a Christian, or professing to be, still deal with issues and live in a way that sometimes shocks me, the language she uses, the things she jokes about, the anger issues they both deal with. He defends her to the death cause he loves her, but I suspect that their theology is based on the lack of change in their lives.

I think it's just justification in their own minds to assure themselves that they are OK cause they *prayed a prayer*.

I understand that many people are weak and we all start from different places, but after 30 or so years, I expect to see much more Christlike character out of someone than to live a carnal life.

“I understand that many people are weak and we all start from different places, but after 30 or so years, I expect to see much more Christlike character out of someone than to live a carnal life.”

That’s exactly right. I think we are supposed to discern the spiritual state of those who profess salvation, including when we examine our own lives. The parable of the sower gives us a basic template.

Some have heard and not believed. That’s pretty easy. Some show some initial evidence but no real, lasting fruit. These are those who do not continue on the path of discipleship. True disciples keep Christ’s commandments. They don’t just call Jesus “Lord” with their mouth (although this is the first evidence), they also confess by their works. These second and third types may take longer to discern. And then there are those who have clear evidence of being born-again believers.

We also have to recognize that we can be fooled. Look at Judas. Only Christ recognized he was a phony. The other disciples considered him completely trustworthy. There are other parables that explain cases like him. For example, the tares and wheat.

Some professing Christians are converts of a false Gospel. So they appear as other Christians. Christ said for His servants not to uproot the tares that grow among the wheat because this could uproot the wheat also.

But the purpose of discerning the state of a professed Christian, including ourselves, is not to condemn, of course. It is to know the right prescription.

The pattern I see throughout the New Testament is that the Gospel is not just for the lost. It is for those who believe also, so we can continue to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. When we sin, we return to the cross. We confess and repent. We don’t go to some “advanced Christianity.” We go back to the basics: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, all in accordance with the Biblical prophecies. Then He was seen alive again by hundreds of witnesses, which we have a record of in the New Testament. We avail ourselves of the forgiveness, justification, sanctification, and glorification offered to us by repentance and faith.

This message strengthens the weak believer. It helps us grow. But it also is a message for professing believers who have not yet born fruit, who are still living in sin, who may have not really been born again. And perhaps even those who have followed a false Gospel may be brought to repentance. But these need to come to the realization that they did not understand the true Gospel message, or did not properly repent, or did not believe with their whole heart.

Luke 13:6-9
He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’”

Galatians 4:19
My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.