False salvation can happen to anyone. The worst part of all, false salvation can leave a person asking if God is actually real. False salvation does not satisfy the soul but leaves it empty and longing for something to fill it. Yesterday evening, I was on the phone with one of my best friends, Ron. And during that call, he asked me about a recent Facebook post I had made over the weekend about becoming a Christian in 2006. He has known me since 2000 and was surprised to learn that I was not saved. 

False salvation can appear to others as being real

In my own personal story, in 1988 I was looking for answers. My father had moved in the middle of my senior year of high school. That summer, I entered into college and was searching for answers. I knew there was more to life and began to experiment in everything that life on the college campus had to offer. Many people who experience a false salvation have a similar experience. They are aware that there is more out there and search for it. Unfortunately, many real Christians, some are even ministers, have little understanding of how to show someone the way to finding the Jesus of the Bible.  

Within the gospel of John, there’s a key verse: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). When you’re searching for answers and when you know something is missing, it is easy to get caught up in an emotional experience. This is what happened to me. I was already searching, had someone share the gospel with me, then invited me to church. Once in church, I walked down the aisle, knowing in my heart that something was missing. I was simply responding because I knew it was what I was supposed to do. I prayed a certain prayer at the altar with another man of the church – because I was supposed to do it. Later, at the evening service, I was baptized but felt no different on the inside then I had before.

False salvation rejects the discipleship of the Bible

There’s a verse in the gospel of John that goes along with one of the things I had to learn the hard way. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26). When a person has a false profession of faith, no matter how much preaching they hear, no matter how much Bible reading they do, or regardless of how many services they attend, a person who is not saved will never have spiritual growth. Think of it this way, one cannot fill a flower-pot with dirt and expect a plant to grow if there has never been a seed planted.

The writings of Paul discusses the inner spiritual battle Christians have. For the believer, the battle between the sinful nature of mankind and the desire to live as Jesus has called us to do is a real, constant one. For someone who has a false salvation, there is no such battle. There’s the battle of knowing that something shouldn’t be done, but no real guilt afterwards. There may even be a justification along the lines of “God knows I am only human,” or “all Christians struggle with some sort of sin…” It is not a matter of how smart someone is or even if they know what being a Christian means. It is a heart matter. Until someone is truly ready to surrender their entire existence to Jesus, there cannot be any hope of salvation or redemption. Without redemption, there can be no spiritual growth.

False salvation and the fallacy of self-determination

The lost world has a fundamental misunderstanding of Christianity. Its understanding actually impacts how some who self-identify as Christian live their lives. There’s a song performed by Carrie Underwood called, “Jesus, Take the Wheel” that perfectly illustrates what anyone seeking genuine salvation has to do. There’s a couple of verses that comes to mind: Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able (Luke 13:24) and, And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).During His earthly ministry, Jesus was asked how someone could get into Heaven. The gospel of Matthew records Jesus’ response: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Matthew 22:37).

These verses paint a very disturbing picture for someone who has a false salvation. They may have the head knowledge of who Jesus is but their heart remains affixed to this world. They are carnal in their lifestyle and/or in their thoughts. Before I was saved, I wanted to have both – the assurance of an eternal home in heaven and to be able to live my life according to my own terms. I didn’t know it then, but Paul had actually wrote about this very thing: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16). What I didn’t realize at the time was that I really didn’t have the control I thought I had over my life. I was a slave to sin. 

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