Regenerate Church Members?

In Matthew 13, Jesus gives two famous agrarian parables. Both stories speak of farmers, seeds, soils and harvests. Yet they have very different lessons for us to learn.

The first is called The Parable of the Sower (vv.1-9). It describes how a farmer broadcast his seeds on a variety of soils. There is hard soil, stony soil, thorny soil and fertile soil. Of course this provides an illustration for how the gospels is rejected or received by the hearts of men.

The second is called The Parable of the Wheat and Tares (vv.24-30). Again a farmer goes out and sows his seed. However, this time the emphasis is not on various types of soil but upon an enemy. While the farmer is away, his enemy comes into his field and sows tares among the wheat seed. The tares were worthless weeds that looked so much like wheat that in the early stages it was hard to tell them apart.

When the heads began to appear on the wheat however, the tares became obvious. When the farmer's helpers asked him what he wanted to do about the tares, he said, "Let them grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn'" (v.30).

Later in the chapter Jesus explains the meaning of this parable to His disciples. He tells them that He is the farmer, the field is the world, the seeds are "the sons of the kingdom" and the tares are "the sons of the wicked one." At the end of the age, they will all be gathered in for judgment where the wicked "cast... into the furnace of fire" and the righteous "will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (vv.36-43).

The picture painted by this parable is of the visible church, the membership of local churches. The odds are that in almost every Christian congregation there are both believers and unbelievers, both wheat and tares. There are regenerate and unregenerate church members.

How do we tell them apart? Like the wheat and tares, at first it is difficult. However, later on the difference becomes more obvious. Those who have never truly been converted have little genuine love for the church. Their attendance and participation fades.

Does this not say something about modern evangelistic methods? We've dumbed down the gospel and made it so easy to believe that many believe they are saved when they've never even heard the authentic gospel. Then after a brief stint in the pews, they slip back into their former lifestyle. Why? They are unregenerate. Because their hearts have not been changed, they have no lasting love for the things of God.

At least some Southern Baptists are picking up on this trend. Though as a denomination, the SBC is long noted for padding its membership rolls, some like Mark Dever, John Hammit and Thomas Ascol are calling for integrity in church membership. Ascol presented a resolution to the messengers of the SBC in their 2006 meeting on this very issue but it was voted down.

This is why pastors and elders need to be very careful about receiving new members. We need to carefully question them about their understanding of the gospel and verify as much as possible their genuine salvation. If we do not, we may be admitting unbelievers into the church and contributing to their judgment.

Here is an excellent article from the Southern Baptists of Texas concerning the problem of an unregenerate membership.

Soli Deo Gloria!