Marks of a Possible False Convert (Tony Miano)

Tony Miano, director of Living Waters/Way of the Master's Ambassador's Alliance, gave a sermon recently called "Marks of a Possible False Convert". In it, he identifies several marks that, if a person has, they could be a false convert. These marks include a "theology" called "Open Theism" (God doesn't know the future and learns like we do), another called "Sinless Perfectionism" (a belief that we can attain perfection in this life), and a denial of original sin among others. This is a hard hitting sermon, but it's spoken in love to those who are entangled by these heresies as well as others.

Here is the list from Tony's blog, http://thelawmanchronicles.blogspot.com , that lays out all the marks he wanted to cover in this sermon. Due to time restraints, he wasn't able to hit all these topics.

Ten Marks of a False Convert:

1. You believe that you are inherently a good person, thus denying the doctrine of Original Sin.

2. You commit idolatry of the mind and blaspheme the very character of God by denying essential doctrines such as judgment, hell, regeneration, and justification by faith alone; and you replace the truth with lies such as sinless perfection and open theism.

3. You think that only the red-lettered words in your Bible are the words of Jesus and, therefore, the rest of the Bible can be interpreted and applied to your liking.

4. You believe that a person can be a Christian while wantonly engaging in habitual sin; such as homosexuality, fornication, adultery in mind or body, the support in any way whatsoever of the murder of the unborn, or any other sin.

5. You believe that because a person has prayed a prayer and asked Jesus into their heart, then they are saved.

6. You believe a person can be a Christian, even if they bear no fruit after making a profession of faith in Christ. You treat the grace of God as a license to sin. You like the word backslider.

7. You struggle with the thought of missing a meal; but going days, weeks, even months without reading your Bible doesnt faze you.

8. You pray when you want something from God; but beyond that you have very little time for conversation with Him.

9. You believe that Darwinian, macro-evolution is a scientific fact and compatible with belief in the God of the Bible.

10. You see evangelism as a gift other people have; and you have no real concern about the fact that 150,000 people die every day, with the vast majority of them bound for hell. You soothe your conscience by convincing yourself that friendship evangelism, as it is most commonly practiced among American Christians, is actually in the Bible. You think that if you let your little light shine, you dont have to verbally proclaim the gospel.