A Number of Reasons Why Most People Will Never Identify as a Christian

Christians are people made new by the work of God’s indwelling Spirit (Rom 8:9, 11; Eph 2:5; Col 2:13). It is the presence of the Spirit of Christ in the soul of a Christian that sets that man or woman apart from other people in the world. It is the will of the Lord (Jn 1:13), yes, His gracious choice (Rom 11:5) that determines who receives Christ and who does not (Jn 1:12). No one comes to Jesus unless God the Father draws Him to the one and only Savior of sinners (Jn 6:44, 65). It is the Lord’s prerogative to show mercy upon those whom He wills to show mercy (Rom 9:15–16).

There is no revealed reason given as to why God graces one with so great a salvation (Heb 2:3), while passing by another. This is a hidden knowledge reserved for the Lord. What is revealed by God belongs to us and for our edification from His Holy Word. Becoming a Christian is never a choice made by those who receive Christ’s Spirit and believe in Jesus (Jn 1:13). It is never one’s decision to be made a Christian. In fact, there are a number of reasons why the majority of humanity never identify themselves as Christian. Let us consider a few of these reasons.

First, their names were not written in the Lamb’s (Christ) book of life before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8; 17:8).

2. God the Father never gave these people to God the Son in order for Him to die for them on the cross (Jn 6:37; Jn 17:2, 6, 24).

3. God did not predestine these people to adoption as sons before the world began (Eph 1:4–5).

4. These people do not belong to Christ Jesus (1 Cor 3:23), evidenced by their having no faith in Him (Jn 10:26).

5. God the Father and God the Son never send God the Spirit to these people (Jn 14:26;15:26); hence, they do not have the Spirit, again demonstrating they do not belong to Christ (Rom 8:9).

6. Without the Spirit these people are never baptized into Christ’s church (1 Cor 12:13).

7. Without the Spirit these people have no will nor ability to come to Jesus for rest (Mt 11:28; Jn 5:40; Rom 8:7).

8. Without the Spirit these people have no faith, and with no faith there is no justification before God (Rom 3:26, 28; 4:5; 5:1).

9. These people cannot hear the Word of God (Jn 5:24, 38; 8:43).

10. When the Word of truth is spoken, these people do not believe it (Jn 5:24, 38; 8:45).

11. These people have no love for God in their hearts (Jn 5:42).

12. These people remain spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins from conception to death (Ps 51:5; Jn 8:24; Rom 5:12; Eph 2:1).

13. These people have no solution to their inherited sin (Rom 5:12), sin nature (Eph 2:3), and incessant practice of sin (Rom 3:23).

14. With no solution to sin, these people die in their sins and then comes God’s just judgment of them (Heb 9:27).

15. These people were never appointed to eternal life, so they never believe in Jesus (Acts 13:48).

16. These people love darkness because their deeds are evil (Jn 3:19).

17. These people hate God (Rom 1:30), hate Christ (Jn 7:7; 15:24–25), and hate Christians (Jn 15:18–19).

18. These people are slaves of sin and Satan (Jn 8:44; Rom 6:6; 1 Jn 3:10).

19. These people were created by God to be vessels of wrath prepared for destruction (Rom 9:22). He made them for the day of evil (Prv 16:4).

20. These people are not right before God (Rom 3:10). They are unrighteous and ungodly.

21. The wrath of God is directed at these ungodly people (Rom 1:18).

22. God’s wrath is His hatred toward sin and sinners (Ps 5:5; 7:11; 11:5) and without a Savior this is the state of these people now and forever.

23. These people have zero vested interest in suffering persecution from identification with Christ Jesus (Col 1:24; Rom 8:17; 2 Tim 3:11).

24. These people have no reservations regarding their twisting Scripture and doctrine in order to lead others astray while gaining a large following for themselves (Mk 13:22; 2 Pet 2:15; 1 Jn 2:18; 2 Jn 1:7).

25. These people do not want this man, King Jesus Christ, to rule over them (Acts 7:27).

26. These people want to be god, having dominion and power over themselves and as many others as possible (Gen 3:5).

27. These people are not recipients of God’s grace unto salvation (Eph 2:8–9), for God says, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious (Ex 33:19).

As I constrain my list for the sake of space, I confess that there is a longer list to be created by anyone who wishes to search the Scriptures in the quest for truth about the reprobate, in the state of reprobation, as I have done here in part.

In summary, we have a list identifying people who have no reason to identify with Jesus Christ, our God and Savior…but not theirs. This is a summary of statements, not criticisms, supported by Holy Scripture. Few, if any, would be interested in this list because the nature of these matters is spiritual and for this reason they have no interest (1 Cor 2:14).

In conclusion, we find two categories of people throughout the Bible. There are those who are in Christ and those outside of Christ. It is not our place to judge who is a Christian and who is not a Christian. The fact is that we who are in Christ have a Gospel to proclaim that is, and to the last day remains, the means of power unto salvation (Rom 1:16–17), which is the tool of transfer for those chosen of God to be brought from outside Christ and to be found in Him (Rom 8:1; Col 1:13).

The Gospel of grace tells believers and unbelievers, the truth about who identifies with Christ and who does not, and why people are in the state of sin and depravity or in the state of grace. Movement from one to the other is exclusively the will and the work of God. He is glorified in both the redeemed and the reprobate, therefore, our task is simply to tell the truth in these matters.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

September 27, 2021