Ever since God has had a people of His own on this earth, they have been sorely troubled by the presence among them of those who professed to be of them, but were not. Beginning with Cain and Abel, this state of things will continue until "The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity... then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:41-43).

1. The Bible recognizes believers and professing believers as separate groups
   • Matthew 13:24-30,37-43 - "Tares among the wheat"
   • 2Corinthians 11:13-15 - "False apostles... transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ"
   • 2Peter 2:1,2 - "False prophets also among the people... false teachers"
2. Believers
   1. Believers are saved
      • Luke 7:50 - "Thy faith hath saved thee"
      • John 6:47 - "Believeth on Me hath everlasting life"
      • John 5:24 - "Is passed from death unto life"
      • Matthew 25:10 - "They that were ready went in with him"
      • John 10:27-30 - "They shall never perish"
   2. Believers are rewarded
      • Luke 12:42-44 - "He will make him ruler over all that he hath"
   3. Believers are encouraged
      • Philippians 1:6 - "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ"
      • 1Peter 1:5 - "Who are kept by the power of God"
      • Luke 12:32 - "Your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom"
      • James 5:7,8 - "The coming of the Lord draweth nigh"
3. Professing believers
   1. Professing believers are lost
      • Acts 8:9-21 - "Heart is not right in the sight of God"
      • John 6:63-66 - "Many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him"
      • Matthew 23:28-33 - "Within ye are full of hypocrisy"
   2. Professing believers are condemned
      • Matthew 25:11,12 - "I know you not"
      • Matthew 7:22,23 - "I never knew you: depart from Me"
   3. Professing believers are warned
      • Hebrews 2:1-3 - "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?"
      • 2Peter 2:20-22 - "It had been better... not to have known... than... to turn from the holy commandment"
      • 2Peter 2:2 - "Many shall follow their pernicious [evil] ways"
      • Jude 1:4 - "Ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men"
4. An example
   • John 6:68-71 - "One of you is a devil." Speaking of Judas.
   • Luke 22:31,32 - "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not."
     Both men sinned. Judas betrayed the Lord, while Peter denied Him. The difference is that Judas was never a believer, but Peter never ceased to be one.
5. Who should judge if one is a believer or a professing believer?
   • 1Corinthians 4:5 - "Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will... make manifest the counsels of the hearts"

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