Thank you.
<<<What's your verse to support that?>>>
Support what? That a nominal Christian would answer that in the affirmative? I don’t think a verse is necessary to support this to be true. You will understand why after I address your question as to what a nominal Christian is.
<<<Can a "non-Christian", be righteous?>>>
If being righteous, you mean, the doing of works that are held as righteous works, such as helping the needy, and other so called charitable acts, the answer would be yes. But if you mean, being righteous in the sight of God, my answer would be a no.
Scripture asserts some absolutes. Jesus said, "No good tree produces bad fruit, no bad tree produces good. Therefore you will know them by their fruit." (Matt7:16-18)
He also said, "He who is not with Me is against Me; he that does not gather, scatters." (Matt12:30)
So a nominal Christian would be the same as a carnal Christian, they
profess to believe but practice sin. Agree?
A nominal Christian is one who is said to be a Christian (Believer in Christ), but only in name. Meaning, he isn’t a believer in the right and true sense of believing, as can be learned in scriptures, that is of a faith that comes from God, which is one that is sincere and of a fully persuaded heart, coming from having been touched and convicted by the Holy Spirit about sin, righteousness, and judgment, and of the truth about God, and is that which is trusting, confident, loving, filled with hope in God, and is firm and steadfast in Christ Jesus.
Where do "works" fit into this? We know we are not saved by works (Eph2:8, Rm11:6, Titus3:5, "ergon something-we-do"); but good works inescapably accompany the saved.
Why is that?
It cuts to the
essence of Christianity. To be saved, is to begin an indwelt fellowship with the real persons of Jesus, and the Spirit; and we fellowship with the Father. In a real sense Jesus does our good deeds through us --- "For it is GOD who is at work in you, both to will and to work according to His good pleasure." (Philip2:13) We walk in good works which He prepared beforehand (Eph2:9). We struggle to understand the balance between our being imperfect and occasionally falling back into sin, and the question "can we sin enough to become unsaved?" Salvation would become forfeit if sin becomes repeating; because "Christ-in-you" (indwelling presence!) is not compatible with "walking-in-sin".
Per Scripture, it is not credible to contend that anyone who walks in sin NOW, was never REALLY saved in the FIRST place. In the whole letter of Galatians it describes someone who "was begun in the Spirit, obeying the truth, running well, KNOWN by God" -- that cannot be "unsaved". But such a one turning back to Law, to 'weak worthless things to become enslaved all over again, ending in the FLESH rather than the Spirit", he is plainly said to be "severed from Christ and fallen from grace"! (3:3, 5:7, 4:9, 5:4!) It's impossible to perceive him as "never-was-truly-saved", equally impossible that he "never-actually-fell". The only thing left to try to hang onto OSAS, is to attempt, "It's not real, it's hyperbole, fatherly-advice, it's effective means by which God KEEPS us saved but can't really HAPPEN." And that's not credible either; it's written as real possibility.
It's the same in Hebrews, especially 3:12-14 -- there is no such thing as
unsaved brethren, and it's a sincere real warning not to "become deceived by sin to a hard heart that falls away from God". Where is the wiggle-room? Where is it ambiguous?
In a moment I'd like to make a post on 2Cor9...
The word “nominal” is not found in scriptures. But that is not to mean that there are no such nominal Christians, that is, Christians only in name.
So such a person is not saved. No way to tell if he ever was; see 1Jn2:19 "they went out from us because they were not of us" -- but they could have BEEN "of us", even yesterday! There's nothing in the words to disallow that. (And 2Jn1:7-9 warns people to "abide in the teachings so as to not go too far [go out from us!], and cease having God"!)
I think knowing what it means to be a true believer, will somehow address your point there. This is what I take to be a true believer, at least for me.
A true believer/Christian is one who is a believer in the right and true sense of believing, as can be learned in scriptures, that is of a faith that comes from God,
Be careful -- it's very important
which direction saving-faith flows. Does God GIVE saving-faith to a few favorites (Reformed Theology), as some misunderstand Rom12:3 to mean? Or does God receive faith FROM men (Heb11:6) and command men to believe (Acts17:26-31) Whose faith is it? (1Pet1:9!)
...which is one that is sincere and of a fully persuaded heart, coming from having been touched and convicted by the Holy Spirit about sin, righteousness, and judgment, and of the truth about God, and is that which is trusting, confident, loving, filled with hope in God, and is firm and steadfast in Christ Jesus.
The most basic question -- when a person receives Jesus as Lord and Savior, who makes the choice?
I don’t know if you have the same view as mine regarding the true believer. If not, I am interested to know yours.
Well, what you and I struggle to expose, is what SCRIPTURE says. Your view, and my view, are irrelevant. We begin recognizing that "all Scripture is inspired by God, and suitable for reproof, correction, equipping us for every righteous deed" (2Tim3:16). Without the bases of "Bible-truth", there is no common ground for discussion. Each of us would "do what is right in our own mind..."
If you will here focus in the part “is that which is trusting, confident, loving, filled with hope in God, and is firm and steadfast in Christ Jesus”, my view would have it, that one who changes his mind about Jesus Christ or in the gospel about Jesus Christ, that was preached by the apostles, which they received and believed, and believe something different, haven’t truly believed after all.
And that's the question -- can one who IS STEADFAST, become unsteadfast? Some Scriptures are translated badly. 2Pet for instance, verse 1:5 "add to your faith" -- as if there's a saved-faith
without godly qualities! No, they're not optional! The Greek says "SUPPLY IN your faith!" And verse 10, "make sure ABOUT your calling and election" -- that's not what the Greek says! It blatantly says "make your calling and election steadfast"! He who lacks the non-optional qualities has ...
forgotten purification from former sins (he WAS purified/saved, but now is NOT!) -- therefore against that bad-example, be diligent to make your salvation steadfast, (because!) as long as these qualities are yours you will ...not stumble/ptaio/become-wretched, and in THIS way the gates of eternity will be abundantly provided to you (and if you are NOT diligent, they won't be provided at all!)
The argument continues throughout the letter; those who were saved but fall back into defilements are worse than before being saved, chapter 2. And chapter 3 warns us to guard against deceitful men
lest we fall from our own steadfastness! Peter is as OSNAS as can get!
I'm sorry I've given you such a barrage of verses, Tong; but what do you think of them? Do you have different understandings?