The majority of people who call themselves Christians in this age have nothing more than words to back up their supposed faith, and there are fewer still who truly are born-again that will stand in the truth towards these individuals.
I would ask you to put this to the test, a subject we have discussed before, but in this “test” remember that what you are doing is not trying to bring adulation or praise upon yourself, nor are you attempting to belittle this person, you are attempting to help them to see the truth about themselves. You must be sure that the person you are planning on speaking to indeed fits the profile of the one we have mentioned, no outward visible signs of the salvation they say they have, it may be necessary, in fact I would highly recommend it, that you speak to not a few of their family and friends, not about your intentions of course, but just as a side note.
There are those of you that understand that to lead a conversation, one must enable the hearer to believe that they in fact are in charge of the current discourse. We sometimes can see ourselves better in other’s eyes then we can see ourselves, my lovely wife has instructed me in this area concerning myself many times, and although I do so reluctantly at times, I try to accept and apply her advice in my life.
There is one hope, and only one that you must have if you decide to endeavor yourself to this task, that the person you are speaking to will see the truth, understand it within themselves, and seek the Lord for mercy for what they have pretended to be for so long, one of His chosen ones. This may or may not happen, but for your part you must make a decision, if indeed this individual is deceiving themselves, if their life does not reflect the life of Christ, and you know it, and if you do nothing with that knowledge, you will be held accountable. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)
If they die in their sins, that is not your fault, whether you try to help them or not, for we are all accountable to ourselves, but if they die in their sins, and you know that you did absolutely nothing when the truth was shown to you, then there will be reprimands towards you from the Lord, of how I cannot say.
This person will speak of Spiritual issues, but not from a changed heart, his words will be flowing and full of knowledge, they will sound as if they are saying the right thing, but not from a perspective of humility and the grace that only comes from the Lord, not from a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17) that knows that it has been found worthy when it had no right to be so. Those who you speak to that have intimate knowledge of the person will not have wonderful things to say about them, their demeanor at home will be rough and overbearing, those who work with them will give accounts of a foul mouth, perhaps an attitude of either wanton complacency, or being overly authoritarian to those around him. This person’s main group of friends will be from and of the world, and the things of the world will entice and draw them almost constantly.
This is why I mentioned that there are few who will be willing to approach this person with the truth, it is not easy, nor does it bring any joy in us to bring to light the faults of others, but this is more than important, for this person is leading away silly women, (2 Tim. 3:6) he is a blot on your feasts, (Jude 1:12) he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, (Matt. 7:15) and if it is a pastor, preacher, elder, or deacon, he is an antichrist. (1 John 2:22) This is why, if you are positive, if the Holy Spirit has shown you beyond a shadow of a doubt that this person is indeed a deceiver, and you do nothing about it, you will be held accountable for your inactions.
They will say, “Who made you judge over me,” and that will be the politest words they will say, but you are not here to serve other people’s feelings in this regard, you are on this earth to glorify God. I have done this, and it has brought me no joy, save for the fact that I was obedient to my Lord.