THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BABE IN CHRIST AND A FALSE CONVERT

"[1] And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even
as unto babes in Christ.
[2] I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it,
neither yet now are ye able.
[3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and
divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
[4] For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
[5] Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the
Lord gave to every man?
[6] I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
[7] So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that
giveth the increase.
[8] Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his
own reward according to his own labour.
[9] For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's
building." - I Corinthians 3:1-9
The purpose of this study is to show how you can tell the difference between a babe in
Christ and false convert. Sometimes it is hard to tell no doubt, but many want to make
excuses for professing Christians living in sin by saying that there are so called "carnal
Christians". These people use I Cor. 3 as proof because Paul says that the Corinthians
were "carnal" and equated them being carnal with being "babes in Christ". The main
problem is that many people believe that a Christian can live in a perpetually "carnal"
state, or living in a lifestyle of habitual sin with no repentance their whole life and still
believe they are saved. This is a very dangerous belief and has led to thousands if not
millions of people living in a false sense of security thinking they are saved and that it's
normal for the Christian to live in carnality. Such a belief must be opposed and is refuted
from the Scriptures in very clear and strong language.
First, we will look at
a. what a "babe" is
b. how you can tell if someone is a babe in Christ, the characteristics of a babe
Second, we will look at
a. what a false convert is
b. how you can tell if someone is a carnal false convert or babe in Christ
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WHAT IS A BABE IN CHRIST?
We see the term "babes in Christ" used a few times in the New Testament. This clearly
shows that when someone is born again(John 3) there are stages of growth for the
Christian. The Christian starts as a "babe", meaning a baby, and then grows in maturity
while striving for perfection. The Christian will never be perfect in this life, but they do
have the hope and assurance that one day they will trade in their vile body for a glorified
sinless body.
Someone who has not been born again for long is a babe in Christ, but also, someone can
stay a babe in Christ for a longer time than they should because of a number of factors
which will be discussed.
HOW CAN YOU TELL IF SOMEONE IS A BABE IN CHRIST
"[1] Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all
evil speakings,
[2] As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
[3] If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." - I Peter 2:1-3
Genuine babes in Christ desire to read the word of God and hear the preaching of the
word. This is the only way a babe can grow in the Lord. A babe in Christ who is stuck in
a bad church (or no church) will most likely stay a babe in Christ for a long time because
they are not being fed sound doctrine, but instead are fed shallow watered down
preaching and often presented the Gospel week after week because the pastor is inviting
lost people to church instead of focusing on feeding his flock.
Evangelism is supposed to be done OUTSIDE of the church, going to the lost to preach,
while preaching and teaching for the purpose of edification, discipleship, and unity in the
faith is supposed to be done INSIDE the assembly of the saints to bring the flock to
maturity. Because most pastors do not understand this, many babes in Christ are starving
to be fed and do not grow and churches are also filled with lost people(both professing
Christians and non-professors). Babes have the DESIRE to be fed and grow, while false
converts do not have that desire, but are rather content in the state they are in and rebel
against sound preaching.
The Bible also teaches that a truly born again person will not stay in serious error/false
doctrine forever. The Holy Spirit will guide the believer into the truth and away from the
false teaching. Most CERTAINLY if a Catholic, or JW, Mormon etc. gets saved, they
WILL come OUT of those cults and will not be able to stand the lies anymore. Here are
the verses that support this:
"[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for
he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he
will shew you things to come." - John 16:13
"[27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
[5] And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the
voice of strangers." - John 10:27,5
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"[11] Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of
hearing.
[12] For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again
which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of
milk, and not of strong meat.
[13] For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a
babe.
[14] But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." - Hebrews 5:11-14
Babes in Christ cannot handle strong meat because they are not ready for it yet and will
choke on it like a baby with no teeth. Once again, the scriptures say that babes in Christ
need the milk of the word. What is the milk? The milk of the word are the foundational
doctrines of the Bible, which include: the Gospel, repentance, faith, baptism, resurrection
of the dead, eternal judgment, etc.(Heb. 6:1,2)
The Bible explains here how you can tell someone is able to handle strong meat, and that
is when they have discernment. Babes in Christ do not have much discernment. They
cannot tell the difference between true and false doctrine. It is easy for them to be
deceived by false teachers and that is why it is so important for them to study the word of
God right away to learn sound doctrine. Some people say, "They need to get in church
right away." Really? With the widespread apostasy, false doctrine, and worldliness in the
churches, you think a babe in Christ is going to be able to tell what church would be good
to go to? I think that is horrible advice. They should study the word of God right away
and get established before they make such a big decision as that.
Charles Spurgeon said: Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and
wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right. - Spurgeon
Babes in Christ have a difficult time spotting a wolf in sheep's clothing that preaches a lot
of truth, but mixes in a little bit of lies or commits the sin of silence by omitting
important doctrines.
The verses we read in Hebrews 5 also show us that the different stages of growth.
A babe needs milk so they can grow. They need to learn the basics and and get
established in the faith.
Once they get established in the faith, then they mature to the point where they can teach
others. In verse 12, the scriptures say that certain people should have been at the point
where they were teachers, but they were stuck at the milk stage and would not grow. If
someone does not grow in the faith, it is because they have made the choice not to. They
have made the choice not to obey the commandment to "study to shew themselves
approved unto God".
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"[11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers;
[12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ:
[13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
[14] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby
they lie in wait to deceive;" - Ephesians 4:11-14
All saved people are referred to as children of God, but the use of the word "children" in
this passage refers to spiritual maturity. As was stated before, babes in Christ have little
discernment and therefore are easily deceived and can be "tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine". They are like a sailboat with no rudder, tossed around
the ocean and left to the mercy of the wind. One day they believe one thing and the next
day they believe another. They are as a sheep with no shepherd wandering after every
stranger that walks by. That is why God gave "evangelists, pastors and teachers" for the
"perfecting of the saints". Perfecting means to bring to maturity.
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"[9] Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?
them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
[10] For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon
line; here a little, and there a little:" - Isaiah 28:9,10
If you are a babe in Christ, God is not going to let you grow until you get off the milk.
That means you need to get the foundational doctrines of the Bible down, and then you
can build upon that foundation. When the Bible says "precept upon precept" and "line
upon line" it means that once you learn certain truths from the scriptures then you can
understand other truths from the scriptures and you continue to build upon what you have
learned in the past. Each time you read through the Bible you understand more and more
because you have a greater knowledge of the Bible as a whole. The Bible defines and
interprets itself, so the more you know, the deeper your understanding.
Also, the Holy Spirit will reveal to you more truth as you obey what light has been given
to you. God will not show you more truth and you will not grow until you obey the light
that He has given you already.
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CHASTENING
"[5] And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My
son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
[6] For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth.
[7] If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom
the father chasteneth not?
[8] But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye
bastards, and not sons.
[9] Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them
reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
[10] For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our
profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
[11] Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby." - Hebrews 12:5-11
This is one of the clearest evidences that someone is a born again child of God or not. If
someone is genuinly born again and they sin, God will chasten them. They will not be
able to live in a lifestyle of sin and enjoy it. The pleasure of sin will not be the same as it
was before conversion.
ALSO ADD:
LOVE FOR GOD/JESUS
"[22] If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha." - I
Corinthians 16:22
Anathema Maranatha means "damned to hell at the second coming of Jesus". That is the
fate of the lost person, but a saved person does love the Lord Jesus Christ and this is one
of the first evidences of a babe in Christ is that they love Jesus, especially for dying for
their sins and saving them. This love for Jesus will motivate them to want to obey and
serve him all the days of their life.
"[19] We love him, because he first loved us." - I John 4:19
Jesus said, "[15] If ye love me, keep my commandments." - John 14:15
and LOVE FOR THE BRETHREN
"[1] Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that
loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
[2] By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his
commandments." - I John 5:1,2
"[20] If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
[21] And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother
also." - I John 4:20,21
When somone gets saved one of the first things they will desire is to find and fellowship
with other true believers. They have been adopted into a new family and they have a love
for that family which is stronger than blood. "...there is a friend that sticketh closer than a
brother." - Proverbs 18:24
NOT LOVING THE WORLD
"[12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." - I Corinthians 2:12
"[15] Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him.
[16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
[17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God
abideth for ever." - I John 2:15-17
PRAYER
"[5] And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are:" - Matthew 6:5
Jesus did not say IF you pray, He said WHEN you pray. It is assumed that disciples of
Jesus will pray automatically.
"[17] Pray without ceasing." - I Thessalonians 5:17
The command to pray and the example of prayer in the word of God is overwhelming.
Praying to God should come natural to the truly born again believer. The believer may
have trouble praying and may backslide into times without much prayer, but the life of
the believer is not totally absent of real Holy Ghost prayer to God.
CARNAL BABE VS CARNAL LOST MAN
The word carnal has different meanings depending on the context just like many other
words. Carnal can mean:
1. in a unregenerate state or lost(Rom. 8)
2. fleshly or sensual(I Cor. 3)
3. pertaining to the ceremonial law(Heb. 9)
4. or physical items in this world such as weapons(II Cor. 10) or money(Rom. 15).
In I Cor. 3 Paul is referring to the 2nd definition of carnal, meaning that the babes in
Christ at Corinth were letting their flesh get out of control in their lives instead of
crucifying the flesh and walking in the Spirit. The main issue Paul was calling them
carnal for was envying, strife, and divisions.
"[5] For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after
the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
[6] For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
[7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be.
[8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
[9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in
you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." - Romans 8:5-9
Here the carnal mind is said to be enmity(in a state of oppostion, or an enemy) against
God. The carnal mind is also equated to being in the flesh, which state cannot please
God. Verse 9 says that if you are saved and have the Holy Spirit in you, you will not live
in the flesh. This means you will not live in a constant state of sin with no chastening or
repentance.

"[16] This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
[17] For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
[18] But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
[19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness,
[20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
[21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you
before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God.
[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith,
[23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
[24] And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."
- Galatians 5:16-24
A saved person has a war going on between the flesh and the Spirit. The pleasure of sin is
taken away when someone gets saved and they can no longer enjoy sin in the same
manner they used to. A lost person does not have that war going on because they do not
have the Holy Spirit. The lost person can live in the lust of their flesh all the time and
have no conviction that it's wrong. Someone who consistently walks in the flesh with no
chastening from God and conviction of the Holy Spirit is not saved.
Also mentioned here is another evidence of salvation: the fruit of the Spirit
This fruit will not be perfectly displayed right away, but there will be some evidence of
this fruit. Right away there should be inwardly fruit of love, joy, and peace when you get
saved. You feel love toward God because you experienced His love as a Father toward
you for this first time. You feel the joy of salvation which dispels the sadness and anger
you had before. You feel peace because you are no longer at war with God, but have
made peace with Him and entered into His rest.
As time goes on and you grow, these fruits and the other fruits will manifest more and
more. As was mentioned earlier, one of the evidences of salvation is chastening. One of
the purposes of chastening is to produce more fruit in your life:
"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are
exercised thereby" -Hebrews 12:11
So those who try to defend the wicked behavior of many professing Christians by saying
that "Well the Bible says there are carnal Christians and they're just babes" are not rightly
dividing the word of truth and they are giving people an excuse to live in sin. There is no
such thing as a carnal Christian with no conviction of the Holy Ghost over their sin,
no chastening of God their Father, and no war between the flesh and the Spirit. That
is just a carnal LOST person pretending to be saved.
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WHAT IS A FALSE CONVERT?
A false convert is someone that thinks they are saved and tells people they are saved, yet
they are not truly born again. This is someone who has repeated a prayer one time with
someone, yet has not truly believed on Jesus from the heart. This is someone who says
with their mouth they believe Jesus died for their sin, yet they have not repented of their
sin and they love their sin. These are people that have sat in church all their lives, have
been baptized, have made professions of faith, they tithe, they go soulwinning, they are
deacons and even pastors. There are false converts in many different denominations and
they all say they believe in Jesus, but they believe in a false Jesus they have molded in
their mind to fit their lusts.

SIGNS OF A FALSE CONVERT

Sometimes it is hard to tell if someone is saved or not, but there are a few ways to
tell for a FACT someone is NOT saved:
- If they believe salvation is any other way but through Jesus Christ(John 14:6)
- If they believe they are saved by good works, trying to keep the law, or trying to be a
good person and not by grace through faith alone in the death, burial, and resurrection of
Christ(Eph. 2:8,9, I Cor. 15:1-5)
- If they have never repented of their sin - Never had any conviction and hatred of sin -
Luke 13:3, Acts 26:20)
- If they twist the attributes of Jesus/God(i.e. His deity, sinlessness, virgin birth, eternal
existence, bodily resurrection, etc.) This is because they are believing in a false Jesus that
is not the Jesus of the Bible. The Bible warns of "another Jesus" and "another gospel" (II
Cor. 11:4, Gal. 1:8,9)
Now we will look at some more evidences of a false convert. These are things to watch
out for in this confusing age of apostasy that help to cut through the confusion:
"[2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine.
[3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their
own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
[4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." -
II Timothy 4:2-4
False converts will NOT endure sound doctrine. They hate sound Bible preaching against
sin, about God's wrath and hell, about repentance, about calling out false teachers, about
music and movies, about fornication, about modesty, about roles of men and women,
about final authority and the King James Bible, and just about anything else that doesn't
tickle your ears and sound like this, "Smile, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for
your life! God wants you to be healthy and wealthy! Your best days are ahead of you! Ye
shall be as gods!!" Oh and I almost forgot JUDGE NOT, JUDGE NOT, JUDGE NOT!
False converts do not know the Bible and so when they hear the whole counsel of God
being preached, it seems like some strange awful thing to them. False converts are just
like king Ahab when they hear a real preacher tell the truth they have this reaction: "...
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may
inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always
evil:" - II Chronicles 18:7
False converts don't like doctrinal sermons. Instead, they like a lot of music with a little
sermonette that makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside followed by some coffee and
donuts. False converts like fables like sermons by Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, Joyce
Meyer, Rob Bell, Perry Noble and any other hireling professional ear tickler or if they are
a fundy false convert, they like the hyped up fake preaching of people like Jack Hyles.
"[12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
[13] Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but
which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
[14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned." - I Cor. 2:12-14
The unsaved man cannot have more than a surface level understanding of the Bible. The
deep doctrinal teachings of the Bible and spiritual understanding of types and shadows
are beyond the grasp of the false convert. The false convert may convincingly repeat what
he has heard from others, but has not had any experience where the Holy Spirit opened
his eyes to some deep truth in the word of God that was previously not understood. The
false convert will also often doubt much of the Bible including: a literal six 24 hour day
creation, the divine inspiration, inerrancy, and preservation of scripture, historical and
scientific accuracy of scripture, and generally anything that is supernatural or mocked
by the world.
"[6] He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and
he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
[7] Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come
seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
[8] And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about
it, and dung it:
[9] And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." - Luke
13:6-9
Sometimes babes in Christ need a boost of fertilizer(dung) to get the growth going. I
firmly believe this involves a brother in Christ that will come to this person who
professes faith in Christ, yet has a life lacking in fruit, and show them from the scriptures
what the new life in Christ should be or what their error is. This brother may gently
instruct or reprove them or maybe the babe in Christ will hear some true Bible preaching
from another source and it will bring conviction to the babe. The babe in Christ will
repent of not reading the scriptures and obeying, while the false convert will rebel against
any hard preaching or correction and justify their sin even to the point of using THE
BIBLE to justify their sin. This is why church discipline is so important because it helps
to keep false converts out of the church. The Bible is clear that when someone is a true
heretick, they will not listen to you no matter how much scripture you give them and that
their mind has been destroyed by the false doctrine they cling to:
"[10] A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
[11] Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."
- Titus 3:10,11
SUBVERT'ED, pp. Overthrown; overturned; entirely destroyed.
"[10] Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof
shall die." - Proverbs 15:10
"[9] Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words." -
Proverbs 23:9
"[10] A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool." -
Proverbs 17:10
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MORE ON JUSTIFYING
"[14] And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided
him.
[15] And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God
knoweth your hearts..." - Luke 16:14,15
As the wicked Pharisees did, false converts will JUSTIFY everything they do with the
Bible. They will justify all manner of sin, worldliness, and foolish behavior with the
Bible even to the point of creating elaborate theological systems and rules, just for a
cloak for their sin.
What did Jesus say about this cloak for sin? "[22] If I had not come and spoken unto
them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin." - John 15:22
After we speak the truth of the word of God to the false convert, they have no cloke for
their sin left, EVEN if they STILL try to justify themselves, it will be in vain before God.

CONCLUSION
The purpose of this study is to first give you tools to examine yourself whether ye be in
the faith. It is important to always judge yourself before you judge others.
The next purpose is to show from the scriptures that there are ways to tell the difference
between a false convert and a babe in Christ. This may not be able to be done 100% of
the time with 100% accuracy, but it does help when it comes to having discernment.
This study also shows that there is no such thing as a "carnal Christian" as far as a lot of
people try to define it. Some people even teach these "carnal Christians" will spend 1,000
years in hell or some underworld punishment ("outer darkness"), but ultimately be saved
in the end. This is known as Kingdom Exclusion or by the nickname Baptist Purgatory.
This teaching is most prominently pushed by Joey Faust and it is a heresy. This heresy is
simply used as a scare tactic to try and get false converts to live holy. They take this
approach because they do not preach Biblical repentance and so their evangelism efforts
produce many false converts.
Let's end with a verse:
"[4] He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth
is not in him." - I John 2:4