the Holy Spirit alone

 

"You can never make anybody a Christian.

You can make them church members,

but you can never make them Christians.

It is impossible.

The Holy Spirit alone can do this,

and therefore,

we must always be afraid of spurious results,

something that people have done

rather than the Holy Spirit."

Martin L. Jones ~ The Pre-eminence of Christ

 

This strikes me as profound truth.

 

Just because

you walked down an aisle and joined a church

 does not mean that you are a Christian.

 

"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves,

it is the gift of God;

 not a result of works (something you did)

that no one should boast." 

 Ephesians 2: 8&9