Last week I posted some comments that Mark Dever made about conversion and the importance of the church having "high expectations" for people who belong to it.  That post created such a firestorm of disinterest that I thought it demanded even more attention.

It's become fashionable to talk about "belonging before believing", that a person should be welcomed into a "community of faith" (or as we used to call them back in the day, "churches") before they are expected to be able to fully embrace all of the doctrine and practices of the community.

This idea has three things going for it:

1. It sounds very broad-minded.  Belonging before believing... just the opposite of what those fusty fundamentalists do.  I mean, have you seen Footloose?  For heaven's sake, why can't we just let the kids dance!
2. It is rooted in truth.  It should be normal for non-believers to be interacting with the life of the church (cf. I Corinthains 14:23, Colossians 4:5).  And certainly Christians should be warm, loving, and welcoming to those who are not believers.
3. There are aspects of the church's life in which it is perfectly acceptable, even desirable, for a non-believer to participate.  Public worship gatherings, evangelistic studies, home fellowship, perhaps even some mercy ministry.

But we have to be careful how we use words.  Because in a very important sense, a non-believer can never belong to a church until they repent of their sins and put their trust in Jesus.  So, for example, at Pentecost the only people who were added to the church were those who repented and were baptized (Acts 2:37-41).  No real belonging without believing there.    

Even baptism and the Lord's Supper stand as God-ordained reminders of this fact.  Baptism is (among other things) the way that we officially become part of the church.  The Lord's Supper is (among other thigns) the way we express our ongoing relationship with the local church.  Assuming that we would not offer baptism or the Lord's Supper to a professed non-believer, then they will (and should) never really belong until they believe.

When churches are clear on this issue, it helps the Christians by reminding them that true faith in Christ always finds expression in a changed life and doctrine.  It also serves the non-Christian by making their spiritual status (not yet part of the people of God) obvious to them.