Only 10% saved?

Q. Recently I was reading several of the letters on your site and you had written that only about 10% of the people in church today are really saved. I am curious how you arrived at that percentage. I have always felt that some of the people who were born and raised in the church didn’t get it. I think I ‘ve had a couple of preachers along the way who didn’t get either.

A.  I think you’ve misunderstood what I said, so I’ll repeat it.  According to recent surveys by the Pew Research Institute, about 90% of those who claim to be born again Christians live lives that are indistinguishable from their non-believing counterparts. What this means is they’ve been unwilling to adopt the kind of behavioral changes that would allow them to live victorious Christian lives.  They’ve ignored Paul’s advice to put off our old selves (Ephes. 4:22-24) and no longer conform to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2).  This does not cause them to lose their salvation but it does have consequences in terms of lost blessings.