If our witness is not His true Gospel, is that not evil? If our witness condemns believers, is that not evil? If our witness draws the flock away from His true Gospel, is that not evil and wolf like? A born-again believer that is discerning and growing in His Grace can spot this evil by their rotten fruit/evil deeds.....wolves.
The gospel is 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 . It is believing that Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and risen the third day for our salvation.
But you need to realize that 2 Thessalonians 2:14 says that the gospel calls us (not that it is the gospel).
This call of the gospel can be read in 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
This call is… God has chosen you to salvation through Sanctification of the Spirit and a belief of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:13).
This is confirmed by Romans 8:13, and Galatians 6:8-9 and by the immediate context of 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
Proverbs 28:13 says he that confesses and forsakes sin shall have mercy.
It’s not…. Believe on the finished work of the cross alone your whole life, and you will have mercy.
So one will not confess and forsake sin always if they hold to the view that all they have to do is believe on Jesus for salvation.
Hence, we will know them by their evil fruit or bad deeds.
Our words are fruits(deeds.) Our witness is a fruit. If our witness for the Lord Jesus Christ is not His true gospel, it is evil and we are wolves.
The context of one being a wolf and knowing them by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-16) can be found in Matthew 7:26-27.
Jesus says everyone who does not do what He says is like a fool who built His house upon the sand and when a storm came, great was the fall of that house. Jesus taught the Parable of the Talents whereby the unprofitable servant was cast into outer darkness (Matthew 25:14-30). Jesus warned how how certain sins can condemn our souls in the after life (Matthew 5:28-30, Matthew 6:15, Matthew 12:37, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 9:62, etcetera).
This is talking about “Initial Salvation” by God’s grace through faith.
If not, then you must believe Romans 3:11 applies to your current state as a believer. Romans 3:11 says you have no understanding and you don’t seek after God (Which if it is the case, it would disqualify you in teaching me anything).
Keep reading down into John 3:19-21. Pay close attention to verse 20.
You said:
Acts 16:31.
There is nothing more perverse than preaching a false gospel.
This is an example of Initial Salvation, and not what faith looks like lived out.
I agree that we can believe on Jesus to be initially saved.
But what does faith look like when it is lived out? See Hebrews 11 for some examples.