Can a group of pastors or church leaders determine whether a person is truly saved?
No. A group of pastors, church leaders, or ecclesiastics of any kind cannot truly determine whether a person is saved. They may hear a testimony and reach human conclusions, but they cannot look on the heart. Only God Himself can do that, and Scripture says, "Judge not."
Les explains that no group of men, pastors, or ecclesiastics of any kind can truly determine a person's salvation. They may hear a testimony and come to some human conclusions, but they can never look on the heart; only God Himself can do that. He illustrates this by noting that if people reached glory, many might be surprised by who is there and who is not, though he says that will not actually happen because we will not have that kind of knowledge. We can look at someone's outward veneer and form a conclusion, but that is not the heart. Therefore Scripture says, "Judge not," because you and I cannot judge whether a person is a child of God. Only God knows.