No — a person cannot be a Christian before hearing the word of truth; the Bible's order is hear the gospel first, then believe, then be sealed with the Holy Spirit.
Les Feldick shows from Ephesians 1:13 that hearing the word of truth must come before trusting in Christ — 'after that ye believed' follows 'after that ye heard.' The word of truth is the gospel: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), no one can truly believe a message he has never heard. A profession of faith that bypasses the hearing of the gospel does not fit the biblical sequence.
Ephesians 1:13-14 — This passage states the exact sequence — hearing the word of truth, then believing, then being sealed — directly answering whether anyone can be a Christian before hearing.
Romans 10:17 — This verse shows that faith itself is produced by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Ephesians 1:13 states the order plainly: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise." Hearing the word of truth comes before believing, and believing is followed by being sealed with the Holy Spirit. Romans 10:17 declares, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." The word of truth is the gospel. Paul defines this gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." Romans 3:23 adds, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Ephesians 1:7 shows the basis of this salvation: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Scripture thus places hearing before believing, and believing before being sealed with the Holy Spirit.
Les Feldick makes the order of Ephesians 1:13 central. He repeatedly stresses the word 'after': 'after you heard the word of truth' — the gospel of your salvation — 'in whom also after that you believed,' and then you were 'sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.' He says plainly, 'Now there's the sequence. We have to hear the Word of Truth, and then believe.' He emphasizes that 'faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God' (Romans 10:17), and that you cannot assume a person has heard the gospel — it must be spoken before it can be believed. Les also points out what the verse does not say: nothing about church membership, aisle-walking, or rote rituals. 'I don't buy people just simply walking the aisle and following whatever procedure may be given to them... No, that's not salvation.' Salvation is a genuine belief in the gospel with all one's heart. He teaches that every child of God had to come from being a sinner, a son of Adam, condemned already, and that the first step of faith is taking God at His Word — believing that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23). He also notes that those who have first trusted in Christ are saved to be to the praise of His glory.
The word of truth is the gospel — the good news of salvation. Les Feldick identifies it as Paul's gospel: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. He explains that after a person hears this word of truth, he is able to consider it, recognize that he is a sinner, and understand that Christ is the remedy. So hearing the word of truth means hearing the specific message of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.
Les Feldick stresses the word 'after' in Ephesians 1:13: 'after you heard the word of truth... after that you believed... sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.' He says, 'Now there's the sequence. We have to hear the Word of Truth, and then believe.' Every child of God, he notes, had to come from being a sinner and a son of Adam, condemned already. The sealing comes after believing, and faith itself comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
Les points out that Ephesians 1:13 does not mention church membership or any procedure. He says, 'I don't buy people just simply walking the aisle and following whatever procedure may be given to them, and they also do it by rote description. No, that's not salvation.' Instead, salvation belongs to the person who has genuinely believed the gospel with all his heart. Hearing the word of truth and believing it is what makes a person a child of God — not an ecclesiastical ritual.
Les uses the Twelve as an example: 'You can't assume what God is going to say. We have to wait until He has spoken it and then believe it.' The same principle applies to the gospel — it cannot be assumed. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). A person must actually hear the word of truth before he can be expected to trust in Christ. So a person cannot be a Christian before hearing the word of truth; the message must be heard before it can be believed.
God's Mandate: No Salvation Without Shed Blood
Les teaches that God decided that forgiveness of sin would come through shed blood and no other way, so the gospel a person hears must center on redemption through Christ's blood (Ephesians 1:7).
Believing Comes After Hearing the Word of Truth
Les points to the phrase 'after that you believed' in Ephesians 1:13 to show that believing comes only after a person has heard the word of truth — the gospel.
Faith Comes by Hearing the Word
Les teaches from Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God; the gospel cannot be assumed, it must be spoken before it is believed.
The Order: Sinner, Hear, Believe, Sealed
Les traces the order in Ephesians 1:13-14 — hearing the word of truth, then believing, then being sealed with the Holy Spirit — and notes every child of God began as a condemned sinner.
Hearing the Word of Truth Is the Sequence
Les emphasizes the word 'after' and says plainly, 'We have to hear the Word of Truth' before trusting in Christ — the order is fixed.
Trust, Believe, and Faith All Come After Hearing
Les explains that trust, belief, and faith are synonymous, and all of them occur 'after we heard the word of truth' — the gospel of our salvation.
Aisle-Walking and Rote Ritual Are Not Salvation
Les rejects church membership procedures, aisle-walking, and rote repetition as salvation; a genuine Christian is one who has truly heard and believed the gospel.
First Believe God's Verdict: You Are a Sinner
Les teaches that the first step of saving faith is taking God at His Word about yourself — that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23) — before you can see Christ as the remedy.
Ephesians 1:13: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
This is the key verse showing that believing comes after hearing the word of truth.
Ephesians 1:14: Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Shows the sealing is the guarantee of inheritance and that salvation is for the praise of God's glory.
Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
States that faith itself depends upon hearing the Word.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The first truth a person must believe — every person is a sinner.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Defines the gospel — the word of truth — that must be heard.
Ephesians 1:7: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Shows salvation and forgiveness are found through Christ's shed blood.
Deuteronomy 29:29: The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Les cites this to show we can only believe what God has actually spoken and revealed.
No. Les Feldick teaches from Ephesians 1:13 that the sequence is 'after you heard the word of truth... after that you believed... sealed.' Hearing the gospel must come before trusting in Christ, and faith itself comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
The word of truth is the gospel of salvation — that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Les identifies it as Paul's gospel, the message a person must hear and understand before he can believe.
No. Les notes that Ephesians 1:13 does not mention church membership, and he does not accept aisle-walking or rote procedures as salvation. Salvation is genuinely believing the gospel with all one's heart.
Because the Bible repeatedly links faith to hearing: 'faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God' (Romans 10:17). A person cannot believe a message he has never heard. The sealing of the Holy Spirit comes after hearing and believing, not before.
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