1) Accept Jesus as your personal Saviour
and you will be saved
This is, in my estimation, one of the most harmful, if not THE most
harmful of doctrines preached out there in "evangelical" circles.
It represents Christianity the easy way. If it is not a reflection
of our "instant society", it is an expression of sinful flesh
preserving itself, finding a "face-saving" way to live and still
appear righteous before men. It is grossly harmful because it gives,
at present, millions a false sense of security. It has them deluded
into thinking they are indeed saved when they are not at all
so. Furthermore, it is a concoction of devils to draw more people
into religious circles. If all these churches around depended on
truth and the cross to add to their numbers, they would not be
around. To draw the crowds, they must make what they offer palatable,
if not downright delicious. "Swallow this sweet, flavored pill,
follow it with water (water baptism) and all your problems will
be solved instantly."
Why is it a lie? Nowhere but nowhere in the Scriptures does it say
that we simply "accept" God or Jesus Christ as our Saviour and
we are saved. How presumptuous! How arrogant and ignorant! As
though we, and not God, call the shots. Example: When Saul of
Tarsus was on his way to Damascus and was stopped in his tracks
by who...the Saviour? no, by the Lord, he said, "Who are You,
Lord?" And when he realized Who was speaking to him, his next
words (note them) were, "Lord, what will You have me to do?" Salvation
is of the Jews and they know whereof they speak. They understood
that the primary aspect of man's relationship with God was one
of submission to Him as Lord over him and to His will. Is Jesus
Saviour? Of course He is, and He is the only Saviour there is.
There is no other. But there is only one way He can ever save us and that
is not if we "accept Him as Saviour" (He is Saviour whether
we accept Him or not) but that we put our entire trust in Him, manifest
in obedience, submission to His Lordship. It is not a mere verbalization
of a few sweet, pious words as people like to interpret from passages
like Romans 10:8 to 10. It is not a mere intellectual and verbal
assent that Jesus is Saviour or Lord that changes anything. If such
does change anything, it is for the worse because then people take
upon their lips and upon themselves His Name in vain, bringing damnation
upon themselves, more than if they had done or said nothing concerning
Him.
The very first thing Saul had to do was to act in a matter of obedience.
He did not simply get down on his knees and "receive Jesus as
Saviour" and proceed to confess him to others or demonstrate
his sincerity by going forward at "an altar call." He was given
a command, which he obeyed, thereby not only confessing Jesus
as Lord with his lips but with his life. Note also that Romans
10:8-10 speaks of confessing Jesus as Lord, not as Saviour. When,
with our lives, we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, in faith,
followed by obedience (otherwise it is no faith), He then begins
the process of saving us. Salvation comes by submission to the
authority of God, by the whole-hearted acknowledgment of His sovereignty
in all things through faith given by Him. In obedience we are
saved. As it is written, "He gives the Holy Spirit to those who
obey Him." Three days after his conversion, Saul was given the
Holy Spirit. Did not Jesus say, "He that has My commandments and
keeps them, he is the one who loves Me...and My Father will love
him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him?"
What of Cornelius, who was a very pious man? Was it enough to believe
in the simple way taught today in the name of simplicity in
Christ? No. The first thing that came was a command which he
had to obey: "Send men to Joppa and get Peter." And what of
many others such as Naaman, the Syrian? Did Elisha tell him to
simply believe or was he not commanded to go wash in the Jordan
seven times? What faith would it take to simply "believe?" But
it took faith for him to obey and he had difficulty doing so. What
of the widow who had to share her last meal with one who asked
it of her though there was no hope of another meal thereafter? Even
those to whom Jesus said, "Go your way, your faith has made you whole,"
acted in some matter of obedience by faith. "Take up your bed and
walk!" Jesus commanded the once lame man, even though they knew
it would be trouble with the "authorities," seeing as how it was
on the Sabbath. What of Abraham and his son, Isaac? Did he not
believe for Isaac? Was it enough? No, Abraham had to offer him
up in obedience to God by faith. I know of no harder a task than
that a righteous man should offer up his only beloved son. James
rebukes all those who think they can merely "accept Jesus as Saviour"
and walk away wiping their mouths as though they had eaten to the
full.
Foolish children, looking for the easy way, I tell you that
nothing but the cross will do. Nothing but a death sentence suffices.
False preachers water down the requirements of God upon souls in
order to seduce them into their organizations and they are loved
for it. The conscience is salved, the flesh is spared and the sin
is permitted to remain. "Why do you call Me Lord and don't do what
I say?" asks the Lord and not the Saviour Jesus. He is the Lord
Jesus Christ and not the Saviour Jesus Christ. Many are ignorant
of that fact, though they memorize volumes of Scripture contradicting
their notion. Does it not say, for example, that every knee shall
bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD, not Saviour?
A true conversion is marked by a point in obedience. The rich young
ruler was not simply permitted "to accept Jesus as Saviour"
but was required to obey. Only then could one say He trusted
God. These death-bed and crisis conversions one witnesses or hears
of are almost all, if not all spurious, false. So you think that
your aging mother or wayward son who lived resisting the will of
God all their lives and who was urged to confess Jesus at point
of death and did so was saved? Think again. The Lord does not save
under duress, nor does he save the one who seeks to save his carnal
life such as the one who cries "God, if you get me out of this mess,
I'll do anything you say!" But if in such circumstances, you hear
the words, "Thy will be done" with all earnestness and sobriety,
there is the mark of something good happening in a soul. Those
of you who think to be saved, better you ought to seek to be lorded,
and that by the Lord of Lords and Him alone.
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO BELIEVING THIS DOCTRINE: WHAT HARM CAN
THERE POSSIBLY BE IN MY SEEKING TO SUBMIT MYSELF TO THE COMPLETE
LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST? IS THIS NOT FAR BETTER?
If one believes this lie, he will not go on to be saved. When my
wife and I had repented, our lives had changed, quite dramatically.
My vices, of which I could not rid myself, were banished; the
Bible came alive; I had hope and reason for living whereas before
I had little or none. But an inner urging would not let me rest.
"There is more, you are not there yet," I would hear within.
Baptists and other evangelicals would tell me it was the devil
trying to cause me to doubt my salvation but try as I might to
shake those thoughts and feelings or words, I could not. Then
we were baptized in the Holy Spirit of God and I was at peace
from then on concerning this matter. Of course, that was when the Baptists,
Salvation Army, Mennonites, Nazarenes, Alliance, Methodists and
many others, even Pentecostals, thought we were surely given over
to Satan. They believed so because of other diabolical doctrines
they held which blinded them. But our lives were changed in marvellous
ways..more victory, more life in the Scriptures, more understanding
of many things, the gifts of the Spirit now operated and we and
others were truly learning and indeed coming to a knowledge of the
truth. We were hearing the voice of the Lord and were coming to
an intimate relationship with Him that others only read or spoke
of but never had.
What of the Samaritans who believed and were water baptized and
delivered of devils and who still had to have Peter and John to
come down and lay hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit? What
of Cornelius whose pious life puts almost any religious person today
who thinks he is saved to shame? He had to hear words whereby he
and his house would be saved. He had not had the Spirit of God.
What about the Ephesian disciples who had repented years ago by
the time Paul had asked them if they had received the Spirit since
they believed, which they hadn't, and which they did when Paul prayed
for them?
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO BELIEVING THIS DOCTRINE: IF I GO ON
FOR MORE, BELIEVING THERE IS MORE, AND FIND OUT THERE IS NOT, HAVE
I LOST ANYTHING? BUT IF I STOP BY BELIEVING THIS DOCTRINE, I WILL
LOSE EVEN THAT WHICH I SEEM TO HAVE.
This is a denial by nonexperience. "Because I don't have it, therefore
it isn't meant for today or it doesn't exist." Carnal minds
are geniuses at devising arguments based on Scripture (supposedly)
to deny any truth...no different than in any other days with the
religious opposing those that are the Lord's and the
Holy Spirit. Like I said, our spiritual experience is not sealed
with repentance. One must go on. "He that overcomes to the end,
the
same
shall be saved." While confirming their faith, Paul taught believers that
with much tribulation they must enter into the Kingdom. Had they or had they
not entered the Kingdom? Most evangelicals would say that
one is a believer because one has entered. Obviously, Paul knew
there was more involved than simply "accepting Christ into the heart as Savior
and growing from there." One must go on to receive the Holy Spirit, as did all
those in Scripture...the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2), the Samaritans (Acts
8), Saul (Acts 9), Cornelius and the gentiles (Acts 10), and the Ephesian disciples
(Acts 19). All of these had repentance and a separate "plus." The "plus" was
receiving the Spirit, accompanied by the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12). From
there, they went on to enter their rest in God (Hebrews 3 and 4).
It is not enough to repent. One must receive the Spirit of God or
he will be none of His. It is that simple. Neither will the
Lord come and make His abode in an unclean vessel. He is a holy
God and will honor those who honor Him in spirit and truth. Go
ahead; push Him away, you "saved." Hang on to your lusts and false
doctrines; perish with His Name on your lips as though you knew Him, but
to you even now He says, "Depart from Me you workers of iniquity,
I never knew you." Satan has succeeded in stopping you with partial
truth because there is no love for truth in you.
I
have seen many healings, and have personally witnessed them with others. I
have had many visions, as Joel said believers would have, most of which
have been fulfilled. Several people I know have had dreams and visions,
which came to pass. Prophecies, many of them, have been fulfilled, with
more to come. Do I boast? If I boast, it is in the Lord and those things
He has granted me by grace. I am nothing. Those who believe will pursue
what I say. Did not the Lord speak of signs following those who believed
(Mark 16:17-18)? Were those signs only for that day? He did not say
so. How then can we?
What Scriptural authority or evidence is there to support the foolish
notion that the gifts are not meant for today? "That was a different
dispensation," you say. I tell you that where the Spirit
of God is, He manifests Himself. Yes, there is the counterfeit.
Do you discard your real money because thieves have counterfeited
it? Fools with lame excuses and ever so clever arguments, how
will your wisdom serve you in the end? But God's wisdom is justified
of her children. I tell you that if the gifts of the Holy Spirit
are not manifest in you, you do not have His Spirit.
There are those who quote this passage to refute the validity of the
gifts for today:
"Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they shall
pass away; whether there are tongues, they shall cease; whether there
is knowledge, it shall pass away. Now we know in part, and we prophesy
in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is
partial shall pass away" (1 Corinthians 13:8-10 EMTV).
All I need to do is ask this of you: Has knowledge passed away? Is there
no more need of healing? Has the perfect come? Are you perfect, you who
deny the gifts? If Jesus Christ is "the perfect," has He
come? If your answer is negative to any of these questions, then how
can you possibly say that the gifts are no more? And if you are in need
of His perfection, how would you obtain except by what He gives to accomplish
this desirable end?
"You have gone up on high; You have led captivity captive; You
have received gifts for men, yes, for the rebellious also, that You might
dwell among them, O Jehovah God" (Psalms 68:18).
Furthermore, if you oppose the gifts, you oppose God. Neither do
I speak of carnal gifts such as talents, training, special interests
such as teaching, or more specifically, teaching young people
or public speaking. No, I am not speaking of the talents and
abilities of the flesh but of the spiritual gifts as listed
in I Corinthians 13, all nine of them and more.
To the humble and repentant, I say "Go on! There is more!"
That should excite and not anger one. Those after God will rejoice.
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO BELIEVING THIS DOCTRINE OF DEVILS. IF I
TRULY SEEK AFTER GOD AND RECEIVE THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS, I WILL KNOW AND
HAVE MORE OF GOD. IF THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AVAILABLE ANYMORE, AGAIN,
I WILL HAVE LOST NOTHING PROVIDED IT IS GOD I SEEK TO OBEY. BUT IF THE
GIFT OF THE SPIRIT IS AVAILABLE AND I BELIEVE A LIE, DISCOURAGING ME
FROM THE TRUTH, I HAVE MUCH TO LOSE...SALVATION ITSELF.
Believe that, and you will never see God because He manifests Himself
by His prophets, His servants. Tell me where the Scriptures
support this lie. You won't deny there were Old Testament prophets.
You won't deny that John the Baptist was a prophet because it
says so plainly. Jesus was a prophet but then you would say, "That
was Jesus." Yes, that was Jesus, and all His children are as Him.
What are prophets? Prophets are mouthpieces of God. They are persons
inspired by the Holy Spirit of God to speak to whomsoever the
Lord chooses, be it individuals as when Nathan spoke to David,
cities as when Jonah spoke to Ninevah or nations as when Jeremiah
spoke to Judah. Prophets in the Bible mostly spoke against sin
and corruption, false religion, hypocrisy. They also spoke hidden
things, mysteries, and made predictions of the future. These
predictions were not demonstrations of their authenticity but
would eventually prove their authenticity nevertheless, even if it
took centuries or millenia to do so. Prophets are seldom found within
the confines of established religion. John the Baptist, for example,
was raised up and ministered in the wilderness. They did not go
about saying anything they chose but only what was given them by
God to say. Their miraculous powers varied as with Moses who performed
great signs and wonders, to John the Baptist who performed not
one miracle but who spoke hidden things and who saw into the spiritual
realm as when seeing the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus.
All true believers are prophets for it says that "the testimony
of Jesus Christ is the Spirit of prophecy." All true believers have
supernatural gifts as Jesus says in Mark 16. All are greater
than was John the Baptist as Jesus said, though of John He said
that John was MORE than a prophet. But more than that, there are
those over all history who have been called specifically to the
OFFICE of a prophet. After Pentecost, there are prophets mentioned
such as Agabus and others. Nowhere does it say that true prophets
of God ended with the writing of the Bible and its completion...nowhere.
How can anyone be so presumptuous as to say that God would not
send prophets out today? Admittedly, they are rare but not non-existent.
And their scarcity does not make them precious to the world.
Indeed, they are hated because their job is almost always to
testify against the world even as their Lord and Father did on earth in
His flesh.
There are at least two arguments carnal men use to refute the existence
of prophets and apostles today:
A) "We have the Bible now and all God's Word is there...we don't
need anymore." How narrow-minded and ignorant! Limit the Omnipotent,
Omniscient, Omnipresent, intensely personal God to some paper,
ink and thread bound in a piece of gold-embossed leather by men.
To say God stopped speaking by vessels He died to dwell in is
stupid, defying not only reason and the nature of things but
Holy Scripture itself. Could or would He only speak the very
same words recorded in the Bible over and over again like some
malfunctioning instructional computer? How small is your god,
you who believe such lies! Read: Bible
Worship Used by Men to Cover Evil.
B) "Now that Christ dwells in us, we don't need prophets or apostles."
I believe that any sincere reader will recognize that this argument
has been addressed in this section already but I would say this
much more: Anyone making such a statement has learned very little
of the Lord Jesus Christ and has no right to say anything about
Him in the first place.
The two arguments discussed above are linked to at least two other
doctrines of devils discussed further on: "The Priesthood of
the Believer" and "There is no literal, personal voice of God
speaking today as in Biblical times."
Apostles? Apostles are messengers, simply put... delegates or commissioners
of Christ, men set apart by God for specific missions as ambassadors,
usually accompanied by miraculous powers. I don't know of one
but I cannot say, based on Scripture, that there isn't or couldn't
be one. On the contrary, in the message to the church at Ephesus
at the end of the first century, the faithful tested those who
said they were apostles and found them liars. I think this passage
does not indicate there were no longer legitimate apostles but
that there were true apostles which must pass the test because
there, as always, are the counterfeit to beware of. What about Silas and
Barnabas who worked with Paul? At one point, Paul went one way and
Barnabas another as an equal authority. In fact, it was Barnabas
who brought Paul to the believers from Tarsus.
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO BELIEVING THIS DOCTRINE: IF I RECEIVE
A PROPHET, I RECEIVE THE LORD, FOR HE SAID "HE THAT RECEIVES
YOU (SPEAKING TO HIS DISCIPLES) RECEIVES ME." IF I CONSIDER THAT
THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A PROPHET AND THERE IS NONE, AGAIN,
AS LONG AS I SEEK AFTER THE LORD, HE WILL KEEP ME AND I HAVE LOST
NOTHING.
5) The Spirit of Christ and the Holy Spirit
are different or two entities
This argument is put forth by ignorant men who wrest the Scriptures
to their own destruction. They try to explain away or justify
false doctrine, namely, that you "receive Christ into the heart"
at repentance which they think they did but now suddenly they
are experiencing something new, likely false, and must now offer
an explanation. Another related argument is that at repentance,
the Spirit of Christ comes to live in you but at the baptism with
the Holy Spirit, He (the Holy Spirit) comes upon you. These are
all specious arguments based on false premises. The harm this false
doctrine does is bringing confusion and discrediting the real,
the true. One has nothing to explain away if one does not believe
a falsehood in the first place. Nobody receives the Spirit of God at
repentance, in repentance. Therefore, there is nothing to explain.
Furthermore, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of
Christ are all one and the same Person, not three.
One repents and is only forgiven of his sins, which is no small
step. Then must that one go on to receive the Spirit whereby his
sin nature is dealt with by fire. Then comes the rest spoken of
in Hebrews... so there is even more than a "second blessing" and
that IN THIS LIFE.
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO BELIEVING THIS DOCTRINE: BELIEVING THAT
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST ARE ONE AND THE SAME
ELIMINATES MUCH CONFUSION AND IF THERE ARE TWO OR THREE PERSONS,
LET THEM SPEAK AND IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS SUCH. IF THEY DON'T,
TAKE IT THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD. WHO BUT A TRINITARIAN CAN CONDEMN
YOU? LET HIM GO ON EXPLAINING THREE PERSONS IN ONE.
What horrid confusion, vainglory and strife have been produced by
philosophers posing as Christians, taking God into an intellectual
lab and under the microscope, dissecting Him into three, and
even messing with the records (Scriptures) to support their damnable
heresies! What arrogance! What presumption! But these are doctrines
of devils designed to confound and derail seekers of truth. False
doctrines are there to test the pilgrims travelling to the celestial
city of God. Paul told the Corinthians that "there must be also
heresies among you, that they which are approved (of God, that
is) may be made manifest among you."
"Hear, o Israel, the Lord your God is ONE Lord." "There
is ONE LORD, one faith, one baptism." "...God was manifest in the
flesh, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, received up into glory." "If you have seen Me, you have
seen the Father." "Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to
all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers,
to feed the church of God, which HE HAS PURCHASED WITH HIS OWN
BLOOD." Who has? Jesus, the Holy Ghost, or God?
Some clever thinker has come up with the arrangement that "We pray
to the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit." But tell
me, who did Stephen pray to when he was stoned? Perhaps the trauma
of the experience hindered him from understanding the difficult,
yes, impossible "concept" (who can conceive such a thing?) of
the trinity and remembering how he ought to relate to "it." It
is recorded that Stephen, calling upon God, said, "Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59)!
Please, I know your arguments and I tell you they are all products
of brain-soiling and quite easily explained away with truth
from Scripture. I hear the voice of God. As Jesus said, My sheep
hear My voice..." Do I hear introductions like, "This is the
Father" or "This time it's the Son" or "Yesterday you heard from
the Son but today I, the Holy Spirit, am speaking?" Or do I sometimes
or always hear a chorus of three voices? No, I hear one voice
as did all the prophets of God. He is one, not three. Jesus is
God and all the figurative language Jesus and others used concerning
the Person of God is understood by those to whom it is given.
Isaiah says there is only one Saviour and none besides Him. Isaiah
also calls the Son "Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." God has presented Himself
to the world in a body formed by and for Himself and we are to
be obeisant to Him as He has presented Himself. Anything else is pure
folly and fatal. Like I said, volumes could be written but my purpose
is not to say all for now. However, for those who would know more
and would like to hear explanations of various verses anywhere
in Scripture, please contact me.
I am one. I am a father, a son and a husband. That may make three
positions or roles but it does not make me into three persons.
So it is with God, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit is Lord (Father) Jesus (Son) Christ or "Anointed
One" (Holy Spirit).
Here is a doctrine that is false in the way it is used, being carried
on the back of a lie and compounding the error and confusion that comes
from the lie. The sequence goes like this: “Once a person has accepted
Jesus Christ as Savior, he/she is forever saved.”
We have shown in Diabolical Doctrine #1 how “accepting Christ” is
a misleading and presumptuous work of man rather than a work of God.
The person who has “accepted Christ” is not saved at all,
but is told by those who do not know or understand God or the Bible that
he or she is now eternally secure. He is told there is nothing to worry
about although sin and worldly life continue; change will come in the
Kingdom of Heaven, which happens only upon physical death. One is taught
to have faith in the doctrine of eternal security rather than Jesus Christ,
Who was raised from the dead to be our present Lord and Savior.
What a web of deceit Satan sows by man’s carnal interpretations
of the Scriptures! If a person comes to Christ, that is only the beginning of his or her discipleship, which leads one to salvation. Jesus said: “But
he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22 EMTV).
The apostles taught the same, “strengthening the souls of the
disciples, urging them to continue in the faith, saying, ‘Through
many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of God’” (Acts
14:22 EMTV).
Saving faith is planted in those who believe, but it must be brought
to maturation. Jesus said that not all who begin finish. He explained
His parable about the different experiences of those who receive His
words, the “seed sown.” Here are two examples of those who
receive His words, believing on Him, yet do not endure to bear fruit:
“But the seed sown on stony ground, is he who hears the Word and
immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but
is short-lived. For when tribulation or persecution comes because of
the Word, immediately he falls away. But the seed sown in the thorns
is he who hears the Word, and the anxiety of this age, and the deceitfulness
of riches chokes out the word, and it becomes fruitless” (Matthew
13:20-22 EMTV).
So we see that some can believe but do not go on to be made secure in
the salvation that is theirs should they continue in faith. If one were
to tell these people they are saved upon profession of Christ, eternally
secure by virtue of their profession, he would be lying to them. Here
are the true and sober words of warning to all believers:
“But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the
Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed
those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their own
domain, but rather having left their own habitation, He has kept with
everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude
1:5-6 EMTV).
The purpose of judgment is to bring all into the knowledge of God through
Jesus Christ. It is written that all are destined to be reconciled to
God, to know and to praise Him. The price has been paid and the die has
been cast, for everyone. But not all have presently taken the Path of
Truth to the point of arrival into this blessed state. As Jesus said, “Many
are called, but few are chosen.”
Salvation comes by the working out of faith through obedience, and not
by a profession alone, though the substance of true faith that begins
with confession of Jesus Christ as Lord sees one through to salvation:
“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with
the mouth one confesses unto salvation” (Romans 10:10 MKJV).
The admonition stands:
“And one said to Him, Lord, are the ones being saved few? And
He said to them, Strive to enter in at the narrow gate. For I say to
you, many will seek to enter in and shall not be able” (Luke 13:23-24
MKJV).
The one who believes on the Name of the only-begotten Son of God already has eternal life. Can one walk away from Him? Yes, as did the seventy.
Can one be lost forever and ever, time without end? No, He is the Omega
and all things are His. It is written of Israel, whom He had cast off:
“For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers,
lest you should be wise within yourselves; that blindness in part has
happened to Israel, until the fullness of the nations has come in. And
so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, ‘There shall come
out of Zion the Deliverer, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob’” (Romans
11:25-26 MKJV).
The doctrine of eternal security causes the lawless to be secure and
confident in their sinful lives, spreading their lawless attitudes like
cancer and causing those without faith to blaspheme the Name of God.
For those seeking to live a godly life because they believe on Christ,
the doctrine of eternal security does not give them a license to sin
because the Holy Spirit of God is with them to keep them. As Jesus said
of such:
“My Father Who gave them to Me is greater than all, and no one
is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29
MKJV).
Why should I have to believe in eternal security when I believe in the
One Who has the keys to hell and death, and Who has promised to be with
me always, even until the end of the world? Does He not do right by me
at all times? The salvation of God is nothing less than Jesus Christ
being made manifest in these earthen vessels by the power of His faith,
here and now.
As one sucking from the mother’s breast, a child needs no soother.
With genuine life-giving faith in Jesus Christ, one does not need the
doctrine of eternal security.
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO THIS DOCTRINE: IF I DON’T BELIEVE
IN ETERNAL SECURITY BUT SEEK TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL MY HEART, SOUL, MIND,
AND STRENGTH, TRUSTING IN HIM, WHAT DO I HAVE TO LOSE? IS HE NOT FAITHFUL?
8) We cannot help but sin; it is impossible
not to sin
Devils love this one. Admit defeat and lose. Jesus says, "Go and
sin no more" but Satan says it is impossible to do as He says.
"Be perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect" Jesus says,
and man says, "Impossible!" Let every man be true and God a liar!
There seem to be two diametrically- opposed Bibles in this world,
one being God's Word and one being man's. If we cannot do what
He asks of us, how is it He would ask it of us? How hideous is
the thinking of man! How contradictory! He makes God out to be a
tyrannical ogre of the first order. So that is Satan's job. He was
effective in discrediting God's Word in the garden of Eden and he
does very well in his job now. While it is true that we in ourselves
find it impossible to keep the laws of God, being carnal, yet He
has given to us the wherewith by His crucifixion and resurrection
and outpouring of His Spirit, His life, to walk in holiness and
obedience to Him, and if we don't, seeing He has given us the wherewith
to do so, then we are no longer with excuse and damn ourselves. Nowhere
in the Bible is there such wicked teaching that we cannot help but
sin. Such teaching condemns God and makes the cross null and void.
If we cannot be saved without or from sin, why do we need a useless
saviour who presumably comes to save us from sinning?
Sin is simply breaking the laws of God, going against God, if you
will. Can two walk together except they are in agreement? And
how can a righteous God live in and with sinners who cannot help
but sin?
How is it that so many who boldly declare that they preach nothing
but the Bible preach so contrarily to it? With their hearts,
and consequently with their lips (for lips represent the heart),
they do indeed preach another Jesus and another bible. Note,
Romans 7 leads to Romans 8 so that man is without excuse. The
provision is there to secure total victory. After all, the blood
of the spotless Lamb is perfect and all powerful like the finest
of "fullers' soaps" never could be. We defile perfectly, but His
blood cleanses us from ALL unrighteousness. Sinless perfection?
Perhaps, but by His virtue and work and none of our own.
The confusion in this topic arises partly from what is sin and what
is not. There are things we teach are sin which are not and
those we teach are not but are. Furthermore, I do not speak
of the infirmity of the flesh...we all have that, but I speak
of willful sin. Those who are the Lord's and choose to remain
His will not, do not willfully sin. They may have trouble in
the flesh against their own wills but with the mind they do indeed
serve the Law of God and seek after righteousness and holiness,
without which they will not see God. As the Groom is without
spot or blemish, so must be the Bride, even as it is written. The
foolish notion that a physical death, a consequence of sin, will
end all our troubles of sinning is just that: foolish, and ignorant.
Death does not bring victory; only Jesus Christ does, and He is
LIFE, not death. Not the dead but the living will praise Him, says
Hezekiah.
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO THIS DOCTRINE: IS IT NOT FAR BETTER
FOR ME TO AIM FOR THE PERFECT MARK RATHER THAN TO BELIEVE I CAN
NOT ATTAIN TO IT IN HIM? AS PAUL SAYS, "I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH
CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME." IF AN ATHLETE OR BUSINESSMAN DOES NOT
BELIEVE HE CAN ATTAIN, WILL HE NOT HANDICAP HIMSELF? BUT WE HAVE
GREATER REASON TO BELIEVE THAN DO THEY.
9) Nothing more is required after conversion...
Christ did it all
Diabolical? Oh, yes. So much so because it sounds so glorifying
of the Lord Jesus Christ but it leads down to hell and death because
the deceived are persuaded that nothing is required and so they
do nothing, "trusting that Jesus did it all." But God sends strong
delusion to those who don't have a love of the truth and they
therefore deserve all that they get. God is not unrighteous and
the condemned are never undeserving.
We are called upon to yield our members to righteousness, to do
the work of God, believing and obeying even as did Abraham and all
other saints throughout history, Biblical and otherwise. We are
called upon to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.
We must with much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. We
are to forsake all, take up our cross, die, totally submit ourselves
to Him. "I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God..." An option? Certainly it is treated that way but what
does it go on to say? "which is your REASONABLE service" or as another
translation puts it, "your SPIRITUAL WORSHIP." In other words, if
you worship God, you will present your body a living sacrifice and
nothing less. An option? Only if you consider perishing as a viable
alternative.
The Hebrews' history was recorded for our sakes so that we would
take note, fear and obey. "He that overcomes unto the end shall
be saved" and only he. I will not leave the reader without excuse.
He may curse me for making him aware of these things, in which,
it would be better not to have heard if he doesn't obey, but those
who are unaware of the perversity of these doctrines and seek
salvation will one day thank me and praise the Lord for they
will be made free by a belief of the truth. Prison doors will
have swung open, chains will be broken, swill will be cast away,
light and fresh air will once again be enjoyed, and God will be
real to them, washing them in pure water, anointing them with fragrant
oil and clothing them in fine, comfortable, fitting garments.
The spirit will no longer crawl nor languish but soar to majestic
heights forevermore.
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO THIS DOCTRINE: IF I BELIEVE THERE IS
MORE, I WILL SEEK IT OUT AND STRIVE FOR THE MASTERY AS DID PAUL,
TRUE TO HIS TEACHING, AND GOD WILL REWARD ME. IF I SEEK ONLY
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOW CAN I LOSE?
10) Christ has fulfilled the Law; we are
no longer under the Law but under grace
An insidious doctrine indeed, because it speaks truth just as did
Satan to some extent in the garden of Eden and in the temptations
of Jesus in the wilderness. Sometimes, oftentimes, Satan's lies
can be recognized only by his motives and by a consideration
of all that proceeds out of the mouth of God, and not by Satan's
words alone.
Man says that we are no longer required to keep the Law, that it
is done away but Jesus says, "Think not that I have come to
destroy the Law or the prophets: I have not come to destroy
but to fulfil. For truly I say to you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the Law,
till all be fulfilled."
Though Christ has redeemed us from the Law, it is more that He does
away with us as we are, rather than do away with the Law. How
can the Law of God be done away? The Law of God is good and holy.
The Law of God is a reflection of Him. Salvation by faith is
not about ridding ourselves of law but of receiving the wherewith
from Jesus Christ to keep it. Can you tell me that you can now
go out and steal or kill or commit adultery? Now that you have
become a Christian under God's government, must we all seek protection
from you under man's government? Even unregenerate man knows
better but in your "salvation", you deem yourself to be the enlightened
one. So go fornicate, smoke pot, get drunk, beat your wife, cheat
and lie to your neighbor...you are no longer under that binding
tyranny of the Law! I see those mischievous and scornful expressions on
the faces of the self-righteous who think they are God's chosen.
Suddenly, the flames fly up in those faces and I hear the scream
of shock and pain. They were so confident they could escape the
terrible judgment of God when suddenly it was upon them, as in the
days of Lot, as in the days of Noah, as in the days of Zedekiah.
Christ came to establish law, not lawlessness.
Many there be who quote the words, "Where there is no vision, the
people perish..." as though they themselves have vision, yet
ask them to finish that verse and they don't have a clue. Why?
Because the second portion is not important enough to them to
get their attention as they read. Yet I must acknowledge that
these things must be given to one. It continues, "but he that
KEEPS THY LAW, happy is he." It is a world of lawless professors
of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we have today.
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO THIS DOCTRINE: WOULD IT NOT BE FAR BETTER
TO LIVE A GODLY LIFE, KNOWING HE HAS CALLED ME TO SUCH, RATHER
THAN TO SAY HE LIVES IT FOR ME (WHICH IS TRUE IN A REAL WAY BUT
MISAPPLIED), AND EXCUSE MYSELF FROM OBEYING THE LAW?
11) We are all going to be raptured before
the great tribulation
Many have the false hope that because they are "Christians,"
God will take them up and away from all danger and disaster just as
He saved Noah and Lot in the judgments of their day. What a rude
awakening will there be for many! First of all, almost all who name
the Name of Jesus Christ are not in fact Christians. That would
eliminate most hopefuls if there was such a thing as a physical
rapture out of tribulation. But more to the point, the preachers
and believers who seek substantiation in the Scriptures for this
escapist doctrine have a tenuous foundation at best.
Yes, God delivers us out of trouble. Yes, He is faithful and will
not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear but
will show us a way of escape. Yes, He delivered Lot and Noah
and others. But consider Job. Could things get much worse for
anyone? Where was his rapture? My point is that God does what
He chooses; don't count on escape.
In Matthew 24, Jesus gives His discourse on the events AND THEIR
SEQUENCE occurring in the last days. As you read verse by verse,
you will find no basis for a physical rapture out of trouble.
In fact, as early as in the ninth verse, He says, "Then shall
they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you
shall be hated of all nations for My Names's sake...but he that
endures to the end, the same shall be saved." In verse 16, He speaks
of fleeing, not flying, and woe to those with child..."for then
shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of
the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Yes, it goes on to
say that He will shorten those days for the elect's sake but consider
that by then, many have been afflicted and killed. Verse 25 basically
says in the vernacular, "Don't say I didn't tell you." All these
things have happened, still no rapture, and then He says in verse
29, "Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days..." If you
are not willing to believe Jesus Himself and what He has to say
concerning this subject, who will you believe? The one who would
tell you things you want to hear? And if you do not believe Jesus
on this matter, do you believe Him in any? Paul does not contradict
Jesus by what he says in I Corinthians 15, I Thessalonians 4 or
anywhere else.
Colored glasses, colored with impurities, deceiving those who insist
on wearing them, cause insincere believers to read into the
Scriptures what they want to believe and that which is not there.
My flesh too would prefer a literal, physical rapture away from
trouble. Didn't David in Psalms express a similar wish? "Fearfulness
and trembling are come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me.
And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly
away, and be at rest." Did God deliver him out of his problems?
No. That's right, the answer is "No." God delivered him IN his
problems.
Many saints in times past have suffered terrible atrocities. Many
prophets of God were murdered by the religious. It was the false
who were often kept from tribulation while the true were delivered
into it! There were those of His whom He delivered and others
for whom He chose suffering. Truly, at one time or another, all
suffer.
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO BELIEVING THIS DOCTRINE: IS IT NOT BETTER
TO PREPARE FOR THE DAY OF ADVERSITY THAN TO BELIEVE I WILL NOT
BE THERE WHEN IT COMES? IF GOD CHOOSES TO DELIVER ME OUT OF IT,
WONDERFUL; I HAVE LOST NOTHING.
I don't know which lies are worse because they are all bad. Lies
bind, enslave, blind, rob, destroy and this one certainly does
all of those things. Hebrews 10:25 is the only verse I have heard
used (and that many times) to defend this evil doctrine, and
it is used as though it represented the whole Bible, which it
does, but not as interpreted and twisted by men building their
own kingdoms and seeking social benefits and pleasures rather
than God.
We are told that unless we have fellowship with other believers,
we will eventually grow cold in our faith and even perish. By
not belonging to some "Christian" organization, it is said that
we will fall prey to Satan who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking
whom he may devour. I go on record now to tell you that the very
opposite is true. My wife and I have not attended a church as
members or regular goers since 1975...25 years. The Lord directly,
specifically and categorically commanded us to come out of all
church systems, informing us that those in them were perishing
in their sins, whoredoms, pleasures, idolatries. He informed us
that the reason people go to or belong to a church is because of the
love of money; they serve mammon, their own lusts. He showed us that
they were suffering terribly, destroying themselves for lack of
knowledge and because of iniquity (not obeying His laws, doing
their own thing). He informed us that all these "churches", "Christian"
organizations and denominations were unclean and that His wrath
was upon them for their deeds which they practised in His Name.
He informed us that all these churches are in fact, the gates
of hell of which Jesus spoke, saying that they would not prevail
against the Church of God. For all those in these churches that
were His people, He informed us that He was hurting and hurting
badly.
We came out, obeying the command. From that time forward, He has
been with us in great power and glory, in blessing and faithfulness,
in discipline and instruction, in revelation. He showed us that
all these churches are the works of men, the paths of the destroyer
and have nothing to do with Him at all, nothing whatsoever, except
that they take upon themselves His Name in vain, feigning faith
in and worship of Him. Finally, He has called on me to bring the
knowledge He has given us in our deliverance to others who perish
in those systems of religion.
Men teach this doctrine because they want you there for them. Notice
how important numbers, impressive buildings and fame are to
the flesh. The leaders of these groups will take all that you
have, if they can, and enlist your services to build up their
works as large as possible for fame, glory, wealth and security's
sake. It is all lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride
of life. God is nowhere there. "But we feel God's presence" they
say. No, it is not God's presence but entertainment, emotion and
the effect of seducing spirits. "But our pastor is so wonderful
and sincere." There were many wonderful and sincere people and
pastors in Noah's day and they were all taken away in the flood.
Wonderfulness and sincerity do not cut it with God. Neither do
an impressive knowledge of the Scriptures, great oratory or great organizational
skills. These things are all handy tools in the hands of Satan
who comes as an angel of light, his servants as ministers of righteousness,
to deceive and destroy.
I am God's church, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I became a member
of His church when I received His Spirit and was baptized into
His body by the Spirit of God. I have come unto Mount Zion, and
unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and
to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and
to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant. Christ lives in
me and I in Him. If spiritual health and welfare depend on fellowship
with other believers, then Abraham could never have made it to be
our father of faith. Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Elijah, Moses, many prophets
and others would have to be not men of God but goners because they
were alone much of the time. John would have had to perish on the
Isle of Patmos, assuming that he did not have others with him who
believed. John the Baptist was in the wilderness until his showing
unto Israel. According to the concepts and claims of those who
do religious works and build their own kingdoms, John would have
to be a goner spiritually; they hated him. God took Saul off to
the side for many years. Who did the eunuch "go to church with"
after Philip ministered to him? And tell me: Was Jesus a Pharisee,
a Sadducee, an Essene, a doctor of law, a Scribe or a member of
any other sect (denomination)?
It is not I who forsakes the assembling of ourselves together but
those who belong to the gates of hell and are God's people,
out of place like fish out of water, with equally disastrous
consequences. As it says, "What concord has Christ with Belial:
or what part has he that believes with an infidel? And what agreement
has the temple of God with idols? for you ARE the temple of the
living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in
them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore
come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and touch
not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father
to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO THIS DOCTRINE: WHY ARE YOU THERE? ARE
YOU AFRAID THAT YOU'LL GROW COLD IF YOU LEAVE? IF SO, YOU DON'T
HAVE YOUR OWN OIL, OR, YOU ARE THERE FOR THE WRONG REASONS, SUCH
AS FRIENDSHIP, SOCIAL ENJOYMENT, SYMPATHY, ATTENTION, CONNECTIONS,
NONE OF WHICH HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH WALKING WITH THE LORD.
WITHOUT PRESUMPTION, ARROGANCE OR BOASTING, ARE YOU ALIVE AS AM
I WHO HAVE NOT BEEN TO A "CHURCH" FOR 25 YEARS? THINGS DO NOT
GO WELL FOR YOU THERE. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE AND POSSIBLY EVERYTHING
TO GAIN BY COMING OUT... "POSSIBLY" I SAY, BECAUSE OF WHERE YOU
ARE AT AND NOT BECAUSE I AM NOT SURE.
I am the Sabbath of God because, having done His work in me, I rest in Him
and He rests in me. How do you think that Jesus' activity was not different
on the Sabbath than on any other day?
The Hebrew word translated "Sabbath" comes from a root meaning "seventh." The
word also means "rest." The Law of God, as Jesus said, has not changed, not
even by one jot or tittle. But men, to suit their own fancies, have changed
the law of God from "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" to "Remember
the Rishon (first) day, to keep IT holy, and treat the Sabbath as the others." "He
shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints
of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given
into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time..."
Paul says, "One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day
alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." Notice there is no
indication that he was speaking of weekly sabbaths, none whatsoever. Therefore,
if one has an explanation or not of what Paul was speaking, that one has no
right to draw the conclusion that Paul was teaching that the fourth commandment
of the keeping of the Sabbath day was optional. In just a few chapters earlier,
he said that "the Law is holy, and the commandment holy, just and good" (Romans
7:12). He also had said, "Do we then make void the Law through faith? God forbid:
yea, we establish the Law" (Romans 3:31).
If some wish to think that one commandment, namely the fourth on keeping the
Sabbath (seventh day) holy was changed, they need to remind themselves of the
words of the Lord they presume to worship Who said: "Think not that I am come
to destroy the Law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For truly I say to you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled" (Mt. 5:17, 18). Notice?
Not one jot or one tittle. Therefore also the argument that another day can
be named as the rest day, whether Sunday or any other, is contrary to the Lord's
words and therefore to Him.
Sunday-keeping as a religious law is evil, a decree of mortals contradicting
God Himself and presuming to be in His stead. Sunday-keeping as a matter of
innocent persuasion is not as serious. However, whether we break God's laws
deliberately or ignorantly, we bring judgment upon ourselves; we suffer consequences.
All of nature teaches that when we do wrong things even ignorantly so, we suffer.
But unless a believer understands what the Hebrews writer speaks of when he
says the following words quoted, the keeping of a literal weekly day even if
it is the seventh will not bring forth the blessing God has purposed for His
people:
"For if Jesus (Joshua) had given them rest, then would he not afterward have
spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest to the people of God.
For he that is entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works,
as God did from His. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any
man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Heb. 4:8-11). There is much more
to the Sabbath commandment than a physical day and all the keeping of a physical
day will not avail if that "much more" is not found.
Any objective, impartial seeker of truth will readily recognize that the arguments
for Sunday as THE Sabbath are quite lacking in substantiation in the Scriptures.
Yet all things must be revealed.
IF YOU ARE NOT KEEPING THE SABBATH DAY, THEN YOU ARE DAMNED. CONSIDER THE
ALTERNATIVE TO THIS DOCTRINE, BEING THE ENTERING INTO THE TRUE SABBATH, AS
THE HEBREWS WRITER ADMONISHES, WHEREBY WE ARE AT PEACE WITH AND REST IN GOD.