The biggest false gospel in the evangelical church today is that saying a prayer or inviting Jesus into your heart seals you for eternity and gets you into heaven. This is a stark contradiction to what scripture teaches. It is by belief, also called faith, that we are saved as is made clear in John 3:16 and Eph 2:8-9. Thinking your good works will save you is another highway to hell. But as we see in Eph 2:10, works play a major part in salvation, not as a cause or prerequisite, but an evidence of the Holy Spirit who lives inside all true believers. Hebrews 12 teaches us that God disciplines His children, and that a continued life in sin without that discipline to correct and bring back to repentance is a sure sign of illegitimacy, in other words: those who claim to be God’s children, but are not. Here are some passages in scripture. Please study them, and reform your beliefs based on the word of God, not the opinion of man.
[5] Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test
yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is
in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
(2
Corinthians 13:5 ESV)
[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has
passed away; behold, the new has come.
(2
Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
[5] This is the message we
have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no
darkness at all. [6] If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk
in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
(1 John
1:5-6 ESV)
[3] And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep
his commandments. [4] Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his
commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, [5] but whoever keeps
his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that
we are in him: [6] whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same
way in which he walked.
(1 John
2:3-6 ESV)
[15] Do not love the world
or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh
and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but
is from the world. [17] And the world is passing away along with its
desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
(1 John
2:15-17 ESV)
[28] And now, little
children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not
shrink from him in shame at his coming. [29] If you know that he is
righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been
born of him. [3:1] See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that
we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world
does not know us is that it did not know him. [2] Beloved, we are God's
children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when
he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
[3] And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. [4] Everyone
who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
[5] You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no
sin. [6] No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on
sinning has either seen him or known him. [7] Little children, let no one
deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
[8] Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has
been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to
destroy the works of the devil. [9] No one born of God makes a practice of
sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he
has been born of God. [10] By this it is evident who are the children of
God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice
righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
(1 John
2:28-3:10 ESV)
[13] By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he
has given us of his Spirit. [14] And we have seen and testify that the
Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] Whoever
confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
(1 John
4:13-15 ESV)
[5:1] Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born
of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
[2] By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and
obey his commandments. [3] For this is the love of God, that we keep his
commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. [4] For everyone
who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has
overcome the world—our faith. [5] Who is it that overcomes the world
except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
(1 John
5:1-5 ESV)
[18] We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on
sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not
touch him. [19] We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in
the power of the evil one. [20] And we know that the Son of God has come
and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are
in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal
life. [21] Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
(1 John
5:18-21 ESV)
[4] For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been
enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy
Spirit, [5] and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers
of the age to come, [6] and then have fallen away, to restore them again
to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own
harm and holding him up to contempt. [7] For land that has drunk the rain
that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it
is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. [8] But if it bears thorns
and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be
burned.
(Hebrews
6:4-8 ESV)
[13] “Enter by the narrow
gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and
those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is
hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few…[17] So, every
healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
[18] A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear
good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire. [20] Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
[21] “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
[22] On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in
your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your
name?’ [23] And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart
from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
(Matthew
7:13-14,17-23 ESV)
[15] “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that
you were either cold or hot! [16] So, because you are lukewarm, and
neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. [17] For you say, I
am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are
wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. [18] I counsel you to buy from
me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that
you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and
salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. [19] Those whom I love, I
reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. [20] Behold, I stand at
the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in
to him and eat with him, and he with me. [21] The one who conquers, I will
grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my
Father on his throne. [22] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches.’”
(Revelation
3:15-22 ESV)
[19] Know this, my beloved
brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
[20] for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
[21] Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive
with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. [22] But
be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] For
if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks
intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and
goes away and at once forgets what he was like. [25] But the one who looks
into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who
forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. [26] If
anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his
heart, this person's religion is worthless. [27] Religion that is pure and
undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their
affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
(James
1:19-27 ESV)
[14] What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but
does not have works? Can that faith save him? [15] If a brother or sister
is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, [16] and one of you says to
them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things
needed for the body, what good is that? [17] So also faith by itself, if
it does not have works, is dead. [18] But someone will say, “You have
faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will
show you my faith by my works. [19] You believe that God is one; you do
well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
(James
2:14-19 ESV)
[4] You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the
world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world
makes himself an enemy of God. [5] Or do you suppose it is to no purpose
that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made
to dwell in us”? [6] But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes
the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” [7] Submit yourselves therefore
to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God,
and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your
hearts, you double-minded. [9] Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your
laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
(James
4:4-10 ESV)
[34] And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to
them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me. [35] For whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
[36] For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his
soul? [37] For what can a man give in return for his soul? [38] For
whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the
glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
(Mark
8:34-38 ESV)
[4] And when a great crowd was
gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, [5] “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path
and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. [6] And some
fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no
moisture. [7] And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and
choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.”
As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him
hear.”
[11] Now the parable is this: The
seed is the word of God. [12] The ones along the path are those who have heard;
then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they
may not believe and be saved. [13] And the ones on the rock are those who, when
they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe
for a while, and in time of testing fall away. [14] And as for what fell among
the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are
choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not
mature. [15] As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word,
hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
(Luke
8:4-8,11-15, ESV)
Turn to Christ and be saved today! Please contact me at mdeezyh2@yahoo.com for more information.
