KNOW that you KNOW what you KNOW.
This is an excerpt from my Bible, Questions & Objections section.
** “Statistics show that religious people are just as bad as the rest.”
The modern church has proclaimed a false gospel that has produced millions of false converts (those we call backsliders). These people are normally bitter at Christianity. They feel cheated, and so they should. The heard a false gospel and had a false conversion, and the Bible warns that those who experience such will end up in a worse state than before their “conversion”. (see 2 Peter 2:20)
However, even more tragic than the false converts who fall away from the faith is the category of false converts who stay within the Church. They profess the Christian faith, but as statistics confirm, their hypocritical lifestyles don’t match what they profess. The Bible calls them “goats” among the “sheep.” In the Middle East it’s difficult to discern the goats from sheep as they flock together. However, a good shepherd can tell the difference. The day will come when the Good Shepherd will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep (true converts) will go into everlasting life, and the goats (false converts) will go into everlasting damnation (See Matt. 25:32-46).
Here is the difference between the true gospel and the false gospel.
The false message says that you should come to Christ “because something is missing in your life – you have a God-shaped hole in your heart. God has a wonderful plan for your life.”
But there is no biblical precedent for a message of life-improvement upon conversion. None. In fact, the Bible promises us trials, tribulations, temptations, and persecution.
The reason any of us should come to Christ is because we are deceitfully wicked sinners, and we desperately need a Savior. Without the mercy of God in Christ, we will come under God’s just wrath, and end up in hell. We should come to Christ for no other reason.
The false message is very popular for obvious reasons, and that is why many who preach the false gospel have such large followings. However, some people are beginning to notice the discrepancy and asking why. It is my earnest prayer that they reform the message they are preaching. **
We are told in Jeremiah 23 that God is against those who steal His words, who prophesy false dreams, who say ‘He says’, etc.
Jeremiah 23:31
“Behold, I am against the prophets,” says the Lord.
I AM. Those are possibly the two strongest words that can be said. As Christians, we need to be acutely aware of the message we are spreading. Our lives are not happy-go-lucky All. The. Time. We have issues, we have sin, we have personality traits that maybe we aren’t so proud of. But the Good News is this
The Cross Has Made You Flawless.
The day you call on His name, the day you put your faith, hope and love into a relationship with Christ is the day you are truly saved. Not because you think it will somehow magically make your life easier but because you know you are a sinner according the 10 Commandments, you know that you need grace and the gift of salvation!
Be excited to share the Word of God, but make sure you know what you’re teaching and that it is in fact lining up with what Scripture truly says.
Lots of Love,
Vicki