The Dangers of Legalism
and Liberalism
I. Introduction
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).
In the discourse above, the Lord Jesus referred to the devil as both
a murderer and the father of lies (John 8:44). Similarly, the apostles Paul and
John also described the devil as a great deceiver, who has power to blind the
eyes of unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4; Rev. 12:9), so that they cannot understand spiritual
truth. Though this was written thousands of years ago, the enemy has not
changed. He is no different today than he was in the past. He is still striving
to deceive and destroy people, especially within the church. One of the primary
ways he does this is by persuading people to reject what is true and embrace what is false. With thousands of years to study
mankind and perfect his craft (i.e., deception), the devil has devised numerous
strategies with which to accomplish his goal.
One common tactic of the enemy is to distort God’s Word by presenting it from only one side. That is, the devil often deceives people by slanting the truth so far to one extreme or the other, that it, in essence, becomes no truth. An example of this can be seen in teaching that overemphasizes God’s law or grace to such an extent that it becomes either legalistic or liberal (i.e., antinomian), respectively. Though on opposite sides of the spectrum, both legalism and liberalism pervert and twist God’s truth through their imbalanced (and thus false) interpretation of God’s law and grace.
Either extreme - whether legalism or liberalism – can have very
detrimental effects, in that each puts a wrong construction on God’s Word,
misinterpreting not only its original intent and meaning, but also its
application. In short, these teachings contradict Scripture - though it is not
always readily apparent. By borrowing some Biblical principles, they often appear
to be Scriptural, making them all the more insidious. Beware. This is a very
common strategy of the devil - to deceive individuals through the bait of partial
truth or false teaching that contains elements of truth. Very clever in his
schemes, Satan does not generally introduce error immediately or directly, but
waits until he has gained the trust of his hearers and then gradually distorts
the truth over time through very deceptive and indirect means. In essence, he
gains many of his supporters simply through slow and subtle indoctrination.
Such is the case with both legalism and liberalism, false
doctrines that have had a very negative impact on the health and stability of
the church – not only in the past, but also now. It is for this reason that I wish
to discuss this topic – in order to expose the deceptive schemes of the enemy -
in particular, to warn people of the dangers of following either extreme: legalism
or liberalism. My hope is to press upon my readers the urgent need to actively
oppose this false teaching, so that, by God’s grace, people can be delivered
from its evil grip. With this objective, I plan to first present the problem by
defining both legalism and liberalism while listing specific examples of each; and
then by way of application, address the problem through proposing ways to
counter and prevent the further spread of this false teaching, based on God’s
Word.
II. Legalism Defined – Trusting in Man
First, let us begin by defining legalism. At its simplest level,
legalism is placing one’s trust or confidence in man, that is, in human effort, wisdom, abilities, or moral character
to merit or earn salvation. Another name for this is “works-righteousness” or
the belief that good works (e.g., obeying God’s law, living a moral life, etc.),
and not grace (God’s unmerited kindness), form the basis of salvation. Another aspect
of legalism is adding to God’s law
and even superseding or replacing it with human tradition. Often these
additions give the false impression that God’s law is overly restrictive and
burdensome. Though not the prevailing view in today’s (evangelical)
church, legalism still exists in various forms and comes disguised in different
masks. This ascetic philosophy, which emphasizes the external (i.e.,
visible morality) over the internal (i.e., heart and motives), dominated
the Pharisees[1] thinking
during New Testament times and presented a real challenge to the early church,
as well as at other times in church history (e.g., the Dark Ages). And it still
wreaks havoc in the church today.
Under a legalistic system, a person’s real trust is in man (e.g., himself)
and not in God. Accordingly, he relies on his own (imperfect and inadequate) works,
ingenuity, skills, knowledge, experience, and/or morality instead of on God’s
perfect and complete works (i.e., Christ’s sinless life and atoning death on
the cross for our sins) to save him. More specifically, legalism is any attempt
to earn or merit salvation through performing good deeds (e.g., attending church,
serving, tithing, assisting the needy, etc.), attaining spiritual knowledge
(e.g., Biblical expertise, theological degrees), using talents/skills (e.g., in
speech, music, teaching, leadership, etc.), observing ceremonies/rites (e.g.,
baptism, communion, confirmation, etc.), keeping church traditions (e.g.,
observing religious holidays, saying prayers, reciting confessions and
catechisms, etc.), etc. Though in and of themselves, these things are good (if
performed with the right heart and motive, according to God’s Word), they can become
idols if they replace God as the object of faith or are trusted in for salvation.[2]
Other than on Christ, we should never depend on anyone or anything else (e.g., religious leaders, church
membership, good works, spiritual achievements, etc.) to save us – not even for
a moment. Truly, this is the essence of legalism – believing that salvation can
be attained through some human effort. Though it is true that Scripture repeatedly
emphasizes that faith without works is dead (meaning genuine salvation is
evidenced by good works or spiritual fruit), we must be careful not to put the
cart before the horse and believe that salvation is in any way dependent upon
good works. Good works are the product or
effect, and not the source or cause,
of salvation. Though we are all accountable for our works and expected to do
what is right, salvation does not come as a result of our having done more good
deeds than bad deeds, as some suppose.
This would be impossible, anyway, because, apart from God’s grace, we
could not truly perform any good deeds at all (before conversion), since “all
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” in God’s eyes (Is. 63:4). Even the best of our works are tainted with
sin. The only way we could possibly do what is good (as God defines it)[3]
would be after God regenerates or
“quickens” us (i.e., makes us spiritually alive). That is, only after God
transforms our hearts and puts His Spirit within us, are we able and willing to love and obey Him. Until then, we cannot do anything
truly good, as the Bible clearly states: “There is none righteous, no, not one…
there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10, 12). Thus, the only way
we could ever receive eternal life would not be to trust in our good works (which do not truly exist
anyway until we are regenerated and given the ability to do good), but to trust
in God, who saves us by His grace
alone through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.[4]
III. Examples of Legalism
A. Trusting in Spiritual Works for
Salvation
Though many have been taught this Scriptural truth – that we are
saved by Christ alone – deep down, they still believe that salvation is
dependent on their “doing” something (i.e., performing good deeds), rather than
on their “being” something (i.e., being born again). That is, though they may verbally
assent to the correct doctrine regarding salvation (i.e., justification by
faith alone), in actual practice, they may deny it by consciously or unconsciously
trusting in their baptism, church attendance, or ministry involvement to save
them. In doing this, they are really trusting in their good works or human
efforts to save them, which, again, is legalism. Certainly, these things are
good and should be encouraged, especially since they are commanded by God.
However, they or any other good works cannot save anyone. Nor can these things
guarantee or confirm without a doubt that someone is saved. It is quite
possible for someone to have been baptized, attended a church for most of their
life, and served in ministry for many years (even as a missionary, leader, or
teacher in the church) and yet not be saved. Thus, we must be careful not to
trust in any good works, not even
spiritually related works (e.g., baptism, church attendance, or serving in
ministry), to save us. We must trust in Christ alone to save us. More specifically, salvation is only by grace
through faith in Christ’s atonement (payment) on the cross for our sin.
B. Adding to Christ’s Work for Salvation
Another caution is that even if we acknowledge that faith in Christ’s
atonement is necessary for salvation, but we then try to add our own good works to His already finished work,[5]
we will still be guilty of legalism.[6]
Contrary to what many believe, legalism is not simply attempting to replace, but also supplement, Christ’s work with our own good works - as if His work
were somehow deficient or lacking! Stating
it quite clearly, we are not saved by supplementing the Lord Jesus’ perfect righteousness with our own imperfect (or more accurately, worthless) righteousness. To try to add anything
to His work would suggest that the Lord needed our help and that His atonement
was not sufficient to pay for our sins (God forbid!).
Let us consider the serious implications of such a false
assumption. Is it even conceivable that the Lord Jesus, who is Almighty God and
controls all of creation, could possibly need man’s help? God, the Creator of the whole universe, is perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing,
infinite, eternal, and completely self-sufficient! He does not need a single
thing. In contrast, man is just a
creature (created being) and thus, imperfect, weak, limited in knowledge, mortal,
finite, and entirely dependent upon God. How could such a frail creature (man),
composed of only dust and with so many weaknesses and imperfections, possibly help
the eternally existent God, who not only made, but also directs and sustains
all things? What a ridiculous notion and worse than that, a great insult to God,
to even suggest that He could need man’s help! God, who transcends all of
creation, is entirely independent of all creatures. Thus, He does not require
any bit of assistance, least of all, from man. Hypothetically, if God needed
man’s help, even the slightest bit, then God would be dependent upon, and thus inferior
to, man. (God forbid!) Not only this, for God to require any kind of aid from
us would also mean that God was not self-sufficient and thus, incomplete and
imperfect. (Unthinkable!) And if He were thought to be missing these divine
attributes (i.e., complete self-sufficiency and perfection), would it not be the
same as trying to strip God of His deity, implying that He was not God? (Again,
God forbid!)
Knowing this, we should not give even one moment’s thought to the
false (and heretical) notion that what Christ did on our behalf (i.e., living a
perfect, sinless life and dying on the cross in our place) was not sufficient
to procure eternal life for us and pay the penalty for our sins. Again, this implies
that He needs our help or contribution (i.e., our good works) in order to save
us. Be assured that His perfect work (both in His life and death) requires no supplementation or improvement on our
part whatsoever. That is, we are not saved
by the Lord Jesus and our good works
or by the Lord Jesus and our church attendance
or even by the Lord Jesus and our baptism.
No, quite clearly and unquestionably, we are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ alone (without anything else).
C. Trusting in Christian Affiliations for
Salvation
In addition to trying to supplement Christ’s (all-sufficient) atonement,
another common fallacy is to believe that salvation can result from mere Christian
affiliation. In other words, many mistakenly assume that their relationship
with believers (e.g., family, friends, acquaintances, etc.) will somehow gain
them favor with God and save them. I
have met numerous people who have tried to convince me that they were saved simply
because their parents were Christians, their father was a pastor or missionary,
or they were somehow associated with a church and/or Christian organization. As
good as these things are, they cannot save anyone. Even if a person’s entire
family was saved and he was a member of a church for fifty years, this would still
not guarantee his salvation. Though it is very beneficial to have Christian
parents (especially for their Biblical instruction and Godly example), salvation
is not something that can be inherited or passed down to the next generation
(John 1:12-13). Likewise, it is good to belong to a church, but this, too,
cannot save anyone. Salvation cannot be acquired on account of any church
involvement or even close relationships with believers. That is, to be truly
saved, it is not enough to simply be connected or related to a Christian. One
must be a Christian. Salvation is
only granted by God on an individual basis and is not contingent on any group
membership or affiliation. Only a personal relationship with Christ Himself can save someone.
D. Trusting in Spiritual Offices and
Knowledge for Salvation
Along with Christian affiliations, others rely on their office or
function in the church and/or their spiritual knowledge to merit salvation. Quite
often when sharing the gospel with others, people have tried to persuade me that
they were saved simply because they held positions of authority or leadership
(e.g., pastors, elders, deacons, teachers, etc.) in the church or they had theological
degrees. But like other things related to human effort, spiritual offices and Biblical
knowledge cannot save anyone or even confirm someone’s salvation. Many of the
Pharisees and scribes in the Lord Jesus’ day were spiritual leaders or teachers
and prided themselves in their Biblical and theological knowledge, and yet most
of them were totally unacquainted with God (experientially and personally).
Though their minds were full of facts, their hearts were cold and far removed from
God. It is no different today. A person can be an expert in the Bible, a pastor
of a church, or even the president of a seminary and yet, despite all that, be
a stranger and an enemy to God. That is, all the spiritual attainments and knowledge
in the world cannot save anyone. Only God,
by His power and grace, can do this.
E. Putting Confidence in External Morality
Thus far we have seen that, in contrast to the Scriptural teaching
of justification by faith (i.e., salvation by grace alone), legalism asserts that
we are saved by our good works or human effort. Based on this faulty premise, proponents
of legalism place an undue stress on external
morality (i.e., mere outward compliance to God’s law), but virtually ignore the
equally, if not more, important matter of internal
virtue (i.e., inward conformity to God’s law, including secret thoughts,
motives, and attitudes). External moralists or legalists are under the illusion
that if they just live visibly “moral” or “decent” lives, they will be accepted
by God. In some cases, they assume that by simply avoiding the grosser sins
(e.g., theft, murder, drunkenness, sexual immorality, etc.) and striving to be
“good citizens” (i.e., being honest, hard-working, helpful, etc.), they will
gain favor with God. In other cases, they may actually commit the grosser sins,
but do it secretly and disguise it by putting on a “good face.” Still others
may, like the Pharisees, be overly scrupulous about “lesser” laws (e.g.,
tithing on spices, etc.) and/or deeds which can be seen by others (e.g., public
prayer), while neglecting weightier laws (e.g., showing love, mercy, justice,
etc.) and/or deeds that cannot be seen by others (e.g., private prayer). In
other words, their emphasis is placed on the visible (i.e., what man can see) and not on the invisible (i.e., what only God can see hidden
in the heart). Quite clearly, those who focus on external morality are more
concerned about what man thinks
rather than what God thinks. Thus, though
they may appear outwardly to be Godly or spiritual, inwardly, they may be quite
different. This is not to imply that they intentionally try to deceive others
about their morality. They may, in fact, be self-deceived and quite convinced
that they are truly good, having been blinded to their own sin and/or
possessing an inadequate understanding of God’s law (either by lowering God’s
standards or not realizing that He looks at their hearts as well as their
actions.)
Before I continue, let me qualify what I just said. Of course, there
must be a balance in all this. I am not implying that we should give no
attention at all to how we behave outwardly or conduct ourselves in front of
others - quite the contrary. God does not call us to live in sin, but in
holiness. As such, we are to actively pursue what is good, while resisting and
avoiding all that is evil - even things that might have the mere appearance of evil. If we claim to be Christians
but cannot be distinguished from unbelievers, by living noticeably moral lives,
how can we expect to act as salt and light in the world and set a Godly example
for others to follow? Thus, when I say we should not put all the emphasis on
external morality, I do not mean that we should discard morality (i.e.,
goodness, upright character, ethical principles, etc.) altogether (God forbid!),
but rather, we should not limit our
morality to simply what is visible or external, since this would be both hypocritical
and futile.[7] Any
external morality should be reflective
of an internal righteousness proceeding
from a renewed heart that has been radically transformed by the grace of God. In
other words, if we are truly saved, we should be holy (by God’s grace) on the
inside and on the outside or possess both an internal and external righteousness. In fact, it would be impossible for a true
believer not to be visibly moral or to conceal his goodness from others, since this
is what naturally proceeds and overflows from a regenerate heart.[8]
Thus, mere external morality, which is only humanly generated and not the
product of a renewed heart, is both empty and superficial and will not please God.
But outward morality that results from the new birth (i.e., being spiritually
born again) and reflects a Godly heart within is both good and acceptable
before God.
F. Focusing on SELF
In addition to emphasizing external morality, those who are legalists
also tend to put the spotlight on “self” rather than on God. That is, instead
of believing that God’s grace is the sole source of their salvation and Christ
their only means of redemption, their real trust is in themselves and their
works. Reflective of this self-focus and self-reliance is their common response,
when asked if they are saved: “I have
been baptized or confirmed,” “I
attend a church,” “I serve in
ministry,” “I teach a Bible study,” “I read my Bible or devotional book,” “I give to the church regularly,” or “I try my best to live an upright and
moral life.” Though these things are good and commendable, they neither cause
nor evidence true salvation. Genuine believers, who have had their spiritual eyes
opened by God and have been 1) brought low and humbled by Him, 2) awakened to
their sin, 3) shown their total inadequacy and powerlessness apart from Him,
and 4) stripped of their pride and self-confidence, know that their focus should
be on what God has done and not on what they have done, which
amounts to nothing. I can personally attest to the fact that it is ALL God
and nothing in me. Let God receive the glory and not self! “For who
maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not
receive? Now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not
received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7). “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him
from heaven” (John 3:27).
G. Putting Man First
Closely related, another characteristic of legalism is that it
puts man before God, as seen in its overreliance on man’s wisdom, opinions, or
decisions. That is, advocates of legalism tend to place too much confidence in
man’s understanding, esteeming it even above God’s Word. Human traditions, philosophies,
or precepts are given a higher priority than God’s truth and even allowed to
supersede His law. One example of this can
be seen in the approval given to the decisions, doctrines, and/or policies of
churches, denominations, and ecumenical councils that clearly conflict with
Scripture. Sadly, man’s (fallible and changeable) word is given precedence over
God’s (infallible and unchangeable) Word. Clearly, this is idolatry when greater
faith is placed in man than in God.
H. Trusting in Human Methods (Pragmatism)
Though not as obvious, another form of legalism practiced in the
church today is pragmatism or trusting
in human ingenuity, methodologies, and/or marketing techniques to “get results” (e.g., the “Seeker Sensitive” or “Seeker
Friendly” movement). As pragmatism becomes increasingly popular, more and more
churches are jumping on the bandwagon and adopting this man-centered approach
toward ministry. Its influence can be seen just about everywhere in the church today
(e.g., preaching, instruction, evangelism, discipleship, children’s ministries,
outreach programs, etc.). Instead of depending on God, many of these churches rely
on their speakers’ abilities (e.g., their eloquence, charisma, knowledge, persuasiveness,
humor, etc.), gifted musicians, numerous programs suited to meet just about every
need, marketing strategies (e.g., incentives/bribes, sales techniques, advertising,
etc.), business acumen, worldly counseling methods (based on an antithetical
blend of humanistic psychology and Scripture), state of the art technology[9],
and entertainment (e.g., puppet and magic shows, worship bands, videos, theatrical
performances, etc.) to attract newcomers, increase attendance, raise funds, recruit
volunteers for ministry, and convert unbelievers. Truly, this is putting
confidence in man (instead of in God) by relying on carnal means (e.g., human abilities, wisdom, and methods, etc.) to achieve
spiritual ends (e.g., save souls and
grow the church).
If God’s people are serious about pursuing these spiritual
ends or goals (i.e., evangelism and discipleship), they cannot accomplish this
through the use of carnal means. Any time a church gets serious about
evangelizing the lost and discipling believers, it will (not may)
encounter opposition from the enemy. In other words, a spiritual battle will
ensue - guaranteed! And as Scripture tells us, the only things that are
effective in fighting a spiritual battle are spiritual, not carnal,
weapons (e.g., the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt
of truth, the sword of the Spirit, prayer, etc.). Carnal weapons are utterly useless when it comes to spiritual
warfare. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds…)” (2 Cor. 10:3-4). And yet, there is so much
emphasis on carnal or worldly methods in the church today – so much so, that many
churches seem more like businesses or amusement parks rather than places of
worship. As subtle as it is, pragmatism is really just another form of humanism
in that it places man at the center, trusting in his (and not God’s) wisdom and
ability to achieve goals (e.g., save souls, build the church, reform society,
etc.). And isn’t that idolatry – putting faith in man rather than in God?
Whatever happened to a simple, childlike faith that trusts God’s
power and grace (and not man’s clever schemes and inventions) to save souls, change
people’s lives, and advance God’s kingdom? And whatever happened to using God’s
appointed means (e.g., bold and uncompromising preaching; fervent and
persistent prayer; walking in close communion with God and in obedience to His
Word; persevering faith; continual dependence upon God; demonstrating sincere love
in a tangible and sacrificial way, etc.), and not man’s methods, to draw people
to Christ? Though we are to actively sow
and water the seed, isn’t it really God who gives life and causes growth? “So
then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God
that giveth the increase” (1 Cor. 3:7). Once again, God, and not man, should
receive all the glory.
I. Trusting in Your “Decision” to Save You
(Decisional Regeneration)
In addition to pragmatism, another form of legalism is “decisional
regeneration.” This subtle perversion of the gospel is used to persuade people to
put their faith in their actual “conversion” experience (rather than in God),
which results in a false assurance. Put another way, people are told to trust
in their literal “decision” to follow Christ or the external act of committing
their lives to Him (instead of in Christ Himself). Thus convinced, responders
think that if they simply go through the motions of reciting the sinner’s
prayer (like a formula), signing a gospel tract, raising their hand, or “going
forward” during a gospel invitation, that their mere performance of these things will save them, even if they do not truly
understand the gospel or sincerely believe it from their hearts. Thus, their faith
is not really in God, but in their performance or the external acts associated
with their supposed conversion. This error is further reinforced by their relying
on their feelings at the time of
their “conversion” to confirm the genuineness or authenticity of their faith. That
is, they are persuaded that if their conversion experience felt very real to them and/or was attended by great emotion (e.g., tears, excitement,
conviction, etc.), that this is certain proof that they were saved. What they do
not realize is that even if they felt
with all their heart that they got saved and responded very passionately to the
gospel call, but afterwards there was no evidence of a true change of heart and
life (i.e., spiritual fruit), their conversion was not genuine. This is confirmed
when, after many years, there is still no sign of any change in their lives and
yet they continue to cling to their so-called “conversion experience” as proof
of their salvation. Even though their lives do not bear the marks of a true
believer, reflecting a radical transformation (i.e., the new birth), they are
convinced that they are saved merely because of a “decision” they made years
ago during a church service, evangelistic crusade/revival, church retreat or
some other similar event. Like so many
today, they are trusting in their past experience or performance - in essence,
their works - rather than in God’s grace, to save them.
Let this be a solemn warning and wakeup call to all those who
profess faith in Christ. Dear Reader, if you claim to be a Christian, are you certain
that you are truly saved? Could it be possible that, like so many professing
believers today, you, too, are deceived about your soul? Look back to your
conversion – was it real? That is, did it produce permanent (and positive) changes
in your life (e.g., a radical transformation of heart, mind, and soul that
visibly manifests itself through spiritual fruit, spiritual growth, and
increasing conformity to Christ’s image)? Or was it just a temporary, emotional
experience that produced no lasting fruit and soon vanished? Diligently search your heart and mind to see if
you are truly in the faith. Don’t underestimate the value of your eternal soul.
Other than God Himself, what could be worth more than your own precious soul? Will
you gamble with it and risk losing it? Eternity is a very long time! And it
will seem even longer if you are suffering miserably in a place of judgment
forever. Make sure you are really “in Christ” and possess the marks of a true
child of God. Be certain that you have true,
saving faith, which is always attended by genuine, heartfelt repentance and
results in a sanctified (holy) life. Beware of the counterfeit – a mere intellectual belief or mental assent to Biblical
truth that involves the mind, but has no effect on your heart and life, leaving
you dead in your sin. This is no better than a devil’s belief and will not help
you, but on the contrary, make your spiritual condition even worse by
increasing your accountability before God.
It is especially important today to evaluate your heart and life
for signs of spiritual life, because we live in a day when so many people are
deceived about the state of their souls. It is a time of widespread apostasy
(i.e., falling away from God and the true faith), in which much, if not most,
of the church has departed from the truth, and very few know the true gospel – that is, the original, uncensored,
unabridged, and undiluted version of the gospel, based on God’s holy Word. And
thus, very few are genuinely saved. Across
One of the main reasons so many people are self-deceived today about
their souls is largely due to the influence of modern evangelism. Literally thousands, if not millions, of
people have been misinformed concerning the true way of salvation. They have
been wrongly taught that if they simply follow the prescribed method or formula
for getting saved, they will receive eternal life - guaranteed. In other words,
they are promised salvation in just a few quick, easy steps. Reflective of our modern
culture’s fast-paced life, many unsuspecting souls are fed the “fast-food”
version of the gospel (so called for its extreme brevity and lack of solid
nutrition). This usually involves 1) listening to a very trimmed down, “revised”
(or rather, censored) version of the gospel that leaves many of the essential ingredients
out that are necessary for salvation; 2) responding with a superficial belief (i.e.,
intellectual faith) in the “facts” concerning Christ[10]
and/or a mere sentimental response by raising a hand or going forward during an
“invitation” (altar call); 3) repeating the sinner’s prayer (often with just
the mouth but not the heart); and 4) being assured by the speaker (instead of God,
who alone knows the heart) that salvation is guaranteed, based on a few verses
(often taken out of context) regarding eternal security. Then in some cases,
though not all, the respondent is quickly urged to get baptized and join the
church, further reinforcing the (often false) notion that he is saved.[11]
Sadly, myriads of professing believers have been misled by this modern,
pragmatic approach to evangelism, which relies on human “methods,” rather than on
God’s Spirit and Word, to try to convert souls. This shallow kind of evangelism
is ineffective in that it simply skims the surface of the gospel without
presenting the “meat” or core ingredients necessary for salvation. In short, it
provides the bare minimum of the gospel (if even that) and narrows salvation down
to just three or four easy steps. Moreover,
in an attempt to “sell” the gospel, God’s truth is often watered down and
compromised in order to make it more palatable or appealing to the world. The
parts of the gospel that are convicting and challenging (relating to sin,
repentance, eternal judgment, the costs of discipleship, etc.), are either quickly
glossed over or entirely left out, giving listeners a distorted view of what it
means to be a true Christian and a false impression that it is quite easy to
get saved. To make matters worse, respondents are told that if they at all
doubt their conversion, they will be guilty of lacking faith and of questioning
God’s Word, thus discouraging them from heeding Scripture’s clear warning to
examine their hearts for true saving faith. The sad result of all this is that many
churches today are filled with nominal believers, who, being misinformed about
the gospel, think that they are saved, when they are really not, as revealed by
their lack of spiritual fruit. Though their hearts and lives are unchanged (i.e.,
they are still living in habitual sin), they are nevertheless convinced that
their eternal future is secure simply because of a one-time decision they made years
ago at church or some revival meeting. Instead of possessing true saving faith,
which centers on God as the sole source of salvation, their faith is really in themselves
- specifically, in their decision to
follow Christ or in their going
forward during a gospel invitation or in their
praying the sinner’s prayer, even though there is no evidence of spiritual life
in them. As with so many today, these poor souls have been deceived by a false
gospel (i.e., decisional regeneration) and are trusting in their “decision” to
save them.
J. Putting Faith in One’s Faith
While some trust in their “decision” to save them, others make the
mistake of attributing their salvation to their
actual faith and repentance (i.e., God’s chosen means, but not the actual source,
of salvation).[12] Certainly,
we are to believe in Christ as our Lord
and Savior and repent of our sins
before we can be saved. This is clearly Scriptural and commanded by God. But in so doing, we must be careful not to either
consciously or unconsciously put our trust in our faith or repentance, mere
instruments or channels by which God saves us. If we do this, we will be guilty
of treating them as works and thus
trusting in ourselves, and not in God,
for our salvation. And, as sinful creatures prone to pride, we may be tempted
to boast that it was on account of our
faith and our repentance that we were
saved. Or we might take pride in the fact that we believed and repented, while others
did not. May we not make that mistake, but give all the glory to God, realizing
that if we are saved, it is only because of God’s abundant grace and not
anything we did. Just as we are not saved by the Lord Jesus and our baptism, the Lord Jesus and our church membership, or the Lord Jesus
and our good works, we are not (directly) saved by the Lord Jesus and our faith and repentance. We are
saved by Christ alone.
If this might seem a little confusing, let me try to explain what
I mean by saying that we are not directly
or ultimately saved by our faith and
repentance. First, let us recall that salvation is by grace alone, meaning we are
not saved by any works whatsoever. In other words, salvation is
wholly (100%) attributable to God. No amount of good works can save us, no
matter how impressive they seem, because in the sight of God, all our good
works (even the best of them) are as filthy rags and fall short of His perfect
standard of righteousness. Thus, because we cannot meet God’s requirement of absolute
perfection, we cannot merit or earn eternal life, but must rely solely on God’s
grace, through faith in Christ, to save us. This simple truth regarding
salvation is probably known by most professing (evangelical) believers. However,
what many do not know, because it is rarely taught in the church today, is that
we do not contribute even 1% to our
salvation through the means by which God
saves us, namely, our faith and repentance. If we could contribute anything at all to our salvation, even
the slightest bit, then this would be works righteousness (legalism) or justification
by works instead of by grace.
What can help us to understand this better is to ask ourselves, if
we claim to be saved, what truly caused us to believe the gospel in the first
place? Compared to so many others who rejected it, what made us different? Was
it because we were somehow better than others – morally or mentally? That is,
were we naturally more intelligent, righteous, or humble? (God forbid!) I think
most professing believers would reply to this with a resounding “NO,” since it reeks
of legalism (i.e., salvation by works) and is a flat denial of the doctrine of
original sin - the Biblical teaching that, as a result of our first parents’[13]
sin, we have all inherited a sin nature and are born in sin with no inherent
goodness whatsoever. If not because of some intrinsic virtue of our own, which
we would be tempted to glory in, what was the true source of our faith and
repentance? The Bible tells us that it was God and God alone (Acts 13:48; Eph.
2:8-9; 2 Tim. 2:25)!
K. Understanding the Source of Faith and
Repentance
As with salvation itself, even the very means by which we are
saved - faith and repentance - are gifts
of God’s grace, given to His elect at the time of regeneration or the new
birth.[14]
Contrary to this historical, Biblical teaching, many, if not most, churches
today teach something quite different - that saving faith and repentance are innate or inborn abilities that we can choose to exercise on our own any time
we wish. (This is based on Arminian[15]
teaching.) True, we naturally possess the ability to believe God’s Word to some
extent in our minds (intellectually),
but not in our hearts (beyond a
superficial sentimentality). And yes, on a surface level, we can try to improve
our (outward) behavior, giving the impression that we have repented of our sin.
But without God’s initiating grace in
regenerating us, this is just head knowledge and self-reform and not “saving”
faith and genuine, heartfelt repentance. The only way we can “savingly” believe
the gospel and truly repent of our sins is if God, in His mercy, first grants us these spiritual abilities.
That is, instead of being natural or inherent abilities that come from within us, genuine faith and repentance
are foreign or external to us and must originate from outside of us (i.e., from God).
What can aid us in understanding this is to realize that an
unsaved man in his natural state is incapable of comprehending, seeking, or
even desiring, let alone doing, what is truly spiritual or righteous (e.g.,
exercising genuine faith and repentance) (Rom. 3:10-12, 8:7; 1 Cor. 2:14). “There
is none righteous, no, not one: there
is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God…there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Rom.
3:10-12; emphasis added). “But the
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7). “But the natural [unregenerate] man
receiveth [accepts] not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know [understand] them, because they are
spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). In other words, before we are saved, it
is impossible for us, in our spiritually dead state, to do anything truly good (according
to God’s definition), such as believing in Christ and repenting of our sin. How
could a spiritually dead person, who is utterly powerless, make himself spiritually
alive (born again), so that he could recognize his desperate plight and seek a
remedy through faith in Christ? Or how could an unsaved person, who naturally hates
God (though perhaps not consciously) and cherishes sin, desire to be reconciled
to Him and renounce all known sin (i.e., repent)? Again, in our own ability,
this would be impossible. Only after we are regenerated or spiritually awakened
by God (i.e., given new hearts and made born again) can we savingly believe in Christ
and repent of our sins. In other words, before we can be saved, God must first resurrect
us spiritually, overcome our natural resistance to Him, renew our hearts and
minds, and graciously grant us both the ability
and desire to believe and repent.
Without God taking the initiative and doing these things, we could never be
saved.
Let me reemphasize that the source of true saving faith and
repentance is God - not ourselves. In support of this fact, notice in the
following verses the origin of faith
and repentance – that they are gifts
of God. “For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that [salvation and faith itself] not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man
should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9; emphasis and clarification added). “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not
only to believe on him, but also to
suffer for his sake” (Phil. 1:29; emphasis added). “When they heard these
things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to
the Gentiles granted repentance unto
life” (Acts 11:18; emphasis added). “In meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves; if God peradventure [perhaps] will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Tim.
2:25; emphasis added). “God hath dealt
[distributed or given] to every man the measure
of faith” (Rom. 12:3; emphasis and clarification added). “And when the
Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as
many as were ordained to eternal life
believed” (Acts 13:48; emphasis added).
One
of the main reasons this Biblical truth concerning the true origin of faith and
repentance has been neglected for so long and rarely taught today is that it is
very humbling to man’s pride to have to acknowledge that he can do absolutely nothing to save himself and that
even his ability to believe and repent is given to him purely by God’s grace. “A
man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven” (John 3:27). “For who maketh thee to differ from another?
And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? (1 Cor. 4:7). If all
that man has (including his faith and repentance) comes from God, then he has
nothing to boast of, and all the glory goes to God.
To reiterate this point, though faith and repentance are divinely
appointed means of salvation and must
precede any true conversion, they are not the actual or ultimate source of salvation. God’s sovereign grace is the true source or cause of
salvation, based on Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Faith and repentance,
which are gifts of God, are not meritorious acts, by which we earn our
salvation, but are simply instruments
or channels by which God saves us. As
we saw, we cannot even exercise faith or repentance until God first regenerates
us (i.e., makes us “born again” or spiritually alive) and grants us these “spiritual”
abilities. In our unregenerate state, we are spiritually dead in sin and thus incapable
of doing anything truly good (according to God’s definition), such as trusting
in Christ or repenting of our sins. We must be first taken out of our
spiritually dead state and made
spiritually alive before we can even desire, let alone do, anything of a (genuinely) spiritual nature.[16]
L. Understanding Total Depravity
All this will make little sense unless we clearly define what it
means to be born in sin or, to use the theological term, total depravity.
This is a very critical doctrine upon which many other Biblical doctrines are based.
Without this foundation, it is easy to misinterpret the Scriptures. In fact, many
doctrinal errors or false beliefs have resulted from an inadequate
understanding of this subject (i.e., human depravity). Perhaps the most common
error regarding the sin nature is to underestimate the powerful and negative effect
sin has on the unregenerate. Very few realize just how extensive sin’s control
is of the human heart and mind before conversion. They do not recognize the true
depth of human depravity in the natural (unregenerate) state, perceiving it
more as a spiritual “sickness” rather than spiritual “death.” But the Bible is
very clear on this issue. We are not born spiritually sick or weak with some bit
of innate goodness or spiritual ability with which to seek after Christ, believe
in Him, and repent of our sins. On the
contrary, we are born spiritually dead
and therefore, totally powerless and reluctant to either participate in
anything related to salvation or to perform any (true) good. “And you hath he
quickened [made alive], who were dead
in trespassed and sins” (Eph. 2:1; emphasis added). “Even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us
together with Christ (by grace ye are saved)” (Eph. 2:5; emphasis added). In
other words, before God quickens or regenerates us, we are dead in sin, and as
such, lifeless, passive, indifferent, and unresponsive to spiritual things. In
this spiritually dead condition, we are unable and unwilling to
truly seek after God, to know Him (and not just about Him), to comprehend His
Word (beyond a surface level), and to please Him by doing what is holy and
righteous. In support of this, Scripture says concerning the unregenerate, “There
is none righteous, no, not one: there
is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God…there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Rom.
3:10-12; emphasis added). “But the
natural [unregenerate] man receiveth [accepts]
not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither
can he know [understand] them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor.
2:14).
Not only this, being spiritually dead means that we are also spiritually
unconscious or unaware of things related to God, Satan, Heaven, hell, our
souls, etc. Though we are physically alive and may even be quite alert to our
physical surroundings (i.e., things pertaining to this physical world), spiritually,
we are completely dead and incognizant of things pertaining to the spiritual
realm.[17]
True, we may have a superficial interest
in spiritual matters, but our spiritual eyes are closed, and thus, our understanding
is very limited. We cannot really grasp the true meaning or significance of
saving faith, repentance, Christ’s atonement, etc. Like someone who is
comatose, we are alive physically, but we are unconscious or asleep spiritually.
Let me state it more plainly. To be born in sin or total depravity
means that sin so completely dominates our whole being that all our faculties
(e.g., heart, mind, will, etc.) are, in one way or another, controlled or influenced
by sin. Consequently, our understanding or perception is warped and distorted,
our affections are corrupted, and our decisions and preferences reflect a definite
bias and inclination toward sin. In this spiritually darkened condition, we
have a natural aversion to what is truly holy or good (as defined by God). Moreover,
we are held captive and deceived by the devil’s power so that we do his bidding
willingly, even if to our own destruction. Enveloped by a cloud of
spiritual darkness, we are blinded to our spiritual plight and desperate
condition. That is, we do not see that we are in bondage to sin, estranged
from God, headed toward eternal judgment, and totally powerless to save
ourselves.
With death ever imminent and looming over our heads, we stand on
the brink of eternity, totally unaware of the fact that at any moment our very fragile
and brief lives could come to an end. Amazingly, though we hang by a very thin
thread over hell’s inferno (i.e., raging flames)[18],
held up only by God’s mercy, we are completely oblivious to the grave danger
facing us. God could decide to let go at
any time, and it would be perfectly just. But, instead, He very graciously and patiently
grants us an opportunity to come to our senses and repent. That is, He leaves
the door open to Heaven for a limited
period of time, inviting, if not pleading with, us (through His people, His
Word, our conscience, and even tracts like this) to come to Him. But if we are
foolish enough to reject His invitation and remain impenitent (unrepentant), eventually,
the door will close and be barred – forever
- never to reopen!
What a sobering thought – to be shut out from all the enjoyments and
pleasures of Heaven and instead to suffer extreme anguish and distress in hell,
burning in the lake of fire for eternity
without any relief or hope of escape! Even
if there were the slightest possibility of escaping from this tortuous prison after
a million years, at least there would be a glimmer of hope. But to think that
the punishment in hell lasts forever –
for billions and billions of years continuing on into eternity - with never a break or way of escape, is just utterly
heart-breaking and humanly inconceivable. Who could ever endure such endless
torture and misery? And imagine the total despair and hopelessness someone
would feel, knowing that he was trapped there forever. Oh, what indescribable
pain and agony await those who refuse to accept God’s gracious offer of
salvation. If only people could realize this and take warning before it is too
late!
Sadly, most people do not heed God’s warning, because they are blinded
by Satan. As Scripture tells us, “The God of this world [Satan] hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not…” (2 Cor. 4:4). The devil has convinced most
unbelievers of either a purely materialistic/naturalistic view of life (that there
is nothing beyond the physical world and thus there is no life after death) or
of a universalistic view of salvation (that everyone will go to Heaven, no matter
what they believe, and thus there is no need to be concerned about their future).
Accordingly, they do not plan or prepare for their eternal state. Unwilling to
face reality, they ignore or put out of their mind any serious thoughts about life
and death or heaven and hell. Least of all, do they want to consider that they
will have to stand before the judgment throne of God some day to give an
account for all that they did in this life to receive their just recompense. Incredibly,
they ignore God’s repeated warnings and rush madly to their own destruction, eagerly
pursuing the very thing (SIN) that will usher in their eternal doom and misery.
Truly, in every sense of the word, they
are spiritual slaves - not only to
Satan but also to their own sin. Though their love of sin will destroy them,
they are unwilling and unable to free themselves from this
deadly addiction. They are totally helpless and without any hope unless God, in
His mercy, intervenes and delivers them.
Such is the sorrowful state of all those who are unregenerate or
spiritually dead. They are entirely destitute and powerless apart from God. In this
spiritually dead condition, how could they possibly make themselves spiritually
alive (i.e., born again), as some suppose? Can a dead man raise himself from
the dead? Just as Lazarus could not raise
himself from the dead physically, but required Christ’s power to resurrect Him,
we also cannot raise ourselves from the dead spiritually (John 11:1-44; John
6:63; Eph. 2:1-6). In our unregenerate (spiritually dead) condition, we are
utterly powerless to help ourselves (i.e., to do anything related to salvation).
Only God has the power to make us spiritually alive, and thus He must take the
initiative or act first. “And you hath he
[God] quickened [made alive], who were dead
in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1; emphasis added). “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great
love wherewith he loved us, even when were dead
in sins, hath quickened us [made us
alive] together with Christ (by grace ye are saved)” (Eph. 2:4-5; emphasis
added). Unlike what many are taught today, we cannot regenerate ourselves or make
ourselves born again by a mere act of the human will or a “decision.” This is
not possible, because we cannot truly and sincerely “decide” to follow Christ or
believe in Him until God first
regenerates us and grants us that ability. To think that we could savingly
believe before being made spiritually
alive (born again) is putting the cart before the horse. Spiritual life or the
new birth must precede saving faith
and repentance – not the other way around. Put another way, the gift of faith
and repentance is the effect, not the
cause, of the new birth.
Only God, who is omnipotent and sovereign over all, has the power
and authority to grant spiritual life (i.e., the new birth) to whomever He
wishes (John 5:21, 26). It is the height of presumption and pride to think that
we could do what only God can do (i.e., regenerate ourselves through a mere act
of our will). The flesh (i.e., that which is carnal, physical, or derives strength
from human ability) can only produce what is fleshly. It cannot give birth to what
is spiritual – that is, a new creature in Christ or someone “born again.” “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). “It is the spirit that
quickeneth [makes spiritually alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63).
In our own flesh or human ability (in an unregenerate state), we can do nothing
spiritual, such as bringing about our spiritual rebirth through a mere decision
or choice. Though we must, of course, act on the faith that God gives us after
regeneration and choose to follow Christ, Scripture clearly states that it is
truly God’s will, and not our will, that saves us in the end.[19]
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood [human descent], nor
of the will of the flesh [human
ability], nor of the will of man [human decision], but [the will]
of God” (John 1:12-13; emphasis and clarification added). “So then it [salvation]
is not of him that willeth [decides],
nor of him that runneth [performs
works], but of God that sheweth
mercy” (Rom. 9:16; emphasis and clarification added). God must first sovereignly
choose to save us, and by His grace, overcome our natural resistance and enmity
(hostility, hatred) toward Him, by regenerating us and giving us new hearts,
before we can truly decide to follow Him in sincere faith and repentance.
Without this, we could and would never seek after Him, because in
our spiritually dead state, we are unable
and unwilling to do anything truly
spiritual or good. Again, referring to everyone before they are saved,
Scripture clearly states, “There is none righteous,
no, not one: there is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God…there
is none that doeth good, no, not one”
(Rom. 3:10-12; emphasis added).
Born in bondage to sin or total depravity, so that all our faculties
(i.e., heart, mind, and will) are controlled or influenced by sin, we are devoid
of any “true” goodness (as God defines it). As such, we cannot and will not
perform any spiritual good, such as seeking after God, believing the gospel, or
repenting of our sin. God must first regenerate us and give us new hearts,
along with the gifts of faith and repentance, before we can even desire to truly
commit our lives to Christ. Thus, the credit for our salvation should not go to
our faith or to our repentance, or even to our
decision to follow Christ (though these are certainly necessary for salvation),
because these “gifts” (i.e., faith and repentance) originate from God and are
external to us before regeneration. It is really only by God’s transforming power and grace (enabling us to believe and
repent) that we are saved. Therefore, all the glory should go to God, and not
man. To credit any part (even one percent) of salvation to man (i.e., his
faith, repentance, decision, or good works) is really the essence of legalism.
IV. Concluding Thoughts on Legalism
Thus far, I have tried to show both the fallacy and futility of a
legalistic philosophy by demonstrating that salvation is not attainable through
any human effort. On the contrary, salvation is entirely a work of God – that
is, it is all by His grace. In support of this, I have repeatedly emphasized
that we contribute absolutely nothing to our salvation – not even the smallest amount
through our faith and repentance - since these, too, are given to us by God’s
grace. Truly, from start to finish then, salvation is 100% God’s grace.
V. Liberalism Defined – Abusing God’s
Grace
Though salvation is totally by God’s grace, does this mean that we
are, in any way, justified in continuing a life of sin or using God’s grace as
an excuse to sin? In other words, does salvation by grace mean that we can
simply go on living the same way we have always lived (in sin) without any real
change to our lives? And does it mean that we can have a careless attitude
toward sin, viewing it as something minor or insignificant and knowingly and
presumptuously sinning, just assuming that Christ’s blood (atoning sacrifice)
will cover it? Put another way, does being saved mean that we are exempt from
keeping God’s law or pursuing a life of holiness? Of course, the answer to all
these questions is “NO.” And this leads us to the next topic – liberalism.
While discussing legalism, we saw how it has posed a real problem for
the church. Perhaps an even greater threat to the church, however, is liberalism,
which is far more prevalent today and the dominant philosophy of most churches.
In the past, particularly during the time the Lord Jesus lived on the earth,
the pendulum seemed to swing more in the direction of legalism, as reflected in
Pharisaical teaching. In the time period preceding the Reformation, during the
Dark Ages, legalism also prevailed in the church. However, today the pendulum
swings more toward liberalism (e.g., carnal Christianity; cheap grace; rejecting
God’s law regarding the pastorate, gender issues, abortion, sexual purity, etc.).
That is, there is a greater tendency in our day for the church to err on the side
of liberalism than on the side of legalism. For instance, just as the world despises authority in general today,
similarly, an antinomian spirit (lawlessness) pervades the church, so that
many, if not most, professing believers deny God’s authority over them, as
outlined in His Word. This is largely due to the liberal philosophies and
practices of the world that have crept their way into the church, especially
within the last century, and now permeate the thinking of most mainline
denominations. In this day of widespread apostasy, the (visible) church has
largely capitulated and succumbed to a worldly mindset.[20] Evidence
for this can be seen in the church’s downward spiral
toward increasing moral corruption, theological compromise, and conformity to worldly
standards and values. Sadly, instead of the church having a Godly influence
on the world, the world has had a godless influence on the church.
Before going any further, let us first define what liberalism is (from
a spiritual perspective). Primarily, liberalism is the false belief that one
can be saved while still rejecting or denying foundational Biblical truths or the
fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith (either in word or practice). In other words, it is religious hypocrisy - claiming
to be a Christian while not living like one or alleging to follow Christ but
not truly believing, obeying, or imitating Him. What is a follower of Christ
but someone who “follows” Him? It is a
contradiction for someone to claim that Jesus is his Lord, and yet not even
seek to obey His commandments or adhere to His teachings. Even if someone hears
and assents to God’s truth, but is not a doer of the Word, he is self-deceived.
His faith is futile and empty. And like a man who builds his house on the sand,
he has no firm foundation.
Additionally, liberalism can be further defined as the philosophy
of “anything goes” or the attitude that everyone can do what is right in his
own eyes (a recurring theme in the book of Judges). Like the burger commercial
years ago, liberal Christianity is the religion of “Have it your own way.” In other words, you may
supposedly define God’s law (the moral standard for right and wrong) any way
you like it, thereby attempting to act in the place of God and usurp His
authority (God forbid!).
Yet another name for liberalism is antinomianism (lit. against the
law), which seeks to diminish or remove God’s law, while abusing His
grace to justify sin. In contrast to legalism, which generally tries to
increase and tighten restrictions in God’s law, liberalism tries to decrease
and slacken those restrictions (i.e., God’s boundaries put in place for our protection
and benefit). With such a lax (and defiant) attitude toward God’s law, it is
not surprising that liberalism also tries to excuse or palliate sin, justifying
it on the basis of God’s grace. Of course, this is abusing God’s grace by
insinuating that it grants believers a license to sin. Quite the opposite is
true! God grants grace to His people, not so they can continue in sin and bring
reproach upon His name, but so that they can become increasingly conformed to
His Son’s image in true righteousness and holiness and thereby glorify Him.
VI. Examples of Liberalism
A. Denying the Basic Tenets of the Faith
(Extreme Liberalism)
Having defined liberalism, what are some specific examples? One
very extreme form of liberalism (within the so-called church) is one in which
the adherents do not even recognize or accept the basic tenets of the Christian
faith, which include the following:
1. The Bible, being God’s divinely inspired Word, is inerrant,
true and accurate (including the literal accounts of creation, Adam and Eve,
Noah’s flood, Jonah, etc.), universally applicable or relevant to all times and
cultures, and the final authority in every area of dispute, superseding human
traditions, laws, or beliefs.
2. God, the Creator of the universe, is omnipotent (all-powerful),
omniscient (all-knowing and all-wise), omnipresent (present everywhere at the
same time), sovereign (supreme ruler) over all, eternal (with no beginning or
end), infinite (unlimited, boundless), perfect (infallible and perfectly holy
or sinless), immutable (unchanging), truthful (unable to lie and faithful in
keeping promises), just/fair (impartial, rewarding good and punishing evil), loving
(in a self-sacrificial way, epitomized by the Lord Jesus’ life and death),
merciful (forgiving, compassionate), longsuffering (extremely patient), kind
(to both the deserving and undeserving), generous (in sharing His creation with
us and freely granting us life and breath; food, water, clothing, and shelter; health;
protection; family and friends; any enjoyments or comforts in life; and most
importantly, the gift of eternal life to those who believe), etc.
3. God, who is Spirit, is one in essence and yet exists as three
Persons in perfect unity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Each Person within
the Trinity shares the same divine attributes but performs different functions
or roles in creation, salvation, etc.
4. Man, made in God’s image, is the pinnacle of God’s creation on
earth and distinguishable from animals in that he has a mind that can reason
and think abstractly, a spirit that can commune with and worship God, a moral
capacity (and responsibility) to choose between right and wrong, a divinely
granted commission to rule over the earth, etc.
5. Though our first parents, Adam and Eve, were made perfect
(innocent and without sin), they had the freedom to choose between good and
evil, and therefore had the potential to sin. Sadly, they succumbed to the devil’s
lies and chose of their own free will to disobey God and eat of the forbidden
fruit, thus committing the first sin.
6. Consequently, their sin nature was passed down to all their descendants
(except the Lord Jesus), so that all are born in sin or a state of total
depravity. This means that from the time we enter this life, we are spiritually
dead, separated from God, in bondage to sin and Satan, spiritually blind,
powerless to save ourselves, condemned under God’s just wrath, and bound for
eternal judgment. In this lost condition, sin so permeates our entire being
that it completely controls our heart, mind, and will, naturally inclining us toward
sin.
7. Sin, which is the breaking or transgressing of God’s holy and
just law, is punishable by both physical and spiritual (eternal) death, and deserves
such, not only because of the nature of the sin itself, but also because of the
One offended (i.e., God, who is eternal, infinite, etc.).
8. Christ, who is God (the second Person in the Trinity, the Son
of God) and who eternally preexisted before the creation of the universe, willingly
humbled Himself to become a man (retaining all His divine attributes so that He
was fully God and fully man), in order to save us from our sin and magnify God’s
name.
9. Christ was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit and born
of a virgin.
10. Being born perfect and without a sin nature, Christ, the “Holy
One,” never once sinned (i.e., He kept all of God’s law).
11. Christ acted as our substitute in life (by perfectly obeying
and fulfilling the law) and in death (by atoning or paying the penalty for our
sins on the cross), so that we could be set free not only from the penalty (eternal punishment), but also
the power (spiritual bondage) of sin[21],
in order to serve and glorify God in true holiness and righteousness (and not
so that we could simply continue living in sin, serving our lusts, and dishonoring
God’s name).
12. Christ died on the cross, was buried, and was resurrected on
the third day, later ascending to Heaven (after 40 days), where He now reigns
at the right hand of God the Father.
13. God’s elect are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ
and not by any good works.
14. To be saved (i.e., receive eternal life), we must not only accept
Jesus Christ as our Savior by
believing that His death alone atoned for our sins, but we must also be willing
to submit to Him as our Lord (Master).
That is, we must resolve, by God’s grace, to obey Him by repenting of our sin (i.e.,
turning away from sin toward righteousness) and committing our lives to follow Him
in total surrender to His holy and perfect will.
15. Though we are justified by faith alone (apart from any good
works), true saving faith is inseparable from repentance and (following
conversion) will manifest itself in our striving to live a sanctified (holy,
though not perfect) life, being separated from the world (i.e., its corrupt philosophies
and practices), and bearing spiritual fruit (e.g., love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control, etc.).
That is, if someone’s professed faith is not evidenced (inwardly and outwardly)
by a radically transformed life (the result of the new birth), positively
influencing the whole person (e.g., the heart, mind, speech, conduct,
attitudes, motives, beliefs, outlook, preferences, priorities, goals, desires,
etc.) and producing good (but not perfect) works (e.g., obedience to God’s Word,
Godly fear and reverence, heart-felt worship, sincere love for God and others, contrition/humility,
self-denial, etc.), such a faith is dead and empty.[22]
16. The way of salvation is narrow
in that there is only one Mediator
between God and man who can save (and intercede for) us - the Lord Jesus Christ
(not Mary, saints, prophets, sages, angels, or any other created beings). This
contrasts to the broad path of 1) Universalism, which embraces and
endorses all religions, claiming that they are all equally valid and lead to
Heaven, and 2) Ecumenism, which
attempts to join all denominations together (even those that are apostate), compromising
Biblical truth (e.g., tolerating and accepting heretical teaching), for the
sake of (a superficial) unity, not founded on God’s Word.
17. The pathway to Heaven is also very difficult and challenging
(unlike the popular depiction of Christianity), meaning the life of a true Christian is not easy, but involves
1) Giving up our most cherished sins and renouncing all idols, which is comparable
to having surgery or losing an arm or leg; 2) A life-long commitment, marked by
self-sacrifice, hard work, self-denial, and taking up the cross (suffering) for
Christ’s sake (known as the costs of discipleship); 3) A spiritual battle, in
which our spirit (the “new man” or renewed part of us) must continually
struggle to resist and not yield to the flesh
(the “old man” or remnant of sin in us that cannot be fully eradicated until
glorification), Satan (the enemy who
targets believers in order to weaken and destroy them), and the world (which, under Satan’s power, seeks
to allure, persuade, and pressure us to conform to its corrupt ways); 4) An
ongoing need for repentance and humble contrition before God; 5) Trials and
hardship sovereignly ordained and designed by God for our chastening
(discipline, correction) and refinement (improvement, growth) to benefit us and
prepare us for Heaven; 6) Rejection and disapproval of the world (including unsaved
family members, friends, and acquaintances), etc.
18. Christ will return visibly and bodily some day in all His
glory, coming in the clouds with the host (army) of Heaven to judge the earth, gather
His people to Himself, and establish His kingdom.
19. Some day we will all stand before God’s throne of judgment to
render an account for all our deeds (both good and evil) performed in this life
and to be justly recompensed (i.e., granted grace or justly punished). That is,
the righteous (believers) will be shown mercy on account of Christ’s merit and
satisfaction for their sin, while the unrighteous (unbelievers) will receive
their just due for their sin.
20. Just as there is a literal Heaven (a place of eternal rest and
joy) reserved for God’s people (true believers), there is also an actual hell (a
place of eternal judgment and unceasing torment) reserved for unbelievers (all those
who reject Christ and die in an impenitent or unrepentant state). This contrasts
to the unbiblical beliefs of a 1) temporary, intermediate place between Heaven
and hell, where souls can supposedly work off their sins, or 2) state of
non-existence following death (annihilationism).
B. Possessing Intellectual Faith or Head
Knowledge
Of those who are not so extreme as to reject these fundamental truths,
but fall within the framework of “mainstream” Christianity, many still deny the
faith by holding to other unbiblical beliefs or practices. For example, a growing
number of people in the church today believe that a mere mental assent to the facts
of the gospel (i.e., head knowledge) is sufficient to save someone. Though it
is true, salvation must begin in the mind (with a clear understanding of the
gospel), a mere acknowledgment of the “facts” alone will not save someone. That
is, an intellectual belief that involves the head, but not the heart and soul
of a person, is useless, ineffectual, and no better than a devil’s belief.
Yes, a devil’s belief! Be assured that the devil and his demons are
quite orthodox in their beliefs and that their doctrine is based on a very precise
and accurate theology. They do not need to be convinced, for example, that there
is only one true God and that Heaven and hell really exist, for they know this
from personal experience. Nor do they doubt the (divine) inspiration and
veracity (truthfulness) of the Bible. They know, for instance, that everything the
Bible says about the Lord Jesus Christ is true – that He is fully God and fully
man, the promised Messiah (Savior), and Ruler and Judge over all creation. They
are so certain of this truth, in fact, that they tremble at the thought of standing
before Christ’s throne of judgment some day. The devils also know that the only
way of salvation is by believing the gospel, though, of course, they try their
best to hide this fact and convince people that this is not true. Finally, Satan
and his demons are well-acquainted with the Bible – so much so that they can
quote it from memory (though unfortunately with an evil intent to distort it to
mislead people).
With all their Scriptural and theological knowledge, does this
mean that the devil and his demons are saved? By no means! For one thing, they
do not love the Lord Jesus, but, instead, hate and oppose Him.[23]
Nor do they willingly or humbly submit to Him. They only obey Him because they
have no choice and out of a slavish fear of punishment. Their faith, like that
of so many professing Christians today, is a dead and empty faith - one that is
based on a knowledge of the truth but without any sincere love or affection for Christ (which, if it existed, would
be evidenced by their willing obedience to His commandments).
This demonstrates that it is possible to possess a head full of
facts, know and affirm the correct theology, and even have all the Scriptures
memorized, and yet still not be saved. It is absolutely critical to be able to distinguish
between counterfeit faith, which is
what many professing Christians have today but are unaware of it, and authentic (saving) faith, which is the
mark and possession of true believers, who have been spiritually born again by God’s
miraculous power and grace. Unlike counterfeit faith, which deceives a person into
thinking he is saved and keeps him in spiritual bondage, true saving faith goes
beyond the head to penetrate the heart, convict the soul, and set the prisoner
free, resulting in true repentance. The proof of this is genuine (vs. superficial or merely sentimental) love for Christ, as
reflected in our obedience to His commandments, loyal dedication to His cause
and glory, and a radically transformed life marked by holy living. Dear Reader,
if you claim to be saved, do you have this kind of true, living faith that clearly manifests itself through spiritual fruit,
or do you have a false, dead faith
that is only intellectual in nature and therefore, no better than a devil’s belief?
C. Discarding Repentance (Whatever
Happened to Repentance?)
1. Defining Repentance
How can you know if you possess true or false faith? As already mentioned,
one of the marks of genuine faith is true repentance. And one of the main signs
of counterfeit faith is the absence of repentance. Despite the fact that the
Bible clearly and repeatedly emphasizes the critical need for repentance (both
in salvation and sanctification), very few who call themselves believers are
familiar with this very basic principle. In fact, the subject of repentance is
so rarely taught in the church today that it almost seems like a foreign
concept.[24] Amazingly,
this historic doctrine that is so foundational to Christianity is generally ignored
or worse, avoided altogether in many, if not most, churches today. And of the
few that do discuss repentance, many of them distort its meaning and water it
down.
So then, what is the true meaning of repentance? Though the
literal definition of repentance is simply a change of mind, much more is
implied when used in the context of sin. That is, when specifically referring
to man in his sinful or unregenerate state, repentance means a change of mind (regarding sin) that leads to a
radical change of heart and life (i.e., turning away from sin toward
righteousness). Unlike what many are told today, repentance does not just
affect the intellectual part of a person (i.e., his mind), but it also involves
his emotions, will (decisions), speech, conduct, etc. - in other words, the whole person.
Genuine repentance begins with God’s opening our eyes and minds so
that we can truly see ourselves as sinful and recognize the ugly and destructive
nature of our sin. Having humbled us by showing
us our sin, God then softens our hearts so that we begin to hate our sin and mourn
over it – and not just for its negative consequences (e.g., the pain and loss
it causes, punishment, etc.), but also for the actual sin itself and how it highly
offends God and separates us from Him. Additionally, true repentance is more
than just feeling convicted about our sin or even confessing it (though it
certainly involves that). Many hardened criminals have felt sorry for their sin
and even admitted their guilt but without ever changing or giving up their sin.
No, true repentance goes beyond mere remorse and confession of sin to actually renouncing and abandoning our sin (by God’s grace). In other words, if we are
truly repentant, we will be so disgusted with our sin that, as with a loathsome
disease (e.g., leprosy), we will long to be rid of it. We will not cherish our sin and try everything we
can to retain it, but we will hate our sin and resolve steadfastly to forsake it. With unwavering
determination, we will cry out desperately to God to deliver us from its
enslaving power.
Dear Reader, how do you view your sin? Do you see your sin as a
deadly plague and despise it so much that you are willing to give it up? Or like
most people, do you regard sin as something harmless and insignificant and enjoy
it so much that you are reluctant to let it go? Even worse, do you play the
hypocrite and openly disavow sin but secretly delight in it and cling to it? How you perceive your sin really reveals a lot
about your spiritual condition. More precisely, it shows if you have repented,
which is an indication of whether you are truly saved or not.
Since repentance is a mark of genuine salvation, it is clearly a key
ingredient in the gospel. Despite this fact, this essential doctrine has been sadly
neglected, if not entirely forgotten, in most churches today. Though God’s Word
informs us that John the Baptist, the apostles, and the Lord Jesus Himself all stressed
the absolute necessity of repentance in salvation, this subject is so
disregarded and misunderstood today that it is seldom ever taught in the church
(Matt. 3:1,8, 9:13; Mark 1:15, 6:12; Luke 13:3,5, 24:47; Acts 2:38, 3:19). And on
the rare occasions that repentance is discussed, it is often portrayed
negatively and denounced as “legalism.” Of course, true, heartfelt repentance
is not legalistic at all. To label it as such is just a clever and deceptive device
of the enemy to keep unbelievers from getting saved and believers from growing
spiritually. Is it even conceivable that the Lord Jesus, who Himself preached
repentance, would ever promote or advocate legalism? God forbid! Quite the
contrary, He fervently opposed legalism (e.g., Pharisaical teaching). Beware! One
common way the devil deceives people is by calling good things (i.e., things based on Scripture, including obedience
to God’s commandments) legalistic in order to discourage people from pursuing
these things and reaping the spiritual benefits.[25]
Again, many do not realize that, along with faith, repentance is an
essential component of the gospel, without which no one can be saved. In fact,
true saving faith is inseparable from (genuine) repentance. Where there is one,
there will always be the other. To try to separate the two would result in an
incomplete, and thus ineffective, gospel. Faith without repentance is nothing but a useless, intellectual belief
that only encourages carnal or sinful living. And repentance without faith is simply another name for
self-reform or legalism. Thus, faith must
be accompanied by true repentance or else it is nothing but an empty, futile faith,
which can save no one. Such a dead faith only increases one’s accountability before
God, for though there is a knowledge of the truth, there is no corresponding
application in the heart or life.
2. Delving Deeper into Repentance
a. What Is the Origin of
Repentance?
Thus far, we have discussed the general definition of repentance.
But now, I wish to delve a little deeper into its meaning by discussing the
origin of repentance and how it works. Let us first begin with its origin.
Unknown to most people, repentance, like faith, is not inherent to us. Because
it is not a natural ability that we are born with, we cannot simply decide to
repent of our sin whenever we wish. That is, contrary to what many believe
today, repentance is not simply an act of our free will (in the unregenerate
state) or the product of human generation. Repentance, which is spiritual in
nature, cannot be produced by the “flesh” (i.e., our own human strength and
ability), apart from God’s intervening power and grace. The only thing that the
flesh can produce is something fleshly or carnal like itself (e.g., a
superficial and temporary change that affects only outward behavior). “That
which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit” (John 3:6). Only God’s Spirit can produce something spiritual, such as
repentance, and grant spiritual life. “It is the spirit that quickeneth [gives
life]; the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63). Clearly then, repentance is
external or foreign to us and therefore must be supernatural and divine
in origin (i.e., from God). Like saving faith, repentance is a gift of God granted at the time of regeneration (the new birth) and as such, is
solely attributable to God’s grace. This should not be confused with a false or
counterfeit repentance that is humanly contrived and really nothing more than a
feeble attempt at self-reform. True repentance, which comes from God, is
distinguishable by the fact that it is not superficial in its effects (changing
merely our outward behavior and often
only temporarily), but it affects us
both internally (penetrating our
heart, soul, and mind) and externally
(influencing our speech, conduct, etc.), resulting in a radical and permanent
transformation.
b. How Does Repentance Work?
How does true repentance work, and what are the steps involved in
repentance? That is, what occurs before, during, and after we repent of our
sin? As already mentioned, it must begin with regeneration. Since we are born
spiritually dead in sin and thus incapable of performing what is truly good (as
defined by God), God must act first,
based on His sovereign grace, to regenerate
us before we can truly repent of our sin (Rom. 3:10-12; Eph. 2:1). This means
He quickens us or makes us
spiritually alive (born again) from the dead. In doing this, God removes our
old, stubborn hearts of stone that resist His will and replaces them with new,
malleable hearts of flesh that willingly yield to Him and conform to His will.
“I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an
heart of flesh.” (Ez. 36:26). Additionally, He implants His Spirit within us to
guide us in the right path and to help us walk in obedience to Him. “And I will put my spirit within you, and
cause you to walk in my statutes…” (Ez. 36:27). Along with that, God delivers
us from the power of Satan, who, until that point, holds us captive to his will
and blinds us spiritually so that we cannot recognize our miserable condition
as lost sinners and our desperate need for a savior (Jesus Christ).
Once our spiritual blinders are removed, we begin to discover for
the first time in our lives what we are really
like. That is, after God resurrects our souls from its dark and deadened state
and opens our eyes, we begin to see a side of ourselves that we never really
saw before – namely, our SIN. What was previously a blind spot to us (e.g., our
pride, selfishness, covetousness, anger, resentment, etc.), though probably not
to those around us, is no longer hidden or obscured but clearly discernible. Though
we undoubtedly acknowledged that we were sinners prior to regeneration (for few
are so proud that they cannot admit this), our understanding of sin was so
deficient that, like most people, we probably had very slight thoughts of our
sin, viewing it as only minor defects or imperfections in our personality (and
thereby minimizing and excusing our sin). In other words, before God
regenerates us, we fail to recognize the true depth or “exceeding sinfulness”
of our sin, as the Bible so aptly puts it. But when God, in His mercy, shines
the light of His gospel into our hearts and gives us spiritual sight, our
perspective on sin changes dramatically so that instead of seeing sin as
something relatively insignificant, we see it as something very serious and detrimental
to both ourselves and those around us (2 Cor. 4:4, 6). More importantly, we
realize that our sin is highly offensive and detestable to God, who perceives
it as nothing less than blatant rebellion, corruption, and evil. Though man
generally thinks little of sin, it is no small thing in the sight of God. Sin
is an abomination to God. For us to even begin to see sin the way God sees it,
He must first awaken our conscience and show us our sin (through His Spirit and
His Word). Only then can we recognize the destructive nature of sin and see
ourselves realistically - as lost souls born in total depravity, estranged from
God, enslaved to sin and Satan, headed toward eternal judgment, and utterly
powerless to save ourselves.
Once God shows us our true spiritual condition, we not only begin
to see how repulsive our sin is to Him, but we, too, become grieved and
disgusted by our sin – so much so that, as with a loathsome disease, we long to
be freed from it. However, having been
humbled by God, we realize that we are totally incapable of freeing ourselves.
We know that no amount of self-effort can ever deliver us from our bondage to
sin and its destructive power. With our self-confidence sufficiently shattered,
we no longer trust in ourselves – not in our goodness, wisdom, strength, or
abilities. Contrite and broken over our sin, we realize that we have no true
goodness in ourselves and thus nothing we can offer God in the way of
salvation. We are spiritually bankrupt. That is, we do not have anything that can
earn our acceptance or favor with God and eternal life. Quite the contrary, we
have everything (our sin) that merits God’s wrath and eternal judgment! An
honest self-evaluation should cause us to acknowledge that we are spiritually
impoverished (i.e., devoid of any true goodness or ability to attain Heaven
through our own righteousness) and nothing more than helpless beggars before God,
relying solely on His grace. Truly, if we can admit this, then we have finally
come to the end of ourselves.
Thus humbled by God, we no longer have any delusions about
boosting our self-esteem, self-worth, or self-love[26]
– all philosophies which the world promotes, contrary to what the Bible
teaches. By God’s grace, we have been given the spiritual discernment to see
through the clever devices of Satan and recognize that these are simply
euphemistic terms used to disguise obvious sins: vanity/conceit, egotism, and
self-idolatry. Though we may have been deceived before, we know now that such
self-centeredness and self-absorption have no place in the life of a believer,
for whom God (and not man) should be the center. And we realize that these are
deceptive schemes of the enemy used to encourage pride in man in order to
destroy him. For the devil knows very well that God hates pride and opposes and
punishes the proud (1 Pet. 5:5-6). “Pride goeth before destruction, and an
haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). “God resisteth the proud and
giveth grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5-6). “The fear of the Lord is to hate
evil: pride and arrogancy and the evil way and the froward mouth do I hate”
(Prov. 8:13). “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord”
(Prov. 16:5). Satan’s aim is to deceive us so that we will destroy ourselves
through our own sin. That is, hoping
that we will incur God’s wrath and judgment for our pride, Satan tries to
encourage us to be as proud as possible by persuading us that pride is a
virtue, instead of a vice, and that it is good (and not evil) to be proud - the
very opposite of what Scripture teaches. God’s Word tells us quite plainly that
pride is a sin (Prov. 21:4) – and not only that - one of the worst sins. I say
that, because I believe that (in addition to unbelief), pride is the source of many,
if not most, sins.[27]
Along with unbelief, I think pride was the main contributing factor in both
Satan’s and man’s fall.[28]
Thankfully, if God delivers us from Satan’s clutches (e.g., his
deceptions, spiritual enslavement, etc.), He enables us to see pride for what
it really is – evil – so that we can avoid this pitfall and instead, pursue
what is good and beneficial – humility, co-joined to its sister, love.[29]
In contrast to pride, true humility causes us to hate our sin and like Job, recognize
and confess our unworthiness before God: “I am vile” and “I abhor myself” (Job
40:4, 42:6). In other words, if we are truly humble, we will be frustrated and
disgusted with our sin and like the apostle Paul, lament, “Oh wretched man that
I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:24). And feeling
the plague of our own sin and overwhelmed with a sense of utter helplessness,
we will cry out desperately to the only One who can save us and keep us from
destroying ourselves - the Lord Jesus Christ!
How amazing that before regeneration, we reject Christ and spurn
His love. Blinded to His glory and deceived by Satan, we do not appreciate Christ’s
gracious offer of eternal life. But when we have been made spiritually alive,
delivered from Satan’s clutches, and humbled by God, we see in Christ not only
our source of hope and salvation, but also His magnificent beauty and
perfection (e.g., His grace, holiness, etc.), surpassing human comprehension.
Moreover, we are melted by the indescribable love of Christ so clearly
demonstrated through His sacrifice on the cross for our sins. Thus spiritually
awakened, we embrace Christ as our Lord and Savior, trusting in Him alone to
save us. And with a sincere desire to please and obey our Master, we renounce
all known sin and idols, resolving to head the opposite direction in pursuit of
a life of holiness and righteousness, in conformity to Christ’s image.[30]
This is true repentance!
D. Excusing Sin
1. Failing to Follow Jesus as Lord (Carnal Christianity)
In addition to neglecting the doctrine of repentance, another sign
of increasing liberalism and worldliness within the church is the acceptance
and promotion of what is commonly called “carnal Christianity.” Basically, this
false doctrine claims that we can be saved without acknowledging Jesus as our Lord
and without surrendering our lives to Him (which includes giving up our sin). First,
what does it mean to acknowledge Jesus as our Lord? Basically, it means that we recognize and
submit to Jesus’ authority and commit to follow Him in whatever He tells us to
do. Put another way, it means that we are willing to honor Him as our Sovereign
(King), and as a loyal subject in His kingdom, obey all that He commands. This
contrasts starkly with carnal Christianity that claims we can be followers of Christ without ever having
to truly follow (i.e., obey) Him.
Isn’t that a contradiction? In other
words, supporters of carnal Christianity maintain that instead of submitting to
Jesus as Lord, we can be our own masters, rule our own lives, and do what is
right in our own eyes. Though they say we can decide to make Jesus our Lord
later in life, if we wish to advance or grow spiritually, they assure us that
it is not necessary for salvation. However, God’s Word says that making Jesus Lord
of our lives is not an option that we can choose later on if we
wish to attain a higher level of spiritual maturity or gain the status of a
“super” Christian. All of Jesus’
disciples (whether new or old) are expected to come under His authority and
walk in obedience to Him from the very start. The whole concept of a “carnal” Christian,
who is autonomous (self-governing) and independent of God’s law and authority
(i.e., free to do as he pleases), is both foreign and antithetical to
Scripture. It should be quite evident that when we turn our lives over to Jesus,
we are, in effect, giving up the reins of our lives to Him and trusting Him to
lead us. That is, we should be willing to humble ourselves before Him and yield
control of our lives to Him, so that He reigns on the throne of our hearts.
To use an analogy, denying Jesus’ Lordship would be similar to a
person who applies for citizenship and expects to receive it though he has made
it very clear that he will not obey the government and laws of that nation,
thereby demonstrating his disloyalty and noncompliance from the very start. Do
you honestly think that any government would grant citizenship to such a
person? I seriously doubt it. Why then should God permit someone who is
unwilling to conform to His government and laws (i.e., follow Him as Lord) to
become a “citizen” in His kingdom? Furthermore, would a king or ruler allow
someone, who was unwilling to honor him or recognize his sovereignty (authority
over him), the privilege of serving or representing him? Again, it would be
highly unlikely. Such a person would probably not even be allowed to come into
the king’s presence, let alone serve him. And yet amazingly, many believe today
that God, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, would permit those who
refuse to bow the knee to Him and obey Him to be His servants and
representatives (i.e., believers, Christians). That is, they think God would
simply overlook and tolerate such blatant disrespect, rebellion, and presumption
on the part of His servants. Would He? I do not think that He would allow
someone, who remained impenitent and openly or secretly defiant, to serve Him.
No, if someone wanted to serve the King of kings, he would have to first humble himself before God and be willing
to obey Him in whatever He commands – e.g., believe the gospel, repent of his
sins, surrender his life to God’s will, deny himself for Christ’s sake, take up
his cross, etc. In other words, God would not settle for anything less than total
surrender.
Let me emphasize again, that to be saved, we must be willing to
follow and obey Jesus as our Lord and Master. That is, to be a true disciple or
follower of Christ, there must be a humble acknowledgment of Him not only as
our Savior, but also as our Lord. That
is, there must be a readiness to submit to and obey Christ in whatever He says,
even if it involves great sacrifice (i.e., giving up so-called rights and privileges
and things we treasure in this life), self-denial (i.e., saying no to ourselves
in whatever Christ wills), self-control (using moderation and restraining or
curbing our appetites, emotions, desires, etc.), and bearing the cross (i.e.,
suffering and being persecuted for His sake). What can help motivate us to do
these things, which are naturally contrary to the flesh, is to recognize what a
priceless and precious Treasure we have in Christ, who, as the Giver and
Sustainer of all life, suffered and died on the cross to purchase our
redemption. Like the merchant who sold all that he owned to obtain the “pearl
of great price,” we should be willing to sacrifice anything and everything in
this life to gain the true Pearl of
great price – Jesus Christ (Matt. 13:45-46).
Let me ask, is it not reasonable to make Jesus Lord of our lives, considering
how graciously He sacrificed His life (on the cross) on our behalf to purchase
our freedom (from the power and penalty of sin) and an eternal inheritance in Heaven
for us? We owe Him our very lives and should not only willingly, but also
gladly, obey and serve Him out of love and gratitude for what He has done for
us. Furthermore, we should submit to the Lord’s will, because, as the One who
loves us most, He wants what is best for us and seeks for our good in all that
He does for us. We, on the other hand, do not truly desire what is best for us
(though we may think we do). And even if we did, we could not accomplish it due
to our many sins and weaknesses. Left to direct ourselves, we would only fail miserably
and ruin our lives in the end. That is, if we stubbornly insist on our own way
and refuse to make Jesus our Lord, we will be acting as our own enemies,
working against our best interests, and ultimately destroying ourselves. Moreover,
trying to escape God’s authority is useless. Irrespective of our decision to
acknowledge Jesus as Lord or not, He will still be Lord over us and govern our
lives, whether we agree or not. Our acceptance or rejection of Him does not
change the fact that He is still “King of kings and Lord of Lords,” who reigns
over all. Thus, the wisest thing for us to do is to humble ourselves and surrender
our lives to God, trusting Him to guide us in the right direction. Who could
manage our lives better than the One who created us, knows us best, and who is perfect
in every way (e.g., all-wise, all-powerful, holy, loving, merciful, patient,
etc.)? Instead of suffering the sorrowful effects and eternal consequences of
trying to be our own masters, let us reap the rich and eternal blessings of following
Jesus as our Lord.
Dear Reader, don’t fall into the enemy’s trap and believe the lies
of carnal Christianity. Either you can bow the knee to Jesus now willingly as your Lord and Savior and receive His gracious blessings, or you can bow the knee to
Him some day unwillingly as your Lord
and Judge and receive His just punishment. Which do you prefer?
2. Does Grace Equal a License to Sin?
In addition to rejecting Jesus’ Lordship, advocates of carnal Christianity
also claim that we needn’t give up our sin (i.e., repent) in order to be saved.
That is, they say we can remain “carnal” or in a state of habitual sin (i.e.,
bondage to sin) and yet still expect to go to Heaven when we die. In essence, they
trample upon and abuse God’s grace by trying to use it as a justification or
excuse for sin. They really presume upon God’s kindness in assuming that God
will just overlook or ignore willful disobedience (i.e., presumptuous sin) and
continually forgive impenitent sinners on account of Christ’s atonement for our
sin. In short, they give the false impression that we can be saved without ever
having to give up our sin or love of this world. Though this sort of teaching
may appeal to carnal minds by giving them what their “itching ears” want to
hear, it flatly contradicts God’s Word (Eph. 5:5). In no uncertain terms,
Scripture warns us that the unrighteous, or those who refuse to repent of their
sins, will perish.[31]
Clearly, reconciliation with God is not possible without repentance. The Lord Jesus
Himself declared, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
The apostle Paul also warned his readers, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
Despite the fact that the Bible is so clear on this issue, Satan
has managed to use this strategy (i.e., persuading people that they can remain
in their sin and still be saved) for thousands of years. An example of this
deception can be seen in the book of Jeremiah written at the time of the
Babylonian conquest of Judah (ca. sixth century B.C.).[32]
Despite the prophet Jeremiah’s repeated warnings to Judah about God’s impending
judgment (i.e., the Babylonian invasion) and their urgent need to repent and
turn back to God before it was too late, the majority of the people ignored
him. Instead, they listened to the false prophets, who persuaded them that
everything would be alright (despite their grievous sins) and that God would
prosper, and not punish, them. Giving the people a false hope, these
self-proclaimed prophets allayed the people’s fears with the soothing words,
“Peace, peace,” when Judah was on the brink of destruction and just about to be
swallowed up by the enemy. With
flattering words, these false prophets assured the people of God’s blessings
and protection, though Judah, as a nation, was apostate (turned away from God),
impenitent, and steeped in sin and idolatry. By believing the false prophets’
lies (that they could remain in their sin and still expect to receive God’s
favor), and ignoring Jeremiah’s warnings to humble themselves and turn away
from sin, Judah received God’s judgment,
and not His blessings. As Jeremiah
had foretold, Judah was finally conquered by Babylon, and as a result,
thousands of people were slaughtered or taken into captivity. If only they had
heeded God’s warning!
Is it any different today when across our nation we see signs
saying, “God bless America,” though we, as a nation, have clearly turned our
backs on God, severely compromised our morals, and have become increasingly
degenerate (corrupt)?[33] Like
Instead, many in the name of Christ are teaching that repentance is
not only optional (i.e., not necessary for salvation), but, even worse, that it
is also legalistic, thus further discouraging people from turning away from
their sin. What a distortion of the truth! Of course, the proponents of carnal Christianity
try to justify these false assertions by claiming that they are only defending God’s
grace (i.e., justification by faith) in doing this.[34]
But, in reality, they are opposing God’s clear injunction (command) to repent.
And in so doing, they mislead vast numbers of naïve souls into thinking that they
are saved even though they have never repented of their sin. Moreover, by
fostering an antinomian spirit[35],
they also try to discourage believers from pursuing sanctification or spiritual
growth in holiness.[36]
It is very important to understand that we cannot expect to serve both
God (our one and only true Master) and sin (a rival master) and be accepted by
Him, which is the claim of carnal Christianity. In other words, we cannot be
divided in our allegiance - with one foot in the world (i.e., Satan’s kingdom) and
the other in God’s kingdom. God will not tolerate any rivals. He will have all of our heart or nothing. We must therefore
choose between the two – God or the world. We cannot have both, since they are diametrically
opposed to each other, and there is no commonality between the two. “Ye
adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is
enmity [hostility, hatred] with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of
the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). “Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father
is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
Oh, beware of the deceptive trap of carnal Christianity that
promises the impenitent sinner God’s blessings and eternal life, when, in
reality, it will only bring him God’s eternal wrath and judgment. Let me say it
more plainly: Carnal Christianity =
Eternal Death. Though the more obvious false religions have slain their thousands, this subtle perversion of Christianity
has slain its ten thousands. Please
do not be misled by Satan’s lies. Unlike what the majority of professing Christians
believe today, you cannot knowingly
and presumptuously remain in your sin
(i.e., continue in habitual sin without repenting, while using grace as an
excuse) and expect to go to Heaven when you die. Nor can you rightfully or
justifiably call yourself a Christian if you refuse to bow the knee to Christ
as Lord and obey Him. This should be pretty obvious, but sadly, only very few
know this truth. Most have been led astray by the enemy and are naively (and
blindly) heading down the path toward hell and eternal judgment, though it is
labeled “Heaven.”
To help you avoid falling into this same trap, let me provide some
other compelling reasons for rejecting carnal Christianity. First, it is a
great offense to God to abuse His grace by trying to use it as an excuse or
justification to sin, which carnal Christianity encourages. You can be certain
that God did not send His beloved Son to suffer and die on the cross simply so
you could trample upon His grace. To use His grace this way (i.e., as a license
to sin) represents the height of presumption, ingratitude, and injustice. Quite
clearly, the Lord Jesus sacrificed Himself so you could be set free from (and not remain enslaved to) sin and so that you could
glorify Him through your holy (and
not carnal) life. In other words, if God
saves you, it is not so that you can become increasingly conformed to the image
of the devil by continuing in sin and worldliness, but so that you can become increasingly conformed to
the image of His Son (the Lord Jesus)
by living in holiness and righteousness.
Secondly, it is spiritual insanity to choose to remain in bondage
to sin, knowing that it will eventually destroy you some day. To illustrate
this, it would be like a fireman offering, at great sacrifice to himself, to
rescue you from being utterly consumed in a burning building only to hear you
reject his kind and generous offer. Equally suicidal on your part would be for
the fireman to risk his life and go to all the effort of pulling you out of a
raging fire, only to see you rush right back and jump into the fire again! How
futile it would be to try to rescue someone who is bent on destroying himself.
Of course, to act in this self-destructive way would be totally irrational, and
no one in his right mind would do this. But is it any less insane to knowingly
and purposely choose to live habitually in sin – something with far more
devastating consequences, both physically and spiritually? In essence, you are choosing to destroy
yourself. Far worse than jumping into a fire (which, though excruciatingly
painful, only affects the body temporarily until you die), is jumping into the lake of fire, which affects both body[37]
and soul forever. Tell me, is this
sane or rational?
Thirdly, a “carnal Christian” (a real oxymoron or contradiction in
terms) brings great reproach upon God’s name and reflects very negatively upon
His character. What would people think of a king if either his servants or
children were corrupt and evil? Certainly, this would not bring honor or glory
to him, but have the very opposite effect. People might assume that either the
king himself was corrupt, and thus setting a bad example for those under him,
or that he was overly lax and indulgent in allowing his servants or children to
go unrestrained. Similarly, God’s reputation is marred when those who profess to
belong to Him (i.e., carnal Christians) live noticeably or openly immoral
lives. Much like a wayward (rebellious) child that brings shame upon his
parents, God’s character is questioned when those who profess to be His live
like the devil’s children (i.e., in a continual pattern of sin and
worldliness). Thus, instead of promoting God’s cause, carnal Christianity only
gives fuel to the enemy to further malign God’s name and confirm many in their
unbelief and rejection of God.
Put another way, because the “carnal Christian” remains habitually
sinful (and therefore indistinguishable from the world) and does not undergo a
radical change called the new birth,[38]
this gives a false and negative impression of God. Specifically, it makes God
appear - 1) Weak or incapable of breaking the power of sin in His people and
transforming their lives; 2) Unholy
in that He would allegedly permit His people to remain impenitent (unrepentant)
and sin with apparent impunity; and 3) Unfaithful
in that He would supposedly not keep His promise to deliver His people from
bondage to sin and sanctify them (i.e., make them holy). Of course, none of
these things are true about God! He is indeed perfect in all His attributes,
including His power, holiness, and faithfulness. We need never question or
wonder about God, for His character is absolutely flawless and impeccable. The
problem does not lie with God, but with man and his faulty perception of God –
that is, with his misconceptions concerning God’s nature - encouraged by false
doctrines, such as carnal Christianity.
Thus, we see that the enemy continually works to malign God’s name
by presenting a distorted image of Him to the world. And as already mentioned,
one way Satan does this is by making God’s (visible) church look bad. If he can
convince the world that Christians are nothing but hypocrites, who wear a
religious mask and are no better than anybody else, very few people will trust
in God for salvation or believe that He has the power to truly transform lives.
To this end, the devil purposely plants many
of his people (i.e., the “tares” or carnal Christians, who are Christian in
name only) within the visible church
(and often in prominent or key leadership positions), so that they not only set
a bad example and misrepresent God through their false beliefs and worldly lives,
but so that they also bring great shame and dishonor upon God through their often-scandalous
sins (e.g., sexual immorality, covetousness/greed, false prophecies, heresies,
etc.). How many times have we heard this happen with famous religious leaders,
who have apostatized and either led many astray or disillusioned others. This,
of course, mars the reputation of both God and His people (i.e., true Christians or the invisible church), because the world,
lacking spiritual discernment, does not distinguish between true and false
believers but simply groups them all together. And since the majority of those
within the visible church today are probably not true believers, this brings
even greater reproach upon God and His true
children.[39]
Therefore, we see yet another reason to avoid carnal Christianity – for how it
is used by the enemy to mar God’s name and reputation.
A fourth reason to reject carnal Christianity is that it is a
perversion or distortion of God’s truth (especially of the gospel). Unlike
other false religions, carnal Christianity is very subtle in its deception and
insidious in nature (and thus more dangerous), because from outward
appearances, it seems to be the real thing (i.e., genuine Christianity), at
least to the undiscerning eye. Though its premise is false (claiming that we
can be saved without being willing to submit to Jesus as our Lord and repenting
of our sin), it borrows and affirms so many Biblical truths and principles that
it has led many astray, causing literally thousands, if not millions, to perish
in their sins.
Dear Reader, lest I be guilty of being a men-pleaser and
soft-pedaling the gospel, let me again plead with you to reject the false
claims of carnal Christianity. Unlike
what adherents of carnal Christianity teach, the road that leads to Heaven is not an easy road. In fact, the Bible says it is quite narrow and difficult, and
there are few who find it. “Strait [narrow] is the gate, and narrow [difficult, confined] is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few
there be that find it” (Matt. 7:14; emphasis added). Though it may sound
appealing, don’t be misled by the modern (watered-down, abridged) gospel that
tries to sell you a false, and not true (Biblical), Christianity. If you accept
the teaching of carnal Christianity, you may think you are on the right road
that leads to Heaven (because Satan has labeled it as such), but you will
really be on the broad and easy road that leads to eternal destruction (i.e.,
hell). “Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat” (Matt. 7:13).
To summarize, both the claims of carnal Christianity – that we neither
have to make Jesus our Lord nor repent of our sins to be saved - directly
contradict Scripture. The Lord Jesus Himself taught that if we are not willing
(from the very start) to 1) humble ourselves and submit to Him as our Lord and
Master; 2) obey His commands (which includes not only believing in Him but also
repenting of our sins); 3) selflessly deny ourselves (especially in any worldly
or carnal desires); and 4) take up our cross (i.e., suffer for His sake) and
follow Him, then we are not worthy to be His disciples (i.e., believers or Christians).
(Matt. 4:17, 10:38; Luke 9:23-25; John 13:13, 14:15).
E. Counting the Cost of True Discipleship
That leads us to the next topic – the cost of true discipleship. Let
no one deceive you. The cost of being a true disciple or follower of Christ is very
high. Though salvation itself is completely free and solely by God’s grace, to
live the Christian life according to God’s prescription and will is not easy,
but actually, very difficult. And the Bible does not try to hide or cover up
this fact. When discussing what it would take to follow Him, the Lord Jesus did
not try to soften His message or lower His standards in hopes of attracting
more followers. That is, He did not compromise or water down the truth in order
to gain the approval of man. In fact, He challenged His listeners by saying, “If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will
lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matt. 16:24-25). He made it clear
that to follow Him, you must be willing to deny yourself and, if necessary,
give up your comforts, pleasures, possessions, freedoms, rights, reputation, loved
ones, and perhaps even your own life for His sake. Are you willing to do this?
In a sense, becoming a Christian is sort of like joining the
Marines. An honest recruiter will tell you up front that it is very difficult,
and not easy, to be a Marine. Though he may add that there are many benefits
and rewards to being a Marine, he won’t try to convince you that it is a bed of
roses. On the contrary, he will inform you that the standards are very high,
the challenges great, and the conditions often tough. It’s not for those who want
to live a pampered life of luxury and ease or for those who want to just coast
through life. In contrast, the life of a Marine can be a rough road and uphill much
of the way. It requires a great deal of sacrifice, endurance, diligence, and
persistence. In other words, if you want to be a Marine, you must be very dedicated
and willing to 1) work hard, even to the point of exhaustion; 2) strive to
overcome problems or barriers that impede your progress, even if they seem overwhelming;
and 3) face each challenge without giving up. Quite simply, you have to have a
lot of resolve and be determined to get to the finish line.
Again, being a Marine is very much like being a soldier for Christ
(i.e., a Christian). Though God promises to help you, so that you do not have
to bear the burden alone (and it would be impossible to accomplish this apart
from Him), the Christian life is very difficult. It is definitely no Disneyland.
Anyone who tries to persuade you otherwise is not
telling you the truth. Thus, you need to seriously consider this when
counting the cost of becoming a Christian. The Bible makes it very clear that
being a true disciple of Christ is not easy, but, in fact, very hard.
Unlike the Biblical call for discipleship, many churches today try
to tone down God’s Word and “sell” the gospel by making it appealing to the
flesh. Like a dishonest recruiter, who highlights all the benefits of military
service without disclosing the difficulties and potential risks associated with
being a soldier, many modern evangelists emphasize the positive aspects of
discipleship (e.g., eternal life, forgiveness, rewards, God’s help and
protection, etc.), while purposely avoiding the challenges associated with it (e.g.,
self-sacrifice, self-denial, testing, trials, hard work, etc.). In contrast, Scripture
does not try to conceal anything, but honestly reveals that it is very hard (and
in fact, impossible without God’s help) to be a true follower of Christ. For instance, God’s Word openly declares that
believers will be hated by the world (i.e., non-believers) and even betrayed by
their own family and friends for Christ’s sake. Even more challenging,
Scripture informs us that “all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (Matt. 24:9; 2
Tim. 3:12; emphasis added). Notice, it does not say perhaps or might, but shall
suffer persecution, indicating the certainty of persecution for all believers.
Now, of course, this does not mean that every Christian will suffer alike or
experience the worst possible kind of persecution (e.g., imprisonment, torture,
death, etc.). But all Christians,
without exception, will suffer at least some form of persecution, even if it is
only being rejected and maligned.
Despite the high cost of discipleship (e.g., a willingness to
suffer for Christ’s sake) and the difficulty of truly living for Christ, the
sacrifice is well worth it in the end. God’s Word, which can be trusted, tells
us that what we give up in this life will be more than compensated for in the
next life. “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us [in Heaven]” (
Dear Reader, how much do you value your soul? Do you see it as
something insignificant and thus neglect it? Or do you value it highly and do
your utmost, by God’s grace, to preserve it? And if you prize your soul, do you
guard against anything that could rob you of it, such as believing and
accepting false doctrine? If you care at all about your soul, beware of false
teaching – especially, the kind that claims that you can knowingly retain your
sins (i.e., remain unrepentant) without any consequences or that being a
Christian is very easy and does not require any sacrifice or self-denial.
Though this kind of false teaching may sound new to some, the concept behind it
is not new at all. It is one of Satan’s oldest tactics (just repackaged and
relabeled) used to convince people that they are heading toward Heaven when
they are really on the path heading toward eternal destruction.
F. Being Deceived by Easy-Believism
Not only does the enemy try to convince people that the life
of a believer is very easy, but also that the way to become a believer
is very easy. The name given to this false gospel is “easy-believism” or “cheap
grace.”[40]
Basically, this false gospel claims that all you have to do is admit that you
are a sinner and believe a few facts about Jesus and you will be on your way to
Heaven! There is no counting the cost (of true discipleship), committing your
life to Jesus, or renouncing sin. Just say the sinner’s prayer, raise your
hand, or come forward during a gospel invitation,[41]
and you are guaranteed salvation.[42]
In other words, you are given the false impression that you can be saved very easily
with just a minimal amount of head knowledge (i.e., an intellectual belief
apart from the heart) and without any sincere resolve to repent of your sin or to
humbly submit yourself to Jesus as Lord. More specifically, you are often
misled to believe that if you simply go through the outer motions of reciting a
formula (the sinner’s prayer), signing a card, or responding to an altar call
(walking the aisle), etc., you will be saved, even though you may never truly
let go of your sin, fully surrender your life to Christ, or undergo a radical transformation
(i.e., the new birth). Moreover, in addition to omitting the costs of
discipleship, promoters of this false gospel portray the Christian life unrealistically
as one of ease, self-indulgence, and worldly pleasure – really, no different
than the life of a nonbeliever. Like a dishonest salesman, they focus on what
you will “get” (e.g., God’s love, forgiveness, and acceptance; eternal life;
treasures in Heaven, etc.), but fail to mention what you must “give” (e.g., your
whole heart and life to Christ in total surrender to His will, which entails sincere
faith, repentance, and a commitment to follow and obey Him, even if it means
hardship). In the end, you are left with the false notion that to become a
Christian is very simple and just a matter of following a certain methodology or
a few basic steps – all this based, not on facts (e.g., the Scriptures and past
conversions of true believers), but purely on human imagination.
G. Separating Justification and Sanctification
In addition to easy-believism, another sign of growing liberalism
within the modern church can be seen in the doctrinal imbalance that exists
between law and grace. In other words, it is quite prevalent today for churches
to overemphasize grace to such an extent that God’s law (used properly and not
legalistically) is virtually ignored, if not entirely rejected. Some call this
“hyper-grace.” An example of this can be seen in churches that put so much
focus on justification (by faith),[43]
almost to the utter exclusion of sanctification.[44]
Before proceeding any further, let me clarify what I mean, lest my intent be
misinterpreted. Please understand that I am not attempting, in any way, to
discourage instruction in justification by faith – quite the contrary. The
doctrine of justification by faith is absolutely essential and foundational
to every true church, without which no one can be saved. However, justification
needs to be balanced with teaching on sanctification, so that grace is not
abused and seen as a license or excuse to sin, thus promoting the false notion
of “sanctified” carnal living.
One way this imbalance between justification and sanctification is
encouraged is by teaching the doctrine of justification by faith without defining
true saving faith. This leaves the door wide open to all sorts of
misinterpretations and errors. From the beginning, it should be explained that
true saving faith is 1) from the heart and not just a mental assent to the
facts; 2) inextricably tied to repentance and a sincere commitment to follow Jesus
as Lord; and 3) evidenced by a radically transformed life and spiritual fruit
(holiness, not worldliness). Without a full or adequate definition of saving
faith, people can be self-deceived about their souls and mistakenly think that
they are saved even if they have not repented of their sin and live no
differently than those of the world.
Again, let me emphasize that it is a good and necessary thing to
preach on the subject of justification by faith, since this is essentially the
gospel and a doctrine upon which the (true) church is grounded. However, if
there is little or no corresponding instruction in sanctification, including God’s
law,[45]
listeners will be left with a distorted view of the gospel, thinking that they
can be saved though they neither repent of their sins nor renounce their
worldly/carnal lifestyles. It is very important to have balanced teaching on both justification and sanctification.
The danger of focusing on one without the other is that it can lead to either
liberalism or legalism, respectively.
VII. Concluding Thoughts on Liberalism
In summary, though legalism can certainly be found in the church, a
more prevalent and far worse problem today is liberalism. From pulpits across
our nation, preachers are proclaiming, “Grace, grace – your sins are forgiven”
(i.e., justification), but very few are following up with the equally important
message, “Sin no more” (i.e., sanctification) (John 8:11). Due to this
unbalanced teaching, people everywhere are perishing for lack of knowledge.
They are taught that they need to believe
in Jesus and receive Him as their Savior,
but they are rarely told that they also need to repent of their sins and receive Him as their Lord (and not just Savior). Nor are they being adequately informed
about what it means to be a true disciple of Christ - walking in humble
submission and obedience to His will, striving for holiness, and taking up the
cross (i.e., denying oneself and suffering for His sake). Naturally, this kind
of one-sided teaching fosters sinful or carnal living by giving the wrong
impression that grace somehow excludes or cancels out the need for spiritual
growth (i.e., increasing conformity to Christ’s perfect image) following
conversion. As a result, many professing Christians attempt to use grace as a
cloak for their sin, which the Scriptures clearly condemn. And in their
misguided zeal to supposedly defend grace, some are so bold as to even oppose
and discourage efforts toward sanctification, alleging that it is legalistic,
and thus wrong, to pursue holiness! What a clear contradiction of God’s Word
and the very opposite of the truth! If
there is true grace in a soul, then there will most certainly be sanctification
(growth in holiness), evidencing genuine justification (salvation). In short, the
absence of sanctification means the absence of justification.
VIII. Proposed Resolution
A. Recognizing the Problem
Thus far, I have presented the serious problem posed by both
legalism and liberalism within the church. But, now, what can we do to help resolve
this problem? Is there a solution? I think there is, by God’s grace (if not in
the church as a whole, at least on an individual basis). However, before any effective
measures can be taken to solve the problem, we need to, first of all, recognize
and admit that there is a problem. This
may sound rather obvious, but without this, we will not truly see the need for
a remedy and thus, fail to act decisively. Nor is it enough to simply
acknowledge that a problem exists. We must also perceive how serious and how
dangerous the problem is before we can respond appropriately. Just as a person
with a terminal disease will not recognize his urgent need and seek medical
help unless he is first informed of his critical condition, so we will not take
seriously the problem of our spiritual disease (e.g., sin and in particular, legalism
and liberalism) and act accordingly, unless God first shows us how desperate
our situation is.
B. Seeking God in Earnest Prayer
And that leads us to the next point. Just as we cannot recognize
the dangers of legalism and liberalism unless God first opens our eyes, we
cannot begin to find a solution without His directing us in the right path.
Thus, we must plead with God in earnest prayer, asking Him to guide and assist
us in addressing this very serious problem in the church (and in our own
lives). Apart from God, we can do nothing. And anything we attempt to do in our
own wisdom and strength will only be futile in the end.
C. Pursuing Holiness
Not only is it futile to try to tackle the problem of false
teaching in our own wisdom and strength, but it is also futile if we attempt to
do it while living lives that are displeasing to God. The Bible tells us that
the fervent prayer of a “righteous” man is effective (James 5:16). From this we
may infer that someone who is not righteous, or walking in obedience to God,
cannot expect to receive God’s blessings, including answers to his prayers.
Repeatedly, Scripture informs us that we must live lives that are holy or reflective
of God’s character. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in
all manner of conversation [conduct]; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I
am holy” (1 Pet. 1:15-16). Without a life of holiness, not only will our
prayers go unanswered, but also our witness will be ruined and our testimony to
others will be useless. In other words, if we live lives that are inconsistent
with our profession (of faith), in habitual sin and worldliness, people will
detect the hypocrisy and disregard our words on spiritual matters (i.e., things
relating to God and the Bible). Thus, it is very important to realize that if
we want people to take us seriously regarding this whole issue of legalism and
liberalism and more importantly, we want God to take us seriously by answering
our prayers and helping us, we must take God seriously by living lives that are
both pleasing and honoring to Him. That is, we must strive to live holy lives
by God’s grace.
D. Proclaiming the Truth
I think the next thing we need to do, if we are not already doing
it, is to proclaim God’s truth from the housetops and sound the alarm concerning
the dangers threatening the church (i.e., legalism and liberalism). This is assuming, of course, that we ourselves
are adequately informed on this issue and sufficiently equipped to advise
others (i.e., walking closely with God and well-grounded in His Word, both in
knowledge and practice). More than ever, there is a critical need today (especially,
in this age of apostasy) to warn people about the grave and dire consequences
of accepting falsehood (e.g., legalism and liberalism) and rejecting the truth
(e.g., the Scriptures, the true gospel).
E. Exercising Spiritual Discernment
Though we may sound the alarm, our words will fall on deaf ears if
our hearers do not possess spiritual discernment. That is, without the ability
to distinguish between true and false, people will not heed the warning and become
easy prey for the enemy. How can spiritual discernment be obtained? First, a
person must be saved, for without God’s Spirit directing and instructing him, he
cannot truly comprehend Scripture (beyond a superficial level) or know right
from wrong (spiritually). According to God’s Word, a carnal or unregenerate person
cannot discern or understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). If he is saved, however,
God, who is the source of all wisdom, will give him spiritual discernment. Following
this, he can increase his discernment by sincerely asking God for it in prayer,
regularly studying (and memorizing) His Word, and putting it into practice by
doing, and not just hearing, the Word (James
1:5, 22). And just as muscles are
strengthened with exercise, spiritual discernment will also improve the more it
is used (Heb. 5:14). And one way we can exercise spiritual discernment is by carefully
evaluating whatever we hear or read (e.g., sermons, lectures, books, articles, etc.)
by comparing it to Scripture.[46]
We should not be naïve and assume that simply
because something is endorsed or promoted by a particular Christian organization,
publication, TV/radio station, or website, that it is necessarily true or
Biblical. God’s Word tells us, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try
[test] the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are
gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Let us be wise and heed the admonition
so “that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight [trickery] of men, and
cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph. 4:14).
F. Being Aware of the Enemy’s Tactics
What can increase our spiritual discernment, and thus aid us in “testing
the spirits,” is being familiar with the enemy’s tactics. As in physical warfare, it also helps in
spiritual warfare to know what the enemy’s weapons are. And what are some of
the weapons in his arsenal? One common method the devil uses to deceive people into
believing what is false is to mix some truth in with it. In almost every false
religion (the origin of which is Satan), there is some element of truth.[47]
And this is no accident but by intentional design. Satan, who is the author of
all false religion, purposely uses truth as a bait to draw his victims into his
trap. With thousands of years to study mankind and perfect his craft (i.e.,
deception), the devil knows how the human mind operates and how best to
manipulate it. He knows, for instance, that people quite often assume that if a
portion of something (e.g., a
church’s doctrine, creed, preaching, teaching, etc.) is true, then all of it must be true.[48]
Though, clearly, this is a fallacy, it is nonetheless how many people think. Thus,
by simply inserting some truths here and there into a sermon or message, the
devil manages to deceive many unsuspecting souls into adopting false beliefs.
More specifically, if a speaker begins his message by acknowledging
some basic truths in the Bible and tosses in a few verses for support, many
listeners will automatically assume that the remainder of his message will also
be true. That is, by starting with the truth, the speaker gains the confidence of
his listeners so that they let their guard down and fail to practice
discernment when listening to the rest of the message. Analogous to the false
teacher is someone who at first feeds people good, nutritious food so that they
keep returning for more. Then once he gains their trust, he secretly and
gradually adds small amounts of poison to the food so that it is undetected. While
those eating the food think they are being nourished, they are actually being poisoned.
So it is with the false teacher. He begins his teaching or preaching with what
seems like sound doctrine (spiritually nutritious food). Then, after gaining
the trust of his listeners, he gradually and subtly introduces false doctrine
(spiritual poison) into his teaching. Since what is false is intermingled with,
and thus indistinguishable from, the truth, those who are spiritually undiscerning
or not well grounded in the faith are easily deceived. Thus, through the clever
device of mixing truth with error, the enemy can persuade people to accept false
doctrine as true doctrine. Oh, beware, dear Reader. Even if someone’s teaching
or preaching is comprised of 99% truth and only 1% error, if that error is deadly
or heretical (e.g., promoting carnal Christianity, teaching salvation by works,
denying Christ’s deity[49],
rejecting the Trinity, questioning the inspiration of the Bible, etc.), it
could mean a Christless eternity for you if you believe it.
Don’t be gullible and assume that everything you learn at church
or elsewhere is necessarily true or accurate. Even pastors and Bible teachers
(though well-intentioned) are fallible and thus can make mistakes – sometimes
very serious ones. Just as a wise consumer checks his food for unhealthy
ingredients before purchasing it, it is very important to check what you take
in spiritually before accepting it. That is, evaluate whatever you read or hear
from any given source: the church, Christian-affiliated
organizations, the media (e.g., TV, radio, internet, newspapers, and magazines),
books, videos, family, friends, work, school, etc. Like the Bereans, diligently
compare everything to Scripture, which can only be done if you are well-acquainted
with the Word through the daily study and application of it. And earnestly pray
for spiritual discernment so that you can distinguish true from false doctrine and
not be misled. This is especially important today, since the devil knows his
time is short and thus has greatly increased his efforts to deceive many into
adopting false systems of belief, including those which pose as true Christianity
(e.g., carnal Christianity, easy-believism, etc.).
G. Filling the Church with True Believers
And that leads to my next and final point. I believe one of the
main reasons false doctrine, such as legalism or liberalism, is so prevalent
today is that the church is filled with nominal Christians or non-believers,
who lacking spiritual discernment, are unable to distinguish true from false
teaching. Thus, the way to combat legalism and liberalism in the church is to
fill the church with true believers,
especially in those areas with the greatest influence (e.g., leaders, teachers,
etc.). How can this be done? The few remaining true believers must pray
earnestly for God’s help and strive to preserve the purity of the church by
being watchmen and warning people of the potential dangers confronting the
church (e.g., false teaching). That is, they should try their utmost to prevent
non-believers from being admitted to the church and becoming official (voting)
members. And only genuine believers should be permitted to take Communion,
participate in ministry, and become leaders and/or teachers. In order to effectively
screen people, though, there must be the ability to distinguish between genuine
and counterfeit Christians.
So, what is the test of a true believer? First, it is not the amount of Biblical knowledge someone
has acquired (though, certainly, he must know at least the gospel to be saved).
In other words, it requires more than just an intellectual belief in God’s Word
or a mental assent to the facts. Nor is it mere sentimentality (i.e., hollow
emotions), a shallow commitment (i.e., casual, half-hearted promise) to follow Christ,[50]
morality, or supernatural experiences (e.g., angelic visions, bright lights,
etc.). Even baptism, church membership, and active involvement in the church
are not certain signs of conversion. As good as these things are, they are no
guarantee that someone is saved, since even nonbelievers can do these things.
No, the test of a true believer is whether he is spiritually born again or not. “Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the
And how will he know that he is being conformed to Christ’s image?
The Holy Spirit will manifest his growth through spiritual fruit (i.e., obedience to God’s Word, demonstrating love
toward others, etc.)*. Specifically, his
overall life (including his thoughts, motives, speech, conduct, etc.), though
not perfect, will be characterized by the spiritual fruit of holiness, good works,[51]
self-denial, honesty/integrity, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, meekness (humility), self-control, etc. (Gal. 5:22-23).
In other words, by God’s Spirit working in him, someone who is truly saved will
strive to obey God’s commandments (out of love, gratitude, and reverence to Him
and not legalistically) both for His glory and the benefit of others. “Hereby
we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know
him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him”
(1 John 2:3-4).
Someone who does not produce spiritual fruit is not truly saved,
according to God’s Word. “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for [worthy of]
repentance…And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore
every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the
fire” (Matt. 3:8,10). “If ye know that he [God] is righteous, ye know that every
one that doeth righteousness is born of him” (1 John 2:29). Even if someone
professes to be saved and calls Jesus Lord, but does not practice righteousness
by obeying God’s commandments, Scripture informs us that he is not a true
believer. “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the
devil: whosoever doeth [practices] not righteousness is not of God, neither he
that loveth not his brother” (1 John 3:10). This is further reinforced by the Lord’s
words, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils?
And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I
never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity [sin, lawlessness]”
(Matt. 7:21-23; emphasis added).
Thus, the primary mark or indicator that someone is truly saved is
that he will strive to be like His Master (Christ) in performing His will and
pursuing holiness. “Every one that doeth [practices]
righteousness is born of him” (1 John 2:29). “Whosoever is born of God doth not
commit [practice] sin” (1 John 3:9). “Every man that hath this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). Of course, this does not
mean perfect holiness or sinlessness.
Though Christ lived a perfectly sinless life, believers cannot attain a state
of perfection until they reach Heaven or until they are glorified at Christ’s
return. However, they are still expected to pursue a life of holiness in order
to draw others to Christ and glorify His name.
Therefore, unless someone’s life is characterized by righteousness
(both inwardly and outwardly), it is highly doubtful that he is a true child of
God, since this is one of the main marks of a genuine, born-again believer.
Knowing this, we should not assume that everyone who simply professes to be a Christian
necessarily is one. In fact, due to
the prevalence of false doctrine, spiritual apathy, and corruption in the
church today, it is more than likely that the majority of those who claim to be
believers are sadly self-deceived and not truly saved. In other words, because
of the lack of sound Biblical instruction in most churches, which encourages
spiritual ignorance and worldliness, only a very small percentage of people
within the “visible” church today are genuine believers. Though this may sound
discouraging, it should not come as a surprise, since the Bible prophesied that
there would be a general apostasy or “falling away” from God in the church
shortly before Christ’s return. And certainly we are seeing this happen in our
own day. Myriads of churches and even entire denominations have departed from
the (true) faith and are heading in the opposite direction - away from God and
toward the world. Yielding to societal pressures to conform to the world’s
standards, most churches have sold out and compromised the truth. Very few
churches have remained faithful to God in upholding the truth.
IX. Conclusion
It is so important to be fed God’s truth (and not lies), so that
you can, first of all, be saved (if you are not already) and then afterwards, progress
in your spiritual walk. That is why I have attempted in this paper to warn you
about the dangers of false doctrine – in particular, legalism and liberalism –
because this can thwart you spiritually and even prevent you from getting saved.
I began this paper by defining the terms legalism and liberalism, then followed
up with supporting examples, and finally, suggested some possible solutions to
the problem. Now, I would like to leave you with this final thought…
My sincere hope and prayer is that you will take this information
that I have shared with you and use it both for your profit and the benefit of
others. I ask that you would not just simply read this paper, agree with it (if
that is your response), and then do nothing about it. For what good is the
truth if it is not applied? Rather, I would like to request that you would
seriously consider the things I have discussed and proposed in this paper and
honestly ask yourself these questions:
1) Am I a true believer, or like so many professing believers
today, am I just self-deceived, having bought into the lies of the modern
(false) gospel?
Or-
2) If I am a true believer, by God’s grace, am I being stunted in
my spiritual growth due to false doctrine and/or practices? And am I an
ineffective witness because of my misinterpretation and misapplication of God’s
Word?
If either case is yours, may I exhort you to act promptly and decisively
in 1) Asking God to guide you concerning His truth; 2) Diligently searching
your heart and life for any false beliefs or practices; 3) Humbly acknowledging
any errors you find; and finally, 4) Discarding anything that is false and
replacing it with what is true (even if it meets with opposition from your
church, family, or friends). Remember, the devil is very crafty and will try
everything he can to prevent you from believing, and more importantly, living
out God’s truth. Don’t give in and let him win. Resist the devil (by God’s
grace), and he will flee from you (Jms. 4:7). Do what is right and stand up for
the truth. Keep a clear conscience, so
that you can confidently say before God some day, “I have fought a good fight,
I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).
Endnotes
Endnote 1:
Having said this, it does not mean that good
works serve no purpose or should be discouraged. Quite the contrary! Good works
are very important and should be encouraged. In fact, God places such a high
value on good works that He commands
us to do them. Not only that, if we are saved, He supplies us with the tools
and resources (e.g., spiritual gifts, knowledge, time, money, materials,
strength, opportunities, etc.) needed to accomplish them. As a further aid, He
provides us with Godly examples to follow (cf. Matt. 5:39-6:4; Acts 10:38; 2
Cor. 8:9, 9:8; Phil. 2:5-8; Col. 1:10, 3:12-24; 1 Tim. 5:10; Tit. 2:7, 3:8, 14;
Heb. 13:16, 21).
Additionally, we see the significance of good works in that one of
the main reasons God created us was so that we could glorify Him through our
good works. Likewise, one reason God saves us is for the same purpose – to glorify
Him by doing the good works He prepared for us before the world began. “For we
are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus
unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them” (Eph. 2:10; emphasis added). Jesus
“gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto
himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works” (Tit. 2:14; emphasis added). One way believers can do good
works is by being spiritual salt and light in the world. That is, like salt,
which preserves food from rotting or spoiling, believers should help retard or
slow down spiritual decay (sin, corruption) in the world. And like light, which
dispels the darkness and acts like a beacon to guide people toward safety, believers
should try, by God’s grace, to draw people out of spiritual darkness (sin and
ignorance) and guide them to an eternal source of refuge – Jesus Christ. Believers
do this not only by proclaiming God’s
truth, but also by living out His
truth (through holy lives and tangibly demonstrating Christ’s love to others)
(Matt. 5:13-16). And lest we be tempted to become proud and attribute our good
works to ourselves, let us remember that God is the One who truly enables us to
do any good in this life (though we are to still actively participate and
cooperate with Him). Thus, all the glory should go to God.
Yet another reason to promote good works is that God uses them to
build His church. Our good works, along with our spiritual gifts, are used by God
to edify and benefit the body of Christ. Good works also help God’s people by
acting like a spiritual barometer, measuring the spiritual health of a church.
That is, where there is an abundance of good works (performed in God’s strength
and for the right reasons), this is a good sign that a church is spiritually
thriving (Matt. 7:17-20). In contrast, where there are very few good works,
this generally signifies that a church is spiritually weak and unhealthy. And
where there are no good works at all, this is an indication that a church is
spiritually dead (Jms. 2:17-26). “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that
thou livest, and art dead” (Rev. 3:1).
Similarly, good works can also help believers evaluate their own spiritual
condition – that is, to determine if they are growing spiritually or if they are
even saved at all. Scripture says, “Examine yourselves whether ye be in the
faith; prove [test] your own selves” (2 Cor. 13:5). The way to do this is to
look for signs or proof of spiritual life, namely, spiritual fruit or good
works. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt. 7:21). Though good
works are not the cause, but rather,
the effect of salvation, if done
properly (i.e., according to God’s Word, for His glory, and for the benefit of
others), they can help provide tangible evidence that someone is truly saved
and growing in Christ.
Caution must be exercised, here, though, because not every work
that appears to be “good” is necessarily good, according to God’s definition.
Though it is true, none of our works can be perfect (not even the best of our works),
and every work will always be tainted with some amount of sin due to our sin
nature, in order for something to be truly considered a good work, the motive
or purpose for it must at least be right. That is, the only works that qualify
as good works, thus evidencing
spiritual life, are those performed from a heart, renewed by God’s power and
grace, that sincerely seeks to glorify Him and bless others. Any works based
only on human strength and carnal motives (e.g., selfishness, pride, self-righteousness,
fear of punishment, legalism, guilt, etc.) are not truly good works in God’s
eyes.
Again, though “good” works can be helpful in evaluating someone’s
spiritual condition, they cannot absolutely guarantee that a person is saved.
That is, good works are not always a definite indicator or sign of genuine
salvation, because we cannot read hearts like God can to know whether someone’s
works are truly good or not. That is, our knowledge and understanding are
limited and imperfect; thus, we cannot always discern what is a good work and
what is not. It is quite possible for us to be deceived, both about ourselves
and others.
Concerning ourselves, we are often blinded by self-love and biased
toward ourselves, putting a positive construction on almost everything we do
and excusing or mitigating our faults. The way to truly know if our works are
good and acceptable is first, to have our spiritual eyes opened by God so that
we can see what we are really like (which would include the motives behind our
works). Secondly, it is to notice what we are like when no one else is
watching. That is, what we are alone is generally a good indicator of who we
really are. This is the true person. Though, of course, God knows and sees everything,
even our secret thoughts and sins, we are not always conscious of His presence
and His all-penetrating eye. We forget that He is observing (and recording)
everything we think and do. Therefore, thinking
we are alone, we do those things we would not normally do if others were
present. Thus, to truly know what we are like, we need to be willing to be
honest and ask ourselves, “If no one else were around or could see us, would we
still try to do what is right – that is, perform good works?” The answer to
this will reveal a lot about our true character and the motives behind our
“good works.”
Delving deeper in searching our hearts for the truth, we should also
be willing to answer these probing questions:
If we would not receive any rewards or recognition for doing good works,
would we still do them? Moreover, would we do what is right even if there were
no pressure put on us, caused by either fear of rejection and punishment or
feelings of guilt and shame? Going further, would we perform good works
willingly (and not reluctantly or out of obligation), with no selfish motives, and
only from a heart of love that seeks to help others and glorify God? Still more
challenging, would we be willing to do what is right even if it involved some
sort of loss or injury to ourselves (e.g., relating to our health, reputation,
job security, wealth/possessions, freedoms/rights, or life)? If we are not
completely blinded or self-deceived, the answers to these questions should
reveal the true spiritual condition of our hearts and inform us as to whether
our works are truly “good” or not. Dear reader, when was the last time you
asked yourself these questions? Without this kind of self-examination, we can
be deceived about ourselves, our motives, and thus our “good” works.
Similarly, we can be deceived about others, because, unlike God, we
cannot truly know the motives behind their “good” works. Nor can we see what
they are like at all times. Someone could be on his best behavior and act like
an angel when in the company of others (e.g., at church), doing what appears to
be good, but then act like a devil when at home or alone. How would we know
what he is really like unless we actually lived with him and personally
observed his behavior from day to day? Even then, we could still be fooled
concerning his true character, because he could do things secretly that we are
not aware of. The Bible warns us that Satan’s people can deceive others by
appearing good on the outside and posing as ministers of righteousness, when in
reality they are not these things (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Knowing this, we must use
great discernment when attempting to evaluate others based on their works or
lives.
This has particular application in the case of choosing leaders and/or
teachers in the church. Since those who hold these positions have a significant
influence upon others, it is the responsibility of the church to carefully
assess the character and conduct of potential candidates before making any
final decisions. Obviously, this is very challenging and requires a lot of
prayer, wisdom (founded on God’s truth), and deliberation. For even the most
mature Christians can sometimes make mistakes. On the one hand, we don’t want
to be naïve by just assuming that everyone who professes to be a believer is
truly saved or that every work is truly good without some sort of evidence. But
on the other hand, we don’t want to be overly critical and misjudge people. A
balance is needed. Personally, I believe that when a case is truly uncertain
and there are no definite signs either way, it is wisest to err on the side of
charity and assume the best motives in others rather than risk judging them
unjustly. Let God reveal the truth if there is anything hidden. God, who is
omniscient, sees everything we do and knows all things. Nothing can be kept
from Him. “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but
all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do”
(Heb. 4:13).
Endnote 2: Now does this mean that we
should not try to do any good works before we’re saved? Though it is true, they
will not at all count toward our salvation, God nonetheless commands us to do
what is good and right. To not even attempt to do so would incur greater
judgment, since we are all accountable before God for our actions. That is,
whether saved or unsaved, Scripture repeatedly warns us that we will all have
to give an account to God some day for how we lived. “For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10; italics
inserted by translators). Knowing this, we should strive to do good works.
However, at the same time, we should humbly acknowledge that any good we may do in this life is only
made possible by God’s power and grace. Additionally, we need to recognize that
until God saves us and radically changes our hearts and lives, we cannot do any
real good, because we are all born in
sin or total depravity.
To be born in total depravity does not mean that we are all
destined to be the worst possible sinners (e.g., murderers, hardened criminals,
etc.). Rather, it means that we are all born with a sin nature that inclines us
toward sin and negatively influences everything we do. Put another way, being
born in total depravity means that we enter this world in a spiritually dead
and darkened condition, wherein sin is so powerful that it totally enslaves or dominates us, controlling all our faculties (e.g., heart, mind, and will) and thus, affecting
everything we say, think, and do.
Born in spiritual bondage, we have neither a natural ability nor a sincere
desire to do what is truly good or righteous, unless God first delivers us from
the power of sin and Satan. In other words, God must first regenerate us and
radically change our hearts before we can have a true desire and ability to
choose what is good and right.
Once more, total depravity is the spiritually dead state into which
all are born with no inherent goodness whatsoever. Thus, when the Bible says
those who are good will be rewarded and those who are evil will be punished in
eternity, the only way any could ever be good and rewarded is if God first
saved them and enabled them to do what is good. Thus, the “good” in this
context are believers (since only regenerate souls can truly do what is good)
and the “evil” are unbelievers, who die impenitent or without repenting of
their sins. For unbelievers, who die in this graceless state, their deeds will
be judged and used to determine the level or degree of punishment they will
receive in eternal judgment. But for true believers, whose sins have been
pardoned and whose eternal homes have been fixed in Heaven, their deeds will
not be used to decide where they will spend eternity. Instead, their deeds will
be evaluated to determine what rewards they will receive in Heaven.
Endnote 3: Under the right circumstances, church
membership is a good thing that should be encouraged. However, these should
only apply to those who are “truly” saved, as revealed by their spiritual
fruit, and only after a thorough and careful examination of their spiritual
qualifications (e.g., Godly character, beliefs, practices, etc.).
Unfortunately, only minimal screening (if even that) is performed today before
most candidates are admitted to the church. Typically, they are asked to take a
class on church membership and to share their testimony or summarize the
gospel. But seldom is there any evaluation done (beyond a superficial level) of
their spiritual fruit, as was the practice in the early church, to help
determine whether the candidates are truly saved or not. Looking for evidence
of salvation (i.e., visible fruit) is very critical, because it is quite
possible for someone to recite the whole gospel perfectly and even share a very
inspiring testimony and yet still not be saved. It is largely due to a poor and
inadequate screening process that the church today is filled with nominal
believers or unregenerate souls, who participate not only in ministry (e.g.,
missions, outreach, discipleship, teaching, etc.), but also in leadership
(e.g., pastors, elders, deacons, etc.) and the government of the church (i.e.,
voting in decisions regarding church policy, doctrine, practices, leaders,
finances, etc.).
Endnote 4: To discern whether something is Biblical or not, we need to be able
to compare it to Scripture. Before we can do that, though, we must first have a
good knowledge of Scripture and not just a mere acquaintance with it. That is,
we must be well-grounded in God’s Word and have a solid understanding of what
it teaches before we can accurately determine whether a particular doctrine or
practice aligns with Scripture. And the only way to gain that kind of
understanding is through the daily discipline of studying God’s Word coupled
with earnest and heartfelt prayer. Forming a regular habit of doing “devotions”
each day is essential to Christian growth and increases our spiritual
discernment, which enables us to detect false teaching. Maintaining such a consistent
practice, though, requires a lot of diligence and commitment, as well as a
sincere or genuine love for God.
And how often should we do devotions each
day? If at all possible, I would suggest setting aside a time for this at least
twice a day, preferably in the morning and evening. I believe doing devotions
in the morning before we begin our day is particularly important. One reason is
that it honors and pleases God when we make Him our first priority, putting Him
above other things. A second reason is that if we don’t do devotions first
thing in the morning, we may forget to do it and/or get distracted by other
things – even good things (e.g., our work, home, family, friends, ministry,
etc.). A third reason for doing morning devotions is that it helps to prepare
and “arm” us spiritually before we start our day and encounter the enemy’s
assaults (e.g., provocations, temptations, trials, discouragement, etc.). Then
closing the day by thanking God for His provision and protection throughout the
day, confessing and repenting of any known sins, and reading the Scriptures is
quite appropriate before retiring for the night. By doing this, we begin and
end each day spending time with God. What could be more important than that? But
why stop there? If you’re really hungry for God’s Word, may I challenge
you to study the Scriptures even more often? In Psalm 55:17, the psalmist met
with God morning, noon, and evening – three times a day. If we generally feed
our bodies three times a day physically, how much more should we feed our souls
spiritually? (Just some food for thought… no pun intended.)
Before continuing, though, let me clarify
what I’m saying and also add one caution. Though it is good to read God’s Word
often, if it is done incorrectly (e.g., haphazardly, casually, or aimlessly) or
with the wrong motive (e.g., legalistically, merely out of obligation or guilt,
etc.), it can be an empty exercise. However often we choose to study the Scriptures,
even more important than the frequency is reading God’s Word meaningfully and
purposefully, instead of just quickly or superficially. Our goal should not just
be to get our reading over with so we can say that we did it, to salve our
conscience, or even to fulfill our duty. Rather, our intent should be to grow
spiritually in our knowledge of God and His will so that we can better love, serve,
and obey Him in a more intimate walk with Him. To accomplish this, we need to first
pray for God’s guidance and wisdom, as we strive to 1) comprehend Scripture
both in our heart and mind (i.e., not just intellectually); 2) memorize Scripture
beyond a few random verses, including longer passages and even chapters, if not
books (which is rarely done today but was a common practice in the early church
and can greatly increase spiritual growth); and 3) apply God’s truth (i.e.,
be doers and not just hearers of His Word), without which it would be futile to
study it. Moreover, we should resolve to methodically (though not mechanically)
read through the entire Bible verse by verse, so we can understand the context
in which things were written, better grasp the whole picture, and perceive the
continuity and unity throughout the Bible, as reflected in the common threads or
themes linking all of Scripture together.
Approaching God’s Word this way is far
better than just arbitrarily reading verses here and there or only small
passages discussed in daily devotional material. This is not to say that
devotional books are wrong – not at all. I just think they should supplement,
but not replace the Bible. If we limit ourselves to simply a few verses
a day, we will be starving ourselves spiritually. We cannot subsist on mere
snacks. We need full and substantial meals! A suggestion would be to follow a
Bible reading schedule that includes the whole Bible or simply read one chapter
in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament each day, which will
eventually cover the whole Bible. Once you read through the Bible, don’t stop
there. Continue to do that, so you can gain as much spiritual nutrition as you
can and maintain a “balanced diet.” Additionally, try to focus in on particular
passages, chapters, or books for deeper study.
It is important to realize that not only reading,
but also studying, God’s Word can greatly benefit us. Some things that
can help us are reading Bible commentaries, using Bible references (e.g.,
dictionaries; books on doctrine/theology, church history, Jewish culture,
etc.), comparing cross references (i.e., related verses), doing word studies,
listening to related sermons, etc.
Personally, I have found that one of the
best ways to gain a greater understanding of God’s Word is to teach it
(if that is something God has called you to do). When expounding a passage, you
tend to dig deeper into it so that you’re better prepared to explain it. That
is, you generally do more research if you need to define words, phrases, and/or
theological terms; provide historical, cultural, and grammatical background information
to help clarify the context; interpret its purpose and meaning; supply
appropriate applications; and anticipate possible questions your students might
raise.
In summary, without a solid knowledge of
God’s Word, that comes with regular study, we will be ill-equipped when
attempting to determine if something is truly Scriptural or not. This piece of
our spiritual armor (i.e., the sword of the Spirit or the Word of God) is
absolutely critical to our winning the spiritual battle and overcoming the
enemy. Thus, let us get serious about God’s Word and not neglect it for our
soul’s sake. Biblical ignorance is one of the main reasons so many are deceived
and led astray by false doctrine.
Endnote 5: Christ’s deity can be denied either
directly or indirectly. Directly, it can be denied even if 1) His special
offices (e.g., prophet, priest, king, messiah, mediator, savior, judge, etc.)
are ascribed to Him, but He is neither honored nor regarded as God; 2) He is
highly commended for His mighty miracles, wisdom, love, and holiness and called
the greatest man that ever lived, but He is not recognized as God; or 3) He is
said to be either a man, who later became a God, or an angel (both of which are
lies and utter blasphemy), but His divine nature is not acknowledged. Even with
all these accolades and being exalted to the highest position on earth, if the Lord’s
deity were rejected, it would still be the greatest offense to Him and fall
infinitely short of the glory due to Him as God Almighty and Creator of Heaven
and Earth.
Just as the Lord Jesus’ deity can be denied directly, it can also
be denied indirectly. One subtle way the enemy does this is by making it appear
as if the Lord either does not have all
His divine attributes or does not have each divine attribute in its fullest measure. This is very important,
for in order to be God, He must have both – not only every divine attribute but also each one fully or completely
(e.g., total sovereignty, perfect holiness, absolute power, infinite
wisdom, etc.). Any missing or partial attribute will not suffice. For example,
even if He had great power - beyond anyone else in the universe - but not all power, He would not be omnipotent
(all-powerful), and thus, not divine (God forbid!). The same principle applies
to all the other divine attributes. He must be absolutely perfect, not almost
perfect; He must be completely
sovereign, not partially sovereign,
and so on. In particular, He must possess all
the following attributes to their fullest
extent: He must be the Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternal (having no
beginning or end), infinite (unlimited in size, etc.), omniscient (all-knowing
and all-wise), omnipotent (all-powerful), omnipresent (present everywhere at
the same time), sovereign (supreme ruler over all things), infallible
(flawless), immutable (unchanging), and perfectly holy (sinless), just (fair,
impartial), truthful, faithful, loving, merciful, patient, etc. Again, even if
just one divine attribute were questioned, this would be no different than
saying that the Lord Jesus was not God (God forbid!), since God is defined by all His divine attributes.
The enemy knows this very well, and has repeatedly tried to rob
the Lord Jesus of His divine attributes (or rather given the perception of it)
by making it appear as if He were somehow limited in His divine capacities or
abilities. For instance, some falsely assert that the Lord is not fully
omniscient (all-wise and all-knowing). They admit that He has great wisdom and
knowledge – exceeding that of anyone else - but they will not concede that He
has knowledge of all future events.
Thus, by limiting His knowledge, they imply that His wisdom is imperfect and
finite, like that of man. In essence, this is no different than saying that He
is not omniscient (God forbid!). Others claim that the Lord does not have
supreme sovereignty (rule or authority) over everything and everyone – a clear
contradiction of God’s Word in so many places, where the exact opposite is
stated (1 Chr. 29:11-12; 2 Chr. 20:6; Deut. 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:6-8; Ps. 115:3; Is.
14:24; Eph. 1:3-6,11-12; Prov. 16:33; Ex. 4:21; Acts 2:22-23, 4:27-28; 1 Kings
22:19-23; 1 Chr. 21:1; John 15:16; Phil. 2:12-13; Rom. 9:9-24; Acts 13:48; Rom.
8:28-30; 2 Thess. 2:13-14). For example,
they say that the Lord cannot control man’s will or decisions and that even His
eternal decrees (made before time began) were, in some ways, influenced and
determined by man’s foreseen choices, actions, etc. In other words, they
maintain that God’s sovereignty is limited and bound by man’s free will. Can
anything constrain God Almighty, Ruler of both Heaven and Earth?! If this were
the case, this would mean that God
was ultimately dependent upon man and
thus man, not God, would be sovereign – how unthinkable! Admittedly, some promote
these (false) doctrines out of ignorance and not with any ill intent, but the
result is still the same. By claiming that the Lord is either not fully omniscient or fully sovereign, they are, in effect, saying that He is not God (God forbid!).
Another divine attribute the enemy assaults is the Lord’s perfect
holiness or sinlessness by insinuating that He sinned while on earth (God
forbid!). Of course, the enemy does not usually come right out and say
(blatantly and openly) that the Lord Jesus sinned, because then this would immediately
send up a red flag and cause many to reject such an obvious lie. Instead, the
enemy indirectly implies that the Lord sinned by (falsely) claiming that He did
not keep all of God’s law or that He
broke one or more of His commandments (e.g., generally the so-called “lesser”
ones). This is the same thing as saying that He sinned, because “Sin is the
transgression [breaking] of the law” (1 John 3:4). Thus, for the Lord Jesus to break just one of God’s commandments would be a sin
and make Him a sinner (God forbid!). And then He could not be called God, since
God is absolutely perfect and sinless. Thus, to imply that the Lord broke any of God’s commandments, even seemingly
minor ones (e.g., the fourth commandment or Sabbath), would, again, be accusing
Him of sinning (God forbid!). Not only would this be outright heresy and
blasphemy, but if it were true (which, of course, it is not), it would mean
that the Lord Jesus was not God and that His death could not atone (pay the
penalty) for our sins, since only God is qualified to do this. In the end, it
would mean that we could not be saved by Him. And then where would this leave
us? Without any means of salvation, we would be the most miserable creatures on
earth - utterly destitute and without hope.
But thankfully, this is not the case, and the Lord Jesus never once sinned or broke any one of God’s commandments. “In Him
is no sin” (1 John 3:5). “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin…” (2 Cor. 5:21; emphasis
added). The Lord Jesus, who Himself is the Lawgiver that authored and
administered the law and thus would not break it, kept all the commandments, even what are called the ceremonial laws
(e.g., observing Biblical feasts, etc.). Thus, He was and is perfectly
holy, demonstrating unequivocally that He is God.
Endnote 6: Sadly, this reflects the response of many, if not most, people
today who profess to be saved. Literally thousands of churches are filled with nominal believers, who have never
progressed beyond a superficial understanding or acceptance of the gospel and
thus are not truly saved. Why? One main reason is that in their unregenerate
(i.e., spiritually dead) state they are incapable
of producing anything more than a shallow response to the gospel. Before they
can truly believe in the gospel to be saved, God must first regenerate them (i.e., make them
spiritually alive) and give them new
hearts and His Spirit so that they will be willing
and able to truly believe in Christ and repent of their sin. (This is the
promise under the New Covenant: Ez. 36:25-27; Jer. 31:31-34.) Contrary to what
many churches teach today, God must act first
and 1) overcome their natural resistance and enmity toward Him, which prevents
them from truly seeking and coming to Him on their own (Rom. 3:11, 8:7; Jms.
4:4; John 5:40); 2) take them out of their spiritually darkened condition, in
which they are alienated from God and unable
and unwilling to believe and repent
of their sin (Eph. 2:1-3; 2 Cor. 4:4); 3) grant them spiritual life (i.e., the
new birth) (John 3:3; Eph. 2:5; Tit. 3:5) and along with that, the gifts of
(saving) faith and repentance (Acts 11:18, 13:48; Eph. 2:8); and 4) implant His
Spirit within them to incline them toward Him, guide them in their
understanding of the truth, and assist them in following and obeying Him (Rom.
8:9,11,14; John 14:16-17). Once spiritually awakened, only then can they 1) exercise
true, saving faith (i.e., not just
head knowledge or a passive, dead
belief that results in no change of heart or life, but an active, living faith that affects the heart, mind, and will,
leading to a radical transformation); and 2) repent from
the heart (i.e., renounce all known sin; forsake the love of this world,
including its sinful philosophies and practices; and resolve to turn toward God
and His righteousness, having a sincere desire to please and obey Him).
Scripture taken from the
King James Version ®. Public Domain
[1] A strict sect of Jews, who added many of their own
laws and traditions to God’s law, sometimes even superseding it, and
emphasizing external, rather than internal, conformity to the law.
[2] See Endnote 1
[3] It is very important to
realize that until we are saved, we are not capable of doing any true good works, according to God’s
definition (i.e., works performed by a regenerate soul for God’s glory and the
benefit of others). However, this does not excuse us from still trying our
best, in our unregenerate state, to do what is right, even though it will not
merit His approval or gain His acceptance.
To disregard God’s law and neglect good works would result in much
greater accountability and judgment.
[4] See Endnote 3
[5] Specifically, Christ’s work
includes not only His death on the cross to atone for our sins, but also His
perfect, sinless life that He lived as our substitute, in fulfillment of all of
God’s law.
[6] In saying this, I am not
negating the importance of good works. Just because we are not saved by our
works does not mean that we should not strive to do what is right – either
before or after we are saved. Though we can never attain God’s perfect standard
of righteousness, in that even the best of our works are blemished, God still
expects and commands us to obey His law and do what is good. For unbelievers to neglect this would bring
worse judgment upon them. And for believers to regularly or habitually ignore God’s
clear commandment on this issue (if it were even possible) would not only
grieve the Holy Spirit, resulting in chastening and/or loss of rewards, but
also bring into question the genuineness of their conversion.
[7] A focus on superficial
morality and external religion characterized the Pharisees and scribes in the Lord
Jesus’ day and brought His just reproach (rebuke) upon them. The Lord
repeatedly warned His disciples to beware of their hypocrisy (i.e., pretending
to be good on the outside while really being evil on the inside). To stress how
important this was, He added that unless a person’s righteousness exceeded that
of the Pharisees (i.e., went beyond mere external morality and empty, formal
religion), he would not enter Heaven (Matt. 5:20).
[8] In speaking of believers’
righteousness or holiness, it must be understood that a state of moral or
spiritual perfection is not possible in this life. The most spiritually mature
believers will still struggle with a remnant of sin in their hearts until their
dying day. That is, believers will not attain perfection until they are
glorified either in Heaven or when the Lord Jesus returns. However, believers
are still expected to pursue righteousness and strive for holiness, by God’s
grace, as they become increasingly conformed to Christ’s image, which is the
goal of all true believers.
[9] This does not imply that
modern technology should never be utilized in ministry. Certainly, modern
technology is very useful in spreading God’s truth. However, we need to
exercise caution, since certain things (e.g., internet) can also be used for
great evil. Moreover, it is very important to distinguish between using and trusting in these tools, for there is a fine line that separates
the two. In other words, we do not want to make them idols by relying on them too much, in viewing them as indispensable
to our ministry or ascribing any success to them. That should be reserved for God
alone. He should receive all the glory.
[10] True salvation does not
simply involve a bare head knowledge or mental assent to some Biblical facts
regarding the Lord Jesus’ person and redemptive work on the cross. Nor is it
limited to a mere acknowledgement or confession of one’s sin. Rather, it goes
beyond the surface (i.e., the mind or intellect), penetrating deeply into the
heart and soul. Specifically, salvation requires true saving faith that comes
from a renewed heart and is inseparable from genuine repentance, which includes
a total renunciation of all known sin and idols. Moreover, salvation calls for
a sincere commitment to follow Christ and submit to His Lordship (i.e., His
will and authority), understanding that this will undoubtedly entail
self-denial, sacrifice, and taking up the cross to suffer for His sake. And all
this should result in a radically transformed life, marked by spiritual fruit
and growth.
[11] See Endnote 3
[12] In qualifying this statement, I do not mean to imply
that someone cannot be saved unless he first understands that faith and
repentance are gifts from God, and not innate human abilities. Of course, this
knowledge can aid in sanctification, but it is not a requirement for salvation.
[13] Adam
and Eve’s
[14] God’s elect are those whom
He sovereignly chose to save before the foundation of the world, based on His
grace alone and not on any foreseen faith. For further references to God’s
sovereign election, see Eph. 1:4-5, 11; 2 Tim. 1:9; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rom. 8:29,
9:11-13, 15-22; 11:4-6; 1 Pet. 1:2; John 1:12, 6:37, 44, 65; 1 Cor. 1:26-29.
[15] Arminianism is a man-centered theology based on the
teachings of Jacob Arminius (1560-1609), who opposed the biblical or reformed
position on God's total sovereignty and predestination/election. Arminianism presupposes that man is born with
an innate ability to choose what is good and right (e.g., to believe in Christ
and turn away from sin). By inference, it suggests that man is not born
spiritually dead, and thus powerless
to save himself, but spiritually sick
with some natural ability to help
himself in the way of salvation. Furthermore, it also assumes that man is born
with some amount of goodness and spiritual discernment within himself,
enabling him to choose what is good and righteous (e.g., salvation). In
contrast, the Reformed position teaches that God, and not man, ultimately
determines who will be saved, based on His sovereign choice (though this does
not cancel out man's responsibility). Born spiritually dead, totally depraved,
and thus, utterly helpless, man is incapable of contributing to his salvation
in any way, but is entirely dependent on God's grace alone to save him.
[16] One way of illustrating
this point is to compare spiritual birth to physical birth. Just as we cannot
bring about our own physical birth (i.e., control when or how we are born), but
are entirely passive in the process, we cannot bring about our own spiritual
birth or make ourselves “born again” spiritually. As with physical birth, we
are completely passive and helpless during regeneration. God, in His mercy,
must take the initiative and choose to regenerate us. Only after we have been
made spiritually alive do we become active in the process of salvation by
exercising the gifts of faith and repentance, which God gives us. Thus, just as
God determines when and how we will be born physically, God alone has the power
and authority to determine when and how He will “beget” us spiritually through
His Spirit. In other words, God chooses whom He will save and when and how He
will do it. Though we can observe the effects of the new birth, after it has
occurred, we cannot predict when or how it will come. Nor do we have any
control over it. “The wind bloweth where it listeth [wishes], and thou hearest
the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth:
so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
[17] Though some may have an
interest in spiritual things relating to the occult or false religions, this is
not the same as a sincere desire to understand and pursue spiritual things
relating to God and the Scriptures.
[18] This illustration was borrowed from Jonathan Edwards’
famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
[19] This paradox that exists
between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in salvation cannot be
resolved with our finite, human understanding. Since we cannot reconcile this
in our minds, we must accept this by faith. On one hand, Scripture teaches that
God is sovereign and chooses whom He will save, and yet on the other hand, it
also teaches that we are clearly responsible and morally accountable for our
choices and decisions.
[20] In
contrast, the “invisible” church, consisting of all true believers (past,
present, and future), will not surrender but some day triumph by Christ’s power
and grace!
[21] And
some day believers will also be freed from the “presence” of sin when they are
glorified.
[22] Though
true believers are no longer under the dominion of sin and generally practice
righteousness, by God’s grace, as He gradually conforms them to the image of
His Son in sanctification, they will still sin (though not habitually or to the
same extent as when they were unsaved) and may even backslide for a season, due
to their remaining corruption or sin nature. A state of perfection or
sinlessness is not possible in this life.
[23] Another very important reason
the devil and his demons could not be saved is that, unlike us, they were not
given a savior or a redeemer. That is, it was not part of God’s sovereign plan
that the Lord Jesus take on their nature, as He did ours, and die for their
sins. “For verily he took not on him
the nature of angels; but took on him the seed of Abraham” (Heb. 2:16; emphasis
added). Thus, without the Lord’s vicarious (substitutional) sacrifice to atone
(pay the penalty) for their sins, there could be no remission (forgiveness) of sins
(Heb. 9:22). Knowing this, we should be very grateful that God, in His mercy,
provided a way of salvation for us through faith in His Son. Unlike the fallen
angels, we were given a second chance! And oh, how they envy us and try to rob
us of this immense privilege and gift (i.e., eternal life) by discouraging us
from believing in Christ as our Lord and Savior.
[24] This reflects the sad state
of the church today that so few people are familiar with the concept of
repentance.
[25] Misinformed and misled by
the enemy, many, who espouse “hyper-grace” today believe that the following are
legalistic: 1) repentance (before and after conversion); 2) (progressive) sanctification
(i.e., the gradual process whereby a believer becomes increasingly conformed to
Christ’s perfect image, as he strives for holiness and walks in obedience to
His will); and 3) means of grace whereby God strengthens, equips, and grows a
believer (e.g., daily prayer and the study of God’s Word, serving, giving,
worship, participating in the Lord’s Supper, etc.). Admittedly, one could
perform any of these things legalistically if attempting to merit salvation
this way. However, in and of themselves, these things are not legalistic if
done with the proper motive and clear understanding that they are only possible
by God’s grace subsequent to regeneration.
[26] This does not imply that
all self-love is wrong, since obviously, a certain amount of self-love is
necessary to motivate us to carry out those basic functions in life that keep
us alive (e.g., eating, sleeping, working, avoiding danger, seeking help,
etc.). That is, most of us possess an
instinctual kind of self-love or a natural desire for self-preservation. It is
this same self-love that also causes us to pursue the things that will bring us
peace and contentment. It is quite normal to want to live and be happy. In
contrast to this kind of self-love is a “worldly” self-love, which is
immoderate or excessive in nature and puts virtually all the focus on “self” –
in essence, making self an idol. This self-obsession or narcissism is clearly
sinful and not condoned by Scripture. And unlike what the world claims, this
obsessive kind of self-love is not beneficial to us but, in fact, harmful and
self-destructive, in that it encourages sin (e.g., self-worship, selfishness,
etc.), which ultimately leads to death. This is why the devil tries to persuade
people to love themselves in this extreme way, even to the point of idolatry -
so that they will ultimately destroy themselves.
[27] This idea did not originate from me, but from a
sermon I heard years ago from John Piper. All sins
are transgressions or violations of God’s law and therefore, rebellion against
His authority (assuming they are sins of presumption and not of ignorance).
What is the source of this rebellious attitude toward God? Pride. Pride, which
is essentially an excessive love of oneself, based on an exalted self-image or
inflated ego, fosters feelings of self-importance and superiority. Pride blinds
a person and makes him think so highly of himself (and his own opinion) that
consciously or unconsciously, he feels he is wiser than God and thus justified
in doing what is right in his own eyes, even if it means sinning or breaking God’s
commandments. In other words, because of pride, he stubbornly insists on his
own way, even if it opposes God’s prescribed will (His law). Thus, we see how
pride is at the root of many, if not most, sins. In contrast to pride,
humility, which causes a person to have a lower and more realistic opinion of
himself and a higher regard for God, produces a submissive heart that is
willing to follow and obey God’s law. So, whereas pride (in addition to
unbelief) is the source of many, if not most, sins, I believe humility (in
addition to faith) is the source of many virtues or holiness. Thus, I think it
is reasonable to infer that generally, the prouder someone is, the more likely
he will sin; and the humbler someone is, the less likely he will sin.
[28] Satan fell when he became
so proud that he wanted to take the place of God and tried to usurp His throne
by leading a rebellion against Him. Of course, God prevailed in the battle, and
Satan and his cohorts (one-third of the angels) were thrust out of Heaven.
Afterwards, out of malice and envy, Satan succeeded in also causing man’s fall
by tempting Adam and Eve to sin (i.e., disobey God) in the same way - through
pride (and unbelief). Being persuaded by Satan that they could become gods if
they ate the forbidden fruit, they succumbed to the temptation and sinned
against God, bringing a curse upon themselves and all their posterity. And ever
since, Satan has labored to destroy man by convincing him to be proud and love
himself. His latest ploy has been to disguise pride, which in its very nature
is evil, as something good and positive by dressing it up in attractive garb:
self-esteem, self-worth, self-dignity, etc. Like dumb
sheep led to the slaughter, we have swallowed up his lies and have become
shameless worshippers of ourselves - fawning and caressing our egos while
touting self-love as the highest virtue. And we are reaping the
consequences of our grievous sin - God’s judgment. Oh, that we could see
through Satan’s clever schemes and be delivered from this insidious sin of
pride!
[29] When mentioning “love,” I
do not mean self-love, which, as we already saw, comes quite naturally. Rather,
I mean that kind of love that extends beyond the narrow confines of self and is
directed toward God and others. Unlike what the world teaches, we do not need
to love ourselves more. The problem
is not that we love ourselves too little,
but that we love ourselves too much.
[30] Though our repentance, as with any of our efforts to
do what is good or right, is imperfect and blemished (always being tainted by
some amount of sin), God looks at the motives of our hearts (e.g., sincerity,
love, etc.) put there by Him and accepts this feeble attempt of ours to please
Him.
[31] This does not imply that a believer will never sin or
backslide. Because believers still have a sin nature, they can fall into sin, even
grievous sins at times. The difference, though, between them and unbelievers is
that God will eventually restore them to Himself and not let them continue
unchecked in a habitual state of sin, even if it means chastening them in love.
[32] Judah was the southern
kingdom of Israel following its division during King Rehoboam’s reign.
[33] Evidence of our society’s
downward moral spiral can be seen not only in its increasing tolerance and
acceptance of evil, but even in its shameless promotion of it, including 1) numerous
forms of idolatry (e.g., Eastern religions; witchcraft; cults; self-worship/narcissism;
obsession with entertainment/pleasure, power, wealth, etc.); 2) unbridled sexual
immorality (e.g., premarital sex, adultery, pornography, prostitution,
homosexuality, pedophilia, human trafficking, etc.); 3) false and anti-Biblical
philosophies (e.g., moral relativism, evolution, naturalism/materialism, humanism,
much of secular psychology, antinomianism, communism, etc.); 4) the
legalization of narcotic and hallucinogenic drugs; 5) medically-assisted murder
(e.g., abortion, euthanasia, etc.); 6) gambling; 7) escalating crime (e.g.,
domestic and gang violence, random shootings, terrorist attacks, riots/mob
violence, etc.); 8) widespread rejection of God, His Word, and His people
(e.g., open profanation of His name and the Bible; public derision and
denunciation of Christianity in the media, education, and government; discrimination
against and persecution of Christians, etc.); 9) the removal or stamping out of
any vestige of Christianity in the public and government sectors (e.g., The Ten
Commandments, prayer, instruction in creationism in public schools, etc.), and probably
worst of all, 10) the corruption of the church, as seen in its growing
conformity to the world’s standards, ideologies, and practices.
[34] What these uninformed
teachers do not realize is that the Biblical teaching on repentance does not
oppose, but rather supports, God’s grace. That is, repentance, which is a gift of God granted at the time of
regeneration (the new birth), is not a good
work produced by the unregenerate soul (who, in a spiritually dead state,
is incapable of repenting), but clear proof of God’s grace having transformed a previously stubborn, rebellious heart to
one that is penitent (repentant).
[35] i.e., an attitude that
opposes God’s law and any conformity to it, including repentance
[36] Although we must initially
repent of our sins before we are
saved, we must still continue to repent (of our remaining sin and corruption) after we are saved until we reach a
state of perfection in Heaven.
[37] This does not refer to normal, physical
bodies here on earth, which are temporary and limited in their capacity to
experience pain, but to future, supernatural bodies (given to the “condemned”
following the Great White Throne of Judgment), which will last forever and
experience far greater pain and suffering in eternal judgment. Though these
bodies will never die or cease to exist, like those of the saints in Heaven,
they will differ immensely in that they will not be intended for eternal glory
and joy, but for everlasting shame and sorrow.
[38] In regeneration (the new
birth), God puts His Spirit within us and gives us new hearts with His law
written on them, so that we have a sincere desire and ability to obey Him
(though not perfectly). Not only this, God grants us the gifts of faith and repentance, with which we can be saved or
justified. Finally, having been made “new creatures in Christ,” we are no
longer enslaved to sin and Satan, but are free to pursue a life of holiness,
which is pleasing and honoring to God.
[39] Considering the age we live
in - one of general apostasy - I do not think it is unwarranted or exaggerated
to say that the majority of those who call themselves Christians today are more
than likely what the Bible calls “tares.” In other words, most of our churches
mainly consist of nominal professors (unregenerate or unsaved souls) with genuine
believers in the minority.
[40] Salvation is, of course,
only and completely by God’s grace and not by our works (i.e., keeping the
law). However, Scripture also makes it very clear that without true saving
faith, repentance, and a total surrender of your life to Christ (i.e., a
willingness to obey Him, deny yourself, and suffer for His sake), you cannot be
saved. Like the false doctrine of carnal
Christianity, easy-believism or cheap grace distorts the gospel so that you
think you can abuse God’s grace by using it as a license to sin and never
submitting to Jesus as Lord.
[41] Beware. As mentioned
previously, this can be done legalistically if you trust in your outward performance or act (e.g., reciting the sinner’s prayer, walking the aisle, making
a “decision” for Christ, etc.), and not God’s grace, to save you. You will know whether your “decision” to
follow Christ is sincere or not by the spiritual fruit it produces. If you
never experience a radical transformation spiritually (i.e., the new birth),
this is evidence that your faith, and thus conversion, were not genuine. That
is, if twenty years pass, and you are still the same person (i.e., enslaved to
sin) with no observable or lasting change in your life (for the better), you
should not assume that you are saved simply because of some “decision” you made
years ago at church, a revival meeting, or an evangelistic crusade. Even if
your experience was attended by great emotion (e.g., crying, conviction, joy,
etc.) and/or a supernatural element (e.g., seeing a bright light, an angelic
vision, etc.), this is still no proof that you are born again. The only way to
know if you are truly saved is by examining your spiritual fruit.
[42] Don’t be misled by
well-meaning individuals who want to encourage you by ensuring you that you are
saved. No one, not even a pastor or an evangelist, can guarantee your
salvation. Only God can do this. Though His Word promises salvation to all who
believe in Christ, that only applies to those who sincerely believe from their hearts. And who, other than God, can
truly know what is in your heart? Only God, who is omniscient (all-knowing),
has that ability. Scripture states the way you can know if you are truly saved
is if the Holy Spirit communicates this to your spirit and if you see evidence
of salvation in your life (i.e., the fruits of the Spirit or a transformed life
characterized by holiness, adherence to God’s truth, love, humility,
self-denial, self-control, spiritual growth, a dedication to God’s glory,
etc.).
[43] Basically, this doctrine
states that we are justified or saved by grace through faith in Christ’s works
(i.e., His atonement for our sins on the cross and His perfect life) and not by
our own works. Literally, it means that God declares us righteous or innocent,
as when a judge acquits someone in a court of law, not because we deserve or
merit it, but solely on account of the Lord Jesus, our Substitute, and His (not
our) righteousness.
[44] Subsequent to justification
or salvation, progressive sanctification is a process whereby God gradually
conforms His people to His Son’s image or causes them to grow spiritually in
holiness, demonstrated through spiritual fruit (e.g., love for God and others,
humility, patience, self-denial, self-control, etc.). Though believers are not
passive, but actively engaged in the process of sanctification, even this is
only possible by God’s power and grace working in and through them. Thus, as
with justification, all the glory should go to God. Additionally, though
sanctification is distinct from justification, it cannot be separated or exist
apart from justification. The two always go together. Where there is true
justification there will always be sanctification, and vice versa.
[45] Though salvation is
entirely by grace alone (and not works), the law helps by showing unbelievers
their sin and convicting them so that they can see their need for a savior – Jesus
Christ, who alone can save them (Rom. 3:20). The law also benefits believers in
that it reflects and reveals God’s nature (e.g., His holiness, justice, wisdom,
mercy, love, etc.), informs them of God’s expectations, sets a holy standard
for them to follow as they grow in their conformity to Christ’s image during
sanctification, and brings blessings to those that willingly obey it from the
heart.
[46] See Endnote 4.
[47] For instance, many, if not
most, religions affirm these basic truths: there is a supernatural being (i.e.,
a God) who governs the universe; there is an ongoing struggle between good and
evil (including good and evil spirits); we should do what is right and avoid
what is wrong; good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished; some sort
of atonement (in the form of sacrifices, offerings, or good works) is needed
for wrongdoing (sin); there is life after death; the final destination for our
souls is either a place of eternal bliss or a place of eternal punishment,
determined by how we live our lives, etc.
[48] In logic, this is called a
fallacy of composition, which is the mistaken assumption that whatever is true
of the parts must also be true of the whole.
[49] See Endnote 5
[50] See Endnote 6
[51] Though obedience to God’s
law and the performance of good works cannot save anyone, since salvation is
only by God’s grace, they can help evidence true salvation.
