Scripture References: Ephesians 2:8, James 1:21-22, and 1 Timothy 4:16
I hear the word "saved" being used a lot in the realm of theconfessing Christian world today, but will have to admit that ninetysome percent of what's being said is not what the word of God says andteaches on this subject. It's been said by many people that they "got saved" or "got born again" but nowhere in the scriptures of Gods holy word is this terminology of words found saying this. To say you "got saved or got born again" alwaysrefers to an instant thing that supposedly happened to you somewhere intimes past, but since ninety some percent of these people don't knowwhat it means to be saved and how to be saved, then I can say withouthesitation that these poor deceived people don't have a clue as to whatthe Bible teaches on this very important subject. If you believe you "got saved or got born again" then would you be so kind as to tell me why you believe you "got saved or gotborn again?" What convinced you that you "got saved or got born again?" Didthe hair on your head stand out like you put your finger in a lightsocket, or did a feeling of some kind go up the spine of your backbonethat perhaps felt like a surge of electricity went through you? Did youhear or see something that convinced you that you "got saved?"
There has got to be some kind of evidence that you are relying on thatyou "got saved or got born again"so what was it that seemingly convinced you that you got saved or gotborn again? Listen to what the apostle Jude tells us in his epistle ofJude 4 that says, "For there are certain men crept in unawares, whowere before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turningthe grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only LordGod, and our Lord Jesus Christ." Do you know what it means to turnGods grace into lasciviousness? Lasciviousness is one of the works ofthe flesh that Paul mentions in his epistle to the church at Galatia,which is Galations 5:19. Lasciviousness works through the lust and thedesires of the flesh, which makes it a fleshly manifestation thatexcites the fleshly body and the carnal mind. Now if you claim to have"gotten saved or got born again" whenmaybe perhaps you went to an altar in some church, then if you did nothave some fleshly manifestation that excited your emotions, then whatconvinced you that you "got saved or got born again?" Did youperhaps just take for granted that God saved you at the alter withoutany kind of fleshly manifestation at all? So if perhaps you did notfeel anything, or see anything, or hear anything, but just took forgranted that God saved you, is this what the above scripturesare revealing concerning this subject? Look again if you will at whatPaul tells us in Ephesians 2:8 that says, "For bygrace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is thegift of God." Look closely at this scripture and you should be able tosee that it is not grace itself that saves us, but rather it's "throughfaith" that will save us. We can only be saved "through faith" and notsaved by Gods grace alone, but rather it's because of grace that we canbe saved through faith. To be saved "through faith"means that we can only be saved if we believe and obey the revealedtruths of Gods word that is revealed in the doctrine of Christ, whichare his many teachings throughout the NT covenant. Look at what Paultells us in I Timothy 4:16 that says, "Take heed unto thyself, andunto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt bothsave thyself, and them that hear thee." To continue in the doctrinemeans to continue on in Gods word, which are the many teachings ofChrist. An example ofcontinuing on in the doctrine is found in a number of places, of whichActs 2:41-42 reveals saying, "Thenthey that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same daythere were added unto them about three thousand souls. And theycontinued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and inbreaking of bread, and in prayers." These Jews were not told justto receive Jesus as Lord and Savior like most think and believe today,but they continued on in the teachings of those disciples daily. Andlook if you will at what Jesus himself said about continuing in hisword as stated in John 8:30-32 that says, "As he spake these words,many believed on him. Thensaid Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in myword, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, andthe truth shall make you free." Many of those Jews believed onChrist, but notice how he tells them that if they continued in his wordthey were his disciples indeed and they would know the truth and thetruth would make them free. So what has this to do with going down tosome altar and ask God to save you? Did not the apostle James tell usthat the engrafted word will save our soul "if" we hear and do what itsays? Look if you will at what he said concerning this in James 1:21-22that says, "Whereforelay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receivewith meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. Butbe ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your ownselves." Now what has this to do with going down to some altar andasking God to save you? Did you not know that God chose the foolishnessof preaching to save them that believe as I Corinthians 1:21 statessaying, "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knewnot God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to savethem that believe." Whathas this to do with going down to an altar somewhere and asking God tosave you? We can only be saved by hearing, and believing, and obeyingGods word, but listen to the millions of people that believe they weresaved in an instant of time at some altar in a little white church inthe wildwood somewhere. Have you ever considered exactly what the word"saved" means?Christ is of course the one that saves, but are you aware of the factthat Christ is the revealed truth of Gods word? Did he not say thesewords in John 14:6 that says, ‘Jesus saith unto him, I am "the way, the truth, and the life:no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." If you don't know the truthof scripture, then you don't know Christ. Did not Jesus tells us inJohn 8:32 saying, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shallmake you free." Allthat most people are doing is merely believing in and on the person ofJesus Christ thinking that saves them, but the apostle James made itclear that it's the engrafted word that saves the soul if we hear andobey it does it not? Listen to what the apostle John tells us about thetruth of Gods word as stated in 2 John 1-2 that says, "Theelder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth;and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; For thetruth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever." Isnot Christ the way, the truth, and the life? So if you don't know thetruth of Gods word, then you don't know Christ. In the parable of theten virgins stated in Matthew 25:1-13, we find that the kingdom of Godwill be like these ten virgins revealing that some were saved and somewere not. Within this parable is revealed both wise and foolishvirgins, which is reference to the spiritual condition of the churchthat will be in existence when Christ will come and present to himselfthe church that he was head and builder of. Five of the virgins werewise revealing they knew that it was the truth of scripture that wouldprepare them for the return of Christ, but the foolish virgins weretotally void of this truth and merely took for granted they were savedand ready for Christ's return. Multiplied millions of confessingChristians today believe they are saved and ready for the return ofChrist at any moment and not realizing they are still dead in theirtrespasses and sins and totally separated from him. It's sin that keepsman and God separated one from the other, but the common teaching foundamong the religious world today is that the blood of Christ coverstheir sin and because of this God cannot see their sins. So they stillenjoy the pleasures of their sin thinking and believing that Godoverlooks their sin, because of their mere confession and acceptance ofChrist. It was the apostle Paul that reveals this great deception inwhat he says in II Thessalonians 2: 10-13 that says,"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;because they received not the love of the truth, that they might besaved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, thatthey should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believednot the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.But we arebound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of theLord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvationthrough sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." What'ssadly lacking today is "a love for the truth of Gods word" andfor this reason most will reject what Gods word reveals on the subjectof what one must truly do and believe in order to be saved in hissight. And because most will reject this truth, then Paul reveals thatGod will send them strong delusions that will cause them to receive andbelieve lies to be damned. The truth that must be received in order tobe saved has been kept hidden from the minds of these multipliedmillions of people for hundreds of years, but is now being revealed inthese very last days that we are presently living in, and will in mostinstances be rejected by the masses. This truth that millions has beenblinded from is revealed in what Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 thatsays, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; andall these things shall be added unto you." It'sthe many ministers of Satan that has blinded the minds of these peoplefrom this great truth of how to seek for Gods kingdom and hisrighteousness. The common teaching accepted by the masses today is justto believe on Christ and accept him as Lord and Savior and they aretold they are saved and now they have the imputed righteousness ofChrist and God no longer sees their sin. What they failed tounderstandis that righteousness is revealed in all the teachings of the gospel ofChrist and this is why Paul said in Romans 1:16-17 that says, "ForI am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of Godunto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and alsoto the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed fromfaith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Goddemands "his righteousness" for the remission of our "past sins"but the devilish doctrine in the confessing Christian world teachesthat Christ's death on the cross paid the penalty for all sins "past,present, and future." But Paul, that God revealed the truth to, tellsus in Romans 3:25 these words saying, "Whom God hath set forth to be apropitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousnessfor the remission of sinsthat are past, through the forbearance of God." Paul only spoke of sins past; not the sins of the "present and future", because God demands "his righteousness" inthe remaining portion of our life after he forgives all our sinscommitted against him in our past life. Believing that the death ofChrist paid the penalty for all sins "past, present, and future"leaves no room for Gods righteousness at all. But listen to what theapostle Peter has to say about this as well, as stated in I Peter 4:1-2that says, "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in theflesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hathsuffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer shouldlive the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to thewill of God." This truth of ceasing from sin and no longer living in the flesh to the lusts of men, but ratherto the will of God (without sin) has not been taught for many years, but rather the devilish doctrine that says, "all sins past, present, and future"was paid for when Christ died on the cross.. To believe this, asmultiplied millions do, leaves these deceived victims bound tighterthan bark on a tree in their trespasses and sins only to suffer theconsequences of the second death in the lake of fire.
The millions of confessing Christians today and in times past haa not been saved "from sin" and even more so they have not been saved "in their sins"like they have been blindly led to think and believe. They are sheepgoing to the slaughter not realizing it, but there is no excusewhatsoever for deception, because we are warned time and time againabout these wolves in sheep's clothing scattering the flock to bedevoured. The good Shepherd gathers the sheep together in one mind andone accord, but the hireling scatters the sheep into hundreds ofdifferent confusing religious "denominations and other religioussects." He that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saysto the church...amen