Misconceptions About Salvation
#4 "God is love and God will just forgive our sins out of leniency."
The cause of this misconception is the failure to realize that God is a God of justice.
That God forgives is a truth taught everywhere in Scripture. But He forgives because His justice has been satisfied on the cross, not because He is lenient. God forgives, yes, but in a righteous manner and not at the expense of His justice.
The penalty of sin must be paid. And that penalty was paid at the Cross of Calvary. God forgives but He forgives only in Christ Jesus. Because it is only in Christ that sin was paid.
Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Hebrews 9:27 ".........without shedding of blood there is no remission."
Often people just ask for forgiveness and carry on thinking that just because they asked for forgiveness, God will therefore forgive them. As simple as that. They are counting and depending and relying on the fact that they have asked for forgiveness.
Not so. Forgiveness is based on what Christ did on the cross. And it is only the sinner who confesses his sins and with his heart CONSCIOUSLY TRUSTING IN WHAT CHRIST DID ON THE CROSS that God will forgive. The former is trusting in what they said to God, while the latter is trusting in what God did for them in Christ.
Many people ask God for forgiveness without Christ and His work on the cross in mind. If Christ did not die on the cross, even if you daily and hourly ask God for forgiveness, God will never forgive you. And even if Christ died on the cross, even if you confess your sins to God regularly, if your heart is not trusting in Christ for salvation, God will never grant you salvation forgiveness.
Many people want to die a slow and gradual death because they want to buy time and opportunity to ask God for forgiveness just before they breathe their last, believing earnestly that their good works coupled with their asking for forgiveness will ensure them salvation forgiveness.
P.S. If God just forgives because we simply ask for it and that's all, nothing more and nothing less, then there is no need for Christ to die on the cross for sinners. They can simply be forgiven by simply asking for it.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
GOSPEL NUGGET #129
Misconceptions About Salvation
#3 "It does not matter what or who you believe, so long as you are sincere in your belief, you will go to heaven."
The cause of this misconception is the failure to realize that one could be sincere and be sincerely right but one could also be sincere and be sincerely wrong.
Sincerity is no substitute for truth. Hell will be filled with sincere people. A man high on drugs on top of a building is sincere that he is superman, that he could fly. He says: "I believe I'm a fly. I believe I could touch the sky. I dream about it every night and day, spread my wings and fly away. I believe I'm a fly."
He is sincere but sincerely wrong.
Would you have yourself operated on by a doctor who is sincere but has no knowledge at all about surgery?
Ro 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God (sincere!), but not according to knowledge (sincerely wrong!)
Ro 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
Satan has no problem with you being sincere so long as you remain blind to the truth. In fact this formula----sincerity minus truth or sincerity plus half truth is the perfect deception. The sincere person would think that he is okay with God when the reality is, he is not.The truth is: Christ Jesus is the only Savior in the world. And to be saved you must put your trust only in Him.
#3 "It does not matter what or who you believe, so long as you are sincere in your belief, you will go to heaven."
The cause of this misconception is the failure to realize that one could be sincere and be sincerely right but one could also be sincere and be sincerely wrong.
Sincerity is no substitute for truth. Hell will be filled with sincere people. A man high on drugs on top of a building is sincere that he is superman, that he could fly. He says: "I believe I'm a fly. I believe I could touch the sky. I dream about it every night and day, spread my wings and fly away. I believe I'm a fly."
He is sincere but sincerely wrong.
Would you have yourself operated on by a doctor who is sincere but has no knowledge at all about surgery?
Ro 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God (sincere!), but not according to knowledge (sincerely wrong!)
Ro 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
Satan has no problem with you being sincere so long as you remain blind to the truth. In fact this formula----sincerity minus truth or sincerity plus half truth is the perfect deception. The sincere person would think that he is okay with God when the reality is, he is not.The truth is: Christ Jesus is the only Savior in the world. And to be saved you must put your trust only in Him.
GOSPEL NUGGET #128
Misconceptions About Salvation
#2 "If my good deeds outweigh my bad ones, I will go to heaven."
The cause of this misconception is two-fold: a) a low view of God's holiness and b) failure to realize one's depravity.
* God is absolutely holy. He hates even a single sin. It took only one sin for Adam and Eve to be driven out of Paradise.
* Sin has affected and contaminated every part of our being---spirit, soul, body, mind, emotion and will. It has contaminated us entirely that even the best that we could do are "filthy rags in God's eyes" (see Isa. 64:6). Apart from the grace of God in salvation, our spiritual bank account in terms of good works is zero! Our good works will never outweigh our bad ones because we have no good works in God's eyes that He could accept in the first place (see Rom. 3:12).
We are saved through faith in what our Savior did and not what we have done.
#2 "If my good deeds outweigh my bad ones, I will go to heaven."
The cause of this misconception is two-fold: a) a low view of God's holiness and b) failure to realize one's depravity.
* God is absolutely holy. He hates even a single sin. It took only one sin for Adam and Eve to be driven out of Paradise.
* Sin has affected and contaminated every part of our being---spirit, soul, body, mind, emotion and will. It has contaminated us entirely that even the best that we could do are "filthy rags in God's eyes" (see Isa. 64:6). Apart from the grace of God in salvation, our spiritual bank account in terms of good works is zero! Our good works will never outweigh our bad ones because we have no good works in God's eyes that He could accept in the first place (see Rom. 3:12).
We are saved through faith in what our Savior did and not what we have done.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
GOSPEL NUGGET #127
Misconceptions About Salvation
#1 "Good people go to heaven. Bad people go to hell."
The cause of this misconception is the failure to realize as to who we are in the eyes of God. In God's eyes, there are no good people. We are all sinners. Sinners are spiritual criminals. And there are no good criminals. All criminals are bad. And all spiritual criminals are subject to God's judgment and condemnation.
Ro 3:10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;
Ro 3:12 ...there is none who does good, no, not one.
The question is not: "Have you been good?" No, the questions are: "Are you saved? Are you redeemed by the blood of Christ?"
As long as you believe that you are quite good enough to go to heaven, you will never go to heaven. Because you are trusting in who and what you are (and you are actually a spiritual criminal in God's eyes), instead of trusting in Christ Jesus and what He did on the cross.
No, good people will not go to heaven. Because there are none in God's eyes. Only pardoned spiritual criminals go to heaven.
#1 "Good people go to heaven. Bad people go to hell."
The cause of this misconception is the failure to realize as to who we are in the eyes of God. In God's eyes, there are no good people. We are all sinners. Sinners are spiritual criminals. And there are no good criminals. All criminals are bad. And all spiritual criminals are subject to God's judgment and condemnation.
Ro 3:10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;
Ro 3:12 ...there is none who does good, no, not one.
The question is not: "Have you been good?" No, the questions are: "Are you saved? Are you redeemed by the blood of Christ?"
As long as you believe that you are quite good enough to go to heaven, you will never go to heaven. Because you are trusting in who and what you are (and you are actually a spiritual criminal in God's eyes), instead of trusting in Christ Jesus and what He did on the cross.
No, good people will not go to heaven. Because there are none in God's eyes. Only pardoned spiritual criminals go to heaven.
Monday, June 11, 2012
GOSPEL NUGGET # 126
Lu 5:32 "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
* Being a sinner is not a hindrance to come to Christ. In fact, it is our very qualification for it. Christ did not die for good people (there are none). He came to die for sinners.
There are people who say: "I am such a great sinner. I can't come to Christ." Friend, you are the very reason why He came. Only people who are sinners will experience salvation. You just can't be saved if you are not a sinner. You can't be found if you are not lost. Your being a sinner should not prevent you from coming to Christ. It is the very reason why you should go to Him.
The worst thing for a man is his self-righteousness. It is a smokescreen. It blinds him from seeing as to who he really is in the eyes of God.
* You don't have to clean yourself up before you come to Christ. You can't do it anyway in the first place. If you can, then you don't need to go to Christ. Christ does not only forgive, He also cleanses us from any moral filth.
You don't have to spiritually shape yourself up before you come to Christ. Come as you are---a sinner out of shape. Christ does not only save, He also shapes twisted and perverted and crooked sinners.
* Being a sinner is not a hindrance to come to Christ. In fact, it is our very qualification for it. Christ did not die for good people (there are none). He came to die for sinners.
There are people who say: "I am such a great sinner. I can't come to Christ." Friend, you are the very reason why He came. Only people who are sinners will experience salvation. You just can't be saved if you are not a sinner. You can't be found if you are not lost. Your being a sinner should not prevent you from coming to Christ. It is the very reason why you should go to Him.
The worst thing for a man is his self-righteousness. It is a smokescreen. It blinds him from seeing as to who he really is in the eyes of God.
* You don't have to clean yourself up before you come to Christ. You can't do it anyway in the first place. If you can, then you don't need to go to Christ. Christ does not only forgive, He also cleanses us from any moral filth.
You don't have to spiritually shape yourself up before you come to Christ. Come as you are---a sinner out of shape. Christ does not only save, He also shapes twisted and perverted and crooked sinners.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
GOSPEL NUGGET # 125
Christ---His Work, His Worth And His Word
* His Work: He died for our sins and rose again
* His Worth: His person gives us a glimpse of His worth. He was God the Son who became Man and appointed by God to save sinners.
* His Word: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes/trusts in Me has everlasting life Joh. 6:47
Trust what He did (His Work), what He said (His Word) and trust Him for who He is (His Worth) and you will have eternal life!
* His Work: He died for our sins and rose again
* His Worth: His person gives us a glimpse of His worth. He was God the Son who became Man and appointed by God to save sinners.
* His Word: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes/trusts in Me has everlasting life Joh. 6:47
Trust what He did (His Work), what He said (His Word) and trust Him for who He is (His Worth) and you will have eternal life!
GOSPEL NUGGET #124
Eph 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise
RO 8:9 ...if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
The word "Christian" just means one who belongs to Christ and follows Christ.
"Christ" refers to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, or the Anointed One. "Ian" is a suffix from Latin which means belonging to or adhering to. Put them together "Christ" + "Ian"= One who belongs to Christ and follows Christ, Christian in short.
If you don't have the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the verse says you don't belong to Christ, you are not a Christian.
You may have undergone the rite of baptism, you maybe someone who has memorized the Bible, you maybe someone who goes to church regularly, you maybe someone who prays every day but if you don't have the Holy Spirit in you, then you don't belong to Christ. You are not a Christian.
How can one have the Spirit of Christ? Look at Eph. 1:13 above. It happens when one hears about the Good News of Christ's salvation and then puts his trust in it and then and only then, can one have the Holy Spirit in him.
And it is only the person who has the Holy Spirit who can truly follow Christ.
RO 8:9 ...if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
The word "Christian" just means one who belongs to Christ and follows Christ.
"Christ" refers to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, or the Anointed One. "Ian" is a suffix from Latin which means belonging to or adhering to. Put them together "Christ" + "Ian"= One who belongs to Christ and follows Christ, Christian in short.
If you don't have the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the verse says you don't belong to Christ, you are not a Christian.
You may have undergone the rite of baptism, you maybe someone who has memorized the Bible, you maybe someone who goes to church regularly, you maybe someone who prays every day but if you don't have the Holy Spirit in you, then you don't belong to Christ. You are not a Christian.
How can one have the Spirit of Christ? Look at Eph. 1:13 above. It happens when one hears about the Good News of Christ's salvation and then puts his trust in it and then and only then, can one have the Holy Spirit in him.
And it is only the person who has the Holy Spirit who can truly follow Christ.
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