A great falsehood in professing Christianity in our day is that somehow God is pleased with its multiple forms by way of thousands of denominations and sects as if there are many faiths. Nothing could be further from the truth since His Word in the Bible teaches there is only the single faith rooted in Jesus Christ (John 12:20-26; Colossians 2:6-7)! So, how is it that there are multiple made to order forms of Christianity? God has historically tolerated these made to order forms of Christianity up until now, as an outcome of His war with Satan who has well used his weapon of deception to seduce the guilty into the sin that has created them. Made to order Christianity is counterfeit and cannot save!
While the Lord and His apostles are clear Spirit-filled Christians do not have to be rigidly uniform in the way we fellowship with Him and each other or express and experience “our common faith” that is known as Christianity (Mark 9:38-41; Luke 9:49-50; Romans 14-15:6; 1 Corinthians 8, 10:23-33; Colossians 2:8-23; Titus 1:1-4, NKJV), all are to obey the commandments, transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics presented in God’s whole Word (Matthew 5:17-20, 28:19-20; John 8:31, 14:15-24). Chief among the Lord’s commandments is for His disciples to “love one another” as He has “loved” us (John 13:34-35, 15:9-14; 1 John 2:3-6, 3:10-24, 4:7-5:3, NKJV).
The Lord’s command for His disciples to love each other runs deeper than a sentimental wish for disconnected people to try their best to do this in their own strength as I have encountered so many times in churches during my journey. The Lord gives a command He expects to be obeyed and supplies the means He knows we do not naturally have to do so through the agency of the Holy Spirit within us (Romans 5:5)! As well, His Spirit-filled disciples are more than just people brought together without any formal or lasting connection except faith in Christ, but we have been made eternal spiritual “family” with God as our “Father,” (Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 2:19-22, 3:14-21, NKJV)!
Because of the foregoing positive spiritual realities, the apostle Paul easily implores us as Spirit-filled sons in the family of God “to walk worthy of the calling with which” we “were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” He follows this with the staggering declaration: “There is one body, and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all,” (Ephesians 4:1-6, NKJV). What are we missing in professing Christianity currently? How about love and one!
Would someone really try to convince me that the warfare, divisions in disunity and multiple made to order forms of Christianity in America alone are the outworking of God’s supernatural love and the best that can be done? No, but God in His Word as it is written reveals the truth that it is foretold apostasy, falsehood, sin, carnality, spiritual adultery along with manmade religion weakly trying its best in the flesh and failing miserably (Matthew 24:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:1-4; Galatians 5:13-15; James 3:13-4:5)! And with the focus on self, who cares what the Bible teaches about there being only one Body, Spirit, hope of our calling, Lord, faith, baptism and Father?1
Indeed, the multiple forms of Christianity today are a foretold spiritual madness and successful work of Satan after centuries of tempting professed Christians God has permitted (James 1:12-18).2 For it is the direct result of “deceiving spirits” generating many false “doctrines” leading to disobedience and apostasy, outwardly religious men walking in the flesh that view the faith as a religion they control, “impostors” and the purposeful rejection of “sound doctrine” plainly contained in the pages of the Bible many do not regularly study for themselves; preferring instead to be taught by those who teach them what they want to hear (1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-9, 13, 4:1-4, NKJV).
Nevertheless, whether professed Christians comfortable with the present spiritual madness of disunity in multiple forms of Christianity accept the truth or not, Heaven recognizes only “the faith” of Scripture “which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Ephesians 4:7-16; Philippians 1:27-28; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; Jude 3, NKJV). All other forms of Christianity as manmade religion are counterfeit, being judged and will be destroyed even before Christ returns as He has led me to write in previous posts (Revelation 17:1-19:4).3 Thus, it is imperative the Christianity we have be of the Bible and that we know it from study as our authoritative source!4 For it is certain that none other but biblical Christianity can save and is worth dying for (Revelation 6:9-11, 7:9-17, 12:11, 13:1-18, 14:9-13).5
1 Read the April 26, 2020 post, There Is Only One..., under the category, Instruction, where the Lord led me to call for unity in the face of the clear paradigm shift He initiated with His Coronavirus judgment.
2 See the two-part post beginning June 7, 2020, Days Of Separation, under the category, Bible Prophecy. God has allowed Satan to tempt those that are supposed to know Him as testing since Eden (Genesis 3:1-6). It continues within professing Christianity at this hour as the Lord separates out His faithful from the wicked (Psalm 11:4-6; Revelation 2:8-11, 16:15).
3 See for examples the August 23, 2015 post, Babylon Is Falling!, under the category, Bible Prophecy and on June 10, 2018, God’s Judgment Upon His House also under the category, Bible Prophecy as well as God’s Creatures. Finally, read the two-part post that begins August 23, 2020, The Churches Under Judgment, under the category, Instruction.
4 For instruction on how to get the most out of your Bible study take the free Fruitful Bible Study Self-Paced Video Course the Lord led me to produce on our Strong Man Virtual Institute’s YouTube Channel. An optional (but recommended) Study Guide is available for free download in the Strong Man Store.
5 This is the heart of aspiring strong men and great women of God I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God Back To Basics. It is available with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
As the Director of Strong Man Ministries and lead instructor in our Strong Man Institute in-person and virtual course offerings, I am excited to announce the roll out yesterday of our Fruitful Bible Study Self-Paced Video Course on our Strong Man Virtual Institute YouTube Channel!1 With the Lord’s leading, this video course addresses the great need in His Body for knowledge of the Word through the spiritual discipline of Bible study in these latter days. For He and His apostles warned us great deception would exist in the times before His return as it does and lacking knowledge of the Word, many are being deceived and fall away as also foretold (Mark 13:3-6, 22-23; 1 Timothy 4:1-5).
Though there are many false and deceitful doctrines of demons within professing Christianity at this hour, one of the most insidious is in fact “a different gospel;” the likes of which the apostle Paul puts the purveyor under a curse of destruction and that strikes at the very heart of the Christian faith “once for all delivered to the saints,” (Galatians 1:6-10; Jude 3-4, NKJV). It asserts that God does not judge what people do in sin anymore since Christ completely atoned for human sins past, present and future on the cross. Those who know the truth from their regular, Holy Spirit led and helped study of the Bible recognize the foregoing assertion is preposterous and thoroughly false!
Truly, as Scripture teaches the Lord’s death on the cross most certainly did make a full and eternal atonement for human sin before God (Isaiah 53:10-12; John 1:29, 19:30; Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:17, 9:11-15). However, it is only the one who repents of his sins, places faith in the Gospel and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit that will be saved which Scripture also teaches (Acts 2:36-39; Romans 1:16-17, 3:21-26; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As it is written and cited in Romans 1:17, ‘“The just shall live by faith,’” (NKJV). There is no work or deed a sinner can do to earn salvation wrought through Christ’s sacrifice God has made available to all mankind by grace (Romans 3:27-4:25; Ephesians 2:1-10).2
I will declare it again. Although He died for all mankind, only those individuals who genuinely repent of their sins, believe the Gospel and receive new birth by the indwelling Holy Spirit, obtain salvation! Those who refuse to repent and believe the Gospel remain in their sins, will die in and face Christ’s “judgment seat” to answer for them (John 8:21-24; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11, NKJV).3 For of first importance salvation is “remission (by God’s forgiveness) of sins” upon repentance and faith in Christ (Luke 24:46-47, NKJV). Anyone who preaches anything contrary to this core, historic and biblical truth for salvation, puts themselves justly under the apostle Paul’s curse since it is a different gospel!
Now, even though no work or deed we do of ourselves prior to salvation can earn it, works and deeds afterward matter as evidence of its authenticity, fruitfulness and enduring faith in Christ which is not a one and done thing (James 2:14-26). We enter salvation through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and continue living by faith in Him moment by moment going forward. Purposely practicing biblically defined sin without repentance is not proof of faith, but of possible insincere or false profession, rank disobedience which is rebellion or apostasy which can never please God who despite another false doctrine, ‘“will judge His people,’” (Hebrews 10:26-39, 11:6, NKJV)!4
Thus, even though Christ’s work to pay for human sin was finished on the cross, our responsibility before God for personal sin does not end there! For this reason, the Lord Jesus explains one must “believe in Him” whom God in love sent into the world to die for our sins in order to “not perish” and instead, “have everlasting life.” Otherwise, apart from appropriating His saving work to themselves by faith, the unsaved are “condemned already” with no other hope; their deeds certifying God’s righteousness to condemn them (John 3:16-21, NKJV).5 Also, what professed Christians do reveals whether they know Christ and bear good fruit (Matthew 7:15-23,13:1-9, 18-23).6
Indeed, the whole Word of God teaches what one does whether in sin or not during this mortal life matters to God! Consequently, every human being that has ever lived will face judgment by Jesus Christ to be rewarded accordingly--those with the fruitful deeds of faith in Him having nothing to fear (Job 34:10-15; Psalm 62:12; Proverbs 24:12; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Romans 1:28-2:11, 14:10-12, 23b; Revelation 22:12). Ours is not a made to order salvation of human construction. It has sprung from the heart and mind of the living God from eternity (1 Peter 1:13-21)! Christians must get and stay in God’s Word to recognize and avoid the many false doctrines today; careful not to even pass along sound good posts on social media from maybe well meaning sources, but that are not biblical.
1 The very first Short-Term Study from the Strong Man Virtual Institute can be viewed on its dedicated YouTube Channel. A course overview with description is provided in Session One of the six session study. While it is not required, a Study Guide is available as a free download in the Strong Man Store to help interested learners as they engage with the video course at their own pace.
2 Read the March 21, 2021 post, Good Works Cannot Save You, under the category, The Cause.
3 See the April 24, 2022 post, Messiah Comes Second For Salvation, under the category, The Faith.
4 What has death been to mankind but judgment from God who lovingly, graciously warned Adam of it as the consequence in the day of his disobedience (Genesis 2:15- 17, 3:6-11, 17-19)? And as it concerns Christians, the falsehood God does not judge what we do becomes crystal clear from faithfully reading and studying the New Testament where God is seen intentionally instilling fear of offending His holiness through willful sin after He put to death Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, on the same day for lying to Him--something many professed Christians in our times foolishly consider no big deal (Acts 5:1-11). For further reflection on God as the Judge of His people in the New Testament, read the two-part post that begins August 23, 2020, The Churches Under Judgment, under the category, Instruction.
5 There are those in Christian media and not a few pastors that refute the Bible they claim to uphold teaching God does not condemn. Some even boast that you will not hear them talk about such a thing, though the whole narrative of salvation in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is about God saving willing mankind from our sins in light of His certain coming wrath and condemnation to Hell! Being unwilling to declare “the whole counsel of God” especially for the sake of gaining money from people who want to hear nothing but positive statements about Him for them, followers or to fill auditorium seats is fraud (Acts 20:26-31; 2 Corinthians 2:17, 4:1-2, NKJV)! It is also false teaching to deny or purposely omit the fact unrepentant sinners stand condemned before a holy God--woe to the false teachers who bring the Lord’s judgment upon themselves (2 Peter 2:1-3)! Who really cares for your soul: the one that tells you only the parts of God’s Word you like and want to hear or the one who gives you God’s whole Word (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)?
6 Though he may struggle, the saved one is done with sin and is helped by the Holy Spirit to live a holy and righteous life in the image of Christ through his purposeful, persevering faith (Romans 6-8). As the Lord leads, I present this truth in some detail to the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and its companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study as well as Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study. These are all available in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
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