Saved By Grace

 

Saved by grace

 

In the process of seeking God, people have to be willing to confront the truth and change. If they are not willing to change, eventually they will come upon a teaching that suits their liking and justifies their sinfulness. Such a teaching is that of “saved by grace alone”, which doesn’t resonate with all within Christendom. This lack of consensus contributes to the different versions of theology found among those often referred to as Christians, even though technically speaking this may not necessarily be the case. For not all denominations and sects of Christendom are genuinely true Christians.  However, to help gain a better grasp of why this is so, and why people fall into error, we will consider some facts about religion.

Truth About Religion

Many think religion is about some devotion to a myth, when in fact it is really the quest for the ideal life. Religion also springs from an inherent desire to be bound back to our Creator. From an English language perspective, this desire to be bound back to the Creator is reflected in the origin of the word “religion”. The word comes from the Latin “religare” which means “to bind back”.  The desire to be bound back to our Creator is really what religion is truly about.

If we were onlookers objectively studying the affairs of humans without an axe to grind, we would probably conclude that religion is the quest of humans for the ideal life that involves three phases:

1)       The ideal

2)       The practices for attaining to the ideal

3)        The worldview that relates the ideal and its quest to every other aspect of life on Earth; otherwise known as the theology.

Regardless of the religion to which a person might adhere, the three phases are identifiable. This is the case within Christianity, even though based on the Bible. There are different ideals and practices, and interpretations of what these phases mean. These differences are the outcome of politics, cultural practices, and the interpretation of Scripture.

Politics come into play when those in power see religion as a vehicle for exercising control over their domain. This has been particularly evident when the Roman Emperor Constantine declared Christianity to be the religion of the Roman Empire and when King Henry VIII decided to separate the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Politics also come into play when families begin to use churches as a means for securing their power over regions. This has happened throughout the centuries and, although not so evident today, could well occur in the near future. Politics always has a habit of rearing its head wherever there are humans who decide that they want to rule over others, rather than be servants of the people they seek to influence.

Culture often affects the way people do things. In the case of the Roman Catholic Church, the many mythical gods that were part of various heathen cultures were assimilated into the church culture. Consequently, many of the myths, feasts and religious practices of the local religions have been incorporated into Roman Catholic expressions of worship in the different regions of the world. Culture is particularly evident among the Amish (a sect of Bible-believers with their own defining beliefs), who eschew modern technology to remain true to ancient agricultural practices. Indeed, within various Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal churches around the world, local culture often influences congregational practices.

Interpretation of the Scriptures is the main game and, regardless of culture and politics, this has the largest bearing upon the practices of a church and its theology. This is because the Bible is the textbook for all who claim to be Christians. Variously, the Bible has been called the manual for life, the roadmap to Heaven, and a love letter from God, as well as other descriptive names—some very misleading.  Understanding the Bible and its contents becomes a focus for all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and desire to know the truth. There are those, though, who appear more intent on justifying their own interpretation rather than seeking the truth. One certainty is that no argument prevails among Christians when we say that the Bible points the way to the truth that leads to life, and this is by the grace of God.

In saying that the Bible points the way to the truth, this presents a double-edged sword, because what some people call truth is not really the truth; rather it is an interpretation.  We find this particularly so when it comes to matters that are difficult to prove in the present time.  This is evidenced in many of the claims associated with practices within congregations and denominations and other groups claiming to be Christian.  We find disagreements regarding the basic rites of baptism, communion and tithing. These do not constitute salvation, but they are important elements of the believer’s expression of God’s grace in their lives—although, it is expected that not all agree.

Interpreting the Bible requires a starting point. Most people start a book at the beginning and then work their way towards the end. If we were to do this with the Bible, we would start with the book of Genesis, which begins, “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth” and finishes in the book of Revelation with “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.”  For many this sums up the Bible: God created the Heavens and the Earth for the purpose of Lord Jesus Christ and His Saints. However, it appears that other doctrines seem to have originated from the first sentence and last sentence of the Bible, in particular the doctrines of “double predestination” and “irresistible grace”.

Propositional Truth

For the unsuspecting, the idea that we are saved because we were chosen in the beginning by the grace of God, and this we could not resist, makes sense. This is the case, if we have decided that we want to know God, we believe that we are special, and we are presented with the idea that our desire to know Him was preordained and we could not resist the call, so we obeyed and now learn about Him through the Bible. Instead of involvement in philosophy from a non-biblical base, we are now attracted to the idea of propositional truths based on Scripture. These notions seem to appeal to those who have an intellectual bent.

One such so-called propositional truth is the doctrine of salvation by grace alone.  This teaching is based upon a particular text found in the book of Ephesians.

1. But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus…. (Ephesians 2:4-7)

The actual Scripture upon which this doctrine is based is verse five, which reads: “even when we were dead through our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”  Even within the context of the above Scripture, this appears to agree with the idea of predestination based on the first verse of the Bible and grace in the last verse. Essentially, this is telling us that unmerited favor extends to all, and through this, we obtain salvation due to God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.  There is nothing wrong with this so far, because, as is obvious, this is what the Bible tells us.

The idea of being saved by grace has a kind of universal ring about it. From what we have just read, we have been saved through grace because we are all God’s children. Everyone, who is born into this world, is a child of God. We understand that we have all sinned at some point, some more than others, and even to a horrific degree. But the grace of God covers us and we are able to obtain salvation because the Heavenly Father loves His children. Effectively, just from reading what has been presented so far regarding grace and creation, we might think that everybody is saved; however, we know from the Bible that this is not the case, because of the other texts that mention eternal punishment. Moreover, if we read the next verse that follows the already quoted passage, we learn something else about salvation that is missing in what we have already discussed. Here is the missing verse and the completion of the thought:

• …for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them. (Eph. 2:8-10)

We learn we are not saved by grace alone but through faith, and this is not something that we work for; it is the gift of God, least anyone should boast. We who are in Christ Jesus are God’s workmanship and have been created for good works, which were prepared beforehand.  In fact, when we read the first three verses of Ephesians, chapter two, which lead on to what we have just read, we see that there is quite a distinction between those who are saved and those who are not saved:

• You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (Eph. 2:1-3)

The picture becomes clearer that we were children destined for wrath while we were walking in the ways of evil, but because we have exercised faith towards God and responded to His kindness towards us, and accepted the Heavenly Gift, we have a place in Christ Jesus that we might walk in the good works that were prepared beforehand.

Yet people insist that we are saved by grace alone and, once we acknowledge this, there is nothing more to do in respect to salvation. Now if we are saved by grace alone, we can virtually do whatever we like, without regard for what is right or wrong. Only as we can see from the text quoted from Ephesians, chapter two, this is not the case. Whereas we were dead in our transgressions, we have been made alive, if we have faith in Jesus Christ, for we have been made alive together with Him. If we are now with Jesus Christ and sitting in Heavenly places, then we are no longer doing sinful deeds. The flesh no longer has control over us. This is very clear, because we read that we once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing what we desired. This is contrary to what is taught by those who claim that we are saved by grace alone.

Those who claim we are saved by grace alone like to quote part-texts that deny the power of God in our lives and express unbelief in the idea that all things are possible in Christ. Surprisingly, this expression of unbelief is heard also among those who claim that all things are possible in Jesus our Lord. There is no difference if their statement is one of unbelief, because this originates from the same psychological and spiritual reasons pertaining to rebelliousness and doubt. Consequently, the teaching of salvation by grace alone and its accompanying doctrines are pervasive and found across all sections of those groupings that reject Calvinism—the Protestant source of this teaching. In so doing, the Devil has the advantage over people, who otherwise would most probably be victorious in Jesus but are not.

Repentance Means Departure From Wickedness

Two portions of Scripture that are often quoted to justify continuing in sin among the saved-by-grace-alone adherents are the following:

• “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says Yahweh. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Is. 55:8-9)

• For I don’t know what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. But if what I don’t desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good.  So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good. For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice. But if what I don’t desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.  I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present. For I delight in God’s law after the inward man,  but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. (Romans 7:15-23)

At first glance, these two passages seem to present a hopeless view. Consequently, many people feel they have a get out of jail free card and interpret the above Scripture along the following lines: Since we are all condemned to sin, we have no power over sin; therefore, as our thoughts are not God’s thoughts because of the sin that dwells in us, we will never change; we will always sin. Translated, this means, I enjoy my sin and, so what if I do sin, I can say sorry and know that I am saved. God knows our weaknesses and my particular weakness happens to be the sin that I enjoy doing the most.

This is also known as the “once saved, always saved” position. All we have to do to be saved is say that we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and we are saved. In fact, the Scripture where this is found actually says:

• They said, “Believe in [on-KJV] the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)

Based on this text, some people argue that once the head of the house believes in the Lord Jesus Christ by making his decision to do so, then everyone else is saved. Also, the case for the removal of original sin and salvation through infant baptism is argued from this text. However, we know that this cannot be true if each one of us has to individually make our own decision, whether to seek the truth or not, including infants—which is very difficult for infants to do. Anyone can decide to reject Jesus later in life; many do, and become atheists or Buddhists. Nevertheless, many people who think they are saved have been born into households where they have been baptized as babies, or young children, because of their parent’s decision. Members of organized crime gangs believe this, and they see nothing wrong in what they are doing when they cheat, rob, beat, intimidate and murder innocent members of the community. Once these people have been baptized by the church, they believe they are saved regardless what they do. This is the deception of the doctrine of “once saved, always saved”. Moreover, many teenagers have rejected Jesus, even though they were told they were Christians, having been baptized or christened as children.

In respect to the Evangelicals—who believe in being once saved, always saved—this accompanies adult baptism, and is seen as a decision that an adult makes. Oddly enough, those who believe this teaching usually believe that God predestined some to be saved and others to be condemned before the foundation of the world. One variation to this teaching is found not only among other Evangelicals but also Pentecostal congregations, where individuals believe that those who are saved were chosen before the foundation of the world but they, nevertheless, have to make a decision to come to Jesus, in order to be saved—which is contradictory. If one is chosen before the foundation of the world to be saved, then there would be no need to go through the process of being saved. Those that adhere to this idea do not see the contradiction; they see themselves as special—in other words, chosen, and better people than others, even if they will not admit it.

The idea that we are saved by grace alone is central to the doctrine of “Once Saved, Always Saved”, for these people like to claim they sin because they cannot help it, and they are saved because God chose them before the foundation of the world. In other words, they have no choice in what they do; they are not responsible for their actions. Consequently, murderous thugs who rape and pillage communities—people like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Idi Amin, Pol Pot—and many more, who are responsible for the slaughter of millions of people and other horrific crimes, are not responsible for their actions. They could have been saved once, and, if they were, they have always been saved. Besides this, if they are sinners, they are not responsible for their actions. We know this idea does not sound correct and, because of this, something has to be wrong with any theology proposed along the lines of no accountability also means no responsibility.

Everyone Is Accountable

The Ten Commandments tell us that God will hold each person accountable for taking His name in vain. This is why we need to understand the Ten Commandments in order to interpret the Bible correctly. The Ten Commandments are the only words written by God Himself. The Lord God has not written any other Scripture—. This tells us that authority of the Ten Commandments holds a higher position in respect to the rest of the Bible. Jesus confirmed this when He stated:

• Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)

Most Christians will tell you that the Sermon on the Mount supersedes the Law of Moses. Yet these two verses are from the Sermon on the Mount. These verses say that Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets, but the Law will not pass away. The inspirational writings of the prophets have been given less authority than the Law. This does not mean the writings of the prophets are not authoritative, rather that they bear witness to the only Law written by God’s Finger, and the Lord God Himself, Creator of the Universe. The implication is that outside of the constraints of the Law, the prophets cannot be understood. In other words, when putting the jigsaw puzzle of biblical truths together, the Law forms the perimeter, and if we understand it, the rest of the truths will be easier to comprehend. More to the point, the Ten Commandments are the plumb line by which everything can be accurately measured. Therefore, accurate knowledge of the Ten Commandments is essential, if we are to grow in the truth of God’s written word. Furthermore, we discover that learning to distinguish good from evil is what occurs when we grow spiritually from feasting upon the milk of the word, as instructed in the book of Hebrews:

• For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food; for every one who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14)

Training our faculties through practice to distinguish good from evil involves understanding the moral code of the Ten Commandments. Many people claim to be teachers of God’s word but lack the skill to discern the word of righteousness; they may not recognize whether they are speaking the truth or falsehood. This leads to contradictory teachings, such as Limited Atonement, which asserts that Jesus died only for some individuals. If this were true, it would effectively deny Him the right to judge everyone. Another example is the doctrine of Total Depravity, which suggests that humans lack free will and are akin to robots. These ideas are part of five propositions known by the acronym TULIP, which some claim to be biblical truths. These doctrines are problematic because they support the belief in “once saved, always saved”. If salvation is solely by grace, it implies that we have no free will or choice in the matter; everything is preordained."

Those of us, who seek the truth, recognize that these teachings are false because there are so many statements within the Bible that refute these propositions. At the same time, though, by ignoring the contradicting texts that refute these propositions of man-made philosophy, a body of knowledge is presented as theology, which for some makes sense and explains what is happening around the world. Tragically, many of the attributes of the Devil are attributed to the Lord God, Creator of the Universe. Yet those who put forward these propositions claim they are exalting our Heavenly Father, because they refer to Scripture that does this; but the truth is they do the opposite and the name of Lord Jesus Christ is blasphemed because of them; as their teaching produces pitiful people, who lack faith and conviction in the truths of God, who are incapable of bringing forth fruit that glorifies the name of our Heavenly Father.

A Route To Deception

Understanding the essence of religion provides us with insights as to why these people become caught in the web of deceit that they think is actually a tapestry of Gospel truths.  Like everything else, depending upon the first premise, the rest of the logic will stand or fall. If we reject the truth, we are building on sand. When it comes to religion, if we understand that there are three phases in the human quest and these are identifiable in any form of religious expression directed towards the eternal realm, then what Jesus has to say simply confirms the validity of the three phases. Jesus said:

• I am the way, the truth, and the Life (John 14:6)

Simply put, we can say that the way to life is through the truth. The ideal is life—whereas death is the cessation of life. The means of attaining life is practicing truth. The way is the rejection of what we know is evil, even though it may be permissible according to worldly philosophy.

A Conversion Event

In the following scenario, let us consider ourselves onlookers and, as such, we notice that people congregate together to sing hymns and songs and listen to a person speak about what is in a book, then we make the assumption that this is how they practice their spiritual expression towards the Eternal One. Out of curiosity, we ask some of them what they are doing. They inform us, “You can do this, too, if you believe on the Lord Jesus.”

We enquire into what it is they mean exactly about believing on Jesus Christ, and we are provided with the following texts from the Bible:

• These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)

• By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. (1 John 4:2)

• Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him. (1 John 5:1)

• Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:15)

• If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)

• For even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (Ephesians 2:5)

• They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)

We are told that believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is the same as being born again, and are shown the following Scripture:

• Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born again, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”    Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”    Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom! That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:3-7)

Furthermore, we are told, we need to be baptized in water because this is what being born of water means. To help us, we are shown the following passage of how people are baptized in water once they are saved:

• He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”    They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house.    He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God. (Acts 16:29-34)

Having read the above, we see how easy it is to be saved and see nothing wrong with this. Once we have been baptized in water, having said that we believe that Jesus was sent by God in the flesh and we believe God raised Him from the dead, we are then shown the following text:

• Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love; having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,  to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,  in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,  which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him  to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him; in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will; to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ: in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14)

We are told that we now possess the Holy Spirit because we have been water baptized and were chosen before the foundation of the world to be members of the body of Christ.  In what we have been presented with, there is no evidence of any contradiction. We are obviously chosen and now we are members of the church and entitled to privileges (whatever they might be). Eager to embrace this newfound rationale for existence that presents a sound and distinct basis for a belief in salvation being only possible in the resurrection of the dead, we want to learn more about what the Bible has to say.

We are told the Bible is the Word of God and, more than this, is alive and active. We are shown the following texts to support this contention:

• Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

• For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

• Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)

So far, so good. Especially, now that we have been shown these texts and we have been told the Bible is alive and active. We have it on good authority that the Bible is the living word of God and is able to save us. Better still, by studying the word of God, we will be approved of God.

When people are looking for something to make sense of life, they could end up belonging to any religious group. Once people are shown a theology that makes sense to them, and they accept it, correcting error is difficult to do. A person might become a scientologist, a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Jew or an atheist, providing the argument for the worldview that he or she is presented with appears to make plausible sense. Much depends upon the reason the person is open to learning a system of thought. In fact, I know a Jehovah Witness, a wonderful woman, who found a purpose in life by looking to God. We are all the same, and sometimes seeking the truth has its difficulties and obstacles. The easiest thing for us to do is to succumb to the Devil rather than overcome obstacles that prevent us increasing our faith in the only true God, through His Son, Lord Jesus Christ.

In the above illustration, the following is laid out, which makes sense to most people:

·         Observation and Inquiry: We have onlookers observing a community engaged in worship, which sets the stage for curiosity and exploration of faith.

·         Scriptural Foundation: The use of specific Bible verses to explain concepts like belief in Jesus, being "born again," and the necessity of baptism provides a solid theological basis for the beliefs being discussed.

·         Understanding Salvation: The narrative emphasizes the simplicity of the message of salvation and the steps involved, such as belief, baptism, and receiving the Holy Spirit.

·         Community and Privilege: The idea of being part of a community (the church) and the privileges that come with it is an important aspect of many faith traditions, highlighting the relational aspect of faith.

·         The Bible as Living Word: The assertion that the Bible is the Word of God and is alive and active reinforces the importance of Scripture in the life of believers and their spiritual growth.

·         Desire for Further Learning: The excitement about wanting to learn more reflects a genuine interest in deepening one's understanding of faith, which is a common experience for many who embark on a spiritual journey.

In the above presentation, we are told that we are saved by grace. The next step will be to study the living word of God and be presented with propositions masquerading as truth. We will accept them because we have accepted what we have been told so far. We will be told that our thoughts and ways are not God’s and we will always be sinners, wicked to the core. We will be repeatedly taught the following texts apply to us:

• The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil. (Genesis 6:5)

• The Lord smelled the pleasant aroma. The Lord said in his heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake because the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. I will never again strike every living thing, as I have done. (Genesis 8:21)

• The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

We are told all of the world is condemned to Hell, except us, because we have been chosen by grace to be saved through Jesus Christ. This choice was made before the foundation of the world and we have no freewill. Our heart is deceitfully wicked and if it had not been for God’s grace, we too would face a Christ-less eternity; but being special, we belong to the chosen.

Essentially we have been taught about the evil nature of the world and humanity. We understand that only the elect can see the light and look to God through Jesus Christ. We have been informed that the blood of Jesus paid the ransom to take away the sin of the world. Furthermore, we learn that all who respond to God’s irresistible grace are saved. Our election to salvation is demonstrated by our perseverance until the end through good deeds. While we may still sin, it is important to remember that all our sins have been paid for on the Cross.

In theory, we accept what we are told and believe the following:

1.        Evil World (everybody is utterly evil)

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2.        SALVATION (call of the elect)

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3.        HUMAN RESPONSE (acknowledge Jesus atonement on the Cross)

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4.        GRACE  (daily prayer, Bible Study, renewing the mind)

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5.        GOOD WORKS (perseverance to demonstrate evidence of true faith)

        

In reality, what we initially believe is actually different to what we experience. For this is how the process of conversion and ultimate belief progresses:

1.        God's Initiative of Grace

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2.        Human Intellectual Response

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3.        Assumed Salvation

                        ↓

4.        Expected Good Works

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5.        Intellectual Assent (Mental Agreement)

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6.        Persistent Struggle with Sin (accepted as normal)

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7.        Clinging More Tightly to "Grace Alone"

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8.        No Deep Transformation

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9.        False Sense of Security

Surprisingly, these teachings even permeate Pentecostal thinking because adherents from their congregations attend Bible seminaries that promote the teachings that have been highlighted on this page. In fact, these teachings are even found among those who attend Evangelical churches that do not adhere to the TULIP propositions.

The reason that doctrines based on the above Scripture are found throughout Christendom is that without thinking too deeply they seem to make sense. Man is corrupt. Evil seems to be lurking just around the corner. Philosophers, politicians and business executives, the so-called wise in the world, do not have the answers to life. There are many different people claiming authority, but the Bible has a history that is remarkable, and even though many have tried to destroy it, the book has survived to be the best selling of all books. In a world of confusion, the Bible provides a basis for hope that goes beyond anything man can offer. It is also a truism that most people will confess to their human weaknesses and, therefore, will identify with the Apostle Paul’s description of his struggle with sin in chapter seven of the book of Romans. Once people accept all of these things, they will accept whatever they are taught by those who supposedly know more than they do. The pastor in most instances will teach the doctrines of their denomination and they will be accepted as the truth without questioning. Intellectually, instead of human atheistic philosophy, people accept human philosophy dished up as truth-revealing theology, because it sounds plausible, and seemingly makes sense in regards to our natural experience of life in this world—appealing to our narcissistic sense of being special.

The theology of saved by grace is actually a philosophy that is proposed by people who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ but believe the Bible to be the Living Word of God. They do not believe the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a valid experience for today; and neither do they believe that the gifts of the Spirit are real. These people, tragically, have swallowed a camel while straining a gnat (Matthew 23:24). They are usually strong on correct belief, but lacking in the evidence of the Holy Spirit. Yet, their doctrines are found among those who major on the Holy Spirit as an essential part of the Christian experience. The reason we find these teachings among those who talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit is because they are still largely in the world and, although they are on the way to eternal life, they still need to grow in the truth, if they are to secure it.

What intellectuals like to call propositional truths are not truth. They are concepts that have been formulated to defend a belief system against other humanistic philosophical propositions that deny God. The truth is that which sets us free from sin. Only experiential truth sets us free, not so-called propositional truths. Experiential truth comes from the Holy Spirit, whereas propositional truths are not truths at all, but concepts developed and proposed by intellectuals. People believing they are Christians, unfortunately, fall prey to the philosophies of men that deny Jesus Christ as the One and Only Living Word of God, and commit the sin of idolatry.

That even those who call themselves Christians fall prey to these propositional truths and find themselves committing the sin of idolatry may seem a weird allegation, as we shall see, this is actually what happens; for idolatry comes in many forms. Anything that we put before Lord Jesus Christ is idolatry. Jesus said that the way to life is narrow and few it is that find it (Matthew 7:13-14). One of the reasons few find the way to life is they are sidetracked by deceptions of the Devil. These deceptions come in various forms, and they all constitute idolatry.  The Devil is not going to sidetrack anyone with something that is scary and obvious. Instead, he will be deceptive and use subtle means to lead us away from the truth. Uneducated people might worship wooden idols. People into art might delight in drawings, paintings, statues, and other art forms to illustrate their beliefs; but these become stumbling blocks for people as they begin to use them as faith aids. Education provides a major stumbling block for people, because those within the educational system are programmed to learn information, but not necessarily learn to think as critically as they might imagine they do. For this reason, they are easily fooled, and many who enter the (so-called) educational system lose their belief in the existence of the Creator.  Those who believe in the Christian message of once saved, always saved, which is the most popular of the various gospel messages among intellectuals, are attracted to the accompanying propositional truths. Intellectually, they like the idea that they possess a body of knowledge based upon the Bible; only it is not the truth, but a system of human theology. These people talk about God, possess a form of religion, but lack the power to live a victorious life over sin. To quote the Amplified Bible:

• For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them]. (2 Timothy 3:5 AMP)

Many people consciously acknowledge the reality of God and are trying their best to reconcile their inner recognition of right and wrong with the thoughts that accuse them of wrongdoing, while believing they are saved. Like the Apostle Paul, they will acknowledge that they have an inner battle, where they succumb to temptation and do things they are ashamed of other people knowing, but they just cannot help themselves. They excuse themselves and assert that the grace of God saves them; therefore, they are not accountable for their actions. Sadly, they are often quick to judge others. Often, some of these will delight in some public cause, such as fighting abortion or euthanasia or same-sex marriage laws or other concerns that they believe are condemned as ungodly within the Bible.  Some of them will even have good-works programs; where they feed the poor, or run a second hand bazaar, using donated goods. In fact, just like other tertiary educated persons, they feel they have a need to do something useful in the community, except they do so in the name of the Church they attend, rather than in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. Some will even think of doing missionary work, using their professional skills within the medical field or as teachers, pilots and maybe engineers for the betterment of the third world communities. Their message to the world is, “We are saved by grace, but you must be born again, this is not something done of yourself, but the gift of God.” In many cases, the message is muted because the adherents do not live up to the true salvation message and, since only those who have been chosen before the world are to be saved, there is really no need to actively reach out to people or expect God to demonstrate His power in their lives.

To truly be saved by the grace of God means to be living in His unmerited favor. This does not mean that this favor is applied only to those whom He elected before the foundation of the world to the exclusion of any other; whom He chose to consign to sin. If we are living in God’s unmerited favor, this means that we have nothing to boast about; for we are merely resting in the Spirit of God. We have ceased striving to enter God’s rest; because, having found it, we now rely upon this grace to execute faith.

The aim of religion is to find the ideal life: one that frees us from the cares and anxieties of the world and provides the answers to life’s existence. The means by which we attain to the ideal has to be effective. The doctrine of Irresistible Grace sounds good, but we are told in the Bible that we need to strive, that is, diligently seek to enter God’s rest, so we can have rest (Hebrews 4:10-11). Once we have entered God’s rest, then, if we are living our lives in accordance to the Divine will and purpose of our Creator, we are walking in His grace—the unmerited favor of our Heavenly Father. In this sense, we have been saved by grace; it is the gift of God, the inheritance that is ours in Lord Jesus Christ. For once we have arrived at the place where we have attained to the ideal, having been finally saved, we are always saved. There is no longer any struggle. We are at rest: we possess the peace that passes all understanding. Indeed, it is true that once we are actually saved, we are always saved. The question we need to ask, though: Am I truly saved?

We can be sure that we are saved when we enter God’s rest. This is what the Bible states:

• So then, there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God; for whoever enters God’s rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, that no one fall by the same sort of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:9-11 ESV)

However, if the Bible instructs us to strive to enter God’s rest, then any teaching that opposes this cannot be true. That we lack freewill opposes the idea of striving to enter God’s rest; therefore, the idea of not possessing freewill has to be human philosophy. That we are among the chosen, who were saved by grace as part of the elect before the foundation of the world, opposes the idea of having the option of choosing whether or not we will strive to enter God’s rest; consequently, it is nothing but human philosophy. Philosophical teaching of any kind masquerading as theological truth can only be a doctrine of the Devil designed to lead people astray from Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Way to the Truth that leads to Life.

If Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—died for all, we may even ask the question: In what sense does the grace of God extend to all? The evidence from the Scriptures appears to be that all represents everyone in the whole world, but this does not mean all will be made alive to live forever.

• For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all; the testimony in its own times. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

• And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. (1 John 2:2)

• Namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19)

• For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died. He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

• But we see him who has been made a little lower than the angels, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:9)

Although not everyone enters into eternal life, the Scriptures clearly teach that Christ Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for ALL meaning for the entire world. God was reconciling the world to Himself through Christ. By dying for all, He tasted death for everyone, not just for a select few. This truth is undeniable, yet those who distort the Scriptures often reject what is stated in the five verses mentioned above.

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