As I was watching a sporting event on television last night, I found myself getting caught up in the promotion of the participants.
One of my failings.
As the participants entered the area of competition I noticed written on the bottom of one of the combatants tee- shirt were the words JESUS SAVES,, alright! I thought here is a person who while he may not be allowed to promote his faith in a bold way, at least has had the fore thought to display it in smaller fashion on the bottom of his shirt.
His paying sponsors, as is customary, were boldly displayed across his chest and back for all to see.
As the camera panned in closer, to my dismay I noticed the word AT directly after JESUS SAVES, and shortly thereafter he removed his shirt and in the same plane that JESUS SAVES AT was written, on his shorts, was an advertisement for dot com establishment that deals in items used by some during the act of sex.
I was very disappointed, at realizing what had just happened,,,I was duped into thinking that here was someone worth celebrating, who would display his faith, but instead what had happened was that I realized that this man, if he knew Jesus at all, was acquainted with a Jesus that I do not know.
JESUS SAVES AT C-----D----.com
Shame on him, and
shame on me for watching such a display of heresy.The body of Christ is in a struggle for its very integrity, it is warring against those who claim that they know and serve the Christ of the Bible, yet based upon their lifestyles they surely have never truly named Him as Lord.
They cling to a sola fide (in faith alone) doctrine that concludes that there is no need for a committed life of Christian discipleship having been deceived by satan and by men who teach such untruth.
The terms bantered about include “easy believeism” or as some say “greasy grace.”
They have confused justification-the one time act of being declared righteous by God- with sanctification- the lifelong process by which the justified believer is conformed to the true image of Christ.
Those who call salvation by faith “easy believeism” have missed the fact that true conversion will always result in sanctification and a life of good works, along with a desire for holiness.
The Bible is very clear that salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
No other way.
The essenence of this doctrine is found in (Ephesians 2:8-9) “For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift from God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”
So in that, we can see that faith as a gift given from God, is what leads us into salvation.
But the very next verse tells of the results of that salvation.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has fore ordained that we should walk in them.”
Rather than being saved by some easy act of our own wills, we are saved by the hand of God Almighty, by His will and for His use.
We become His servants, and from the very moment of salvation by faith, we embark on a journey of pre-ordained good works that are the evidence of that salvation.
If there is no evidence of growth and good works, we have reason to doubt that salvation ever truly took place.
“Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20) and a dead faith is not a living saving faith.
Faith alone does not mean that some believers follow Christ in a life of discipleship, while others do not.
The “others” here refer to a separate category of believer known as “carnal Christian” a completely unscriptural concept.
Believers in the idea of the carnal Christian say that a person may receive Christ as Savior during a time of decision or religious experience, but never manifests any evidence of a changed life.
Here again is a false and dangerous teaching.
It provides a convenient excuse for a person who does not truly want to follow Christ.
Such a person is lulled into a false sense of security thinking that they have eternal life.
Nowhere in the Bible will we find support for the idea that a true Christian can remain in carnality for an entire lifetime.
Rather the Bible presents only two categories of people, Christians, and non-Christians, believers and unbelievers, those who have bowed to the Lordship of Christ Jesus and those who have not, please examine the following verses (John 3:36, Romans 6:17-18, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 5:18-24, Ephesians 2:1-5, 1 John 1:5-7: and 2:3-4).
While the security of a believers salvation is a biblical fact based upon the finished work of salvation through Jesus Christ, it is certainly true that some of those who seemed to have “made a decision” or “accepted Christ” may not genuinely be saved.
Those who continue to walk in the flesh, being unrepentant of a life of sin and iniquity are not believers.
That is why Paul exhorts us all to “examine yourselves to see if you are truly in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
The “carnal” Christian who examines himself will see that they are not in the faith, that they claim.
(James 2:19) says, “ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!”
The type of “belief” demons have can be compared to the intellectual assent made by those who “believe” in Jesus only in the fact that He exists.
Many unbelievers in Christ will state that “I believe in God,” or “I believe in Jesus,” or perhaps some might say, “I prayed a prayer and the preacher said I was saved.”
The glaring problem is the word believe.
With true salvation , comes true repentance and evidence of a change of lifestyle.
(2 Corinthians 5:17) tells us that whenever we are in Christ, we become a new creation.
Is it possible then that a new creation continues to walk in the way of rebellion and sinful disobedience?
I contend that it is not.
Salvation is truly free to mankind.
The price was paid long ago, and the price was beyond measure.
Salvation cost Him, it should cost us everything, as we die to self will, and allow the Holy Spirit to make us into the image of Christ.
Salvation is a free gift from the Father, to those who will believe, but discipleship and obedience are the response and responsibility which will without doubt occur whenever one truly comes to Christ in faith.
