2 Peter 2:1-3 ESV
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
We are warned in the Scriptures multiple times about false prophets
or teachers, some (or all) of whom come to us in sheep’s clothing but who are
ravenous wolves. Many of these false teachers have arisen and they are leading
many people astray. And because lawlessness has increased, the love of many has
grown cold. Now these false teachers are thieves and robbers who come only to
steal and kill and destroy, and they are among us.
And they are secretly bringing into the gatherings of the
church (or what is falsely called church) many destructive heresies which are
leading the people who follow them straight to hell on the promise of salvation
from sin and of eternal life with God. But the people who follow them are so
deceived that their eyes are blinded to the truth, and many of them will not
even consider that they are being deceived and that they are believing lies and
not truth.
And many people are following their sensuality. For they are
teaching them that they can “believe” (not defined) in Jesus and have all their
sins forgiven and that they can be guaranteed heaven as their eternal destiny
regardless of how they live on this earth. Now, if we are truly in Christ, by
God-given faith in Jesus Christ, we do have the assurance of heaven as our
eternal destiny but provided that we continue in that faith steadfast until the
end.
[2 Co 11:13-15; Php 3:2; Matt 7:15-23; Matt 24:11-14; John
10:1-15; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 Tim 1:3-7; 1 Tim 6:3-10; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:3-23; Jn 8:31-32;
Jn 15:1-12; Rom 11:17-24; 1 Co 15:2; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 3:6,14-15;
2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; 1 Jn 2:24-25]
But this faith is not a feeling or an intellectual
acknowledgment of who Jesus is and of what he did for us on that cross. And it
is not a mere acceptance of God’s love and grace and forgiveness if there is no
repentance, no dying with Christ to sin, and no being resurrected with him to
walk in newness of life in him in holiness and in righteousness in obedience to
our Lord. For Jesus said that if we want to come after him we must deny self
and take up our cross daily (daily die to sin) and follow (obey) him (Luke 9:23-26).
What the Scriptures teach us is that the righteous
requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who WALK not according to the flesh
but according to the Spirit, for if we walk (in conduct, in practice) according
to the flesh and not according to the Spirit we will die in our sins. We will
not inherit eternal life with God. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to
him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter into the kingdom of heaven but only the one DOING
the will of God the Father who is in heaven (Romans 8:1-14; Matthew 7:21-23).
So, what we must understand here is that the Scriptures do
not teach a one-time faith for a one-time salvation which then permits us to
live however we want but which still promises us heaven when we die. The
Scriptures teach a faith which is a present reality in our lives and is ongoing
which is shown to be genuine by what we do in obedience to our Lord and which
continues until the end. And it teaches a salvation which is ongoing and which
will not be complete until Jesus returns for his bride.
So, when these charlatans tell you that you can “believe” in
Jesus, have all your sins forgiven, and that heaven is guaranteed you
regardless of how you live your life, not only are they lying to you, and not
only are they then leaving you still dead in your sins, but they are cursing
you to eternity in hell while they are promising you heaven. So if you follow them,
you are following their sensuality, for you are choosing to remain in your
sins.
For the Scriptures teach that if anyone teaches a different
doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and
the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and
understands nothing. And we are to be children of God who test the spirits to
see whether or not they are of God. And the way we test what we are hearing is
against the Scriptures taught IN CONTEXT. And we really need to read all of the
New Testament so that we know what they teach in full context.
But then you will hear people say that we are saved by God’s
grace through faith and that this is not of ourselves, it is not of our works
lest we should boast. True. We can only come to faith in Jesus Christ if God
the Father first draws us to Christ, i.e. if he first persuades us as to his
holiness and righteousness and of our sinfulness, and of our need to turn from
our sins and to follow Jesus in obedience to his commands. And Jesus is the
author and the perfecter of our faith, so our faith will align with God’s will.
Also our faith is gifted to us by God so our faith is not of
ourselves, so we can’t decide what that faith should look like, either. So
there we study the Scriptures and we learn what they teach about faith, and
what they teach about faith is that it is proved genuine by our actions. Faith
without works is dead. For we are the Lord’s workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in
them (Eph 2:8-10; cf. Titus 2:11-14; Eph 4:17-24; 1 John 2:3-6; James 2:14-26).
So, don’t be led astray by the lies. Because of these false
teachers the way of truth is being blasphemed. They are filling people’s minds
with the notion that they can keep on in deliberate and habitual sin against
God and against other humans and that heaven will still be their eternal
destiny. But the Scriptures teach that if sin is our practice, and if
righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, that we will NOT
inherit eternal life with God. So we need to take this to heart.
[Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Pet 2:24;
1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Jas 1:22-25; Rom 12:1-2; Jn 6:44; 2 Pet
1:1; 1 Co 15:58; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13;
Heb 10:26-27; Heb 12:1-2; Rom 2:6-8; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col
3:5-10; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
For
Our Nation
An
Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: we’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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