IS REFORM NEEDED IN TODAY'S CHURCH?
Is the church holding onto false doctrines?
Yes, to both questions. People are calling for REVIVAL in the church but I believe we need REFORM. The place to start is by tearing down two harmful false doctrines which are widely believed in the church.
What are some false doctrines in the church?
- False doctrine #1: Salvation is granted at the point of conversion, when one prays the sinner's prayer.
- False doctrine #2: You cannot lose your salvation.
These two false doctrines make it difficult for believers to understand the plain meaning of some Scriptures. It also makes it difficult for believers to reach Christian maturity. Plus, the two doctrines combined can make a person think Heaven is 'locked-in' for them even if they backslide later.
HOW AND WHEN IS SALVATION GRANTED?
Why do New Testament writers focus on how we turn out at the end?
The Judgement comes after this life, after we die. It's true that in this life, we can be enrolled in Jesus' school of righteousness and receive power from the Holy Spirit to resist sin, but salvation ultimately depends on how we turn out in the end. Salvation is determined at death.
If one believes salvation is granted in this life, that leads to a horrifying concern: Can one LOSE their salvation, never to regain it? But if salvation is not granted until we die, then we can't lose what we don't yet have. Rather than worry about that prospect, we can simply continue to live in a way pleasing to God, just like the apostles encourage us to do. If at some time we stumble spiritually, then the only thing to do is repent and get back on the path of righteousness.
CAN A CHRISTIAN LOSE THEIR SALVATION?
Can you lose your salvation?
As explained above, you cannot lose what you don't yet have. But, yes, you can certainly miss out on salvation if you don't live as God wants you to. Where to begin? Let's start with Paul's strong warning to the Corinthian believers:
Consider the context: Paul was warning BELIEVERS.
Next, let's consider how Hebrews Chapter 5 criticizes believers who fail to progress toward maturity:
Consider the context: The writer of Hebrews had just brought up the topic of obedience in verses 8-9: "Although he [Jesus] was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who OBEY him." (Hebrews 5:8-9). Then he brought up the subject of righteousness. As Paul wrote in Romans, becoming a slave to obedience leads to righteousness (see Romans 6:16).
The writer of Hebrews then goes on to warn believers about falling away:
To drive home the point, the writer of Hebrews makes a great analogy between salvation and farming:
In plain language, the writer is saying: It is how we turn out at the end that decides our salvation.
To gain a fresh perspective which makes it easier to detect false doctrine, let's take a look at the Gospel.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
Why is the Gospel called 'good news'?
First, a quick summary of the Gospel message:
- There is life after death. (Most people would consider that good news.)
- Good people go to Heaven, bad people go to Hell.
- God offers a way for bad people to become good: forgiveness for past sins and cleansing to avoid future sins. (That certainly is good news!)
- Forgiveness and cleansing only come by following Jesus and obeying his commands.
Now for a longer explanation.
The Gospel is the full message brought to us by John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.
In Luke 3, John the Baptist touched on the first three points above when he spoke to the crowd:
Baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire??! What is baptism again?
First, you need to understand that baptism, as practiced in John's day, was a ritual cleansing. It symbolized cleaning the person by immersing them in water. In this passage, John was saying the Messiah would cleanse people with the Holy Spirit and fire. And that is the truth: (1) believers are cleansed by the Holy Spirit when they are born again, and (2) believers are also purified by the threat of Hell.
You say believers aren't supposed to be afraid of Hell? Then why does the Apostle John write the following? "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgement, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:16-18)
John is saying: If we are living in love, then we don't have to fear Hell because we are living like Jesus in this world. But if we aren't living in love, then we have good reason to still be afraid of Hell.
John the Baptist also touched on the fourth point above in this passage from John:
What does it mean to take away sins?
It's important to point out that taking away sin is different from mere forgiveness. The Gospel is more than forgiveness: it is the removal of ongoing sin. John explains this is one of his letters:
What is biblical righteousness?
Now here is THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT: The righteousness God looks for in Christians is performance-based (actions and words). John warns us about this in the same passage:
NOTE: If you don't have access to a Bible, here is a link to Biblica's online Bible. Many languages are available. There is even an audio Bible.
OBEDIENCE
Obedience is not 'Salvation by Works' nor is it optional
One word you don't hear much in churches nowadays is obedience. After all, if we are saved by grace, how does obedience come into the picture?
Turns out obedience is a requirement for salvation. Before I go further, you might be saying, "You're preaching salvation by works!" However, obedience is not works. Salvation by works is when we try to repay our sin debt with noble deeds of our choosing (e.g., big donations, promote a good cause). Obedience, on the other hand, means we stop incurring more sin debt, while relying on Jesus' sacrifice to cover the sin debt already incurred. Let's look at what Scripture says about obedience:
What does Scripture say about obedience?
- "To obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22).
- Paul says, "...we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith" (Romans 1:5). Given the threat of Hell for disobedience, faith drives us to obedience.
- The writer of Hebrews says, "...he [Jesus] became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him..." (Hebrews 5:9).
- John writes, "We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands" (1 John 2:3).
- At the Last Supper, Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23). If you are wondering when the Holy Spirit enters a Christian's life, it is after some measure of obedience.
- At the opening of his first letter, Peter says, "To God's elect, ...who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood..." (1 Peter 1:1-2).
Obedience is part and parcel of salvation. I'm tired of hearing parents say of their wayward adult children, "They aren't serving the Lord right now, but I know they're saved."
Something more about obedience: Continued obedience means that God's reward to believers will based in justice, for the writer of Hebrews says: "God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them" (Hebrews 6:10).
If you are wondering at this point how salvation by grace fits into the picture: (1) God's grace is absolutely necessary because we cannot pay for our sins; (2) God is not under any obligation with grace — it can be offered, and it can be withdrawn; (3) part of God's grace, I believe, is granting faith to someone in the first place. Acts 18:27 says, "[Apollos] was a great help to those who by grace had believed." Think about it: It is impossible for anyone to manufacture faith if they don't already have it, and it is nearly impossible to sway someone else toward belief. We either believe, or we don't. One sign of God's grace in someone's life, I believe, is belief in God.
