What’s It Like To Be a Christian?

I talk a lot about how the preTrib Rapture, Easy Grace, and Once Saved Always Saved doctrines are wrong.  I say that they preach ‘another gospel’ about ‘another Jesus’ and produce (so-called, self-professed) ‘Christians’ that are really more accurately called unconverted believers.  One such person recently (mockingly) asked me:

“So….how do you live exactly?? Do you know without a doubt where you would go if you died right now? or do you have some unconfessed sin in your life that wouldn’t allow you in heaven….like maybe anger that i detected in your last comment??If i believed the way you do along with catholics, coc, aog, and all the other RELIGIONS, i’d be repenting and trying to get saved every 5 min because i might say an idle word and Jesus could come or i could die the next second. No peace….”

First of all, unless one blasphemes the Holy Spirit, they are not going to ‘lose’ their salvation in 5 minutes.  ‘Lose your salvation’ is a term that this person uses, but I don’t like that term because it is misleading.  It gives the impression of a person setting something down and forgetting where they put it . . . or maybe that someone has taken it away.  It is a passive term that doesn’t convey any responsibility for what happened.  No one can separate us from God.  But we CAN separate ourselves from God.  Therefore, I believe it is more accurate to say that someone can FORFEIT their salvation.

God has given each of us free will, and that is not something that He takes away from us, once we become a Christian.  (Paul told of different people who had turned away from Christianity.  We ALWAYS have the option to stop living for God.)  Let me make it clear first, that if we are walking with Christ, his grace covers us from sins we commit without realizing.  His death covers all our sins, as long as we CONTINUE walking with Him.  But He doesn’t cover our sins if we turn away.  Now I’m not going to split hairs over what it means to turn away–how long a person can backslide without forfeiting their salvation.  That is a heart matter, and only God knows our hearts.  I DO know that we are warned in Scripture, many times, in many ways, to not turn away.

Free will is also why Satan works through deception.  He cannot SNATCH us out of God’s hand–no one can.  But if he can cause us to WALK AWAY of our own free will, and if we don’t turn back, then he has accomplished what he hoped for.  Make no mistake, God DOES allow our faith to be tested, to see if it is genuine.  Adam and Eve sinned, and the devil deceived them, but he was clever enough to be sure that the way he did it didn’t violate their free will, so they had to bear the blame.

Even though we have our own free will, when we become Christians we commit ourselves into God’s hands for safekeeping.  He will not let us slip away.  He will not cast us away because we commit a sin.  Once we become a Christian, His Spirit lives inside of us.  He will reason with us when we are struggling with sin.  He will give us the power to overcome it, and a way out of temptation.  He will warn us when we go wrong.  But if we don’t listen to His Spirit inside us, warning us, then we are guilty of willful sin.

When we sin willfully and don’t repent, God chastises us.  Every good father disciplines his children, God is no exception.  But if we remain stiffnecked and don’t repent, if we continue to ignore His discipline, eventually our heart becomes so hardened by sin that His Holy Spirit can no longer bring us to a place of remorse and repentance.  When we get to that point, our fate is sealed.  This is not something that happens in five minutes . . . maybe not even in five weeks, or five months.

Do I live in fear?  No.  In fact, it wasn’t until I realized that God loved me even when I was in the midst of my sin . . . and that He loved me enough that He would LET me walk away, if I really wanted to, that I really came to trust Him.  When I was still believing the false gospel and OSAS doctrine, I backslid more than once.  I can tell you from experience that I ALWAYS knew I was in danger.  It was THEN that I lived in fear, because the Holy Spirit clearly warned me of what was on the horizon

‘For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,   But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.’  (Hebrews 10:26-27)

With that misunderstanding hopefully out of the way, I will tell you what my life is like now . . .

I rarely think about, or speak about hell.  My personal belief is that trying to motivate people to love God by scaring them to death about hell only produces bad fruit.  God isn’t mocked.  He is looking for people who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth–not people who come to Him merely for a ‘get out of jail free card’.  But that’s another subject, perhaps for another post.

I walk in fellowship with God daily.  I pray all the time, about all sorts of things.  I feel strength, faith, and courage inside me, from the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Since I became a (fully converted) Christian, I am a new creation.  I have a new heart, and I have the mind of Christ.  I don’t spend my time being totally self-absorbed.  I don’t sin every five minutes.  (Incidentally, being angry is not a sin.  God is angry with the wicked every day.  Jesus was often angry with hypocrites.  Anger without cause is wrong.  Sinning because you’re angry isn’t excused.  But anger itself isn’t wrong.)

When I realize I have sinned (and it doesn’t take long, because the Holy Spirit lets me know), I repent.  I don’t repent because I’m scared of going to hell.  I repent because I hate sin.  I repent because I realize I’ve offended God.  I hate the break in fellowship that I feel, and knowing I’ve displeased Him.  Because I have a new heart, I don’t want to sin.  I hate the things God hates, and I love the things God loves.  I walk in peace–deep peace–daily, because I’m walking in the presence of God and know that we are in agreement.

Yes, I know without a doubt where I would go if I died now.  No, there’s no unconfessed, unforgiven sin in my life right now.  As I said before, when I sin, I know right away.  And when I know, I repent.  If the sin is a bad attitude or unforgiveness, sometimes I have to ask God to help me with it–and He does.  But I no longer try to hide my sins.  I know that God is my Father, who loves me–not some angry judge who’s waiting for me to mess up so He can reject me.  I know He wants to help me overcome my sins, and doesn’t condemn me for them when I confess and desire to turn away from them.

Although mainstream churchianity talks about  Christianity being a relationship, not a religion (and that is true), most mainstream ‘Christians’ don’t really know God.  They imagine they belong to a ‘God’ who doesn’t require much from them, and bends to their will.  The ‘God’ they suppose they have a relationship with, is a ‘God’ of their own making.  They reject the parts of the Bible that offend them.  They reject the parts of God’s character that they don’t understand, and they lack the fear of God.  They may believe SOME of what they know about Him, and they may desire the things that He provides, but most of them are unwilling to make the sacrifice that He requires. The biggest proof of all is that the image they are being conformed to (as evidenced by their actions and attitudes) is not the image of God.

No one comes to God standing on two feet with their pride and self-esteem intact.  Awe at the power, position, and holiness of God, and the realization of our sinfulness and unworthiness, drops us to our knees.  We come to Him broken and sorry.  We begin our walk with Him in humility, gratitude and repentance.  We continue it the same way.  Arrogance is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Neither is ‘self-esteem’.  Our worth is in Him, not in ourselves.  All our righteousness is as filthy rags.  That doesn’t just mean what we DO, but also who we ARE, in ourselves, without Him.  The strength and assurance I have now is not rooted in myself–it’s because I know who leads me by the hand.

We Are Not Married Yet!

Most of us know that marriage is a covenant.  We do not become married by being faithful . . . or by loving, honoring, and cherishing the other person.  To become married, we must enter into a covenant.

Likewise, becoming a Christian is entering into a covenant with God–a blood covenant.  We do not become a Christian by faithfully serving God, being devoted wholly to Him, or keeping His commandments.  We become a Christian by repenting and accepting Jesus’ blood, that was shed on our behalf.

But few would argue, that although we do not become married through faithfulness, or loving, honoring, and cherishing our spouse, that is how we remain married!  If we fail to do the things we have promised, we make the covenant of no effect.  The Scriptures make it clear that if we are not faithful to our spouse, unless they choose to forgive us and give us another chance, we have irretrievably broken the marriage covenant.

Likewise, although we do not become a Christian by faithfulness, and obedience to God’s commandments, that is how we remain in covenant with Him.  Although He hates divorce . . . although He is longsuffering and forgiving . . . if we break His covenant and fail to repent, we eventually reach the end of His grace.

Although a couple is not considered married until the covenant is entered through the proper ritual and before witnesses, from the time that a woman accepts the man’s proposal of marriage, the covenant is entered into, and its standards are expected to be upheld.  The engagement period is a probationary period, so to speak.

What wise person would proceed to marry someone who was unfaithful to them during the engagement period . . . or who became neglectful or abusive?  But, if they loved the other person very much, and had hopes that their behavior would change, they would postpone the marriage until they were certain that the other person had matured enough in character to be able to uphold the covenant.

If a wise and forgiving man loved a harlot very much, and wanted to have her as a loving, faithful wife, he would have a long engagement and would work with her (or have someone else work with her) to bring her to repentance, and to train her in the ways of faithfulness and love.

We are very much like that harlot, and the Lord is like a forgiving man who loves us very much.  But He is wise.  He knows that for us to have a marriage of love, faithfulness, and contentment, someone is going to have to work with us, to train us in the ways of righteousness and faithfulness.

While we are here on Earth, in these mortal bodies, we are engaged to our Lord.  When we become a Christian, we  have accepted His marriage proposal.  We know that He is longsuffering and forgiving . . . that He is committed to us . . . that He will do whatever He can do to mold us into a faithful, loving bride (but we have a role to play too).  But He is wise enough to know, that if we will not commit to being faithful and obedient to Him, there can not be an eternity of peace and love together.  If we prefer others to Him, we will not be content to be in covenant with Him alone for eternity.  If we do not share the same values . . . if we are not willing to be obedient to Him and accept His standards . . . then for us, an eternal covenant would be a prison.

The role of the Holy Spirit is to prepare us, during this engagement period.  He works in us daily, to bring us to repentance when we sin . . . to sanctify us  . . . to teach us to set ourselves apart in holiness for the Lord.  He works in us to teach us the ways of righteousness . . . to mold us, and to conform us to the image of God . . . that we might be a fitting bride for His Son.

‘ . . . even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.’  (Ephesians 5:25-27)

If we submit to the Holy Spirit, if we allow Him to work in us, He will see to it that we are ready . . . spotless and blameless . . . a beautiful bride who is prepared for her husband-to-be . . . when the wedding day arrives.

‘ . . . be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.’  (2 Peter 3:14)

People who believe that we are eternally saved the moment we profess our faith do not understand this essential process.  Although we are expected to uphold the covenant and live by obedience during our earthly ‘engagement’ period, we are not married yet.  To believe that we are now married to a perfect God, yet can live any way we please, is utter foolishness!  God is wise–He will not allow Himself to be unequally yoked!  Jesus is in no hurry.  There will be no wedding until the bride has been prepared!

If, rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us . . .  we begin resisting Him and fighting against Him . . . if we cease to uphold the covenant despite repeated pleading and warning from Him . . . we will eventually exceed the grace of God.  We will prove ourselves unfit to be His bride, and we will find ourselves on the outside, looking in, when the wedding takes place.

When The Mark Comes, DON’T TAKE IT!!

‘And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and WHOSOEVER RECEIVETH THE MARK of his name.’ (Revelation 14:9-11)

No matter how loving, understanding, gracious, tolerant, and forgiving you believe God to be–this one is NON-NEGOTIABLE! There is NO forgiveness, EVER, for those who take The Mark of the Beast. It doesn’t matter how good your reasons are. There is NO excuse that will get you off the hook if you take The Mark.

This is what God says is coming:

‘And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.’ (Revelation 13:16-17)

(The Bible doesn’t specify that it’s FOR buying and selling . . . it merely says you will not be allowed to buy or sell unless you have it. This may be added incentive, for people who are unwilling to take The Mark, for whatever its purpose is supposed to be. [A national healthcare i.d. maybe?])

‘ . . . In the world ye shall have tribulation . . . ‘ (John 16:33)

This is how Christians are expected to deal with the choice:

‘Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.’ (Revelation 14:12)

‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matthew 24:13)

We must continue to trust God, and obey Him. We must put our faith in God, and not sell out for money–no matter what. If you put your faith in money, don’t be surprised when God doesn’t come through for you.

‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. YE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON. (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13)

It’s one thing for Jesus to say that. It sounds good. We hear it and agree. But it goes in one ear and out the other!! Most people these days will not do, or say, what’s right if it endangers their job. Others do things that they KNOW are wrong because ‘I’ve got to make a living’.

Start practicing NOW to put God before money. IF you do–and ONLY IF you do–He promises to provide for all your needs.

‘But SEEK YE FIRST the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; AND ALL THESE THINGS shall be added unto you.’ (Matthew 6:33)

Have patience and faith, and be obedient. Put Him first, and God will provide all your needs, and comfort you in tribulation.

‘Blessed [be] God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation . . . For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

‘For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of [them] whose heart [is] perfect toward him. . . ‘  (2 Chronicles 16:9)

The Gospel, According to Satan

If the Lord has been opening your eyes to how Satan has been working for the last hundred years or so, then you’re probably familiar with his marketing campaign, because it hasn’t changed much since . . . oh . . . the Garden of Eden.

What he keeps promising is this: immortality and that you’ll be a god.  You’ll also recognize his slogan: ‘do as thou wilt’ (which has been repackaged and reworded from time to time).

What I find disturbing, is that he has managed to peddle his wares under the guise of ‘Christianity’.  He has a targeted marketing campaign, for people who don’t care for the image of the bad guy with the pitchfork and horns.  This particular ad campaign repackages things with an appearance of godliness, and some out-of-context Bible verses, but ultimately the product is the same.

Wrapped in the doctrines of demons, his product seems guaranteed to deliver!

And what are those doctrines of demons?

Immortality:

• All you have to do to be saved is believe in Jesus

You’ll be a God:

• There are no rules to abide by (because that would be ‘putting yourself under the law’)
• Nothing is required of you (because that would be justification by works)
• You have immunity from punishment (because once you’re saved, you’re always saved)
• You have freedom in Christ (because all things are lawful for you)

‘Do as thou wilt’!!

If God is allowing this as a means of separating the wheat from the tares, then those who wanted to be gods, be immortal, and do as they please, will get what they deserve–because God is not mocked!!  But if you are a person who sincerely DOES want to be a Christian, and serve God . . . then you need to understand that what you ‘bought’ is a counterfeit.

The most important thing to know, is that no one comes to God with their head held high.  We approach God on bended knee, humbled and ashamed by the weight of our sin.  Our God is a HOLY God, and every one of us has (at the very least) defied him; abused ourselves, others, or the beautiful world He created; and failed to give Him the respect, honor, and thanksgiving He deserves.  As His creation, we have brought Him shame and dishonor.  We have disappointed Him, and spit in His face.  Repentance is where we begin.

Insert HERE:  believing Jesus died for your sins; saved by grace, through faith; asking Jesus into your heart; and confessing Him as Savior and Lord.

Then, go forth and:  ‘sin no more’; ‘be baptized . . . for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost’; ‘keep the commandments’; forgive, that you may be forgiven; judge yourself; repent if you sin (but do your best to ‘sin not’); ‘love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might’; ‘love thy neighbor as thyself’; ‘walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit’; ‘pray without ceasing’; ‘be sober, be vigilant’; ‘resist the devil, and he will flee from you’; ‘seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness’: ‘earnestly contend for the faith’; ‘be ye holy’; and ‘go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’.

Confused Christianity

If Christians were living as Christians ought, no one would make the mistake of believing that Christianity is compatible with Catholicism, Islam, or any other religion.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Many who believe in a preTrib Rapture will say that during the Tribulation the ‘Marriage Supper of the Lamb’ occurs . . . or the ‘Bema Seat Judgment’ occurs. But, doesn’t logic dictate that Jesus would wait for ALL Christians to be present at these events?

Scripture plainly tells us, that there ARE going to be Christians alive during the Great Tribulation. Whether they were Christians BEFORE the Tribulation, or whether they became Christians DURING the Tribulation doesn’t matter, in regards to this point. The very fact that they ARE alive during the Tribulation means that there is no way the Wedding Feast is going to occur then, without them.

‘After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; . . . And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, THESE ARE THEY WHICH CAME OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION, AND HAVE WASHED THEIR ROBES, AND MADE THEM WHITE IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.’ (Rev. 7:9, 13-17)

Which raises another point:  I know many people don’t want to hear this, but a good many people . . . from our day and time . . . and even in America . . . may enter into eternity by way of martyrdom, or through great suffering.  If this is something you are not prepared to do, start praying now that the Lord would help and prepare you.

Rapture

‘In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the DEAD SHALL BE RAISED incorruptible, and we shall be changed.’  (1 Cor. 15:52)

‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’ (1 Thess. 4:16-17)

Does anyone dispute that these two verses are speaking about ‘the Rapture’?

And when does JESUS say the dead will be raised?

‘Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up AT THE LAST DAY.’ (John 6:54)

‘And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up AT THE LAST DAY.’ (John 12:48)

If you believe that Scripture is true, then you must understand that when the Rapture happens, the dead in Christ will first rise, then living Christians.

If Jesus says the dead will not rise until the last day, then THE RAPTURE CANNOT HAPPEN BEFORE THE LAST DAY!! This should be pretty straightforward.

Catholicism is NOT Christianity

It bears repeating . . . Catholicism is NOT Christianity . . . not a denomination of it, not the foundation of it, not a representative of it.  It is a pagan death cult that seeks to imitate and replace true Christianity.  It was inspired by Satan, and is a stronghold of evil and deceiving spirits.

If you believe in true, Biblical Christianity, don’t deceive yourself that you can have fellowship with (Catholic) unrighteousness, that you can have communion with (Catholic) darkness, that you can have part with (Catholic) infidels, that you can have agreement with (Catholic) idolatry.

”Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.’
(2 Corinthians 6:17-18)