So many years ago I was using the Ray Comfort series to teach salvation and evangelism to my youth group girls. I was so interested in the way he was bold and the good things he was saying about trusting in Christ I completely missed the subtle teaching of "works-based" salvation.
He teaches that one must believe and turn from their sin. The Bible doesn't teach this. I was interpreting his words Biblically but he was meaning them unbiblically. He was saying turn from our sins in terms of salvation but I thought he was saying the result of trusting in Christ would be that we are changed by Christ. Sometimes we hear what we expect rather than what was actually said, as I did so many years ago.
Comfort teaches to trust Christ AND turn from sin.
The Bible teaches to trust in Christ, believing in Him. That's all.
Here's the problem, why we get confused. God says to repent from sin. It does not mean turn from sin, it means to change our mind about our sin and about Christ. When our mind is changed to be compliant toward Him, then He comes to live in us and He changes us.
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
As human beings, we are unable to change ourselves into a new creation. Christ must do that for us, but we have to want it. We cannot earn our way to heaven on any level, it's all about Christ.
When Christ changes us our entire WAY of thinking changes to the mind of Christ. This is why it is so confusing when we meet "Christians" whose mind thinks the same way it did before they were Christians. Their words are coming out as being in the Christian club but their heart remains stubborn, disrespectful, prideful, unteachable and rebellious.
God said we shall know them by their fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is strongly evident in someone who once lived sinfully but now live holy, not perfectly because we are all trapped in this fleshly body. Because we are born again we hate sin and struggle with it when it wells up in us. The heathen who is not born again does not struggle with sin, they like it and they defend it.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law."
An authentically born again believer can discern easily the fruit or the lack of fruit in someone.
Most people today who say they are Christians rarely use the name of Jesus Christ, are embarrassed about hearing it and have little or no change in their hearts. They are attempting to change to be like those in their church gathering, but it is superficial while their heart remains unchanged. They even claim to believe the Bible but follow very little of what is in it, even defending their disobedience against it, making excuses for their sin and the sin of their friends.
When someone is defensive toward sin and rejects the Word of God as mere suggestions, we know this person cannot be born again.
Hostility, argumentativeness, stubbornness toward the Word, gossip, slander, and many other evil attitudes and practices are not present in the born again believer, but they are in those who are pretenders.
Matthew 7:15-20
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 So then, you will know them by their fruits."
It is easy to see how we can miss important clues when listening to preachers. They say other good things that overwhelm the underlying half-truth. We must pray about preachers and their methods and delivery to be able to hear from the Holy Spirit.
One day as I was praying the Lord exposed Ray Comfort to me. He used another preacher to point out that phrase Comfort uses, that is; "believe and turn from sin." This is subtle but huge because it places the onus on the believer to makes sure he doesn't sin anymore to maintain his salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-10 "…8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.…"
You cannot save yourself by attempting to be good. Our best good deeds are filthy rags to God. It is only Christ in us Who is good, His blood is covering our sinfulness while He is working on us to grow in holiness.
If someone is not growing in holiness something is wrong.
1 Peter 2
As Newborn Babes
1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,
2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord."
Born again believers are not perfect but they desire to grow in holiness. The kindness of the Lord brings discipline so that His children will reflect more and more His character.
Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.”
7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
Hebrews 12:8 "…8 If you do not experience discipline like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. "
Did you notice this? If you are not disciplined by God then you do not belong to Him, because God disciplines those He loves.
Hallelujah!!!!
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