So many Christians do not understand that when we become born again, it is not because we lived our lives in obedience to Christ. This might offend some people because most do not understand.
When we trust in Christ because He paid our debt for sin, realizing and acknowledging our sinful nature is beyond our own repair, we accept that Christ paid the price and believe and depend upon Him to change our wicked heart.
Those who work hard all their lives to appear spiritual on the outside but harbor anger and self-righteousness in their heart will "have a form of religion but deny Christ" through their disobedience to His Word.
They claim to be good people, avoiding the big bad sins but covertly treat people disrespectfully, using false doctrine to justify their rude attitudes. They claim things God said that He never said and act superior to others who challenge them to look deeper into the word of God.
These people are madly in love with their own religious version of themselves. I witness this all the time that some who say they are Christians disobey more of the scripture than they obey, while making up their own idea of spirituality that God never gave.
These pretenders use scripture out of context and impose their false assertions on others. Judging others as sinning who are not, as well as gossiping to anyone who will listen to undermine the walk of those who are obedient to the scriptures.
We are not obedient to gain heaven, we become obedient because Christ changed our nature, and the sin we used to love, we now hate, and we love what He loves.
There is no one more convincting to the pretender than those who expect the pretender to adhere to what God said rather than follow their own perverted version of religion.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds."
We walk among many people who are pretenders. They reject us as much as other unbelievers. They are unbelievers in disguise, full of self-exaltation and rebellion against God.
What to do about this problem we face often? We walk in obedience to God, speak the truth as led by the Holy Spirit and avoid those who have a false religion devised in their own minds.
1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."
2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."
God warns us how it will be in the last days and tells us to avoid those who pretend to be Christian but undermine the Bible. They will even claim they are "Bible believers" while they fight against sound doctrine with those who are faithful to the word.
2 Peter 2:1 '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."
Do not be discouraged, this is not about us. When they become angry that we corrected them or chose to walk away from them, their anger is on them; it tells us their heart. We need not feel guilty or less joyful. Our calling is to tell the truth and leave all the results to God; if we obey in this, then we will be at peace.
Keep Looking Up, soon we will be celebrating the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the greatest feast ever observed with the Lord Jesus Christ at the center.
