(Bible Question) Hello-I have written to you previously to share my past experiences with witchcraft. I was very worried about being forgiven, and I received a very thorough and thoughtful reply which helped ease my torturous anxiety over being damned. I continue to read and study the word of God, and I pray to God to help and guide me on this journey called life.
Initially I thought about joining a church. I have been looking for possible congregations to join, but I am getting discouraged. For one thing, the prevalence of "Once saved, always saved" is disturbing. I too believe this is an insidious and misleading doctrine that serves only to allow people to believe that sinning is natural and "OK." ...I considered joining the church that a woman I know attends, but her insistence that OSAS is sound and true is something I cannot overlook. I would feel like I was lying every time I sat through a sermon I absolutely do not agree with. I have tried to explain to her why OSAS is not sound, but she gets absolutely beside herself angry over my "inability to fully understand Jesus promise of salvation." Christ never told anyone to "go and keep sinning like you did before, that's why I died for your sins." Tonight I read on your site that a Christian should state their case twice when faced with verbal opposition, and then walk away. This relieved my fear that I failed my friend after not being able to explain my take on OSAS - she just gets angry and becomes louder and shouts over me now, after three "discussions" about the subject. Sad, really.
Another friend at work is wonderful when it comes to talking about God. She has asked me to attend her church as well. Unfortunately, her pastor dwells on "The Rapture." Just about every sermon involves the rapture at some point. Another doctrine I don't agree with. I am very new to the Bible, but I cannot get into the rapture as a sound doctrine to base my faith on. I don't know what the passage of being lifted in the air to meet Christ DOES mean. But I keep thinking that if all of the good men and women through the ages who edured torture and death for their love of God and His Son were allowed to experience the pain of martyrdom, how can I believe God will spare me the reality of the pain I may have to endure if I live to see the end times? I would rather try to be prepared to face extreme hardship and perhaps death, then to feel "cheated" and lose faith in God if the rapture does not occur....Am I wrong? I know how you feel about OSAS, so I know the answer to that. But is it possible to not attend a local church congregation, and still follow Christ?
One more question before I go. Do you believe in Kingdom Come? Or do you believe Heaven and Hell exist now, and that we are judged when we die? I personally believe that there is no Heaven or Hell at this current time, but that after we die we sleep until God resurrects us on Judgement Day. Then we will know if we are destined for an eternity in Gods glorious presence, or an eternity separated from that glory in Hell. Many people think I am nuts for coming to this conclusion, because it does not excompass a belief that people go to Heaven right now when they die. I was disgusted to hear Billy Graham himself talk about his dear mother going to Heaven immediately when she died. As a man of God I felt he should know better than to disregard Judgment Day....Thank you,
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus' name. It is great to know the answer you received about eternal sin is helping your mind not to be tortured anymore. It is also great to read your godly hatred for the HERESY of the doctrine of once saved always saved. Once when street evangelizing, we handed gospel literature to a man and his wife. The subject of eternal security of the believer came up. He started to yell and scream at me trying to convince me with his weak, feeble, and ridiculous fables. Without exaggerating, I'm confident a person close to one block away could have heard his loud screams! His wife reminded him of his high blood pressure to help calm him down! The probable reason the grace changers get so emotional is, their salvation hinges on this false security in sin gospel. They are liars, slanderers, drunks, lustful, greedy, hateful, etc., yet think they are Christians bound for heaven. Rather than repent, they cleave to their sins which are dragging them to hell.
Many pre-trib rapture churches are like the one you described. Only God knows the harm which will occur when serious trouble crashes down and they were not raptured before! The rapture in the Bible is clearly POST-trib rapture.
It sounds like you have been in touch with the HERESIES spread by the Jehovah's Witnesses or some person or group like them! NOTE: Since you are not attending a congregation you might be more prone to be deceived by such people, who come to your door, but they come with spiritual poison! I'm very acquainted with their heresies and why they are wrong. Please do not be duped by them, as seems to be happening now. We have much material on our Jehovah Witnesses Answered and SDA pages. Please examine them carefully.
A person who dies as a Christian is a person with spiritual LIFE. He goes immediately into the presence of God, as Paul believed he would after his death (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil 1:21,23; etc.) and as the dying thief did (Lk. 23:43). Conversely, a person who dies wicked goes to the sufferings of eternal fire immediately. This is shown with the homosexuals from Sodom and Gomorrah, who God destroyed in Genesis 19:
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 7)
Billy Graham is an eternal security teacher, as well as a major Catholic promoter. He has been spreading a false unity with Catholicism to the harm of SOULS like Jack Van Impe and other false leaders of our day. So don't be deceived by him or others, in that regard. We are now in a deep dark APOSTASY, which is global. Glue yourself to the Bible, especially the New Testament, and put it into practice. If not, you will probably be deceived. The days are getting darker to pave the way for the coming antichrist and mark of the beast. Have you read this for new Christians? Have you joined our internet church? [Joining a local church would be great, but if it is not sound it will be detrimental to those going there. YES, a Christian can follow Jesus and not go to a congregation, which is not sound.] Remember 1 Cor. 2:9. God bless you.
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(Bible Comment) I have bought your book on the believer's conditional security. I am enjoying it greatly. I will also be refuting them. I wish to help you find more truth....about baptism....
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus' name. It is great to know you are reading one of our evangelical books. They have helped many people. The devil and his cohorts especially hate our NO eternal security books and have done much to hinder others from even knowing they exist! Blatant search engine suppression is proof of this as well as religious discrimination!
You believe one is saved at baptism which is false. One is saved at the point of a trusting and submitting faith in Jesus Christ and before water baptism. After a saving faith, one is to be water baptized by immersion.
You are also pointing us away from the Bible for doctrine, which is a NON-Christian and dangerous practice! ALL Christian doctrine is to come from the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16,17). The way you write implies you might have been adversely affected by David Bercot or someone like him who thinks the so-called early church fathers were sound and their writings were a type of commentary on the New Testament. He is a DANGEROUS false teacher misleading even people opposed to once saved always saved.
Regarding the so-called church fathers, did you know the water baptism they promoted for forgiveness was infant baptism? Did you know some of the same people believed in universalism, the heretical doctrine that every person will be saved in the end, even the most vile who died that way? Did you know the so-called church fathers contradicted themselves and others on various issues? These facts should dissuade you from continuing the counter-Christian path you are now on as you point people to the erroneous church fathers and away from the Bible. BTW, doing such is a giant step towards Catholicism, which rejects the Bible as final authority but wrongly thinks it is only on a par with their so-called Sacred Traditions, which includes support for the rosary, etc.! Do you know the real plan of salvation? Remember Acts 10:43.
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(Bible Question) Thank you for posting "Can your salvation be lost with one sin". I have always know this to be true. Looking back on my life I realize that the Holy Spirit has always taken care of me. I am a backslider, I committed adultery and am living with my boyfriend. I knew better but I was very deceived. I believed so many lies. Now I am financially dependent on my boyfriend, at least for now. I have to get through the rest of my degree and plan on moving out to live according to God's Will for me. I don't know how to right now, so I am stuck for another year. I thought about maxing out my credit card to purchase a really cheap home, because it's cheaper than renting. The point is, I ask God for forgiveness everyday. I worry that He can't hear me because I continue to live in sin. I want Him back to the full capacity that I had Him before. I alway thought how dumb the people of the Bible were to have God's presence and still turn from him, but now I understand there is a spiritual warfare out there and it's fully ramped up. Before I gave into temptation, I was like those people....
...I feel so far removed from Him that I feel literally like I am going crazy. I believe that being separate from Him is a large reason people become depressed and unstable. I can't afford to move out yet, not until I graduate in 2012 and have a job. I would rather max out my credit card if a place came up that I could purchase within my limit, but then again, that would put me and my daughters at risk for homelessness. Please beseach God on my behalf, I don't want to be separate from Him. Sincerely,
(Bible Answer) It is good that you realize you are in wickedness and without salvation as you cleave to sexual immorality. To get forgiven you will have to repent. Just asking God to forgive you is worthless unless you sincerely do repent (turn from sins). You have future plans in 2012 and beyond, but you might long be dead by then. You write you don't want to be separated from God, but apparently more important to you is maintaining your current situation in sin. Remember these truths:
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36,37)
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11, NASB)
No sin or person is worth going to hell over. Hope that helps.
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(Comment) ...I was horrified that Mormons (my friend calls herself LDS) believe all those lies from the mouth of Joseph Smith. I had no idea how entrenched they were into that nonsense. How deserving Smith is of hell; after his grand deception; but to think of hundreds of thousands following him there! I will continue to pray for my friend but honestly this so repulses me that I am also inclined to dissolve this relationship. I pray for her and her family and ask God to give me opportunities to share the true gospel and God does this. She is always so surprised that I know so much of the Bible. This is only because she knows so little, I must confess. I love her but hate what she believes because I hate lies!!! Ugh! What do I do now besides continue praying? I'm so sad for her and others who call themselves LDS. Born Again and Truly in Christ,
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus' name. The best way to help your friend is to give her Bible truth. Show her how the message of the Bible is so different from what Mormonism declares. LDS beliefs are shocking and dangerous. Mormons need our help, but don't know it. Hence, Christians have to start the “ball rolling” in a meaningful gospel conversation for their sake. The plan of salvation is hidden from them. Keep praying too. Have you sign up for our internet church?
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(Comment) Hi, I read your article with great interest. I am a devoted follower of Jesus. Recently, with great anticipation, ...Since our Savior's apostles would have spoken Aramaic, and later preached by Paul, also of Jewish descent, how can the New Testament be first written in Greek? According to the _____, the NT was first written in Aramaic, then later translated to Greek, then to Latin, then (1000 years later) finally to English. I am asking the question because in your article you did not mention the original Aramaic NT. Blessings and peace,
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus' name. What you have read and were taught is not true. The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, which was the language of the entire Roman empire (the known world of that time). They spoke Greek. Hence, the Holy Spirit wanted all people, even the very poorly educated, to read it in the language of the common man. The New Testament was NOT written in Aramaic. Neither was it translated into Greek, then Latin etc.! Our English Bibles have been translated directly from the Greek into English. These are facts. The Bible is trustworthy and works, if acted upon. Your eternity depends upon what you do with its message.
The real issue is living HOLY and doing God's will, not the original language of the NT. Have you signed up for our internet church? Remember Heb. 3:12-14. God bless you.
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(Comment) I just wanted to say I really enjoyed a lot of the material I read. Learned some things I didn't know before, but you lost me with the baptism not being necessary statements. Jesus Christ himself had to be baptized as an example for us and he was without sin so how do you think that we are not required to be baptized.
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus' name. We teach that Christians are to be baptized by immersion as soon as possible after they get saved! Please make a note of that. While it is true that Jesus was baptized, it wasn't to get his sins forgiven. He never had any. We are not saved at baptism. We are saved at the point of a trusting and submitting faith in the Lord Jesus, which includes repentance. Such alone results in a new creation in Christ and deliverance from sin addictions. That occurs before water baptism. Are you acquainted with the Biblical plan of salvation ? God bless you. 1 Cor. 2:9.
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(Comment) Thank you so much for your web site. You have no idea how it has helped me to defend the Faith against this erroneous teaching of OSAS. it is a lie from the pit of hell. I have just left a church that sucked into this garbage and have since then, on a one to one basis minister to them misled peolpe. I am using a lot of you material and I have listened to the audio of " What's wrong with today's gospel?" Unfortunately I cannot download this from your site, but you did indicate that documentation was available. I would so much appreciate any material you can give me to the above subject. May God continue to bless your ministry in exposing this false doctrine. Yours in Christ
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus' name. Thanks for the kind comments. It is great that our website has blessed you. To God be the glory. Please know we have M-U-C-H material which can help you contend against the counterfeit gospel of eternal security. Our evangelical books are loaded with info. Furthermore, our gospel tracts are free from all forms of Calvinism, a rare jewel in our dark day. You can print free gospel tracts at home or office, if you have a printer.
It is good that you left the congregation, which is now teaching once saved always saved. To help them is to share in their wicked work, which you certainly don't want to do.
The audio message, What's Wrong With Today's Gospel? is powerful by itself, for the listeners will actually hear the heretics speak the devil's lies in person. We do have documentation for it too. May God bless and help you as you obey Jude 3,4. God bless you.
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(Bible Question) Hi. I heard that all angels are men. Is that right?
(Bible Answer) Greetings in Jesus' name. The only angels of God mentioned in Scripture are male: Gabriel and Michael. However, Zechariah had a vision of two women, which acted as possible angels (Zech. 5:9). Remember, angels are created beings. They do not procreate like humans. There are no baby angels. Hope that helps. Do you know the Biblical plan of salvation? Have you signed up for our internet church? God bless you.
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