"Nowhere does the Scripture say that a Christian's a better person than a non-Christian. A believer in Jesus is a forgiven sinner. The unbeliever is simply not forgiven. But a true Christian knows that he is forgiven by the unmerited grace of God, and that he did not deserve to be forgiven. Peter betrayed Jesus by denying him three times. Judas betrayed him only once, but Peter is infinitely better off. Peter believed and was forgiven. Judas did not."
Hal Lindsey's description of a Christian, based on once saved always saved, is F-A-R from reality. As you just read/heard, Hal Lindsey portrays the difference between a Christian and the non-Christian as being that he is forgiven, while both are sinners. Hal Lindsey apparently is not aware that a sinner, according to Scripture, is a person on the road to hell. A Christian is NOT a sinner.
It is not clear to me if Hal Lindsey is saying that a Christian can sin three times more than an unsaved man with his statement about Peter and Judas—Peter betraying Jesus three times more than Judas did. That could be his intent, especially in light of the following:
I'm sad to say that some of the worst sins I ever committed have been after salvation. (Hal Lindsey, Amazing Grace, 1995, p. 23)
Hence, Hal Lindsey thinks a Christian can sin worse after getting saved than before yet remain saved! Hal Lindsey went on to say: (To listen to what he said below, click false teacher.)
"When the Christian fails to say no to temptation, however, and fails to depend upon God's Spirit to empower him, he sins. The difference, however, is that a Christian cannot be happy anymore living in sin. Oh, he can sin for a moment, but after awhile, living in sin makes him very unhappy and uncomfortable. It becomes miserable and wants to return to fellowship with God. As soon as he confesses his sin to God, he is forgiven and brought back to fellowship. But though the Christian can get out of fellowship, he cannot lose his relationship with God. That's secured forever by the death of Jesus Christ. God will not disown a child that he purchased with his own blood."
Hal Lindsey's description of a Christian is warped, twisted and dangerously far from Biblical truth. Perhaps, this same Hal Lindsey poison is what tripped up Johanna Michaelson to think she was a Christian when she was a spirit medium! Furthermore, according to heretic Hal Lindsey, we can distinguish a Christian from a non-Christian by knowing how happy or sad he is:
● A Christian living in sin will be very unhappy, uncomfortable and miserable.
Clearly, Hal Lindsey is a false teacher who deserves the Skull And Crossbones Award. He actually portrays Christians as living in sin, but not as happy in his sins as those who were never saved, who are also living in sin. In other words, he thinks everyone is living in sin and behaving the same, but the very unhappy, uncomfortable and miserable ones living in wickedness are the children of God, who may also be sinning more than the unsaved. So, if you see two drunken, blasphemous sorcerers involved in robbery and other criminal activity, the one who looks more sad and is more vile could actually be a Christian, according to Hal Lindsey.
If that sad one was ever saved, then he is still surely saved because of Hal Lindsey's version of grace, and he can never die spiritually, according to him! The sinner's present behavior is meaningless, as far as his salvation. The kinds of sins he is now committing were dragging him to hell before he got born again, but now he can do the same or even worse with salvation!
He [God] sees me through the grid of Jesus' righteousness, and therefore I am as acceptable to Him as His Son Jesus is, regardless of my daily performance. (Ibid., p. 202)
As He looks at the Son, He looks at me in the same way because He sees me in the Son and the Son in me. (Ibid., p. 283)
Hal Lindsey believes in the eternal security version of imputed righteousness and thinks God can't see his sins! He thinks God only sees Jesus when he looks at him! Therefore, he is safe, safe to do all those detestable things. See Jer. 7:10. He declares sin is not the issue anymore and our personal forgiveness is irreversible:
SIN IS NO LONGER THE ISSUE (ibid., subtitle, p. 229).
... He has provided a forgiveness for us that's eternal and irreversible (ibid., pp. 223,224)
In contrast to his doctrinal myths, the Bible is clear about how to distinguish a Christian from a child of the devil, that sin is still the issue, and God can see the sins of those previously saved:
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:10)
For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. (Eph 5:5-7)
Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Rev 3:4,5)
Folks, Christians can obey. They can live above sin. Hal Lindsey reduces and distorts the image of a Christian to where he is living like a person addicted to sin, serving the devil and who has never experienced the new creation. His version of a Christian is nothing better than just a form of godliness. He says the result of living in sin will only cause discipline and loss of fellowship with God, but never relationship. He also wrongly stated that God will never disown his child. Note what Jesus told the Apostles about that:
But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. (Mt 10:33)
By teaching that Jesus won't disown a person who disowns him, Hal Lindsey is calling Jesus a LIAR, just like David Servant has done! That is very serious.For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man. (Rom 7:2,3)
He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits ADULTERY against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." (Mark 10:11,12)Remarriage adultery is rampant among professing Christians, yet scripture is explicitly clear that adulterers will not inherit God's kingdom (1 Cor. 6:9,10; Eph. 5:5-7) and will go to the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8), unless they repent. All adulterers must TURN AWAY FROM THEIR SINS or be eternally lost. So what does eternal security mean biblically to those who have taught it? It means they are false teachers, like Hal Lindsey, and have spread dangerous soul poison among the professing Christians.
OTHER TOPICS:
Skull And Crossbones Awards For False Prophets And False Teachers
Is The BTK Serial Murderer a Christian?
John Calvin Burns Michael Servetus
John Calvin: Great Theologian or Heretic?
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