(Clearing The Smoke Screen Experience) Part Four.
Postlude
People have an innate need for the Lord. God put it there. Nothing else can fill that need except Him. But do they understand that? If they don’t, then someone has to tell them that if they keep ignoring the need for total surrender, commitment, and consecration to Jesus Christ through genuine repentance and forsaking of their sins, then that need will remain unfulfilled and they will remain unsaved.
Many have taken the initiative to warn sinners of their dire condition outside the grace of God, but of that number, some have not helped the lost sinner at all! They have led them farther away from the hope of salvation—maybe ignorantly, but certainly to their detriment.
2 Pet. 2:1 “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.”
2 Pet. 2:2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
2 Pet. 2:3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” (NIV)
In wrapping up this literature, I’d like to do a brief exposé on the distorted Born Again sermons which have promised so much to adherents but have yet to deliver the cravings of their souls for freedom from sin. This presents a scenario where the sinner cries for liberty from sin, but the preacher prescribes a remedy that cannot work.
2 Cor. 11:3 – “But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent.”
2 Cor. 11:4 – “You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.” (NLT)
When God sent Jesus Christ to redeem mankind from their slavery to sin, He didn’t just mean to deal with that problem partially but completely. The concept of being Born Again, as set forth by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in John 3:3, is meant to be understood and preached exactly as the term itself denotes: a total transformation from one state of affairs to another. In this case, it is the liberation of the soul from the dominion of sin to the perfect liberty of a holy life through the grace of God. If this is not happening in anyone’s life, as divine providence has planned it, then there’s definitely something wrong—not with the plan itself, though, but with its administration by the preacher.
1 John 3:4 – “Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God.”
1 John 3:5 – And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in Him.
1 John 3:6 – So if we continue to live in Him, we won’t sin either. But those who keep on sinning have never known Him or understood who He is.
1 John 3:7 – Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: when people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.
1 John 3:8 – But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil.
1 John 3:9 – Those who have been born into God’s family do not sin, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. (NLT)
The scripture above aptly captures the essence of being Born Again. The message is straightforward to the point: freedom from sin and Satan.
This experience has eluded so many sincere seekers, not because they’re not serious about being born again, but because they’re not being taught well on the subject. Below are some common misconceptions about the Born Again experience, which keep people in their sin while promising them liberty.
- Eternal Security
Proponents of this view usually rely on certain scriptures to preach that once a person gets saved, they remain saved no matter what they do with their lives afterwards. But nothing could be farther from the truth!
Let me reproduce below one of the scriptures that they usually manipulate:
John 10:27 – “My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:28 – I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me,
John 10:29 – for my Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me.” (NLT)
Some years ago, a family joined our church. During a teaching session one Sunday, the head of that family asked a question which was deliberately targeted at contradicting my teaching. By God’s grace, I cleared the doubts he raised and restored confidence in the teaching. Little did I know at the time that he was a theologian studying for his PhD. I decided to invite him to meet me at the church on a free day so I could find out more about his views on the scriptures, given his remarks the other day. At the meeting, his view was that once a person gets saved, they’d forever be saved no matter how they lived subsequently. He quoted the scriptures above, particularly verses 28 and 29, relying heavily on the phrases “…I give them eternal life” and “…no one can take them from me.”
While those words are the truth, what validates them is verse 27, which spells out the condition to be fulfilled before the promises in the two following verses could be enjoyed by anyone. While focusing on the promises, he forgot, or neglected, to consider the condition precedent! Let me break it down:
John 10:27 – “My sheep recognize my voice (connotes a relationship with Jesus Christ); I know them (confirms His acknowledgment of the existing relationship), and they follow me (proves obedience to His will, which governs that relationship).”_
If at any time those conditions are breached without prompt recourse to genuine repentance and total forsaking of the offence, the preceding benefits would become null, void, and of no effect anymore. The sheep which strays away from the shepherd’s care risks being mauled by wolves, so also the child of God who wantonly strays back into the world after their repentance and reconciliation with God. No doubt, God allows us the liberty of choice as to who to pitch our tent with: Him or Satan. But there are consequences!
Heb. 10:38 – “And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”
Heb. 10:39 – But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation.”
- Another false assurance which some preachers give to desperate seekers who cannot stand anymore their continued rising from and falling into sin is that no one is perfect. Well, that is correct, but only to the extent that no one can make themselves perfect; but God can and does make people perfect! The issue here is not so much about our ability to live a perfect and holy life as it is in allowing God to perfect our life Himself and make it holy.
Eph. 5:27 “That He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and faultless.” (AMP)
No one has the right to discourage anyone from seeking a higher life of holiness in Christ simply because they have been unsuccessful at it themselves. The opportunity is there for anyone who’s willing to pay the price in personal consecration to God, commitment to doing His will, and death to self.
Gal. 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (NIV)
The two instances above should suffice to convince anyone who is willing to live an honest and holy life that God also demands it of us, and that without it we cannot hope to be accepted into His heavenly family and Kingdom.
How, then, can a true seeker be genuinely born again? Below are some simple and practical steps to know and follow:
- You must know that God actually wants you to be born again—that’s why He sent Jesus Christ to make it possible for you. It is His plan for you!
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (NLT) - God wants you to know Him, to believe and accept His Son Jesus Christ as the only One to whom He has given authority to grant salvation (cause to become born again) to anyone.
John 17:3 – “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth.” (NLT)
This cannot be possible without first acquiring accurate knowledge of who God is and what His plans are for you through Jesus Christ His Son. This means that you have to read the Holy Bible in faith and also attend Christian meetings where the Word of God is accurately taught. - As God’s word confronts your sins, do not hesitate to renounce and confess them while asking for God’s mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ, the One whom He has designated for this very purpose.
1 John 1:8 – “If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.”
1 John 1:9 – But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” (NLT) - You must strive to strengthen your new relationship with God by endeavoring to live practically according to the principles of His Word, the Holy Bible. You should keep at it, prayerfully and deliberately, until the Christ life (being born again) becomes manifest in you.
1 John 1:5 “This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in Him.”
1 John 1:6 If we claim that we experience a shared life with Him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim.” (MSB) - You must make Jesus Christ known to others who might also need His salvation by sharing your own story with them. You owe God this debt of gratitude. Doing this regularly will help confirm your faith in Jesus Christ, your newly found Lord and Saviour.
Mark 5:19 – “But Jesus said, ‘No, go home to your friends, and tell them what wonderful things the Lord has done for you and how merciful He has been.'”
Mark 5:20 – So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.” (NLT)
The above is just a model to follow. However, in actual fact, God cannot be restricted to a formula: He works in amazing ways to bring His salvation to the one who genuinely seeks rest from their sins.
Matt. 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]” (AMP)
But whatever He does to grant anyone salvation will eventually align with His Word as shown in the model above.
The End.