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2 Corinthians
11:14,15
Who could tell the greatest lie? The
answer is simple, the father of all lies who is none other than satan
himself (John 8:44). What would one consider a perfect crime? Would it not
be a crime where any evidence to the contrary would be hidden or could not
be found? A perfect lie is one that is so near the truth that the person
being deceived actually believes they have obtained what it is that the
liar does not want them to have.
He starts out by telling them that this Christianity stuff isn't for
them, and it works most of the time. But when they insist, he tricks them
into accepting a fake form of Godliness. The apostle Paul talks about this
in 2 Timothy 3:1-7 where he says: "This know also, that in the last
days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly
women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and
never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." Most
"Christians" today have a form of Godliness but deny the power
thereof. These are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of
truth. The deceived person believes that they in fact have obtained it.
Slick sales people try to do this all the time. They try to convince you
that what they are selling you is the best buy for your money, it's the
genuine article, it's the best there is, and they have the best deal for
you. You've been fooled this way before. We've all been taken by the con
artist, the liar and the thief. How much better at lying and deception is
the master of liars, the master of con men, the master of thieves?
You say "how could he do this"? Surely you'd recognized satan
and his lies. But the Bible says that satan can appear as angel of light (2
Corinthians 11:14). Further it says in the very next verse: "it is no
great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of
righteousness". That's right! There are men appearing as great men of
God preaching to great crowds that they gather unto themselves. They are
ministers of satan sent to deceive the masses, and indeed the masses are
being deceived.
What is this greatest lie ever told? What is this great deception that
is being preached by ministers of satan that are posing as great men of God
across this country and the world? What is this lie that has deceived
millions into believing that they are saved? The lie is the one that says
that all you have to do is: "accept Jesus as your personal savior and
you are saved."
There are slightly different versions and variations to the lie, such as
saying a little prayer, or asking forgiveness for all your sins, or a
prayer of repentance along with accepting Jesus as your savior, but they
are all lies, all deception and all part of the greatest lie that satan
ever told.
You may say; "Wait a minute, isn't this in the Bible?" . . .
Nope, not there. There is not one word in God's Word that says that all you
have to do is accept Jesus as your personal savior and you are then
eternally saved." There is not one word that says "simply say a
little prayer and perhaps ask for forgiveness, or a prayer of repentance
and you are saved." There is not one single verse that says that
"if you believe in Jesus Christ you will be saved". . .
not one.
So where did this come from? It came from satan influenced, twisting of
scripture and adding and taking away from the Word of God.
Here are some of the popular verses that you might be quoted that are
in the Bible that satan tries to twist to get you to swallow his lie:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." - John 3:16
They use this scripture to say that if you just believe in Jesus you'll
be saved. The devil takes this one scripture, twists it and makes a
doctrine out of it. What this verse is saying in truth is that if you
believe in him, or in other words if you believe that he is Lord and Savior
then with that belief you should obey the word of the Lord and be saved. If
you indeed believe that He is Lord and Savior then you should
not perish but act on what you believe and act on the gospel and be saved.
Jesus never said all you have to do to be saved is just believe in me.
The Bible says that even the devils believe and tremble (James 2:19). What
He did say is "except a man be born or water and of Spirit he
cannot enter the kingdom
of God"
(John 3:5). What He did say was "...strait is the gate, and narrow
is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it".
(Matthew 7:14) Paul said: "Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his."
There's another scripture that says; "But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
on his name" (John 1:12).
This may seemingly give credence to the belief that "if you'll just
receive Jesus as your personal savior and you'll be saved". But that's
not what it says at all! What it does say is that IF you truly receive Him
as your Lord and Savior then you have the power to BECOME the son of God,
even to them that believe on His name. It does not say if you believe in
him you ARE saved, but that IF you believe on Him and IF you receive Him as
your LORD and SAVIOR then indeed you HAVE the power to BECOME the
sons of God and be saved.
satan twists the meaning of Ephesians 2:8,9 which says: "For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." He tries to
get this to mean that we do not have to do anything including obey the
Gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved. This doctrine claims that obeying John
3:5 or Acts 2:38, or any other scripture is a work and not required to be
saved.
Yes, it is true that Jesus paid it all on the cross. It is true that we
cannot earn our own salvation by doing good works or any other means. But
obeying the Gospel of Jesus Christ is NOT a work, it is obedience. Neither
can you earn it by obedience, but only it is only through obedience to the
Gospel are you saved.
2 Thessalonians 1:7,8 says; "…when the Lord Jesus shall be
revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ."
If indeed obedience to the Gospel is a work, if true repentance is a
work, if being baptized in His name is a work and not necessary for
salvation, then indeed praying the "sinners prayer" or
"accepting Jesus as your personal savior" is also a work and not
needed by the rules of this very same twisted doctrine.
No, we cannot earn salvation. We are not worthy of it no matter what we
do. It is indeed by grace we are saved and not of ourselves lest any man
should boast. However, if we truly accept Him as Lord and Savior,
then being our Lord means that we are to be obedient to Him. If we are not
obedient to Him then we are saying He is not our Lord thus we have NOT
accepted Him as Lord and savior and we are liars.
In Acts 16:30 the jailer asked Paul and Silas; "Sirs, what must
I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and thy house."
Many again use this to somehow say that all is needed is to believe in
Him. But Paul sand Silas were not saying that they needed to believe in
Jesus like some children believe in Santa Claus. To believe on Jesus means
to put our trust in Him for who He is, our Lord and our Savior. For indeed
if he is our Lord we will be obedient to His Word. If we do not obey His
Word then we are liars and He is not our Lord and we do not believe on Him.
Most "Christians" today want the Savior part, but do not want
a Lord. They want the benefit, but not what they consider to be a price
that comes with it. They want to be saved but still do as they please. They
want to be assured they are going to heaven and still enjoy the pleasures
of this world. satan gives them exactly what they want. . . at least they
think they have it. They've been duped by the greatest lie ever told!
We are either a slave to satan or a servant of Jesus, there is no in
between.
What to know how to be saved, really? Read "Salvation in a Nutshell"
This tract is available in Microsoft Publisher file format in a zipped
file for printing out for your personal or church use as a 4-page tract
(uses one sheet of paper printed on two sides). Click HERE to
download greatestlie.zip
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