The title of this article is
a phrase I borrowed from Dr. J. Vernon McGee. With this phrase in mind, true
believers and make believers, I would like to ask a few questions.
Is it possible for a true Christian
to:
· Not believe in the virgin birth of Jesus? (Isaiah
7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:27)
· Not believe in Jesus’ physical death on the cross?
(Philippians 2:8)
· Not believe in Jesus’ physical resurrection from the
grave? (John 20:27-29)
· Not believe that Jesus is God? (John 1:1; 14:9)
· Not believe that salvation is by grace through faith
plus nothing? (Ephesians 2:8-9)
· Not believe that Jesus is the only way to be saved?
(John 14:6)
The response to every
question is an emphatic “No, it is not possible.” Yet, the church pews and even
the pulpits are filled with those who claim to be true believers in the Lord
Jesus Christ, but do not believe in the virgin birth, Christ’s physical death
on the cross, Christ’s physical resurrection, that Jesus is God, salvation by
grace alone, and that Jesus is the only way to the Father.
Those who are guilty of this
false belief are “make believers,” and not “true believers.” If I may be even
clearer, they do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They are not saved.
They are no better than the Gnostics that plagued the churches in the first
century and even today.
I would like to quote the
following from Dr. McGee’s book, 1 John (page 19).
“After the death of Paul,
about A.D. 67, a heresy arose in the church called Gnosticism. Gnosticism is
the opposite of agnosticism. Agnosticism holds that the reality of God is
unknown and probably unknowable. There are many agnostics in our colleges and
universities, as you know. Charles Spurgeon used to say that agnostic is but the Greek word for the Latin
ignoramus. The agnostic says, “I do
not know.” The Gnostic says, “I do know.” The Gnostics were a group which came
into the church claiming to have a superior knowledge which simple Christians
did not have. They considered themselves super-duper saints, knowing more than
anyone else knew.
The Gnostics came up with
quite a few novel ideas, which I have dealt with in more detail in the
Introduction. One of their heretical teachings was that Jesus was merely a man
when He was born. He was just like any other human being at the time of His
birth, but at His baptism, the Christ came upon him, and when He was hanging on
the Cross, the Christ left Him. John refutes this teaching in no uncertain
terms when he said in his gospel record, “The Word was born flesh.” And here in
his first epistle, he emphatically declares that after Jesus came back from the
dead, He was still a human being. In essence John says, “We handled Him – He was still flesh and
bones.” You see, John is not talking about a theory. He is talking about
Someone he heard, he saw, and he handled.”
Gnosticism, a basic
philosophy of the Roman Empire, believes that the flesh is basically evil and
the spirit is good. Therefore, whatever is done in the flesh does not matter. The
separation of the flesh and the spirit is such that the flesh can be indulged
and the spirit is still okay.
Sadly, this false teaching is
alive and well within the churches today. In other words, the world has come
into the church, instead of the church going out into the world with the true
Gospel.
I have often wondered if the
Rapture of the true Church will happen on the first day of the week, Sunday. If
it does, I honestly believe that there will be many churches with very few true
believers missing. All of the make believers will still be entertaining
themselves. The first ones to notice that something happened will be those
working in the nurseries, since all the young children will be gone.
Concerning the non-exhaustive
list of six questions I have asked, to fail any one of them is a clear
indication that one is not saved. Anyone who claims to be a true believer
cannot agree with any of these questions if they are a true believer.
How can people sit in the
cushioned pews of the local churches and not know these things? Even more
frightening, how can those standing behind the pulpits discredit every truth of
God? Our Lord’s half-brother, Jude, answers that question.
“For there are certain men
crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly
men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only
Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4)
I urge anyone reading this
article to examine their heart. Are you getting the Truth, or are you listening
to agnostics and Gnostics?
Satan knows his time is
quickly running out and he is flooding the minds of people with false gospel.
The Truth can only be found in the Word of God, the Bible. I strongly urge you
to read the Bible for yourself and listen to what God has to say. If you really
want to be saved and know Him, He will make it possible for you to get the
Truth.
It is easy to go along with
the crowd. Why? We like to be accepted, but more often than not, the crowd is
wrong. Jesus said, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:14)
If you come to Jesus on His
terms, you will never be condemned.
“There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)
“Jesus saith unto him, I am
the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
(John 14:6 emphasis mine)
False teaching can be seen in
the colleges, seminaries and churches of today. This is nothing new. Satan is
no less active today than he was in the Garden of Eden. However, his whisperings in the ears of man
has created “make believers” or merely “professing” Christians who are empty of
the Holy Spirit in their being.
The Lord Jesus tells us all
through the apostle Paul, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith;
prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in
you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
