Here is a study by Lyn Mize of First Fruits Ministry about the 'great delusion' that Paul refers to in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11: They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.
This is also related to the Parable of the Virgins, and you can read about that at endtimepilgrim.org by clicking on the photo of the virgin refilling her lamp at the top of my blog.
I would like to add that this warning by Lyn Mize doesn't mean that we have to be some kind of 'super-Christians' to escape the great delusion. In John 15 Jesus tells us how to abide in Him, and that apart from Him we can do nothing. We need to submit to God and repent of our sins and our love of the world, and realize that He means what He says. We need to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Read Revelation 2 and 3 to see what Jesus says to the churches about what He approves and disapproves and what we must do. It all revolves around belief (as opposed to unbelief) and love (as opposed to lukewarmness or complacency). Remember all this is done by abiding in Christ and depending upon His strength and grace. When we repent and submit, He is near to us and helps us do what we can't do.
12 comments:
Eddie's study on 'The Love of God that Overcomes Condemnation' goes along with this too, as it shows how we can be pleasing to God, only by faith and love, which is His love working in and through us, not our own.
Eddie's study is linked 4 posts down.
The Apostle Paul said he came to preach the gospel. The gospel is the completed works of Jesus the messiah the son of God. Jesus asked Peter who he was and Peter answered thou art the Christ The Son of the most high God. Christ responded that he would build his church upon that truth. Jesus said it was finished. We are clothed in his righteousness. The bible says that we are one with God because of his works. He is the last Adam, the passover lamb. Our works including our believing and actions does not improve upon the works of Christ. Paul asked the Galatians who bewitched them into believing the gospel of works. You are either born again of incorruptible seed or you are not. Whenever we look at our flesh including any good or loving thing we do, we are not believing the gospel. To believe the gospel is to look at what you do or others do and not what Christ has done or is doing in your life. You are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ by looking to his perfection in you and not the dead spirit of this world who always denies grace. I could go on forever here but for now believe this: you are a saint a holy one because of Christ. Become my friend on facebook and message me anytime. maurice.goulet
I'm sorry about the omission of the word "NOT" in my previous comment where it says "To believe the gospel is...It should say to NOT believe the gospel is...
Hello Support,
I agree with all that you have said. We are saved for good works, not BY good works, and anything that we produce will be burned up if it is not produced by God in us instead of by our own power. Being faithful to Jesus and enduring to the end means resting in Him by abiding in His word, and He will produce fruit in us.
Jesus said that if we love Him we would "obey"Him. I think this is the key to this debate. We are saved strictly by His Grace and Mercy upon the cross but after that we are appointed to do good works. Faith and works go hand in hand according to book of James. In Hebrew life, faith is an action. It seems to me that each person has his/her own idea of what to obey or what holiness looks like. There is only one set of instructions that outline for us what is obedience and it is found in the Torah/law and brought to a heart issue by Jesus in the New Testament. Most everything he taught was a "law/Torah" principle. He expanded the Torah..now not only was committing adultery wrong but even further was even thinking lustfully. We need the "whole" counsel of God's Word. It is "all" good for instruction, correction, reproof etc... too many churches have thrown out the Torah/law when God Himself wrote it to show us what sin is and how desparate we really are...after all the book of John defines sin as the "transgression of the law". If we don't know the law, we won't know what is sin. Thanks for you post!
Romans tells us..For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. The only works that will merit rewards will be the good works of the spirit not the works of man. The plumb line of truth rests on this one point. Am I the subject of the works or Christ. Is what I do the subject or what Jesus accomplished by his completed works. The lie of Eden is repeating itself today in the self of man. I've put up a document you may read or download at the following page. Go to CDBN.com/secret Remember there was no new testament written in the first century church and they walked in unity and power. Think about it and take the time to read the book of Galatians. Much of what I have read here is true. It's the focus that needs to be addressed. Jesus said that when the spirit of truth is come it will speak of him (Christ and his works).
Hey Ya'll, I'm a little under the weather, so I'll try to respond to your comments as soon as I can. Thanks!
Maurice and Anonymous,
Grace and works and faith all go hand in hand. Even after our initial salvation, we then walk by grace through faith and as we do this, abiding in Christ and His word, we will produce good works, not by our flesh but by God's power in us.
We can't have grace without faith and works, and we can't have true good works without faith by grace.
When I say we can't have grace without faith and works, I mean that we receive God's grace by faith, and then produce works by faith as well.
Anonymous,
When you talk about the law, I'm not sure if you are saying we have to obey the Torah law to the letter in order to be in obedience to Christ. If we subject ourselves to the law, then we are obligated, as Paul said, to obey the whole law, which was a great burden to the Israelites. God said that when Christ came, He would create a people who have His law written on their hearts, which is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind andstrength, and love our neighbors as ourselves. We are free to do this by God's grace.
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