True Believers And Make Believers

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: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

 

Many things come to my mind when I think of the power of God.

I think of creation and the power of God to simply speak everything into existence. Only God can create something from nothing. We can build houses, manufacture vehicles and design computers, but there is nothing that ever came from man that did not come from God first. The power of creation rests only in God.

When Moses led the Israelite children out of Egypt, the power of God was visible to all. Eventually even Pharaoh had to acknowledge it and bow before God. From the ten plagues God released upon Egypt to Joshua’s entrance into the Promised Land, they were carried along by God’s power.

Gideon could never have defeated the Midianites without the power of God to deliver him. To be certain the Israelites understood this, God reduced Gideon’s army to 300. The Midianite army was composed of 120,000, but when the dust settled, God’s army of 300 was still standing. 105,000 Midianites were dead, and the remaining 15,000 were captured or fled.

Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha had been dead four days. Decomposition had already started, as we see recorded in John 11:39. Jesus put life back in the body of Lazarus by the power of His word.

Possibly today, tomorrow, very soon the Lord is going to call His bride out just as He called Lazarus out of the grave, except the bride, the Church will return with Him to the Father’s house.

The Church age is about to close and the remaining seven years owed Israel will begin soon thereafter. Already, modern day Israel has seen the power of God move as He did with Gideon and the small army of his day. Modern day Israel has also faced insurmountable odds, as did Gideon, but they are still here. They will never be driven off to other nations again. They are here to stay. The stage is being set.

There are hundreds and hundreds of examples in the Bible of the power of God. From the security of our salvation to the total fulfillment of all prophecies, we are safe in His power.

Many Christians in other countries have known real persecution. Their price was rung up at the register of Satan’s checkout, and they have paid in full. Today, this demonic leader of hell is now setting up checkouts in America. When the time comes, the price will be rung up at the register, your soul or death.

When pulling the plug to a water-filled bathtub, the sound is heard of water circling the drain. That sound is getting louder and louder today in this once-upon-a-time Christian nation. My head spins when I think how rapidly we have fallen from a nation that basically feared God to a nation that curses God today.

Satan has managed, in this country alone, in a very short time, to:

• Remake the churches into paper tigers
• Destroy the family structure
• Addict a nation into violent drug zombies
• Activate criminality to a level never before tolerated
• Hypnotize a nation against everything that God stands for
• Infest every area of our lives with illicit sex
• Consume our time with anything that keeps us from the Gospel
• Corrupt most all of our leaders to greedy, power hungry, sex perverts
• Make sexual perversions commonplace and acceptable
• Corrupt our Constitution and the laws of God

For the true Christian today, he or she may be wondering, “Lord, how much longer can this go on, and how much worse will it get before You return?” I wish I could say the Lord will soon remove us from this cesspool, but I cannot say that. Only He knows how much more anti-God our society will become before we hear Him shout to His bride, “Come up here.” I am inclined to believe that it won’t be much longer, but I am just a man.

So what do we do while we wait? We study His Word, pray, share the Gospel and keep looking up. There is one more thing we need to remember. We need to rest in His power.

Here are a few questions to consider:

• What is keeping this country, and the world for that matter, from crashing economically?”
• What is keeping Gog and his pals from overrunning Israel, right now?
• How did Donald Trump get elected President with such overwhelming odds against him?
• Why did Turkey, once an ally, turn against Israel and chummy up to Russia?
• Why is the Saudi prince working with Israel?

Of this sampling of questions, there can be only one answer. God is in control, not Satan and not political leaders. God is on His throne and it is the power of God that keeps us. There is no reason for those of us who are His to fear. Consider the follow verses.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 23:3)

“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?” (Matthew 22:44)

“But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?” (Hebrews 1:13)

“Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.” (Exodus 15:6)

“Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.” (Exodus 15:12)

In these last days, it is understandable that many Christians are uneasy, but there is no reason for us to worry. Sometimes, from where we sit, we may feel like we are walking a tightrope and there is no safety net below to catch us. Maybe we are sitting in the wrong place. Actually, our Lord and God is carrying us across the tightrope and His hands are our safety net.

The best place a Christian can be is bowed before our Savior with our Bible in our lap. The same One who spoke everything into existence is the same One who speaks to us from the Bible in our lap. He delivered Israel from Egypt. He guided Gideon with 300 men in defeating 120,000 Midianites. He raised Lazarus from the grave, even after his body was decomposing. He has brought Israel back to her land. He has protected her and is preparing her for Daniel’s 70^th week.

He is moving today, positioning all the props on the stage for the final act, the Tribulation (Daniel’s 70^th week). The power of God is about to be displayed upon the world.

“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.” (Joel 2:21)

Grant Phillips

Email: grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html