“Dangerous Doctrines”
Malachi 2:17
OBJECTIVE: To show that there are two destructive doctrines floating around the Christian church today: Sinless perfection and sinful conversion
INTRODUCTION: Last week we discussed the doctrine of ‘sinless perfection’ and we learned that while we are made spiritually perfect by Christ’s sacrifice, no one will be made perfectly sinless until we are in glory.
This week we are tackling an even more dangerous doctrine within the evangelic church today; the doctrine of ‘sinful conversion’.
“Sinner’s prayer” Many people feel like ‘saying the sinner’s prayer’ is all that is involved with the Christian conversion. Now I, as most of you know, am a believer in praying the sinner’s prayer at the conclusion of every service. But I must tell you that saying a prayer and making a statement, and even being baptized have no power for conversion without the heart change that should accompany salvation.
QUOTES CONCERNING FALSE CONVERSION IN THE CHURCH:
“It is my opinion that tens of thousands of people, if not millions, have been brought into some kind of religious experience by accepting Christ and they have not been saved” – A.W. Tozer
“There are probably more unsaved church people than we could begin to imagine” – Gary Labro
“The vast majority of people who are members of churches in America today are not Christians. I say that without the slightest fear of contradiction. I base it on empirical evidence of 24 years of examining thousands of people” – Dr. D. James Kennedy
“Satan’s job is to make the saved feel unsaved and the unsaved feel saved” – anonymous
A STAGGERING STATISTIC
In November 1970 a number of churches combined for a convention in Fort Worth Texas and secured 30,000 ‘decisions. Six months later, the follow up committee could find only 30 still continuing in their faith. [The way of the Master by Ray Comfort]
Charles Hackett, the division of home missions national director for the assemblies of God in the U.S. said, “A soul at the altar does not generate much excitement in some circles, because we realize approximately 95 out of every hundred will not become integrated into the church. In fact most of them will not return for a second visit.
I believe that God is, as Malachi said, “Weary” over His Church. Why? Because it has been filled with people who have denied His righteousness and come to Him with hearts that have no intention of change.
***In short – the church is full of false converts.
I. A false convert will try to justify sin instead of repenting of it
a. This person chooses not to submit to God, but rather argue against His revealed Word
b. This happens most in the area of moral sin:
i. “Pre-marital sex”
1. Most people, including those within the church, see nothing wrong with fornication
2. 1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”
3. But many church people say, “well, I know the Bible says it’s wrong, but I don’t think it’s really that bad”
4. When we say what God has called sin is “not bad”, are we not questioning His righteousness?
ii. “Homosexuality”
1. The idea that homosexuality is not a sin is being forever pushed on us and our young people – I watch the eyes of some of the new kids who visit our youth group when I say that homosexuality is a sin, and they look at me as if I have made some sort of politically incorrect remark
2. The Bible doesn’t mince words on the subject of homosexuality
3. Leviticus 18:22 “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” [a disgusting thing, abominable]
4. I have even heard many liberal pastors preach that homosexuality was a sin according to OT law and in the NT we have been liberated and homosexual behavior is then no longer a sin – There is a Greek word for that: Baloney!
5. Romans 1:32 “Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”
6. There is no question as to whether or not God thinks that homosexuality is a sin – but many who feel repentance is unnecessary say that because God is forgiving, they have no need to repent
iii. “Abortion”
1. There are many ‘pro-choice’ churches and denominations that see absolutely nothing wrong with this terrible injustice
2. Their motto is “my god gives me the right to choose”
3. Psalm 139:14-16 “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”
4. The murder of a child is not a choice, it is a sin! The choice comes in the bedroom, not at ‘planned parenthood’!
5. STORY: Jennifer and I were listening to a liberal radio program where a woman was defending abortion and asking people to call in. Jennifer called and said that she disagreed with this heinous act. Do you know what the woman’s answer was? She said, “well, Jennifer, surely you don’t think women shouldn’t have the right to have sex when they want, do you? You wouldn’t deny sexual freedom to another woman would you?” As you can imagine, Jennifer had a few things to say about that, but those are all now a matter of public record, ha ha.
6. Most people don’t realize that in today’s world that has gotten so far away from God, a child in public high school must have parental consent to take a Tylenol, but can have an abortion without their parent even knowing [And even get the help of school counselors if needed!]
c. Now, none of these sins is unforgivable, and these few I have mentioned are truly just a few of the things people try to justify today.
d. I have simply used these as examples of the many people who claim to have had a “salvation experience” and are living continual, habitual, unrepentant lifestyles and see no reason for change – and some even applaud the behavior
e. Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
f. Can you imagine the prostitute who was thrown at the feet of Christ, after hearing Him say, “Go and sin no more”, standing up and saying, “oh, He doesn’t really mean it” and going right back to her old life?
g. The righteousness of God should be without question, and when a person comes to Christ he or she is called to recognize and repent of sins – but it is impossible to recognize sin when we try to justify it as something else
II. A false convert can appear to have all of the outward signs of a true convert
a. Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ’Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ’Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ’I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
b. Some people do all of the good works that are usually associated with Christianity, yet they have never experienced the change of heart that comes with salvation
c. They obviously ‘know’ Jesus – they call Him Lord.
d. James declares, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble!” [2:19]
e. When Jesus said, “I never knew you” He was declaring that there has never been a relationship established through genuine faith and repentance – they claimed that they believed, yet continued in their old sinful lifestyles without an effort to change
f. Is there a good example in scripture of a false convert? Yes, Judas Iscariot
i. He was a hypocrite, a pretender – whose desire it seems for riches and power choked out his affection for Christ
1. Judas had no idea who Jesus really was – when a woman used expensive ointment to anoint the feet of Jesus, Judas complained that the ointment should have been sold and the money given to the poor. In his mind, Jesus was not worth such extravagance – to Judas He was only worth 30 pieces of silver.
2. The Bible states that Judas was even lying when he said he wanted to give the money to the poor – he was actually a thief who so lacked a fear of God that he was stealing the money from the collection bag.
3. I don’t believe Judas ever was truly a believer because Jesus said, “…Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
ii. Nevertheless, Judas had all of the outward signs of a true convert
g. All of the good things we do and say mean nothing without true faith in Jesus Christ
III. A true convert has a firm foundation in Christ recognizing both his or her sin and Christ’s righteousness
a. Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
b. So many false converts to Christianity begin building without a foundation in Christ
c. They are using the same lumber, the same nails and the same materials – but that which is most important is lacking; the foundation in Jesus Christ
d. This is why so many people are leaving the church in droves – many people have paid lip-service to Jesus without ever “departing from iniquity”
e. II Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
f. Without the solid foundation of faith that is found only in true repentance, anyone who is trying to build a Christian life is doing so on sandy ground – which is not a true foundation for anything
CONCLUSION: Last week I made the point that no one will be sinless until the time when Jesus comes and that we are all made perfect in God’s sight when we come to Jesus in true faith and repentance.
But the key is faith AND repentance – The very first words Jesus ever preached was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17
Sadly though, many today believe that we are not required or even expected to repent of our sins when we come to Jesus – The people who teach this have “exchanged the truth of God for the lie” (Romans 1:25)
I want to read to you from Matthew 13 where Jesus tells the parable of the ‘wheat and the tares’.
[Read: Matthew 13:24-30]
The sower is Jesus, the seeds are His words and the wheat is those who receive His words in faith. The enemy is Satan and the tares are those who are still lost in sin.
The funny thing is that farmers actually have said that wheat and tares look similar in the beginning stages, and it takes them being full grown to see the real differences, because the biggest differences are in the roots –
A true convert to Christianity, or the ‘wheat’, will have a heart change toward sin. The false convert, or the ‘tare’, will see no reason to discontinue a sinful lifestyle
The question tonight for everyone, is “Are you wheat or are you a tare?”
