Much of the preaching that we hear today has been watered down and diluted. It has very little positive effect and usually it has a negative effect. Many think they are Christians because they believe the biblical truths concerning Christ. They believe the facts of Christ's virgin birth, His sinless life, His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Many even believe that Christ died on the cross for their sins. True salvation is not knowing and believing these facts. It is experiencing and knowing the person of Christ.

Many preachers teach that Christ is a personal Savior to help people get out of trouble and danger. They present Christ as anxious and ready to assist anyone who will simply sign a permission slip for him to be Savior. These preachers neglect to say that true Christianity is following and obeying Christ. Even Christ said that many people who call Him Lord are not His followers because they fail to do His will. Just calling Christ Lord does not make Him the Lord of your life.

Many believe that they are Christians just because they have repeated a sinner's prayer or have agreed with some statement of doctrine. Many have said a prayer to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and then think they have a place reserved in heaven. Much of today's gospel is false and only leads a person to a false hope and security. I even heard some preach that you can receive Christ as Savior but not as Lord. This is totally untrue. If Christ is not your Lord then He can not be your Savior. No one can serve two masters; either you serve Christ or you serve yourself. No other choice is possible. Christ is either Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.

I believe there are thousands who believe they are born again believers because they have repeated prayers and believed this modern gospel. They have no true obedience or love of God. They really do not accomplish God's will but live only for self pleasure. They think they are safe in Christ's arms but have no true obedience or love for God. What a delusion.

This deception is truly a serious problem because some people are so convinced they have salvation that they refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit. God will lovingly deal with them trying to show their error but if they refuse to listen and repent they will spend eternity in hell.

Some characteristics of this type of deceived person are:

1. He is motivated and influenced by fear of punishment and hope of reward, not by a true love of God.

2. His conscience drives him to duty. He does not prefer it and would not do it if he did not have to.

3. He does not keep all the commands of God, just some of them, just the ones he has to.

4. He feels conviction and sorrow for his sins without any true repentance.

5. He wants to be free from punishment and penalty without being free of his sinfulness.

6. His appetites are his master.

7. Sin has dominion over him. His life consists of his continual breaking the law by what he chooses to do and chooses not to do.

8. He has never been set free from his own desire to sin. He loves to live for himself and has no true desire to ever be submitted to God.

Do not allow deception in this area. Do not look at your acts but examine your supreme choice. You must not just look at what you do but why you do it. Do you have the love of God shed abroad in your heart? Do you love God supremely? Do you love yourself supremely and use God and Christianity only to further your selfish interests?

Warning to all who consider themselves born again Christians!

Many people base their born again experience on an act or prayer they have said. A person can accomplish many religious acts and say many prayers without becoming a true Christian. It does not matter if you think that you were born again or converted in the past. The real question is; have you changed your supreme purpose in life? Are you now living totally for and in obedience to God? Do you love Him with all your heart? Do you have a vital relationship with Christ that produces Godly fruit and keeps His commands?

I had gone forward in a church, and asked Jesus Christ into my heart and life as my personal Savior. I embraced the doctrines and practices of Christianity. I confessed that Jesus Christ was Lord. All this was in vain for I had never changed my real purpose of life. I was still living for myself and had done all this from a purely selfish heart. I wanted to go to heaven and still be free to sin.

Words do not save anyone nor do deeds. Salvation is only possible under the conditions of faith and repentance, which is giving up all selfishness. Confessing and claiming to be a Christian will never make a sinner a Christian. A sinner can call Christ Lord without actuality ever submitting to His lordship.

Do not fall into deception. If Jesus Christ is your King and Lord you will obey and follow him. John 5:56 "He who does not obey the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him." I John 2:4 "The one who says, 'I know Him' but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

Personal faith, obedience, holiness, moral perfection and righteousness are not optional. These are requirements for salvation, not something that you may apply if you want a deeper experience in Christ. God does love us and has a wonderful plan for our life, but preaching this truth is not evangelism. The gospel is not a sales pitch that has five or so easy steps to heaven.

The sinner must see his sin as a crime worthy of eternal punishment in hell. Sin is not an inescapable slip of a helpless victim. Sin is rebellion against God. The sinner when truly convicted will beg for mercy because he knows that he is a criminal that truly deserves hell. Unless a sinner turns from sin and bows to Jesus Christ as Lord, he cannot have eternal life.

In Luke 18:18-27 and in Mark 10:11-27 we have the story of a man who came and bowed to Christ and asked Him for eternal life. Christ did not accept this man. Jesus told him to sell all that he had and to follow Him. The man went away because he was unwilling to obey Christ's command. Christ knew that this man loved his riches more than Him. The only way Christ would accept him was if this man had obeyed Him.

In most of the churches today, if this same man said he wanted eternal life he probably would hear the modern gospel. He would hear that Christ was ready to accept him as he was. All he needed to do was to believe and accept Christ as his personal savior. Then he would repeat a sinner's prayer or agree with some doctrinal statement. Most preachers then would tell him that he was now a Christian and would go to heaven when he died. He could experience a degree of peace and safety. The preacher then probably would tell him to never doubt his Christianity because Christ never lies. This man would now believe that he was really a born again Christian.

Now other members of the church would accept and embrace this man as a Christian. He could become a faithful church member. He might even get involved many church activities. This is all a delusion because this man's sin would remain. He never repented and would still love money and things more than Christ. He still remained in his selfish state, unwilling to truly obey and follow Christ. Unless he fully repented, Christ would never accept this man no matter how many doctrinal statements he agreed with or how many sincere prayers he said.

Matt. 16:24 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

Mark 8:34 "And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Any man that will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

Luke 9:23 "And Christ said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

Would your church give this man the same demands that Christ did or give him some modern gospel? Christ has not changed or lowered his requirements concerning salvation. Every person that wants salvation must "sell everything". Christ can never accept a person who loves something else more than Him. They must come to God with repentance before any acceptance is possible.

Many who consider themselves Christian think they have a ticket to heaven. Christ did not die on the cross to pass out tickets. He died to make it possible for man to be reconciled to God. Christ only removed obstacles that made it impossible for man to have fellowship with God before the atonement. He made it possible for man to really have a pure heart and truly obey all of God's commands.

Christ's death on the cross did not provide God with special blood stained glasses that somehow let God see any sinful man as holy and righteous. God is not stupid; He will never see a person who is living totally for himself as obedient and holy no matter what biblical fact this person agrees with.

One of the biggest problem today is the lack of intelligent teaching and preaching on sin. Jer. 17:1a "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." Sinners do not realize the hostility of their own hearts. They fail to see the monstrous evil of their carnal minds. The results of this are:

1. The true condition of the heart remains unexposed by the truth of God. Sinners do not see themselves as they should. They do not realize that they really hate God supremely. They consider themselves friends of God when they are His bitter enemies.

2. Sinners often do not get searched and humbled by the Holy Spirit. They do not reach the point where they get truly converted to God. They have no deep shame for their sinful state. They have no idea or concept of how their sins have broken and grieved the heart of God.

3. They often do not receive enough conviction to prepare them to receive Christ. There is no genuine and deep conviction that breaks a sinner and makes him truly ashamed before the Lord. The Holy Spirit never thoroughly convicts him of sin. Conviction is not possible if a person thinks he was born a sinner with a sinful nature and can neither obey God nor keep the law. Without this conviction, the sinner will remain with his feeble excuses for sin. While his selfishness remains unexposed he will never recognize his true guilt. He also will not fully justify God and condemn himself.

4. Preachers urge sinners to come to God and accept Christ before they really understand the nature of sin. They do not realize their crime or real need for Christ. Many people come to God only to escape the penalty of hell.

5. The sinner thinks that all he needs to do is receive Christ. He decides and vows to follow Christ but lacks true repentance. His religion is entirely legal. He serves God with his mind but not with his heart. He has no true faith or love.

6. The sinner does not receive enough clear light and instruction of the Holy. Convinced only by what the preacher presents, his idea of God, guilt and the need for salvation from sin is not very clear. His mind remains dark and his heart is hard. He has never really known Christ because he has never been stripped of his self-dependence and self-righteousness. To him, Christ is just an idea or mental image. He does not experience the real power of Christ.

7. The sinner has never been slain by the law to find himself dead, condemned and lost in sin. He has no true idea of his own character or the need and nature of gospel salvation. Under the true gospel a sinner will see enough evidence to pronounce himself guilty before God and man. He will condemn himself completely.

8. The sinner never truly converts. His religion is dry, mechanical and something he forces himself to do. He may feel zeal and excitement but his life is fruitless and he is powerless over sin. His experience is the result of just changing from one form of selfishness to another. He has not changed his heart. Many who think they are Christian only decide to serve God. They do not serve out of love for God but for the value received.

9. The sinner often gets a false hope and considers himself a Christian. He often is urged to accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior without true repentance. He is usually asked to repeat a sinner's prayer or agree with a statement of doctrine. Then someone else tells him he is now a Christian and is going to heaven. All of this can make him feel better and if he then believes this person he is deceived.

Christ said that only those that fulfill God's will go to heaven. Matt. 7:21 "Not every one that saith to me Lord, Lord shall enter into heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven." Many people who claim to be Christians never fulfill God's commands and requirements. They just call themselves Christians and do what they want.

A person can truly believe a statement of doctrine or pray a prayer with complete sincerity without true repentance. He can believe the facts of the gospel without ever changing his selfish heart. A person can believe that he is a true Christian but this belief does not make him one. This person builds his religion entirely on a false foundation. He has embraced what he thought was the gospel plan of salvation. All his hope is in vain because his selfish heart was never broken or subdued. The source of all his deception is his hope in a false gospel. This false gospel is only a system that avoids a real relationship with God and obedience to the law. The true gospel does not do away with the law nor set aside obedience. A believer's right relationship with Christ will bring him into conformity to the law.

10. Sometimes a sinner's focus is on some outward manifestations of sin. He may look at specific acts that he knows are sinful. He may believe that he has repented because he has stopped doing certain things and even made restitution for past wrongs. It is true that these acts are sinful. He does not realize that these outward manifestations are only the result of his totally selfish heart. The problem is that he still considers himself good in other areas. He may believe he has strong moral values. In this process he neglects to see that anything less than a pure 100% obedience to God is sin. He fails to realize that the whole of sin is his chosen selfish state. He must realize that there is absolutely nothing good about himself at all and that he is rotten to the core.

The sinner's self-interest is his aim and goal. He has never yielded in obedience to the law or the true gospel. He has never changed his purpose in life. He must stop promoting and placing his own interest as supreme and let the interests of God and His kingdom rule in his heart. The sinner must repent and forsake his selfishness. He must not make his own salvation or spiritual state his major concern. This would be just another form of selfishness.

A person who makes his own salvation and personal interests his goal will lose his soul. He must let go of his selfishness and make God and the good of others his supreme object or be lost. Christ did not seek his own interests or happiness. He always sought and obeyed His Father's will rather than to do just what He pleased.

11. The backslider thinks he is safe. He does not realize that if he continues to sin and does not repent, he will be lost.

Reasons why this preaching is essential for salvation:

1. The sinner's need for the new birth and the Holy Spirit's influence is totally dependent on his understanding of and believing in the enmity of his own heart.

2. No true repentance can ever take place without it. Any person who does not know by personal experience that he has been the total enemy of God is not born again. While the heart remains selfish, the sinner must understand that he is actively fighting against God and crucifying Christ afresh before repentance is possible. Sinners truly deserve the punishment of hell because of their crime. They have freely chosen to disregard God totally and live entirely for themselves.

3. Unless the sinner understands that his sin is his own free act, he will never realize his guilt nor will God forgive him. The sinner must realize that all his sin is strictly voluntary. He is the sole creator and the only responsible party. A person will never blame himself for his sin as long he thinks his sin is natural, necessary and the result of Adam's fall.

4. The only way that God can bring a sinner to repentance is by correcting his views. The sinner must see what sin really is and that he needs to change his heart.

The sinner needs to realize that his real difficulty consists in his refusal and unwillingness to give up selfishness. Until he does this, he will remain in rebellion. The sinner's first act of obedience that he will or can do, is to stop minding the flesh and give his whole heart to God.

Do not be deceived. Has the Lord humbled and broken you? Have you seen your true character? Has God stripped you of your self-righteousness? Is your religion one that flows from love? Are you filled with Christ? Have you ever seen your enmity and hatred of your heart for God? If not, the foundation of your religion is not Jesus Christ.

When you make true confession you agree with God that He is entirely right and you are completely wrong. Will you declare yourself truly guilty before God and man? Will you give up all your selfishness now? Do not claim to be waiting on God to change you if you love your selfishness and refuse to let go of it. Do not continue in sin one second longer. Remember, a supreme love for God always rules a true Christian's heart.

Study questions.

1. What are some characteristics of a deceived person?

2. Can a person call Christ Lord without becoming a true Christian? Why?

3. What do you base your Christianity on?

4. What is the real issue that a person must base his Christianity on?

5. Can a person ask Christ to be his personal Savior but not get accepted by Him?

6. What is the real difference between the true Christian and the sinner?

7. Does Christ accept anyone who calls Him Lord? Why?

8. Does knowing and believing biblical facts save a person? Why?

9. Can Christ be a person's savior without having Him as Lord? Why?

10. What are the requirements for salvation?

11. Why did Christ refuse to give eternal life to the man who asked Him?

12. Does Christ accept every person who repeats a sinner's prayer? Why?

13. What does Christ demand for a person to do if he really wants Him? Why?

14. Why did Christ die on the cross?

15. Why is intelligent teaching on the nature of sin so very necessary?

16. What must a sinner realize about his sin before God can forgive him? Why?

17. What is the only way God can bring a sinner to repentance? Why?