Some people may have trouble with the title of this chapter, but I hope I’ve at least provoked your interest, if not your anger. Why would I want to provoke your anger? Because it’s up to you to prove my conclusions as being in error. I fear God, and tremble, and beg correction, lest I stand before Him on that day and hear Him say, “Tim, I never put those words in your mouth, neither did they ever enter into My Mind. Away from me, you evildoer!”
So I hope that you search the Scriptures with me. Protect me (and you) from my own vain imaginations! Rebuke me, and I will listen (and I’ll pray and check your rebuke in the Word).
So here goes…I’m about to offer my cheek (or neck), again. I definitely won’t be popular with many who claim to believe. I’m about to suggest that the “greatest evangelical tool of all time” is not Biblical, and from men’s vain imaginations and from their lack of understanding the Scriptures and the power of God.
I’m terrified. I’m not trying to be “cutesy” or glib. I am really in terror of His coming, for my own sake as well as for others’. Why? Because I fear that He will find me, and/or the ecclesia (aka the Church), lacking on That Day.
So, let’s examine the sinner’s prayer – the stuff of revivals, beach-front salvations, back room confessions, weeping and tears, Billy Graham Crusades, and altar calls. The salvations of millions, if not billions rely upon this perceived tool of evangelicism. It’s the very foundation of today’s church. As my friend told me when I first shared with him that the sinner’s prayer is not scriptural, with a wide-eyed stare and an incredulous look: “Tim, nobody out there is teaching that!”
“I know.”
The problem is, the sinner’s prayer, and not Jesus Christ, is the fabric and foundation of today’s church. We’ve likely witnessed the following many times… The pastor approaches the end of the sermon. The worship team slips in quietly behind or to the side of him. As the teaching comes to its 40 minute close time, the music starts gently whispering as a background to the conclusion. Those in the pews respond with teary-eyed sobriety. A few whimpers, some coughs, some audible weeping, some silent, tears running down cheeks. And then the pastor says, quietly but forcefully, “But salvation is the free gift of God through Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done. Jesus is standing at the door of your heart, knocking. Just come as you are. If you’ll let Him in, He’ll never go away. He’ll stay in your heart forever. All you need to do is confess your sins, and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, and you can be assured of your eternal salvation…” As he continues, the soft melodies in the background increase in volume and intensity, little by little… “I know that there is someone out there, someone who God is speaking to. You’ve been denying Him, but He forgives you.” A small group of men and women move forward to the sides of the stage. “Come up, and one of the men or women will pray with you, whether you want to receive the Lord, or re-commit to a life with Him, or if you need special prayer. But if you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior, then remember that today is the day of salvation…”
I’m sure you’re familiar with the scene. Every Sunday, sometimes twice or more, the scene is repeated. On some days no one responds, and on some days many. When no one responds, the pastor feels that he must have missed something. When many respond, Oh, you could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord!
I’m sorry; many of you may think at this point that I’m poking fun at your ministries. Actually, quite the opposite, and quite a serious opposite at that. You see, very little of the scene above is from the Word of God.
How dare I! My thoughts exactly, for the last ten-plus years. But in fairness to the Word of God, and to me, and to all those who have prayed the sinner’s prayer, could we reason this together?
We know, as an example, that the free gift discussed in Romans Chapter 5 came to all men (vs. 18), yet we know that all men won’t be saved. There will be the wheat and the chaff. There will be those who fall away. There will be many who cry out, “Lord! Lord!” wondering why they hadn’t been taken on that Day. They had been told, and repeatedly assured, that their prayer had earned them a first-class ticket. But they weren’t chosen. In fact, as they look around, many who had prayed the prayer had not been chosen. “Why, I myself led hundreds of people to the Lord in His Name! What could have gone wrong? Maybe I wasn’t sincere enough!”
“Jesus is standing at the door to your heart, knocking, and saying ‘let Me in’. One big problem. The spirit of this particular out-of-context reference to scripture is that Jesus is standing at the door of a church of supposed believers who think they’re just fine. They’re rich and have need of nothing. They think that they’re clothed (covered), but they’re naked. This is not an evangelical verse. It’s meant as a stern warning to an apostate church. They’re about to be spewed out of His mouth. They have one last chance to repent. This is the Church at Laodicea, which when translated means “the people rule”. It’s an exact profile of the majority of the church in America. But no one thinks it applies to them. I’m shouting from the rooftops, here.
“Just come as you are.” Unfortunately, such a concept is not even inferred in God’s Word. Repent, deny yourself, leave even your own lives, lose your life for My sake, forsake all that you have; these things our Lord requires before we can come to Him. All too often, though, we don’t include this fact in our altar calls. The evidence of the exclusion of these commands, when one examines the state of today’s Christianity, is overwhelming.
Speaking of altar calls, is that the way to make a disciple? Jesus spent three years training His 120 or so disciples, and even they took off when the going got rough. Do we “sign ‘em up” without giving them all the facts first? Or do we wait and show them the “surprises” later? Isn’t the “sign ‘em up” mentality just a bit like infant baptism? Do they really know what they’re getting into? Have they enough information to “count the cost” as Jesus commanded?
I believe I’ve at least begun to establish that what is happening thus far in that pastor’s altar call isn’t the gospel, or the Jesus, of the Word of God. So the next point is particularly scary.
“Just invite Him into your heart, and He’ll stay forever.” If it’s not the real gospel, and it’s not the real Jesus Christ, who (or what) have we just invited into our hearts to stay!? I hope you’re beginning to see the point. If we’re convinced that we “have it” when we do not, what spirit is that? The Pharisees were convinced that they had it, and Jesus said that they were children of their father the devil.
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the Lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
And what is a “personal savior”? Who found that and where did they find it? Surely not in the Word of God. We’ve belittled the Lamb that was slain, the Son of the Living God, and have considered His Blood a common thing! It’s like ordering a pizza! “You can have your very own personal Jesus, with all your favorite toppings, just the way you like it.” Which brings me to the next, very difficult point.
The mood is set, and the music increases, subtly, in volume and intensity…What seems to be occurring, here? Many new-age, hypnosis, holistic, and transcendental meditation seminars use this technique. Could this be emotional manipulation to elicit a response? “No! Not in our church!” Unfortunately, this is exactly the case, as I hope the reader concludes. We are using the same techniques the demonic spirits are using to “set the mood”, to say the sinner’s prayer, and to receive “the Lord Jesus”. I know, because I’ve participated in the worship team, and was one of the “men at the altar”, much to my eternal shame (Lord Yeshua ha Messiach, please have mercy on me and cleanse me of all unrighteousness!)
The lesser evil in this is that we are orchestrating an emotional response that will last as long as the emotions last. Therefore, we have those who pray the sinner’s prayer and are gone two weeks after, when they begin learning what’s really expected of them and when the emotional high, or low, has worn off. The far worse evil is that we may be encouraging people to “pray in” demons. This threat is real. I can see why the Pharisees were a little shook up when Jesus went into their synagogues and started casting out those demons and unclean spirits. What were those demons doing there, and why had no one ever noticed them before?
Examine this prayerfully, fully, in the Word of God, on bent knees with sackcloth and ashes if need be, but examine it! The stakes are too high! And much damage has been done. Don’t dare say, “Oh, that’s not me”, or “Oh, we don’t do that!” without truly examining the facts. Eternal lives are in the balance.
How do I know this? I could say, “The Lord showed me”, (which I believe to be true), but let me point you at the more sure Word of prophecy. Because how can you know the Lord showed me if I can’t prove it in the Word of God?
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine (the apostles doctrine), but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
Who do you think Paul was talking about here? And who do you think told him? He was talking to and about the ecclesia, not “unbelievers.” He saw it in the Scriptures, for one. He heard it from the Spirit, for another (I Timothy 4:1). Over and over the old and new testament prophets write about an apostate and/or faithless church when the Day of the Lord is approaching. Look at Amos 5:16-24. Look at Isaiah 5:13-21. Look at Joel 1:11-18. Look at Micah 3:5-7, 11-12, and 4:3-5. Look at Psalm 50. Look at Proverbs 24:30-34. Look at Jeremiah 5:26-31, Jeremiah 8:4-13, and especially Jeremiah 6:16-17 and 8:20. Look at I Timothy 4:1-2. There are many others. Most importantly, though, look at Matthew 7:21-27, then John 14:23-24, then John 10:25-28, and then Rev. 3:16-17. Look them up! Wake up!
Now, look around you at the church. Homosexual pastors and “same sex” marriages. A divorce rate higher than the secular divorce rate. Adultery and child abuse in the pulpit. An ongoing emphasis on maintaining a material “standard of living.” “Popular” pastors. Alcoholism, drug abuse, abortion, all in the church. The well-off not meeting the needs of the less well-off (as Paul commands in I Tim. 6:17-21). The absence of the Holy Spirit. Whoooaaaahhh! “What? I just felt the Holy Spirit yesterday. What do you mean, absence of the Holy Spirit?”
The key words here are feel, feeling, and felt. All three together are used in the Word of God a total of 14 times. None of them are in reference to the Holy Spirit! So how is it in today’s church that we “feel” the Holy Spirit so much? I hate to tell you this, but it’s not likely to be the Holy spirit we’re feeling. The Lord says in Acts 5:32 that He gives His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him.
There are three “classifications” of the presence of the Holy Spirit mentioned throughout the epistles. One is the manifestation (or presence, or the Grace of God), then secondly are the gifts, and the third is the fruit. I’m going to be uncomfortably blunt, here. A couple of the manifestations and/or gifts can be faked, or counterfeited, even if the person or persons sincerely believes they are experiencing the true presence. These are the ones that we “see” quite often. Tongues especially, and prophesies, and of course teaching. We’ve all seen a lot of that. But it’s pretty hard to fake the healing of a paraplegic, or the giving of sight to the blind, or raising someone from the dead (Benny Hinn does a pretty good job on the first two, but I haven’t seen it with the third. He must be still working that one out. No apologies, Benny!) The point is, the fakeable ones are all around us, but there’s not much evidence of the “impossible to fake” gifts or manifestations. By the way, there is a difference between the manifestation of the Holy Spirit to the Glory of God and signs and wonders. Just look at Pharaoh’s sorcerers and serpents. And Simon’s “Great power of god.”
There’s a reason why the Apostles exhorted the early ecclesia (called out ones) to test anyone claiming to be an apostle: we are easily deceived.
How about fruit? Basically, all of the fruits of the spirit can be faked. Any good con man can do it, as well as those who sincerely believe. Just turn on your local christian TV/cable network and you’ll see. “Let’s see, hmm, that’s definitely not biblically accurate, but look at that fruit! Look at how many people are involved in that ministry!”
A (mistaken) form of “fruit” is numbers. This goes along with monetary prosperity. Both can be, and often are, counterfeited by the enemy. Look at the “most watched Sunday morning christian TV show” and you’ll see. So why is it that evangelical “spirit filled” conservatives also give such great credence to numbers and financial prosperity? The bible often equates “many” or “the multitudes” with apostasy, and often mentions “wicked” in the same breath with financial wealth. Where is the being “of one mind, having all things in common, living in one accord” which is True Fruit? “Many are called, few are chosen…Many shall cry out on that day “Lord, Lord”, Wide is the path to destruction, It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom, …” A thorough reading of Psalm 49 would be recommended, here.
All the other fruits – love, patience, kindness, longsuffering, etc., all can be faked, or counterfeited, for an hour on Sunday morning, especially if for 45 minutes of that all we have to do is sit still and listen to one guy and a band. “I love ya’, brother!” There we go. One fruit of the spirit. Add a pat on the back and it’s sure to be taken as genuine. It would be pretty hard to fake it, though, if we were fellowshipping together daily, living as the family body of Jesus Christ in phileo love with agape’ as our Teacher. But we’re not. Wait a minute. Wasn’t that Acts church, that one that was filled with the Holy Spirit and called their lifestyle The Way (and wasn’t Jesus the living example of The Way?), doing that? I wonder why we aren’t? Oh, that’s right! We have the sinner’s prayer and the feeling of the Holy Spirit! We’re rich and have need of nothing!
I must admit that my apparent cynicism comes from being grieved. I perceive the very things that the prophets and Jesus and the writing Apostles warned us about taking place before our very eyes. In my frustration, I’m searching for ways to point at the message and the warnings contained in the Word of God, and many times it seems as though no one wants to hear (Jeremiah 6:16-17).
So what’s the solution? You may not like it. It’s what Jesus Christ (Yeshua ha Messiach) said and lived and the Apostles lived and taught. Are you ready? Repent and be baptized in the name of Yeshua ha Messiach, sell all your stuff, give the money to the poor, move onto your saint/brother’s living room floor or let him move in with you, fellowship and break bread daily together, fear God, pray constantly, have all things in common one with another (except your wives; you have the Word’s permission to keep those to yourselves if they’re willing to stay with you after you give away the washer and dryer and house and car and stuff, and if he/she’s not willing, let him/her go, because you’re called to peace and not bound), work with your hands that which is good, mind your own business, if you’re rich (even just a little rich ) share openly with your brothers and sisters, considering nothing your own and counting all things loss for the gospel, and let the Holy Spirit add to your numbers daily. Oh and, yeah, as soon as you do this people will start killing you. It sure sounds foolish, and not very practical. Did I leave anything out?
More importantly, did I add anything that is not in the Word of God? Now let me ask, that pastor I mentioned before, did he add anything that was not in the Word of God, besides the mood music, and the come as you are, and the personal savior, and He’s knocking at the door of your heart, and …? You be the judge, but more importantly, let the Word of God be the judge. And be prepared to give answer on that Day.
The Word teaches that Grace is a free gift that both 1) leads to understanding and 2) comes after repentance. “Grace for grace.” Grace, in the “New Testament”, is always indicative of the Presence of God in the form of the Holy Spirit, which in turn gives us the Mind of Christ when we obey. As one brother pointed out, grace is not the same as mercy, though we too often count it as such. A reliable and scripturally accurate definition of grace would be “the manifestation of the power of the presence of God.” The True (not counterfeit) gifts are a proof of the Presence of The Gift and that we’re walking according to the Spirit. How do we tell the difference? Look at the lives of those who claim to have the gifts. Repentance, as Jesus Christ and the apostles taught, is turning away completely from our old selves, our old ways of life, our “stuff”, and thus, the world and the “old man”. How else could we be Born Again? By re-entering our mother’s womb? No, but by turning away from the “lusts of the eyes (idolatry, or coveting worldly and self-satisfying things), the lusts of the flesh (security obtained from worldly things, self-pleasing practices), the pride of life (all of our previous opinions, beliefs, and agendas), and the desire for other things (besides the Coming Kingdom). This “turning away,” or “forsaking,” is true repentance. We can’t be friends with the world and friends with God at the same time (I John).
How often is it taught, when a sinner is about to “take the plunge”, that before one does so, he or she must be ready, willing, and able to also leave everything near and dear to them, including “father, mother, wife, sisters, brothers, children, houses, lands, possessions, and even their own lives” before “praying the sinner’s prayer”? Or that they’ll be given back in this world mothers, brothers, sisters, children, houses, and persecutions, and in the world to come (not immediately, as is often taught), life for an age (NOT “eternal life”)? From the text in Mark, it’s important to note that Yeshua ha Messiach left out fathers and wives in the “second part”, replaced lives with life for an age in the world to come, and added persecutions. Why did He do that?
This prophecy was fulfilled when the “Acts church” was born. Their “fathers”, previously their worldly or satanic “gods” or devils or former heritages, were now given up for dead and they shared One Father. Their “wives” had either become “sisters” in the faith as well, or were sanctified, or gone. The houses they had previously owned to themselves were now the “houses of God” (the temples of their bodies) and the houses of their new brothers and sisters in the Way. For their self-sacrifice they received the “bonus prize” of persecutions. And they had exchanged their lives for the Promise of life for an age in Yeshua’s Kingdom. They turned away from, hence the words hate and forsake, everything of their previous lives so as to be a part of the Body, the ecclesia, the called-out-ones.
To see the Truth of this, one needs to bring to remembrance that when Yeshua’s mother and brothers and sisters came and stood outside to talk to Him, He said that those inside listening to Him and doing what God commanded were His mother and brothers and sisters. Keep that in mind, and then read the second chapter of Acts vss. 38-47 and Acts 4:32-35 and you’ll see His prophecy fulfilled. He meant it all quite literally for the ecclesia that was to come.
When one prays “the sinner’s prayer”, if that person doesn’t do so with the full understanding of leaving everything behind (“count the cost”), then that prayer, even if sincere, is neither of faith nor of leaving their old lives behind. It takes faith (action based on believing the scriptures) in the Life and Words of Yeshua ha Messiach (those who love Me will hear My Words and do them) and without faith it’s impossible to please God. Without faith in action, one can’t receive His Grace. Therefore, the “sinner’s prayer”, even if spoken with full sincerity, is not of faith unless repentance, completely turning away from your former life, has been demonstrated (proven). And since grace is not acquired, or received, or better yet given without turning from one’s former life, neither can the Holy Spirit take the place of your former life. Old and new wineskins.
If one doesn’t turn completely from their former life, then the sinful old man that was present in that former life still has a hold on them. It’s no wonder then that so many pray the sinner’s prayer and get baptized and still don’t feel forgiven. We tell them to ignore that feeling, because it’s “just a feeling.” They are still experiencing guilt for previous sins. They haven’t “counted all things loss” and “left yesterday behind, moving forward” to the hope of salvation in His Kingdom on That Day. They still second guess their prayer, wondering if it “took”. And they turn away or, perhaps even worse, take on a “form of godliness” via a new morality. Not leaving themselves behind has resulted in “denying the Power thereof.” They’ve not truly denied themselves, therefore they’ve denied the Holy Spirit (the Power thereof). The Holy Spirit isn’t present so “seven spirits worse than the first one” come and fill the void. They’ve entered the world of the doctrines of men and demons for believing the lie.
James said, “You say you believe? Good thing. But even the demons believe and they tremble. You show me your faith by what you say (the sinner’s prayer) and I’ll show you my faith by what I do (true repentance and self-denial). (Author’s paraphrase and extractions from context.) Do what Jesus Christ said and what the apostles demonstrated. Live the new life of the disciples in true repentance. Put on Christ (I John 2:6). It is then that you’ll receive His Grace (the manifestation of the power of the presence of God) and keep it if you believe, overcome, endure, and persevere with all diligence. It is then that God will be pleased and His Spirit will testify to it. But it won’t happen as long as we hang on to the self-serving aspect of our former lives. After all, agape’ means un-self.
I’m well aware of how disturbing all of this is. I was disturbed. “It couldn’t be!” I am still disturbed. You may be able to guess why. There are countless millions who have relied upon the sinner’s prayer and upon their sincerity when saying it for their salvation. What does that mean? I don’t doubt their sincerity, and that they believe they became “Christians” upon praying the prayer. But look at what the Word says. Look at the warnings. Look at all the prophesies about the church in the last days. Dig for the Truth. Examine yourself. Did you turn away from everything and continue in it when you prayed the sinner’s prayer? Or did you set aside a “place” in your life for God, and keep everything, aside from a few bad behaviors, when you “gave your life” to God? Yes, you may have “put God in the center”, but did you keep everything else? If so, what god did you put at the center? Did we just “add Jesus to who we are”? Look at the facts from the Word of God, and apply them to your “conversion.” What did you convert to? Were you transformed and made a new creature, or are you just “happier”?
Some have brought to my attention some incidents recorded in the Word as examples of why what I’m saying here isn’t true. I’d like to examine their objections in the full context of the Word of God.
First is the case of those two “thieves” hanging on crosses with Our Lord at the crucifixion. It’s very important to observe and to recognize the order of events as they’re taking place.
First, Yeshua is taken to Golgotha where He is nailed to the cross and raised up in between two robbers. Everyone is reviling Him and mocking Him, “for He said, ‘I Am the Son of God.’” Then, “Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.” Shortly after, Jesus points at Psalm 22 by saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Next, we see that the soldiers are casting lots for His robe, fulfilling a verse from the same Psalm. It is then we see something interesting take place. “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Yeshua, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.’ Why did the one have the change of heart, and how did he become worthy of paradise? Let’s look back for a minute.
Do you remember the scripture about the woman who had the issue of blood, and, when she touched the fringe of Yeshua’s robe, Yeshua felt the Power go out of Him? He told her afterwards, “Your faith has healed you.” Ever wonder about that? Actually, it was a fulfillment of prophecy. In Malachi 4:2, it says, “But to you who fear My Name, The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.” It’s no coincidence that the word used there for wings, kanaph, also refers to the fringe of a Rabbi’s robe. Of course, you could touch any ol’ rabbi’s fringe and not be healed. But the woman’s thinking beforehand was “if I can only get close enough to touch His fringe…” Now, some may call that conjecture, but for me, it doesn’t take a great stretch to believe that the woman knew about that scripture. That’s why Jesus said, “Your faith (believing the scriptures and that they were speaking of Me, and your resulting action) has healed you.” She believed God’s Word about the Messiah, and believed Jesus was Him, and she acted on that belief.
Now, let’s go back to that thief on the cross. At first, he joined with the rest in ridiculing Yeshua. Then, Jesus said ‘look at Psalm 22!’ (in so many words). Then the 2nd criminal saw the soldiers casting lots, perhaps had seen them mix wine with gall and try to give it to Him, saw His hands and His feet pierced, saw the bones pushing out against His skin, and the lights came on. He saw the scriptures being fulfilled, and he believed that Yeshua was fulfilling them at that very moment. Then came the change of heart. But not only change of heart.
Do you recall the old widow with the two coins who “gave all she had”? Well, the criminal then gave all he had. The first criminal tried to deny fault and save his own skin, even though he deserved the punishment. There was no admission of guilt, and no denial of self. He only wanted his world/life, his flesh, saved, and didn’t believe that Yeshua could do even that. The second criminal, though, after recognizing from the scriptures who Yeshua was, admitted guilt, and he didn’t try to save his own world/life by asking Him to do a miracle (he denied himself), and he received Yeshua’s pardon. He not only repented in word, but he gave all he had to give. His pride of life. It didn’t happen because he just felt sorry for Yeshua. And he no longer had father, mother, wife, sisters, brothers, children, houses, lands, possessions, or even much of his own life left to give, but he gave everything he had. This criminal, along with Christ, may have been the firstfruit of the kingdom! Think about it! One who will walk with the King into His Kingdom to Come! He was the first to give everything he had in response to the Scriptures and his belief that in Yeshua ha Messiach, they were fulfilled. Remember, in his last statement he called Him Lord.
Now let’s look at another example that’s given to defend “sinner’s prayer righteousness.” The repentant tax collector. This tax collector was beating his chest, humbling himself, not even presuming to lift his eyes toward Heaven, fully aware of unworthiness. We know all about the self-righteous Pharisee praying next to him, but that isn’t what we’re looking at here. We’re going to look at Zacchaeus, who just happens to surface in the next chapter of Luke. We know that Zacchaeus was short, and so, hanging out in a tree looking for Yeshua. But let’s look at what he does, and keep in mind that only two tax collectors are mentioned in the Gospels by name, Matthew (who was probably Levi; Mark 2:14, Matt. 9:9), and Zacchaeus.
So, Zacchaeus was looking for Yeshua, climbed the tree, and then Yeshua calls him by name and says, “Let’s go to your place today.” So, he “made haste, came down, and received Him joyfully.” Now, while “they” (the “religious” bunch) grumbled about Yeshua going to be a guest with this “sinner” (remember the Pharisee and the tax collector?), Zacchaeus said to Yeshua, “Look, Lord, I give half my goods to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold (as written in the Law!) “Yeah, but he didn’t give away everything!” Well, how was he going to pay all those people back fourfold if he didn’t retain some of it to do just that? Remember why the tax collectors were so hated. They had a reputation for ripping everybody off. “And Yeshua answered him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.” Zacchaeus died to himself and gave everything he could give in faith because he had believed Yeshua ha Messiach was the prophesied Messiah. So, first he responded to what he had heard about Yeshua, then he humbled himself before Yeshua, then he willingly gave up his riches, then salvation came to him, because he showed that he had faith, and that he was a true son of Abraham, believing God and acting on it.
What about the rich young ruler? Let’s take a look at what happens there. “Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” So Yeshua said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” (The “good way” is referred to throughout Scripture.) “You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother.” (Why didn’t Yeshua mention “Thou shalt not have any other gods before me”? Hmmm…) At this point, most likely thinking he had “passed the test” and was going to be commended by the “Good Teacher”, he answered, “All these I have kept from my youth.” But Yeshua didn’t give him an “A.” He said, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful (not repentant), for he was very rich. “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Unfortunately, many people take these verses and their contextual meaning out of context in order to justify hanging on to their former lives and their possessions. They say, “Well, Jesus didn’t say that we all have to give up our things to be saved!” (He didn’t?) “He just knew that rich young ruler’s heart, that his stuff owned him.” Well, that’s partly true, but in a parallel scripture it says that “Yeshua loved him”, and even though Yeshua loved him and wanted him to follow, He didn’t compromise just so the rich young ruler would “Come” and follow Him. He was so close! But he couldn’t die to himself. He couldn’t leave everything behind to follow Jesus. And Jesus didn’t tell him, “Well, I love you, and I know that you’re sincere at heart, so follow Me anyway, and we’ll take care of your riches later.” Rich or poor, Yeshua ha Messiach requires that we leave even our own lives and deny ourselves to follow Him. Else He couldn’t replace our heavy burdens with His own light yoke. Wineskins again. Yes, it is harder for those who have many possessions to leave them all behind, but the same is required for the poor as for the rich, and everything is relative because to the poor, the little they have is as valuable to them as the abundance is to the rich. We must repent, turn away, count as loss, everything before we can follow him. Because where our treasure is, there also is our heart.
It’s also interesting to note that the one rich guy, who had lived an unrighteous life, who gave up his riches, attained to salvation (according to Yeshua), while the other rich guy, who just happened to be righteous in every other way, didn’t give up his riches and went away sorrowful.
Hmmm.
All through the gospels are those who say they’ll follow Yeshua, but when He reminds them of the cost of following Him they make excuses. I’ve seen and heard, over and over, the modern day equivalents.
But our pastors and teachers and elders re-enforce our desire to hang on to our old lives and our possessions by teaching that un-self is not required, over-ruling the very thing Yeshua ha Messiach said over and over so we wouldn’t miss it. The very thing the apostles taught and practiced and expected, and that the Promise responded to. The sinner’s prayer has replaced death to self. Make your bodies a living sacrifice! Heed Paul’s words! Anathema!
Yes, I am judging, by the Word of God, but I’m not condemning individuals. That’s not given to me. Who am I to judge? I’m accountable, because it says, “To whom much is given, much will be expected.” And because of that judgment, and my accountability, I’m exhorting those who teach and those who claim to belong to Yeshua ha Messiach, and I’m condemning false teachings and false assurance of salvation. Search the Word of God! Hunger and thirst! If you don’t have hunger and thirst, pray and ask for it! Don’t go to pastors and teachers and elders and christian psychologists and christian self-help books for answers. That’s like going to a coal miner for brain surgery! Go to the Word of God! Diligently seek! “Let no man deceive you.”
Ask yourself a question. Why did Yeshua say, “To he who overcomes … as I also overcame…”? If He overcame for us, why is he telling us that we need to overcome also? Why does He repeat Himself seven times? Why does he put an exclamation point on it each time by saying, “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches?” He’s saying, “Listen up, guys (and gals)! This is serious!” Even if we’re honest with ourselves and place ourselves in the “Laodicean” group instead of the “Philadelphia” group, do we follow it up by doing what He told us to do? Or do we just keep feeling sorrowful and praying for some other way out? Or do we heed His warnings?
Sadly, I’ve yet to see any evidence, as a whole, that we have.
John 9:41, II Timothy 3:16-17
This has been written in love. Martin Luther nailed his to the door of the church, but today, that would be destruction of property!
The Truth condemns only when it doesn’t produce true repentance. The Truth will also bring division, although my intent is not to be divisive, unless the Truth were to divide the noble from the proud.
I would rather every one of you confront me and rebuke me than for me to hear silent complacency as an answer, provided those confronting me were willing to consider the Truth of what is written above.
Search the Word. Weigh every statement I’ve made. Prove me wrong, please! For if I’m right, and have heard from God, and have proven what I’ve heard in the scriptures, then many whose salvation is by sinner’s prayer have heeded false doctrine and will perish with the wicked. But if I’m right, and have heard from God, and have proven it in the scriptures, and some listen and respond, I will have gained my crown if I continue to fight the fight. And if I’m wrong, and you can prove it in the scriptures, and you turn me from the error of my ways, then you will have your crown for having turned me from destruction.