HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MY SALVATION!


1John 4:
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether
they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the
world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and
this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it
cometh; and now it is in the world already.

This passage gives a clear command to true Christians to examine and
question anyone who claims he is a Christian. The opening
sentence plainly says that Christians are not to go around believing
everybody is saved just because he says so. Instead, the Christian 
is directed to examine and question people who say they are saved 
and such questioning is based on Doctrine. It has been rightly said 
that the ongoing battle for the souls of men takes place in the Mind. 
And the one and only function of the mind ladies and gentlemen is 
the ongoing activity of processing Doctrine. And that includes 
everything that goes into and comes out of the mind; whether it's 
religious or not!

  Everything you learned when you went to school for at least 12 
years was all Doctrine. Even when you smoked pot in back of the 
school yard.. you were learning and processing Doctrine! And a man's 
Doctrine determines how he will live... and die. All who die in 
unbiblical false doctrine shall spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, 
no matter how much they said "Jesus" in this life!
              
                          MANY.....

...will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
~in thy name~? and ~in thy name~ have cast out devils? and
~in thy name~ done many wonderful works? Mt 7:22 
I'll bet lots of people thought these were "godly men" But what does
the Son of God think of them? Next verse, 
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: *depart* 
from me, ye that work iniquity.

   Questioning people's salvation is no fun issue folks!
Especially when the people are friends and loved ones. It's probably
for this reason that most people who claim to be Christians do not 
pay any attention to a passage like this. Oh, there is no doubt that
they do when the JW or the Mormon knocks on the door on Sat morning.
But that's where it ends. No one goes around in his circle of 
friends and loved ones and questions those who carry a Bible, go to 
church and say "Jesus". And especially do they ever have the 
audacity to ever, ever question the man who stands in the pulpit! Oh
sure... you can "ask the preacher" any question any time you want 
to.. but don't you dare ~examine~ his doctrine in the light of the 
Bible. And if you happen to find that what he believes is not found 
in Scripture, what should you do..? Sit down, shut up & don't make 
waves!
 But you see folks, that course of action is in direct
contradiction to the instructions given by the Holy Spirit, who is 
the Spirit of Truth, in the Scriptures. To do that is to walk in 
direct disobedience to God Himself. No sir...! The Christian is
~commanded~ to examine everybody, even if it means making waves and
becoming a marked man. And believe me you will become a marked man.
You will lose friends and influence people... to call you all kinds
of things like; Judgmental; Ungracious; Arrogant; 
Who-are-you-to-judge; and on & on. But you know what folks... read 
this next one carefully;

The Son of God testified of the world that its works were evil! John
7:7. And His main target was... Religious people... and especially
those who were Religious Leaders. Why do you think they ended up
putting Him on the cross?

  The Greek word "prove" in verse 1 is the verb dokimazo~
dok-im-ad'-zo. It means;
1) to test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is
genuine or not), as metals.
2) to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve, deem 
worthy.
  It is derived from the noun form dokimos dok'-ee-mos which
means;
1) accepted, particularly of coins and money.
2) accepted, pleasing, acceptable.

There is a negative form; a-dokimos; the 'a' in front of the word is
called in Greek an 'alpha privative' which simply means that when 
the Greek letter 'alpha' or 'a' is put in front of a word it negates
the meaning. In English we have the prefix 'un' so you might have a 
word like... unsportsman.. [like conduct, as in football]. The Greek
 word a-dokimos means;
1) not standing the test, not approved.
1a) properly used of metals and coins.
2) that which does not prove itself such as it ought.
2a) unfit for, unproved, spurious, reprobate.

This word study teaches that when Christians examine people who say
they are saved what they are doing is determining whether or not 
their Doctrine is acceptable based on the standard of the Bible; 
the word of God. And if it is discovered that a person is holding to
false doctrine the Christian then points that out and instructs the 
person to repent of his false doctrine. If the person repents, then 
thou hast gained a brother. A prime example is Peter and Barnabas in
the book of Galatians. They were condoning both false doctrine and 
those who were bringing it and Paul issued the strongest rebuke he
could by saying these people were under the curse of God! Gal 1:6-9.
The result was that Peter, Barnabas and all true believers 
recognized their sin and repented.

But if he does not repent, then what does that tell us about the
person's doctrine. It tells us that his doctrine is UNapproved
according to the Scriptures. It tells us that his doctrine is the
doctrine of the Reprobate! And so we have such passages as;

Ro 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate [a-dokimos] mind, to
do those things which are not convenient;

These people were guilty of.. guess what? They were surpressing the
truth in unrighteousness, verse 18, which is exactly what people do 
when they persist in their false doctrine.

Those who hold to false doctrine indeed "do not like to retain God
in their knowledge" and therefore are on extremely dangerous ground 
for if they continue in their false doctrine the True and Living God
might just give them over to the fullness of a reprobate mind.. 
which means they will be ~sealed~ in their doom! And if you don't 
think God will do this to people who say "Jesus" and claim to 
believe in Him then read this next passage with sobriety;

2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but
had pleasure in unrighteousness.

You will notice that the opposite of having pleasure in
unrighteousness is belief of the truth. Therefore the having 
pleasure in unrighteousness means abiding in false doctrine; that 
which is not of the truth. Another...

2Ti 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these
also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate [a-dokimos]
concerning the faith.

This one shows that those who persist in their false doctrine and
resist the truth are men of corrupt minds and reprobate [a-dokimos]
concerning the faith. This is shown by the fact that they resist the
truth and therefore persist in their false doctrine. Again this
demonstrates that Doctrine held by the Mind is a Vital issue.
Another...

Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they
deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good 
work reprobate [a-dokimos].

This verse shows that the condition is found right within the
confines of Biblical religion. That means people who claim to be
Christians! They are considered by others as such "godly people". 
But you see folks, godliness and false doctrine are a Deadly 
mixture. Many people are judged to be 'godly' by unbiblical 
standards. Men are judged to be 'godly' by how much Scripture they 
know; or how 'powerfully' they preach, or how intently they pray. 
But who do you know that judges godliness based on what doctrine a 
man believes? No one does that.. except radicals like me!... and the
Savior!  But this is why John wrote what he did in 1John 4.

 These are sobering passages ladies and gentlemen. The
instruction to true Christians in all this is clear. Whenever we
discover that people who say they are saved, and who we even thought
they were saved,... whenever we discover that their Doctrine is not 
in accord with the word of God... and they refuse to acknowledge and
repent, true Christians are to have no religious fellowship with 
them. And why not? Because, according to this passage in 1John 4, 
such people are not of God. It matters not how much they quote the 
Bible, how much they go to church, how much they "witness", or 
preach, or pray, or how many Bible schools they went to, or how 
"godly" they appear to be in the eyes of men! In all of this... 
NOTHING matters except what doctrine they believe. And the Holy 
Spirit testifies that if their doctrine is not according to 
Scriptures they are not of God. Rather they are of the spirit of 
anti-christ! And folks... I did not write that. The Holy Spirit of 
Truth wrote it thru the pen of the Apostle John and HE says... 
"every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is 
the spirit of the antichrist,".

                    Call On God in Truth

Ps 145:18  The LORD is near all those who call on Him, all those who call on Him in truth.

We read in the NT that 'whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved´ and such is made the basis of many a false gospel message in our day. And why? Because most have never even heard of Ps. 145:18 where we are told here the precise nature of this calling. It is a calling that is done within the confines of the truth.

Many people call upon a god who is ignorant of the future. He must 'look ahead', down the corridors of time to find out who will do what.
Yet Scripture clearly teaches that the true God knows all things before they ever come to pass.

Isa 46:10  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

...because He has ordained everything that comes to pass.
11  Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

Ro 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Therefore such people are not calling on God in truth. They are calling in a lie. God is far from them.

They call upon a god who loves e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y; no exceptions.
Yet Scripture clearly teaches the true God does not love everybody;

Psalm 11:5  The LORD tries the righteous; but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence,

Rom 9:13 Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.

Therefore such people are not calling on God in truth. They are calling in a lie. God is far from them.

They call upon a christ who has died for e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y; including Judas Iscariot and everyone in Hell.  Again no exceptions.
Yet Scripture clearly teaches the true Christ gave His life for His sheep.

Jn 10:11 I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

And His Church...

Ac 20:28  Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood.

The death of Messiah has purchased all in whose place he stood. Those who say He died for e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y are saying there are people in Hell that were purchased by the blood of Messiah. This is sheer blasphemy and is not the truth!

Therefore such people are not calling on God in truth. They are calling in a lie. God is far from them.

They call upon a god who is powerless to save unless they let him by the exercize of their free will.
Yet Scripture clearly teaches that salvation has nothing to do with man's will;

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
  13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Therefore such people are not calling on God in truth. They are calling in a lie. God is far from them.

They call upon a god who, when he saves, leaves them in the same condition of wickedness and depravity as they were when they came into the world. They remain unchanged in their character  as well as their conduct. They say that they are still 'sinners' and everything they do is "tainted with sin."
Yet Scripture clearly teaches that when God saves a man He changes him in both his character;

2Cor 5:17  So that if anyone is in Christ, that one is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!

Mt 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mt 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Lu 8:15  But those on the good ground are the ones who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.

..as well as his conduct;

John 3:20  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved.
21  But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.

Ro 6:4  Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, so also we should walk in newness of life.

1John 3:6  Everyone who abides in Him does not sin. Everyone who sins has not seen Him nor known Him.

Therefore such people are not calling on God in truth. They are calling in a lie. God is far from them.

Some even call upon a god who saves apart from truth as expressed by correct doctrine. They say 'We are save by a person, not doctrine.' Others even go so far as to say we are not saved by doctrine at all. When asked the question..'how much doctrine does one need to know in order to be saved?' they answer.. None! The expression of doctrine, they say, is the 'evidence' that one has been saved. When asked 'what must a person do to be saved?' thay answer "absolutely nothing."! Both of these ideas deny the truth that a man must believe the Gospel or he is not saved;

Mr 16:15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

And he must believe the truth of the Gospel in its correct doctrinal content.
Scripture teaches that proper doctrinal truth is the means God uses to save His people.

2Th 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

1Tim 4:16  Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

2Tim 3:15  And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Jas 1:18  Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Apart from belief in the doctrinal truth of the Gospel there is no salvation.

Therefore such people are not calling on God in truth. They are calling in a lie. God is far from them.

Have you called upon the Name of the Lord in truth? If not then God is far from you.

1Ki 18:21 And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, How long go ye limping between the two sides? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

He who limps is lost.....