DECEPTION, A FATAL SIN NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY

PART #3

OUR RESPONSE TO GOD IS AN INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHICH WE WILL EACH BE JUDGED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS! THE JUDGMENT WILL BE BASED ON WHAT THE WORD OF GOD TEACHES – NOT ON THE OPINIONS OR PHILOSOPHIES OF MAN. (2 Corinthians 5:10; John 12:48)

Ezekiel 18:1-20 clearly teaches that each person will be accountable for his own sin. The sins of the father will not be held against the son. The sins of the son will not be held against the father. The soul who sins is the one who will die!

Remember Paul’s instructions to the Galatians who were being tempted to go back under parts of the Old Law Christ had fulfilled and done away with? What did he tell these Galatian Christians who had obeyed the gospel, been saved from their sins and received the Holy Spirit but now were being led astray by the Judiazing teachers? “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

Many well-known, popular preachers of the gospel whom we have respected in the past are now bending to the pressures of blending in with the denominations around them or for whatever reason. It makes no difference what their reasoning is, if it is not a commandment

or approved example of the Lord, written by an inspired apostle or prophet and clearly recorded in the word of God, it is a perversion and they will be condemned just as Nadab and Abihu, or the old prophet! Remember everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Romans 14:23 (NIV).

Some of the religious groups teach many things that are biblical but, like Nadab and Abihu, they have not followed the clear instructions of God and have substituted or perverted (changed or twisted) the gospel. Remember, there is one true gospel and that gospel is God’s only power to save (Romans 1:16-17; Galatians 1:6-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Any other teaching is accursed as are those who teach it!

Some Christians are even persuaded by the desires of loved ones (as Adam) who want to blend in with other religious people whom they respect and admire or because they have been deceived by Satan for some other reason. Our relationship is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. We either make Him Lord or we follow someone or something else. This is a favored deception of Satan – to pervert the gospel.

Sometime the deception is a choice of our own. We want to live in a way contrary to the clear teaching of God and, on our own, try to justify certain things we desire to do by our own philosophy. The Scripture should come to our minds, Galatians 6:7-10 (NIV) 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Jesus has all authority and He has plainly told us what to do but some have even decided that what Jesus clearly taught about how to be saved can be changed.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples (by teaching the gospel) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of (by the authority of) the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)). The only way to make disciples is to convert sinners to Jesus Christ through teaching them the gospel! “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17 (NIV)). When anyone believes this gospel and are willing to die to self and to sin, they are then to be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and the Lord will then add them to the body of the saved, the church. To those who asked, “What must we do?” In Acts 2:37, “Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38 (NIV)). “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” (Acts 2:41 (NIV)). Or as the King James version has it, “Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:47 (KJV)).

Of all the clear teachings in the bible, the teaching on baptism is one of the clearest and yet so many, even of those who, once in faith, believed and were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins, have questioned the actual necessity of baptism for salvation. Some have accepted those who were baptized for the wrong purpose and some have accepted people who appear to be very sincere believers but who have not been baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. They recognize these as being Christians although the blood of Christ in baptism has not removed their sins! One of the last things Jesus said, just before He left the earth to be with His Father was, 15 … “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15-16 (NIV). Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and this was the most important thing on His mind before he left this earth!

On the Day of Pentecost when the gospel was first preached, three thousand people had no problem understanding what was taught them and they were baptized and the Lord added all these who were saved to His church (Acts 2:36-41, 47).

The apostle Paul, by inspiritation, told the Thessalonias what would happen to those who refused to believe God and to those who refused to be obedient to the gospel – “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 (NIV).

Peter later stated in 1 Peter 3:21 (NIV) - 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul explains what Peter taught in Romans 6:3-8 (NIV) 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” Unless one dies with Christ (in baptism as God predestined before the foundation of the world [Ephesians 1:3-6]), they can not be raised to live with Him!

There is a great lesson to be learned here. God is God and I am not! It makes no difference what “I” think about anything, the only thing that matters is what God says! Anytime I am tempted to offer up to God something that He has not authorized in worship, I need to remember Nadab and Abihu! Anytime I choose to disobey a clear and direct command of God, I need to remember Adam and Eve, Moses and Nadab and Abihu.

Deception is one of Satan’s greatest tools to cause people to stray away from the clear and concise instructions given for man to follow in order to walk in the light. The young prophet was determined to do exactly as God instructed him but was deceived by the old prophet who lied to him, contradicting the instructions given the young prophet and brought on the young

prophet’s death. The young prophet made the mistake so many make today by assuming that the old prophet had really received a message from God changing the original instructions given

him. When those we trust tell us things that do not agree with the clear teaching of God and we follow their counsel, we have, like the young prophet, been deceived and will pay the consequences. We are each individually responsible for going to the word of God to see if the things being taught are true just like the Bereans in the New Testament (Acts 17:11 (NIV) 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true). Had they found that Paul was teaching error, they would have confronted him with the truth. Many today do not even bother to search out what God reveals in the Bible, they just take the word of others or go along with the group because they like the group.

Many, many other examples could be given in the Old Testament of those who disobeyed, disregarded, or ignored clear and concise commands and instructions given by God, such as the deaths of all those who refused to get on the Ark; The people of God who went after other gods and were carried off into Assyrian and Babylonian captivity until they repented and returned to keep the commandments of God.

In the New Testament there are many examples and warnings given, which “religious people” are ignoring, changing, and even “re-writing,” by their false teaching concerning clear Bible teaching. God has spoken, had His word recorded by inspired writers, and yet people are changing, deleting, or perverting that teaching. The word of God will judge us in the last day (John 12:47-50 (NIV) 47 “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.)”Even if Jesus were to come back to earth today He would not preach anything other than what He preached while He was here because He preached exactly what the Father told Him to say!

The rich man who found himself in torment begged Abraham to send Lazarus, (who had died and gone to Paradice), back to warn his brothers who were yet on earth. The rich man thought that if one came back from the dead and told his brothers what a terrible place the rich man had gone to, they would believe Lazarus and change their ways. Abraham told the rich man that his brothers had Moses and the Prophets to instruct them, if they would not believe Moses and the Prophets, they will not believe one who came back from the dead (Luke 16:27-31)!

Jesus is a good example of this truth. He lived, taught only what the Father (God) told Him to say (John 12:49-50). Even though Jesus worked miracles, most of the people did not accept His teaching. After He was crucified (witnessed by many) and was raised from the dead (also witnessed by many [1 Corinthians 15:3-8]), most of the people still did not believe. If the people do not believe the Old Testament teachings concerning the coming of the Christ and the New Testament teaching telling about how Christ came just like the prophets had predicted, they would not believe Jesus if He came back in the flesh. Christ would not teach any thing differently today since He spoke only what the Father told Him to say (John 12:49). God had His word once revealed (Jude 3 (NIV) 3 “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” The faith “once for all entrusted to the saints” can not change or be changed because God does not change!

Jesus asked some of those who “said” they believed in Him, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46 (NIV)) And Again in John 14:15 (NIV) 15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” And yet again, John 15:14 (NIV) 14 “You are my friends if you do what I command.” John wrote, 1 John 1:6-7 (NIV) 6 “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” One can not walk in darkness and still be in the light. Nor can one walk contrary to the teachings of God or His Christ and be in fellowship with Him! “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. (Luke 11:23 (NIV)) If we teach something contrary to what Christ or His inspired writers of the New Testament wrote, we are against Him!

Paul encouraged the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV) 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? We need to examine ourselves! We will all be judged by the same standard, the word of God (John 12:47-50). We are warned not to add to or take away from what God has had written; Deuteronomy 12:32 (NIV) 32 See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.; Revelation 22:18-19 (NIV) 18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Did Eve obey God’s instructions when she ate the forbidden fruit? NO! Did Adam obey God when he ate of the fruit God commanded them not to eat? NO! Who did Eve and Adam obey, God or Satan? Who tempted them to eat and convinced them that they would not receive the consequences God promised if they disobeyed? Who do we obey if we do not follow the clear, concise, inspired teachings of God, Christ or Satan? Can we expect to be exempt from God’s law if we dishonor Him by our disobedience to the simple truth which demands simple obedience? Will God make exceptions “just for us?”

Did Moses disobey God by taking credit for bringing water from the rock? Did he disobey God who told him to speak to the rock and instead, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff? Was he and Aaron punished for their actions? Neither went into the promised land as God promised they would not!

When Nadab and Abihu offered up strange, or unauthorized fire upon their censers, were they obeying God or were they changing or adding to the instructions God had given them?

When God sent fire down and consumed Nadab and Abihu for their disobedience and arrogance in not offering what He had commanded them to offer, what was the message He was sending to anyone in any age concerning His Holiness and Supremecy?

When the young prophet (a man of God) was deceived by the old prophet and was killed by the lion, what message did God send to people who claim to be followers of God but follow what some man tells them? Does God want people to go to Him for instruction instead of trusting someone who claims to have received instructions but which instructions do not follow the original instructions God gives? Where should people go to find out whether God has changed His instructions, to God, or to some man who claims to have a message contrary to God’s original message?

When the Galatian Christians received the gospel and became obedient to it, were they saved? When they heard the teaching of some who came to them teaching something other than what they had first received, should they have believe the teaching or consider them false teachers? “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:6-9 (NIV))

What is the gospel? What did Peter preach when he preached the gospel? Acts 2:36-38 (NIV) 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:47 (KJV) 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved).

What did Paul preach when he preached the gospel? “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NIV)); “4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV)); “3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” (Romans 6:3-7 (NIV))

Peter said that baptism saves us 21 and this water (in the context speaking of the water in the flood that saved Noah and his family by lifting them above the destruction) symbolizes (it was the water of the flood that symbolizes baptism, not baptism symbolizing the flood) baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ((1 Peter 3:21 (NIV)). Does baptism save us?

Peter said that it was necessary for the people on Pentecost who had been convicted of their sins to repent and be baptized (“every one of you”) and that this baptism was for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Was and is he right?

Paul said that we are saved by grace through faith - ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)). Is this correct? Paul also explained who remakes us and the purpose of our being saved – ^{10 ‘}For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV). Is this correct? Is this the action of those who have been saved? Is it your action?

Jesus explained that a person must be born again in order to be saved, “³ In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.^a” ⁴ “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” ⁵ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. John 3:3-5 (NIV). Would we be correct to say this takes place in baptism? “³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38 (NIV)).

What word in the Greek did the Holy Spirit use through Peter?

BAPTIZŌ (βαπτίζω , (907)), to baptize, primarily a frequentative form of baptō, to dip, was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment, or the drawing of water by dipping a vessel into another, ^etc. .. The phrase in Matt. 28:19, “baptizing them into the Name” (^R.V.; ^cp. Acts 8:16, R.V.), would indicate that the baptized person was closely bound to, or became the property of, the one into whose Name he was baptized.¹

In the Scriptures where it is used, it is obvious what takes place:

Romans 6:3-4 (NIV) ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Galatians 3:26-27 (NIV) ²⁶ You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.