Bondage Keepers

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 1Cor. 13:3

 

The apostle is NOT speaking of a love that winks at sin or overlooks wrong doing because someone believes in Jesus. This love does NOT rejoice in iniquity but when truth and justice prevail! This is Love for the Truth, without a mixture of error. And this love proclaims the word of God at all cost, calling all men everywhere to repentance proven by deeds.  

Can a person be totally committed to the Gospel and dedicate their entire life to God's service and remain un-converted? Absolutely! One the Greatest Deceptions in all of history has been deeply devoted people of God who, by their OWN admission, were NOT saved! The outward appearance is of no value in determining Truth from Error. Obviously a person can perform extensive charitable work and even give their body in sacrifice and have nothing to do with the truth of God. Man is perfectly capable of great acts of kindness. Couple that with his religious zeal and you have the perfect formula this kind of delusion.  

The austere life is common to many forms of worship. Men and woman strip themselves of earthly goods and attachments and concentrate on godly service. They take vows of poverty and celibacy, live in monasteries and work in leper colonies. No one could doubt their sincerity. But are they bringing souls from Darkness to Light, from the power of Satan to God? The proof is in the product. If we find the people they have ministered to still in bondage to their sin, still double-minded about serving God and with deeply divided motives within, WHOSE power is at work? (Surly not the power of God!) 

But how can a person offer something he DOES NOT himself possess? We see in the Scriptures a man's attempt to purchase this power from a genuine apostle of God. (Acts 8:14-25) The Spirit of Truth instantly exposed him as a fraud and commanded him to repent! God will not allow His truth to be defiled. If man insists on teaching false doctrine, the Spirit of Truth will withdraw Himself and give them over to their delusion. (Rom. 1:18-26, 2Thess. 2:3-11)  

Will that detour man from pursuing his error? In all likelihood, no, it will not. He will assume that the good he is doing out weights the bad and continue anyway. If people are being relieved of their pain, suffering and hunger, who could fault his actions? The world does not measure spiritual success in souls rescued from the corrupting influence of sin. Tangible achievement is seen in church member roles, soup kitchen lines and euphoric outbursts. Lasting results are not really a matter of great concern because there is always another campaign to follow. Thus MANY can serve in a situation like this their entire life and remain unaware of the impending danger at the Judgment. 

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" Matt. 7:21-23 

Here Christ is showing you people who will come to Him in Judgment COMPLETELY oblivious they had served Him in vain. Notice that the Lord NEVER said they did not do these things, ONLY that their doing was wicked and unacceptable. No one engaged in the actual doing of these things "THINKS" the Lord may be addressing him. It's always someone else who is deceived or teaching false doctrine, not me.  That's why so few ever wake up to this delusion and break free from it.  

The foundation of this delusion is standing on the twisted version of the Gospel men believe in and preach. They think that because of grace God will somehow accept their mediocre efforts and cut them some slack on their lack of obedience to His commands. As though God will take the good and leave the bad, rewarding them for "trying" to make a difference. Consequently people are brought into the Kingdom still wretched and addicted to their sins. They are taught that it's God's job to clean them up by changing their desires over time. But until then they have to remain in a repentant state of mind, rotten to the core and accept the fact that they are nothing but miserable sinners "Saved" by Grace!  

Here is an Example of Failure to Crucify the Old Man in Real Repentance:  

Now where is he, even among those that seem strong in the faith, who does not find in himself a degree of all these evil tempers? So that even these are but in part "crucified to the world;" for the evil root still remains in their heart. 

It is their experiencing this, which has inclined so many serious persons to understand the latter part of the seventh chapter to the Romans, not of them that are "under the law," that are convinced of sin, which is undoubtedly the meaning of the apostle, but of them that are "under grace" that are "justified freely through the redemption that is in Christ." And it is most certain, they are thus far right, -- there does still remain, even in them that are justified, a mind which is in some measure carnal (so the apostle tells even the believers at Corinth, "Ye are carnal;") an heart bent to backsliding, still ever ready to "depart from the living God;" a propensity to pride, self-will, anger, revenge, love of the world, yea, and all evil: a root of bitterness, which, if the restraint were taken off for a moment, would instantly spring up; yea, such a depth of corruption, as, without clear light from God, we cannot possibly conceive. And a conviction of all this sin remaining in their hearts is the repentance which belongs to them that are justified. 

But we should likewise be convinced, that as sin remains in our hearts, so it cleaves to all our words and actions. Indeed it is to be feared, that many of our words are more than mixed with sin; that they are sinful altogether. 

By all the grace which is given at justification we cannot extirpate them. Though we watch and pray ever so much, we cannot wholly cleanse either our hearts or hands. Most sure we cannot. 

Now Compare this with what the apostle said about Repentance and Conversion:  

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin Rom. 6 

Does any of this sound like an 'Evil Root" remains in the heart? Or a "partial" crucifixion to the world? How about a continued "propensity" to sinful behavior? The apostle used NONE of these words. He NEVER implied that this death to the old man was something "provisional" or in "Principle." He is speaking of an actuality of something that has taken place once and for all, NOT to be repeated!  

Here Again is the False Doctrine Speaks:

We have already died provisionally with Christ through our participation in Christ crucified; now we must permit that death to reach to the very depths of our being as we cease from self and begin to live wholly to God. The death of the "old man" is thus a process initiated by conversion and realized in sanctification. "In principle" we die with Christ in justification; in full reality we die with Him when we yield up ourselves to God as Jesus gave up His spirit to the Father on the Cross.

Where is this "PROCESS" they insist on? The apostle said we died with Christ, shared in His death and resurrection! (If we have indeed experienced this repentance) Therefore, he says, "You are slave to Who you OBEY! Sin to death, obedience to righteousness!"  You are NOT excused from reaping what you sow because you have believed in Jesus. The power of sin has either been destroyed in your heart at initial Repentance or the apostles were lairs! How PURE is PURE?

"And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." 1John 3:3

No wonder the converts under this type of preaching are still in bondage to their sins. It's because of WHAT they believe! Tell someone they are a wretched sinner, incapable of doing anything right until God saves them, and then even their best efforts will STILL fall flat...and WHAT do you suppose will be the result? Nothing short of full-blown lawlessness inside and out! If the "condemnation" has been removed in Christ (as they are told) WHAT is there to worry about? "Propensity" can then be realized in all my DEEDS, since sin still clings to every part of my being!

Would a person converted under this Lie ever DOUBT his Salvation? OFTEN, I would think. If they still had a conscience un-seared it would have to accuse them of the wrong doing. If not, they would certainly be in the worst state imaginable. But nevertheless, they always seem to continue in the ministry, leading others into the same wretched condition they are in and spreading the lie. In reality they become Satan's own army. Appearing as Lambs, but speaking the language of the Dragon.

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We have been Quoting the venerated John Wesley. The father of the holiness movement. In the next series of quotes, taken from his letters and journals, we find him a victim of his own devices. He is "Saved" (under dubious circumstances) and later doubting that anything really happened to him!

His Conversion account, May 24, 1738  (Full account in his Journal on that date)

In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate-street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans.  About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed.  I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was giving me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death. 

Only Months following his alleged conversion, we find him penning these words in his Journal:

Oct. 14, 1738, "I cannot find in myself the love of God, or of Christ. Hence my deadness and wanderings in public prayer."Again I find I have not that joy in the Holy Ghost.

Jan. 4, 1739 My friends affirm I am mad, because I said I was not a Christian a year ago, I affirm, I am not a Christian now. Indeed, what I might have been I know not. Though I have constantly used all the means of Grace for twenty years, I am not a Christian.

In Wesley's mind a full repentance happens AFTER conversion to Christ. Thus the godly sorrow for sin and crisis of conviction were not something to be associated with his initial faith. The CLEARING of wrong doing also comes afterward, as we see from his previous quotes. So Initially, you are saved as a sinning wretch and then cleaned up as the Holy Spirit gradually changes your desires. The major problem with this however is, "IT'S WRONG!" God does NOT bring a soul to Redemption Still Double-Minded and Divided. The good tree bears GOOD fruit, the bad tree bears bad fruit. Neither tree can bear BOTH at the same time!

Even Toward the End of his Life Wesley was in extreme doubt of his salvation.  In a letter to his brother Charles at age 63, June 27, 1766, he expresses his feelings:

Dear Brother,

In one of my last I was saying that I do not feel the warmth of God abiding on me, nor can I believe that it does.  And yet (this is the mystery) I do not love God, I never did.  Therefore I never believed, in the Christian sense of the word.  Therefore I am only an honest heathen? and yet, to be so employed by God!  And so hedged in that I can neither get forward nor backward!  Surely there was never such an instance before, from the beginning of the world!  If I ever have had that faith, it would not be so strange.  But I never had any other evidence of the eternal or invisible world than I have now; and that is none at all, unless such as faintly shines from reason's glimmering ray.  I have no direct witness (I do not say, that I am a child of God, but) of anything invisible or eternal.

And yet I dare not preach otherwise than I do, either concerning faith, or love or Justification or perfection.  And yet I find rather an increase than a decrease of zeal for the whole work of God and every part of it.  I am borne along, I know not how, that I can't stand still.  I want all the world to come to what I do not know.  Neither am I impelled to this by fear of any kind.  I have no more fear than love.  Or if I have any fear, it is not of falling into hell but of falling into nothing.

I hope you are with Billy Evans.  If there is an Israelite indeed I think he is one.  O insist everywhere on full redemption, receivable by faith alone; consequently, to be looked for now.  You are made, as it were for this very thing.  Just here you are in your element.  In connexion I beat you, but in strong, pointed sentences you beat me.  Go on, in your own way, in what God has peculiarly called you to.  Press the instantaneous blessing.  Then I shall have more time for my peculiar calling, enforcing the gradual work.

We must also have a thorough reform of the preachers.  I wish you would come to Leeds, with John Jones in the machine.  It comes in two days; and after staying two days, you might return.  I would willingly bear your expenses up and down.  I believe it will help, not hurt, your health.

My love to Sally

John Wesley

Devastating admission, especially from one so well respected as a man of God. It's one thing to be assailed by manifold temptations and reach a point of despair, for even Paul despaired of life on occasion (2 Cor. 1:8), but we NEVER find him in doubt of his salvation or admitting he Did Not Love God. Perhaps it was because Paul was DEAD INDEED to sin, as he said in Romans, and could declare to others that his conduct was blameless and his conscience clear. A man with a divided heart still clinging to sin, could NOT make this assertion. (1Thess. 1:10, 2 Tim. 1:3)  

Wesley's condition (in his own words) should send chills down the spins of every so-called church Pastor today, who THINKS he is serving God. If THIS man could be such a state, having used "all the means of grace" his entire life and lead such an austere life, WHERE does that leave you? We have preachers today calling themselves: "Supersonic Sinners," "Moral foul ups," "The Romans Wretch," even "Deceitfully Wicked!" and yet, like Wesley, they have no fear of hearing those awful words of Christ recorded in Matt. 7:21-23. This is because the Gospel they preach removes them from condemnation, by you dying "Provisionally" with Christ. (But in practicality they are sill full of sin!)  

Here is the Convoluted Nature of this Conjecture:  

For it is certain, "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," that believe in him, and, in the power of that faith, "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Yet can they no more bear the strict justice of God now, than before they believed. This pronounces them to be still worthy of death, on all the preceding accounts. And it would absolutely condemn them thereto, were it not for the atoning blood.

Therefore ALL these preachers believe and preach that you can have a divided heart full of sin and be UNDER the Blood! (safe and secure!) No wonder their converts are living example of the Romans Seven Wretch! (As they themselves testify daily!) Could anyone be truly saved under this lie? Read John Wesley's comments again before you answer. We would have to agree that the accumulative effect of three hundred plus years of preaching this fallacy has resulted in a modern Gospel NULL & VOID of any saving effect whatsoever!  

How many thousands of people under this lie have felt the condemnation of conviction, warning them of the impending danger of Judgment, but IGNORED it because some preacher told them not to worry? Very few have been as honest as John Wesley, and recorded their own doubts for future generations to read and ponder. Let it serve as a warning to ALL who consider themselves called of God. How MANY that we consider Saints have expressed these same doubts?

When the foundation of what you preach is based on a LIE, you serve in an empty void. How GREAT a tragedy of life is it to find yourself VOID of the VERY thing you supposedly believe!  

"Where is my faith? Even deep down...there is nothing but emptiness and darkness.  If there be God....please forgive me. When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul... How painful is this unknown pain - I have no Faith. Repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal, ....What do I labor for? If there be no God, there can be no soul. If there be no soul then, Jesus, You also are not true."  Mother Teresa 

Then He will also say to those on the left hand, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Matt. 25:41

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