Christianity 

"Your good works can't get you into heaven and your sins won't send you to hell"

 

 ROMAN Catholic’s 

 believe their good works may finally get them into heaven - ("Cross your fingers and hope for the best" religion)

 7th DAY ADVENTIST's 

believe that worshipping on Saturday will save them - ("Aren't I a special person" religion)

 MORMON's 

believe they're transforming themselves into gods - ("Be like me! I'm nearly a god" religion)

 ATHEIST's 

believe their own mind will save them by ignoring the fact that there is a God - ("Have another beer! He'll soon go away" religion)

 

 CHRISTADELPHIAN's

believe that Jesus Christ isn't God  ("I've misinterpreted the Bible, and bamboozled myself" religion)

 JEHOVAH WITNESS's 

believe that man has to save himself by becoming a JW - ("Join us or you're lost" religion)

 

 BHUDDIST's 

don't believe there is a God - ("Stick your finger in your navel and say OMMMM..." religion)

 

 HINDU'S 

believe in 330 million gods - ("Pick a god ... any god" religion)

 AGNOSTIC's 

believe in confusion - ("Don't have a clue" religion).

 

In the following paper you'll learn about:

 

1. The different religions and their salvation plan i.e. joining their religion and obeying their rules

 

2. What a Christian is

 

3. How we know that Jesus Christ is God

 

4. Three types of people who call themselves Christian

 

THERE ARE MANY RELIGIONS!

There are 3 MAIN GROUPS of religions:

 

1. THOSE THAT AREN'T "CHRISTIAN": Islam (Moslems), Buddhists, Judaism (Jews), Hinduism (mainly India), Taoists (mainly China) and Shintoists (Japan).

 

2. THOSE THAT SAY THEY'RE "CHRISTIAN" BUT AREN'T: Christian Science, Seventh Day Adventism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphianism, Roman Catholicism and Mormonism.

 

3. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF "CULTS": e.g. Orange People, New Age, World Wide Church of God (Armstrongism) & Ba-hai's

 

THEN THERE ARE THOSE THAT ARE TRULY CHRISTIAN.

 

WHAT DEFINES A CHRISTIAN?

A Christian has realized his good works can't get him into heaven and his sins won't send him to hell. By God's grace he has been pardoned by Christ's death and he has received Jesus as his Saviour.

 

Religion is what man has invented to get himself right with his god.

Those who by FAITH ALONE receive Jesus Christ ALONE as Saviour can call themselves a Christian.

 

So this wipes out groups 1, 2 and 3 because they don't believe in Jesus Christ.

 

WHAT? AREN'T GROUP 2 CHRISTIANS?

 

 NO! They believe in a Jesus Christ but NOT Jesus Christ of the King James Bible (Send for our brochure on the different Bible translations). They've made up a Jesus Christ of their own imagination.

 

You see Jesus Christ of the Bible is

1. God made manifest in the flesh and

2. He pardons man through that man's faith alone in Himself and His shed blood at the cross. Now let's look at all the different Jesus Christ’s there are:

Christian Science: Jesus Christ is not God and man must save himself.

Seventh Day Adventism: Jesus Christ isn't Jesus of the Bible because man must save himself through works because Jesus didn't atone for all our sins.

Jehovah's Witnesses: Jesus Christ is not God and man must be saved by becoming a Jehovah Witness.

Christadelphianism: Jesus Christ is not God and man must save himself by good works. Roman Catholicism: Jesus Christ is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible because He didn't pay for all our sins on the cross and it's up to man to earn his salvation through the Catholic church & a life of good works.

 

Mormonism: Jesus was a created being and man himself must become as a god to get to heaven by becoming a Mormon.

 

HOW DOES A MAN GET TO HEAVEN?

 "HE THAT BELIEVETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE. And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.“(John 3:36)

You see? No mention here of works to have everlasting life.

 

"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt BUT TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

(Romans 4:4-5)

 

What about this Scripture:

"Therefore we conclude that A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH WITHOUT THE DEEDS OF THE LA W.” (Romans 3:28)

 

WHAT IS THE LAW?

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind ... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS HANG ALL THE LAW and the prophets."  

(Matthew 22:37-40)

 

WHAT ARE THE DEEDS OF THE LAW?

 

Being a good person, giving money to the church, keeping the Ten Commandments,

Living for God, Doing your best, Being a church member, Obeying the church, Getting baptized as a baby, Praying to God, Dying for God and country, Loving your neighbor, Going to the confessional, Helping the poor, Taking Communion, Doing good works, Having the last rites at death, Going to church regularly, Praying to Mary and the "saints" or Doing many penances. THESE ARE DEEDS OF THE LAW & THEY CAN'T SAVE YOU!

 

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT JESUS CHRIST IS GOD?

 Simple! ” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the WORD WAS GOD. The same was in the beginning with God. "And the WORD WAS MADE FLESH, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:1-2 John 1:14

 

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH..."1 Timothy 3:16

“ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY HIM; AND WITHOUT HIM WAS NOT ANY THING MADE THAT WAS MADE.” (This is Jesus) John 1:3 “...hath translated us into the kingdom of his DEAR SON:

 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: WHO IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD, the firstborn of every creature: FOR BY HIM (Jesus) WERE ALL Things CREATED -THAT ARE lN HEAVEN, AND THAT ARE IN  EARTH, VISIBLE AND invisible WHETHER THEY BE THRONES, OR DOMINIONS, OR PRINCIPALITIES, OR POWERS: ALL THINGS WERE CREATED BY HIM (Jesus), AND FOR HIM: AND HE (Jesus) IS BEFORE ALL THINGS, AND BY Him (Jesus) ALL THINGS CONSIST." (Colossians 1:13-16,17)

 

NOW THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY'RE CHRISTIANS

MR LEGALIST,   MR HIGHER EXPERIENCE   AND  MR FAITHFUL

1. MR LEGALIST is performance oriented and concentrates on external works, outward standards and deeds. "DO LIKE JESUS" is his motto. He is a prisoner of self because of always toiling under the burden of fulfilling the law for his acceptance with God.

His motivational key text is "...the doers of the law shall be justified. " (Romans 2: 13) This man is a Christian Scientist, 7th Day Adventist, Jehovah's Witness, Christadelphian, Roman Catholic or Mormon anyone who won't be saved by having faith alone. Another Scripture that describes this man is " ... I thank thee, that I am not as other men." (Luke 18:11) - this was the cry of the Pharisee. He sees himself as superior to others. THERE IS NO HOPE FOR MR LEGALIST as his fellowship with God rests on and in his own performance.

 

2. MR HIGHER EXPERIENCE concentrates on radiance, inward impressions, emotions, feelings and flights of ecstasy. His motto is "BE LIKE JESUS."

He is a prisoner of himself because unless he bubbles, radiates, glows and has a high and mighty experience, he doubts whether he is born again. The Scripture that he takes to heart is "... be not drunk with wine ...but be filled with the Spirit... “(Ephesians 5:18).

He sees others as inferior because they haven't "got the Spirit" and speak in "tongues" and been healed and delivered etc. So Internal holiness is paramount for this man and on THIS FALSE HOPE HE RESTS HIS FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. These are the Charismatics and Pentecostals.

 

3. MR FAITHFUL has mercy and blessing toward others for whom Christ died. He is free to serve others and love Jesus even though he daily mourns that he falls so far short of what is expected of him. He is also free to be himself and never afraid to confess the very worst thing about himself. His acceptance and fellowship with God are based on, rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ's performance and experience of doing and dying - His life and death and His shed blood. He has Christ's righteousness by imputation not impartation. THIS MAN IS THE REAL CHRISTIAN, seeing others as precious and knowing the terror of the Lord he persuades men. (2 Corinthians 5:11)

 

CONCLUSION

Dear Friend, what are you hoping to impress God with?

 

Good works?

 

Baptism?

 

Church attendance?

 

Being a good person?

 

Trying to keep the Ten Commandments?

 

All these will only land you in the Lake of Fire forever.

 

God is impressed with Jesus Christ and Him alone. Not religions, denominations or your righteousnesses. They are like filthy rags in God's sight. (Isaiah 64:6)

 

TRUST ONLY in the free pardon of the precious blood of Jesus Christ to save you and put you right with God. This is what it means to be a Christian.

 

By Harley Hitchcock.