Doers Of The Word

This post has been shared all over my Facebook feed for the past month or so and I think it is time to address the scriptural issues with it. The post reads as follows:

“I don’t go to church.

That doesn’t mean I lack a relationship with God.

I don’t read the Bible every day, every week, or even every year.

That doesn’t mean I don’t know God’s word.

I don’t get on my knees, fold my hands, and bow my head every night.

That doesn’t mean I cease daily conversations with God.

I’ve questioned him in tough times.

I’ve resented him in times of grief and loss.

I’ve lost faith in him due to lack of faith in myself.

But he never left me.

He’s been here the entire time, his footprints just a step ahead of mine.

I believe that he loves everyone.

Read that again.

Everyone.

The obvious sinners.

The silent sinners.

The caring.

The judgmental.

The believers.

The nonbelievers.

I’m not here to preach.

I’m not trying to prove myself.

I don’t believe in God because of how I was raised; going to Sunday school every week, then sitting in a pew singing hymns and listening to a sermon.

I believe in God because I’ve felt him.

I’ve heard him.

All of my own accord.”

If I didn’t love every person that has liked or shared this post, I wouldn’t bother, but this post is dangerous and destructive. Please allow me to explain why.

James 1:22-26 says:

“But be DOERS of the word, and NOT hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and CONTINUES in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is USELESS.

What does the word say to DO? I’ll simply address the points made in the post.

1. We must assemble with the church every Lord’s day (Hebrews 10:25) That means we must come together every Sunday morning to worship God unless we are physically unable to do so.

2. We must do what Jesus commands in order to call Him Lord/be in a relationship with God. (Luke 6:46) Calling Him Lord without DOING what He says means nothing.

3. We must show ourselves approved of God by rightly handling the word of truth. That means studying your Bible and applying it. You CANNOT know what the Bible says if you do not regularly study it for yourself. (2 Timothy 2:15)

4. We have a duty to pray. “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18)

5. God will always love us and make His grace available to us. He will not force us to accept it. God’s reception of us depends on a repentant heart, which is made evident by our actions (the way that we live). If we flippantly give in to every temptation of this world, our names will be blotted out of the book of life.

“He who OVERCOMES shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” (Revelation 3:5)

By implication, this verse teaches us that if we do not “overcome” after we have obeyed the gospel, our names will be blotted out. You might think “I’ve always heard that my name cannot be blotted out.” If what you’ve heard is true, why would the Apostle John write this? This does not teach that once we are saved, we are always saved regardless of how we live. It indicates the opposite. This is a very common false teaching that we should all watch out for.

6. God loves every soul He created! But God does not accept us as we are. We can come just as we are, but we cannot stay that way. God requires us to change (repent) and conform our lives to His Holy Word. We must live according to the truth that is only found in His word. We must imitate Jesus Christ, hungering and thirsting for His righteousness.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become NEW.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Posts like the one I’ve shared are exactly what Jesus warned us to watch out for! What this individual says sounds good, and it might make a lot of people feel warm and fuzzy to have someone validate their lifestyle. Just because it makes you feel good to read, does not mean that it’s true. This false validation comes from the world, not from our loving Father.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”

(2 Corinthians 11:13-14)

Please do not be deceived by the devil. Base your life on the Bible ALONE. Feelings can be based on false information. We all know that in practicality.

I want to make it clear that I am not preaching that “works” justify us apart from faith. I am preaching salvation by grace, through faith. God extended His grace to creation through the death of His Son, and we respond to that grace through lifelong faithfulness to Him. True faithfulness INCLUDES good works!

James 2:14 & 2:17 (NKJV)

“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

When we stand before King Jesus on that inevitable day of judgement, if we are asked why we should be granted eternal life, we should humbly reply: “I do not deserve it, I am guilty of sin, but by the grace of God I have been pardoned by Your blood.” To say there is something we must do in salvation is not contrary to grace or faith. Just because pardon is freely given does not mean that there are no conditions to pardon.

I do not write this and make all of this effort to hurt your feelings. I write this as a person who loves every soul who reads this post and the person who posted it. I do not want anyone to fall into Satan’s trap of feeling secure when you are standing far outside of the fold of God.

Please feel free to message me personally about this if you have questions or comments. I will be happy to study with you about it.

Love,

E.B.