LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU! WAKE UP BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

[Scott Downey]

And so then if God is not your teacher, and your Father, then Christ will say to you,
You are not a part of the family of God.

I Never Knew You​

21 “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. 22 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?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

 

[Scott Downey]

Bible Gateway passage: Luke 13 - New King James Version

Repent or Perish - There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such...

classic.biblegateway.com

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The Narrow Way​

22 And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”

And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’

26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’

27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’

28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”


When the bridegroom comes the DOOR is SHUT, Jesus is the DOOR for the sheep and only for the sheep.

Matthew 25

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins​

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [b]in which the Son of Man is coming.

 

[mailmandan]

I am not dismissing the warnings. I am warning against assuming that everyone who once professed faith was truly born again. Scripture exposes false professions, and we cannot leave those passages out of this discussion.

There are genuine Christians and there are "nominal" or pseudo-Christians. There are genuine believers and there are make believers and it's not hard to find them mixed together throughout scripture, in various churches today and on various Christian forum sites.

 

[mailmandan]

And here's what ought to get everyone's attention. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14 that the way to destruction is broad, and MANY go that way, but the way to life is narrow, and FEW FIND IT!

It's FEW who are trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. (John 3:18; 10:9; 14:6; Acts 10:43; 16:31; Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9 etc..). Sadly, MANY are trusting in works for salvation and not in Jesus Christ alone. (Matthew 7:22-23)

Then in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus warns about people who will stand before Him calling Him Lord, fully expecting to enter heaven. Yet He will declare, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Notice what Jesus said. "I NEVER KNEW YOU!"

Amen! Jesus never knew these many people, which means they were never saved. (Matthew 7:23) In context, Jesus is addressing false prophets/bad tress that produce bad fruit. (Matthew 7:15-23)

Matthew 7:21 - Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

John 6:40 - For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

Prior to my conversion several years ago, I will never forget reading Matthew 7:22-23 and being overwhelmed with despair and thinking good grief! These many people accomplished all of that but that still was not "good enough!" Then I thought to myself, "how am I going to top that and be good enough?" Such is the mindset of someone who believes that salvation is based on works. This is a clear warning to the danger of self-deception which stems from self-righteousness.

These weren't people who had genuinely belonged to Christ and then lost their salvation. They were people who had a religious profession without a genuine relationship with Him.

Exactly. These folks were "religious, but not right with God."

 

[bdavidc]

I see so these passages were written to sinners out in the world then?




You are adding “born again” to passages that do not say those people were born again.





So Paul is teaching works based salvation then since in works they deny the Lord?

No, those letters were written to Timothy, instructing him about what would happen and how he should respond. Who receives a warning and who is described in that warning are two different questions. Christians need these warnings, and we should take them seriously. That still does not establish that every person described had previously been born again.

Concerning 1 John 2:19, I quoted John saying, “They went out from us, but they were not of us.” I did not claim those people were born again. John distinguishes being among believers from actually belonging to them. That passage describes those particular people. I am not claiming it automatically settles every passage about falling away, but we cannot ignore what it plainly says either.

And no, quoting Titus 1:16 does not teach salvation by works. Paul says their conduct contradicts their claim to know God. In the same letter, he writes, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5). Then he says believers should “be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8). Paul teaches both. Works cannot save us, but our conduct can expose an empty profession.

We agree that turning from the truth is serious. But accusing me of teaching salvation by works does not answer the passage. Explain how your understanding accounts for people who profess to know God while denying Him by their lives, and people Jesus tells, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). Those warnings belong in this discussion too.

 

[bdavidc]

What is missing in your dissertation summed up as "WAKE UP! OPEN YOUR BIBLE! EXAMINE WHAT YOU BELIEVE! REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL!" is applying “LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU!” as if Jesus and Paul, whom you quote, were not also men.

In other words, the warnings are good, and the quotes are good, but to categorically include Jesus and Paul in your own "NO MAN" presentation, is not a good presentation of the biblical truth.

The point is, yes, there is a great possibility of being deceived. But there is also truth being presented, and the scriptures don't just tell how to avoid being deceived, they also tell of how you can "know the truth." Which is a huge subject, and your usual presentation mostly centers on the literary points that one might use as their own understanding--which is not what the written word even is. The words are spirit, and must be spiritually discerned. Which is a qualification not given to all who sent down to read and study. On the contrary, it is only given to some, and not to others, and only by God's choosing and timing. Which is to say, we may like to think we can go out into the world and take it upon ourselves to navigate a literary sea to discover a spiritual truth not just out there to be gathered up at will. That is the very approach that the Spirit is there with flaming swords to protect against.

Therefore, the only biblical way of navigating through the scriptures to find understanding from God, is the way Jesus told Peter how He would build His church, which is only by what comes by the Spirit from the Father. That is why Jesus said, "let no man deceive you", and why Paul also said, "let no one deceive you by any means." Which is to include personal interpretation and understanding of the scriptures which are commonly available in literary form, but not so commonly revealed by the Spirit. Meaning, no one can say of their own, what is true and what is not. As it should be. Which is no exclusion of that which does come the Father by the Spirit. And so the biblical warnings are only to put a stop to people--including those who would test, and study and consider themselves approved, and merely believe--but only to include what comes from God. He has His own methods, which are not the methods common to or of men, and it is only those methods of God that any should look to for truth.

This is exactly the kind of argument a false teacher like you uses: cast doubt on examining Scripture, then present your own explanation as spiritual understanding. Your claims must face the same biblical examination as anyone else’s.

You are warning people against deception while giving them reasons to distrust the very Scriptures that expose it. That is a serious error, and dressing it in spiritual language does not make it truth.

You say these warnings are meant to stop people from testing and studying. God says, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The Bereans “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so,” and Scripture calls them noble for doing it (Acts 17:11). They examined Paul’s preaching. Your teaching certainly deserves no exemption.

And this claim about the Spirit guarding against biblical examination with “flaming swords” is something you you made up. Genesis 3:24 places the flaming sword at the entrance to Eden, guarding the way to the tree of life. It does not place it over an open Bible to keep people from examining what a teacher says. You have no right to make that passage teach something God never said.

Yes, we need God to open our understanding. Jesus did exactly that: “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45). The understanding He gave brought them to the meaning of Scripture. It did not give them permission to move beyond its authority.

You appeal to what comes from the Spirit. Then obey what the Spirit has written: “Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Calling an idea spiritual does not establish its source. Claiming revelation does not put a man beyond correction.

And your objection about Jesus and Paul being men does not answer my warning. Jesus speaks the truth, and Paul himself wrote, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Paul subjected even that hypothetical claim to the gospel already delivered. You are asking people to distrust the examination he welcomed.

Here is the question you need to face before God: When the written Word contradicts your explanation, will you surrender your explanation? It is easy to talk about spiritual understanding. The test comes when Scripture reproves you.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). You do not honor the Spirit by resisting the correction His Word gives. Withdraw the claims you cannot establish from Scripture. Repent of teaching them as God’s truth. Those who teach will receive “the greater condemnation” (James 3:1). Handling God’s Word is serious business.

 

[JimKnox]

A lot of people seem to think this is all a moot point because they claim once a person gets born again it matters not how they live whether they walk with the Lord or not because they claim it's never possible for anybody to lose their salvation so they would have a big yawn when anyone tries to tell them about warnings from the Lord.

That is not true.

 

[ScottA]

This is exactly the kind of argument a false teacher like you uses: cast doubt on examining Scripture, then present your own explanation as spiritual understanding. Your claims must face the same biblical examination as anyone else’s.

You are warning people against deception while giving them reasons to distrust the very Scriptures that expose it. That is a serious error, and dressing it in spiritual language does not make it truth.

You already error, so I will start here.

No, you accuse ME, but it was Paul who explained that the scriptures "are spiritually discerned", which was after Jesus had narrowed it all down and limited it all to just what "My Father who is in heaven" reveals.

Two sentences...and you are an accuser who doesn't actually know the scriptures! Now for your next two sentences:​

Yes, I am indeed pointing out the same warnings given by Jesus and Paul. But No, it is not the Scriptures that "expose" but the Spirit. That was their message. I have only given the warning again. So, No, the error is yours.

As for "dressing it up in spiritual language"--Yes, as it should be! "God is spirit" and the words "are spirit." To the contrary, you seem to favor and insist upon dressing things up (defining everything) in literary language, and the worldly limits thereof.

As for the rest of what you went on to write, unless it is you confessing your error and repenting--I'll pass.