WAKE UP CHURCH!

DO YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN THE TRINITY IN ORDER TO BE SAVED?

Question:
A Mormon asked me this question a number of years ago, and through the years here at church, I’ve asked a number of people this question, and I wanted to get your opinion. Can you become a Christian if you deny the Trinity?

Answer:

I would answer, "No." If you don’t believe in the Trinity, then you don’t understand who God is. You may say the word “God” but you don’t understand His nature. Second, you couldn’t possibly understand who Christ is--that He is God in human flesh. The Incarnation of Christis an essential component of the biblical gospel, as John 1:1-14 and many other biblical passages make clear. To deny the Trinity is to deny the Incarnation. And to deny the Incarnation is to wrongly understand the truegospel.

In saying that, I realize that such an answer is going to not only impact people that you may have witnessed to (like Mormons), but it also applies tosome in the broader Pentecostal movement, called United Pentecostals or "Jesus-Only" Pentecostals. Such individuals hold to a kind of modalism, where God is sometimes in the mode of the Father orthe mode of the Son or the mode of the Spirit, but He’s never all three at the same time. That too is a deficient and heretical view of the Trinity. It denies the distinct Personhood of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The same question sometimes arises about the Virgin Birth. I think it is possible for a personto become a Christian before learning about the details of theVirgin Birth, thoughthat personwould certainly assume that Jesus Christ must have had a unique birthsince He is both God and man. But, if someone knows about the Virgin Birth and says, “I deny the Virgin Birth,” then he is simultaneously denying the deity of Christ, and also the Trinity. Such a person betrays the fact that they do not understand the gospel, and therefore cannot have truly been saved.  (John MacArthur)

Doctrine Matters

"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctifed," Hebrews 9:14

"Therefore being justifed by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Romans 5:1.



The Reformed Faith and Confession: Introduction

The Reformed faith is rooted in the Reformation of the church which began with Martin Luther's nailing of the ninety five theses on the door of Wittenburg church in October 31 1517. The seminal doctrine of the reformation for Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and the other reformers was justification by faith alone. This is the truth that we are righteous before God in Christ who is our righteousness. That righteousness is imputed to us by or through faith, which is the instrument of God's grace to justify the sinner in his conscience before God.

That we are righteous before God by faith, means also that salvation is solely of the Lord. It is a free gift, and not of works. It is grounded in the truth of sovereign grace, for faith is not a new work on the basis of which man is righteous, but a work of grace in man, by which God imparts the blessings of salvation. The expression "by faith," or "through faith" refers to the instrument of grace. It does not mean as this truth is corrupted today "because of faith." To teach that man is righteous because of believing, is the heresy of salvation by works repackaged. Faith is a blessing of salvation, bought in the cross, and applied by the Spirit
Rome taught and continues to teach the error of salvation because of faith and the works of faith. It is Rome that teaches the cross is only a provision, a treasury of merits, upon which men by their faith and works draw and which is made available by a repeated sacrifice in the mass. It is to these errors that the reformers responded.

It is this same error of salvation by works, a conditional or provisional salvation offered to man and depending on the will, decision, act or works of the sinner in some form for its reception which pervades so-called evangelicalism. Such doctrine is not protestant. It is not evangelical. And it is not reformed. It stands at odds with the truth of Christ's perfect and finished atonement and of justification by faith in him. "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified," Hebrews 9:14. Those sanctified by Christ's atoning death are God's elect, whom God effectually regenerates and calls unto faith and righteousness by faith in Christ.

It is exactly this truth of salvation by grace alone, which the genuine reformational doctrine of justification by faith represents. It is the gospel. Against it stands the doctrine of salvation by the works of man and his righteousness, which is the false doctrine of the Pharisees of Jesus' day. Jesus himself warns us against it, when he says, "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees," and has in view their doctrine, Matthew 16:6, 11, 12. It is this corrupting leaven which repeatedly seeks to corrupt the life of the Christian church.
The truths of justification by faith and of sovereign grace are inseparable. They stand at the heart of every reformed confessional standard, both the Reformed continental standards: the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession of Faith, and Canons of Dordt and the Presbyterian standards the Westminster Confession and Larger and Shorter Catechisms. The purpose of the Reformed confessional standards is to maintain that truth as the personal confession of believers and the corporate confession of the churches over against the false leaven of salvation by works

One of the Scariest Moments in the Bible

Walking in the Spirit

The only consistent way to overcome the sinful desires of our human nature (the flesh) is to live step-by-step in the power of the Holy Spirit as He works through our spirit.

Galatians 5:19-26

The works of the flesh are these:  Adultry, fornication, uncleaness, lewsness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkeness, reveleries.  Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The fruit of the Spirit are these:  Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Those who are in christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Where to Find Comfort and Encouragement in the Psalms

When you feel abandoned - Psalms 10
When your world seems to be falling apart - Psalms 46
When you are afraid - Psalms 23; 91
When you feel guilty - Psalms 51
When your family gets on your nerves - Psalms 127; 128
When you are facing a daunting challenge - Psalms 27
When you are discouraged by the apparent prosperity of the wicked - Psalms 37; 73
When you do not feel very thankful - Psalms 107
When you feel as if God has forgotten you - Psalms 139
When you are tempted to lose faith in God - Psalms 62
When you have
lost your eternal perspective - Psalms 90
When you feel like you are barely hanging on - Psalms 86
When you are wondering what God expects - Psalms 15
When you want to know God better - Psalms 42; 63
When you need to be reminded of the goodness of God - Psalms 103
When you need to recommit yourself to serving God - Psalms 116
When you need wisdom - Psalms 119
When you need a reminder of God’s mercy - Psalms 136
When you feel like celebrating - Psalms 95-100

WARNING: The Book of Revelation was intended to be heard and obeyed, not to be tampered with. The person who either adds to or takes away from its contents will receive from God the strictest punishment, a punishment with eternal consequences. This terrifying warning is even stronger than that of Deut. 4:2 and Prov. 30:6.

Rev. 22:18,19…”For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

Take heed, if you are giving the Book of Revelation a “private interpretation.” A private interpretation comes from the fables of men looking for sheep to follow them, and men selling their books, and is NOT based on what the Scriptures say. The Book of Revelation is interpreted for us through what is contained in the Old Testament and Christ’s fulfillment of everything that is contained in the Old Testament via the New Testament. Scripture interprets itself. We MUST NOT go beyond what is written. There are NO private interpretations.

"Work Out" What God "Works In" You..."

"Work Out" What God "Works In" You..."work out your own salvation...for it is God who works in you..." (Philippians 2:12-13)

Your will agrees with God, but in your flesh there is a nature that renders you powerless to do what you know you ought to do. When the Lord initially comes in contact with our conscience, the first thing our conscience does is awaken our will, and our will always agrees with God. Yet you say, “But I don’t know if my will is in agreement with God.” Look to Jesus and you will find that your will and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. What causes you to say “I will not obey” is something less deep and penetrating than your will. It is perversity or stubbornness, and they are never in agreement with God. The most profound thing in a person is his will, not sin.

The will is the essential element in God’s creation of human beings – sin is a perverse nature which entered into people. In someone who has been born again, the source of the will is Almighty God. “…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” With focused attention and great care, you have to “work out” what God “works in” you – not “work” to accomplish or earn “your own salvation,” but “work it out” so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord. As you do this, you do not bring an opposing will up against God’s will – God’s will “is” your will. Your natural choices will be in accordance with God’s will, and living this life will be as natural as breathing. Stubbornness is an unintelligent barrier, refusing enlightenment and blocking its flow. The only thing to do with this barrier of stubbornness is to blow it up with “dynamite,” and the “dynamite” is obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Do I believe that Almighty God is the Source of my will? God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it.
(Oswald Chambers – My Utmost For His Highest)

Powerful Testimonies From Former False Converts

WHAT'S NEXT TO DO?

I believe that perhaps there is so much apostasy in the church today it’s because the church (organized denominations) is busy doing its own thing and it has lost all discernment and as a result of that has drifted away from the will of God and HIS purpose! Faith has been given to individuals and as individual believers we must learn from God and stop being spoon-fed in church buildings and seeking after personalities. They are feeding the saints pabulum (baby food), and in some cases POISON! The poison comes mixed in with the baby food, just a little at a time so as not to detect it. Jesus said in Matthew 16:6, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” He was talking about the religious LEADERS, folks!  The following was written by Oswald Chambers many years ago.  God's truth does not change.  I pray that God would give ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.  Did you join a church so that you would have something to do on Sundays and to acquire new friends and have a good time.  If that was your motivation for doing so, then the time has come for you to really sit down and examine yourself.


Be determined to know more than others. If you don’t cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to cut them to send you out to sea. Everything in your life should be afloat upon God. As you sail out on His sea of purpose, your eyes will be opened. If you are following Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy and always tied to the dock. You have to get out into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself—begin to have spiritual discernment.

When you know that you should do something and you do it, immediately you know more. Look back on times in your life when you have become disinterested spiritually, and you will find that it goes back to a point where you did not do something you knew you should do. You did not do it because there seemed to be no immediate call to do it. But now you have no insight or discernment, and at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-controlled. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to continue learning and knowing more.

The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you create your own opportunities to sacrifice yourself, and your zeal and enthusiasm are mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfill your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1—2. It is much better to fulfill the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than it is to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…”(1 Samuel 15:22). Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been. “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know…” (John 7:17).

Believers in Grace

by Bill Randles

Do you remember the social and moral revolution of the 1960s? The youth movement of the left was destined to break all the rules and liberate society from the dreary bondage of the past. They were going to show us how to do it the right way! As an anthem from that day proclaimed, “All the world over so easy to see, that people everywhere just want to be free.”

Isn’t it ironic that those same revolutionaries, now come of age, have created a society that is vastly more restricted than the one they worked so hard to undermine? We now live in a “brave new world” in which every aspect of daily life is hyper-regulated, speech is scrutinized to the point of absurdity, and even thought is criminalized (hate crimes laws)!

Although they have, in large part cast, off the shackles of any fear of God, they have a rigid concept of “righteousness”: they are very religious about global warming, population control , a woman’s right to choose (abortion), tolerance of all religions (except of course evangelical Christianity), woman’s liberation, transgender acceptance, and multi-culturalistic dogmas.

My theory is that they are so religious, although godless, because people are made in the image of God and must have some kind of religion. Furthermore, they are raised in America, where once a vast Christian consensus permeated our society and its institutions. It is for this reason that there has developed among the secular elite a “godless righteousness.”

The idea of any accountability for the sins enumerated in the ten commandments has been cast off, but they have their own tablets of stone. “Thou shalt not, ever, ever, make a moral judgment,” “Thou shalt not smoke (in public or private),” “Thou shalt support all forms of abortion,” “Thou shalt not claim any absolute truth,” “Thou shalt not think western civilization is any better than any other culture,” and so on and so forth.

It has often been pointed out that as long as these pieties are observed, it doesn’t really matter what a person does as an individual. All personal indiscretions are excused as long as these positions are held.

The real sins, which have proliferated and intensified as a result of the sexual revolution of the sixties (i.e. the rampant fornication, the destruction of marriages, homosexuality, adultery, abortion and pornography) affect the consciences of those who practice and promote them whether they believe in God or not. One cannot escape the psychological trauma of these evils by just dismissing the concept of a God or a binding personal morality.

That’s part of the reason why the Left has developed an alternative morality, to try to feel good about themselves, to assuage their conscience. They have to assure themselves over and over again that they are all right, because they support Cause x, and wear the ribbon in solidarity of Cause Y. They are good people, on the good side regardless of their personal immorality.

In short, godless righteousness isn’t individual – it is collective. As long as you hold to the positions of the Left Wing, you are “in right standing” regardless of your personal failings. This is why the counter culture has always shamelessly championed people like Che Guevarra, a mass murderer, Albert Kinsey a known fraud and pervert, and other personally sordid fellow travelers. As long as they hold to the dogma, it doesn’t matter.

The tragedy is that this righteousness is a sham and will be found to be as helpful as Adam and Eve’s fig leaves on the day of Judgment. It may feel good to “be in the right” with the culture – there is no doubt a certain satisfaction in it. But there is no way that “godless righteousness” can heal the troubled conscience. Is this why this generation needs so much valium? There is no possibility that “godless righteousness” can take away the shame of sin, and it certainly will not reconcile anyone to the true and Holy God.

There is a true righteousness, a right standing that can be obtained before God, but only as a gift to be received from Him. The good news is that what God demands, perfect righteousness, God provides for us, as Scripture says, “For he [God] hath made him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

A Good Soldier of Jesus

"Christians will sin, but they will walk in repentance. They will not walk in rebellion as a way of life. Therefore, when we see professing Christians getting worse and worse in their apostasy, we must conclude that they are to be excluded from fellowship and exposed as wolves in sheep’s clothing if they are confronted and they do not repent. On the other hand, if we do confront these men about their sin and they do repent then we must accept that and include them in fellowship as long as they remain in that repentance."

A Good Soldier of Jesus

Your Will be Done!

Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:10

God’s Word reveals three aspects of His will. First is His will of purpose—His sovereign, ultimate plan for the universe. “Surely, just as I [God] have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand” (Isa. 14:24; cf. Eph. 1:9–11). It has been within God’s purpose to allow sin to affect the world for a time. But that situation will end precisely according to His plan and foreknowledge.

Within God’s will of purpose is His will of desire. This will is more specific but not always fulfilled in the present age. For example, Jesus desired His people, the Jews, to be saved. However, only a relative few believed in His message. Jesus prayed, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together … and you would not have it!” (Luke 13:34). Like the Jews, most Gentiles are also unwilling to come to Christ for salvation (John 5:40; cf. 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).

Third is God’s will of command, which is His desire that believers obey Him fully, as only they of all people can, with the help of the Spirit (see Rom. 6:16–18). Pride is the great enemy set against all of God’s will. But for us to obey His will, we must forsake self-will and “prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2; see also v. 1).

Ask Yourself

Understanding the many-layered aspects of God’s will is not nearly as important as being obedient to every aspect you do know. Don’t you long for His purpose, desire, and command to be met with full acceptance in your own life? Submit to Him in some new way today. Conform to His will.

(Daily Readings by John MacArthur)

Understand God's Heart Against Sin by Zac Poonan

The message of Nahum was a message of God’s anger. In Nahum 1: 2 and 6, we see seven words - jealous, avenging, wrathful, vengeance, indignation, anger, burning, and rage. These words express God’s intense anger and blazing fury not just against sin, but also against the people who continue in sin. “The Lord is slow to get angry, but when He does get angry, you can’t stop Him” (Nah. 1:3). God is longsuffering and very patient. But finally, He will judge. And His anger and judgment are mainly directed against those who exploit others. He will bring justice to all who have been cheated on earth.

There was a difference between Adam’s sin and Cain’s sin. Adam hurt himself, but did not hurt anybody else. So he was not cursed. Only the ground was cursed (Gen. 3:17). But Cain’s sin hurt another person – Abel. So he himself was cursed by God (Gen. 4:11). When you do something that hurts another person in some way it is a serious sin. It can bring God’s curse on you like it did on Cain, if you do not repent and confess your sin. For example, you may have backbitten against someone and thus spoilt his reputation; or you may have become friendly with a girl and stirred up her emotions and then given her up (you may not have touched her body, but you have still hurt her). God is jealous, wrathful, angry and indignant, and His blazing fury will take vengeance and revenge on everyone who does such things. This judgment may not have come in you as yet, because He is still waiting for you to repent. But God takes note of the smallest things that we do against others, and He will punish us for it all one day. Many preachers have lost the anointing of God upon their lives because they spoke careless words against others, without knowing the truth – criticizing and spreading unverified stories. Then God removes His anointing from such preachers. And if they continue to be careless in their speech, God will one day take away their salvation too.

Why was God so angry with Assyria? It was not because they were smoking and drinking, or taking harmful drugs. We think taking drugs is horrible. It is. But in God’s eyes, it is not as horrible as backbiting – because when you take drugs you hurt only yourself, but when you backbite, you hurt others. I want to do what those Old Testament prophets did: Give you a proper understanding of what God considers as serious sins. God’s blazing fury against Assyria was because they hurt other people. In the same way, one day God will judge every single human being that ever lived, if he hurt anyone in any way by his words or his actions. People find it difficult to believe that. But that is just like people finding it difficult to believe in a real place called “Hell”. There are many who imagine that God will finally save everybody and that even those who go to hell will finally go to heaven!!! Some even go to the extreme of believing that Satan himself will get converted one day! But I believe God’s word. If you cannot believe in a God full of anger, then you do not believe in a God full of love either. Love demands anger and punishment - and I’ll explain why.

Suppose you have two children, whom you love equally, and one day you see the older boy hitting his younger brother with a stone and making him bleed. That poor younger boy is unable to defend himself against someone stronger than him. What will you do as a father? Will you just stand and watch that? You love both your boys. And because you love, you will be angry. If you don’t love your child, you will ignore what is being done and won’t be angry. But love will bring anger against evil, for love demands justice. You will punish the older boy for hurting his weaker brother. That is exactly what God did with Assyria too. And that is what He will one day do to all people who hurt others in any way. We will see this clearly in the Day of Judgment.

So I hope our study of Nahum will make us extremely careful in future to avoid words and actions that might hurt others in any way. Do you want to be a servant of God? Then be careful with your words - especially words that you speak about those whom you don’t like, or with whom you don’t agree.

In Nahum 1:7-10, we see God’s attitude towards His friends and His enemies. First we see His attitude towards those who respond to His word in repentance. He is good to them. When trouble comes He is a strong refuge. If you humble yourselves and respond to these strong warnings of the prophets God will be very good to you, and when trouble comes He will be like a refuge to you, protecting you like that father protects his little boy from being bullied by others. The Lord knows everyone who trusts in Him. He doesn’t forget even one person. You may be weak, poor and hopeless, but God knows you personally, if you are one of those who trust in Him.

Then in the next few verses we see God’s attitude towards His enemies. “He sweeps away His enemies like in an overflowing flood” (Nah. 1:8). When a flood comes, it just wipes out everybody in a moment. That’s how judgment is going to come upon God’s enemies. “He pursues His foes into the darkness of the night.” The prophet uses these expressions to show how God pursues those who don’t take His word seriously in order to destroy them. “Why are you scheming against the Lord? He will destroy you with one blow. He doesn’t need to strike you a second time. When God strikes His enemies they will stagger like drunkards and be burnt up like dry straw in a field. Who is this king of yours who dares to plot evil against the Lord?” (Nah. 1:9-10).

What were Assyria’s sins that God was so angry with them? First of all their pride towards God, and secondly their cruelty towards others. They took advantage of others and exploited them. These are the two things that the prophets always emphasised - the people’s attitude towards God and towards other human beings. It is because most believers don’t read these prophetic books sufficiently that they too remain proud towards God and hard towards others. Many believers say that these Old Testament prophetic books are boring. That’s exactly what the devil wants you to say, so that you understand nothing of God’s anger against pride and hardness of heart.

I want to encourage you to read these prophets, even if you find some of it laborious reading. You can get inside the heart of God as you read these words and understand how God feels towards such issues. By constant repetition, the message will hit home and finally be written in your heart – that God hates sin. Then you will fear and tremble to commit any of those sins.

Bank of Faith

"Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope." --Psalm 119:49

Whatever your especial need may be, you may readily find some promise in the Bible suited to it. Are you faint and feeble because your way is rough and you are weary? Here is the promise--"He giveth power to the faint." When you read such a promise, take it back to the great Promiser, and ask Him to fulfil His own word.

Are you seeking after Christ, and thirsting for closer communion with Him? This promise shines like a star upon you--"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Take that promise to the throne continually; do not plead anything else, but go to God over and over again with this--"Lord, Thou hast said it, do as Thou hast said."

Are you distressed because of sin, and burdened with the heavy load of your iniquities? Listen to these words--"I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions, and will no more remember thy sins." You have no merit of your own to plead why He should pardon you, but plead His written engagements and He will perform them.

Are you afraid lest you should not be able to hold on to the end, lest, after having thought yourself a child of God, you should prove a castaway? If that is your state, take this word of grace to the throne and plead it: "The mountains may depart, and the hills may be removed, but the covenant of My love shall not depart from thee."

If you have lost the sweet sense of the Saviour's presence, and are seeking Him with a sorrowful heart, remember the promises: "Return unto Me, and I will return unto you;" "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee."

Reinforce your faith upon God's own word, and whatever your fears or wants, return to the Bank of Faith with your Father's promise, saying, "Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope."

Charles Spurgeon

The Mark of the Beast

When I think about the Saints of old, the Patriarchs, the Prophets of God, and those who walked by faith in God and I compare them to modern man and how he walks by faith in himself, I can see what John was referring to when he wrote in Revelation about the Mark of the Beast 666 being the number of man.


I believe this symbolizes the worship of self. This is the “Age of Self.” Self has replaced God on the Throne. Self sits on the throne in the hearts of men and women. You can see it in the world and you can see it in the church.

The Beast of Revelation 13:18 is in the churches, sitting in the pews, standing in the pulpits. He sits on the thrones of their hearts. They have already taken his number and they are sealed.

This is what Jesus said in Luke 18:8. Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said, And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Jesus’ question here is whether upon His return believers will still be looking for Him. In asking this question, Jesus is exhorting believers not to lose heart.

And men and women all throughout history have had to choose whether to worship the Beast (system) or to worship God. And those who serve the system and are having their “best lives now” have already taken the mark and are sealed and are worshiping the Beast. And those who are born from above and are following Christ are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Temptation: The Two Adams Contrasted

Both Adam and Christ faced three aspects of temptation, Adam yielded, bringing upon humankind sin and death.  Christ resisted, resulting in justification and life.

"The lust of the flesh" -- 1 John 2:16 "The tree was good for food -- Genesis 3:6 First Adam
"Command this stone to become bread" Luke 4:1 - 13 Second Adam Christ

"The lust of the eyes" -- "It was pleasant to the eyes" -- "the devil showed him all the kingdoms"

"The pride of life" -- "A tree desirable to make one wise" -- "throw yourself down from here"

The Source of Apostasy - Seducing Spirits

All false religion propagate doctrine energized by seducing spirits.  False religion is the playground of demons.  Second Corinthians tells us that Satan and his angels disguise themselves as angels of light and become the purveyors of various religions (2 Cor. 11:14).

Leviticus 17:7 The Lord Himself says that whatever men sacrifice to idols is in fact being sacrificed to demons (Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 96:5; Psalm 106:36 and 37).

1 Cor. 10:20 and 21 Paul said that those who come to the Lord's Table and then go worship at some pagan religious shrine, are fellow shipping with both the Lord and demons.  False religious systems and the various idols that accompany them are simply focal points for demonic activity.  We should not naively think that a false religion is simply a collection of misguided ideas.  Realize that energizing it behind the scenes are fallen angels who are seducing people from the truth into an eternal hell.

Seducing Spirits

The Great Apostasy -

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

To be an excellent servant of Christ, it is important that we have a good understanding of apostasy.

One example of apostasy would be the account of Amazia, king of Judah.  He was king during the time of Isaiah the prophet.  2 Chron. 25:2 says, "he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart."  On the outside he did everything in that was required in accord with the religion of Israel.  He understood it and he behaved by its ethics, but "not with a willing heart."  On the outside he looked good, but he did not have a personal relationship with the living God.  He was soon lured away into idolatry and began to worship the gods of Edom, to which he bowed down and burned incense (2 Chron. 25:14).  He was murdered by his own people after turning away from the Lord 2 Chron. 25:27).

Apostasy happens today just as it did in the Old Testament and in the church at Ephesus, where Timothy was when Paul wrote this letter.  There are always people who understand the faith intellectually according to the revelation of God, but have no heart for living to please God.  Hebrews 3:12 says that those who depart from God demonstrate an unbelieving heart.

Paul states in 1 Timothy 4:1 that some - like Judas, Demas, or the disciples of John 6 who walked no more with Christ - " shall depart from the faith" (Greek, aphistemi, "to remove yourself from the position you originally occupied").  Apostasy isn't an unintentional departure or someone struggling with doubt.  It characterizes someone who deliberately abandons truth once affirmed for erroneous teaching.  "The faith" refers specifically to the body of Christian doctrine, not the act of believing.  Some will depart from "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3).  People who understand and outwardly affirm Christian doctrine but don't have a heart for God are prime candidates for being seduced by demons to depart from the faith.

An apostate is not someone who never knew the truth but someone who knew it and rejected it.  He may have even been involved in various religious activities.  But because he never truly knew God, he was lured away by the siren voices of the demons behind idols and false religious systems.

(Understanding the Seducing Spirit by John MacArthur)

Why is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Important?

The resurrection of Jesus is important for several reasons. First, it witnesses to the immense power of God Himself. To believe in the resurrection is to believe in God. If God exists, and if He created the universe and has power over it, He has power to raise the dead. If He does not have such power, He is not a God worthy of our faith and worship. Only He who created life can resurrect it after death, only He can reverse the hideousness that is death itself, and only He can remove the sting that is death and the victory that is the grave’s (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death.

Second, the resurrection of Jesus is a testimony to the resurrection of human beings, which is a basic tenet of the Christian faith. Unlike all other religions, Christianity alone possesses a founder who transcends death and who promises that His followers will do the same. All other religions were founded by men and prophets whose end was the grave. As Christians, we take comfort in the fact that our God became man, died for our sins, and was resurrected the third day. The grave could not hold Him. He lives, and He sits today at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul explains in detail the importance of the resurrection of Christ. Some in Corinth did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and in this chapter Paul gives six disastrous consequences if there were no resurrection: 1) preaching Christ would be senseless (v. 14); 2) faith in Christ would be useless (v. 14); 3) all the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars (v. 15); 4) no one would be redeemed from sin (v. 17); 5) all former believers would have perished (v.18); and 6) Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth (v. 19). But Christ indeed has risen from the dead and “has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 20), assuring that we will follow Him in resurrection.

The inspired Word of God guarantees the believer's resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ for His Body (the Church) at the Rapture. Such hope and assurance results in a great song of triumph as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

How do these concluding verses relate to the importance of the resurrection? Paul answers, “...you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (v. 58). He reminds us that because we know we will be resurrected to new life, we can suffer persecution and danger for Christ’s sake (vv. 29-31), just as He did. We can follow the example of the thousands of martyrs through history who gladly traded their earthly lives for everlasting life via the resurrection.

The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scripture. And, He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who remain and are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important to salvation? It demonstrated that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It proves that God has the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees that those who believe in Christ will not remain dead, but will be resurrected unto eternal life. That is our blessed hope!

Recommended Resource: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas.