Beware of "If you are the Son of God..." preachers (extended)

Believers, anyone who makes we who believe feel that we are not children of God for whatever reason at all or makes us feel the need to do things to prove that we are children of God is simply echoing the words that Satan spoke to Jesus in the wilderness: “If you are the Son of God….”

John 1:12 tells us what makes us children of God- not our obedience to the law or tithe payment: “But all who did receive Him, He gave them— the ones believing in His name— the right to become children of God,”

But some false doctrine preachers make you feel that you are no longer a child of God because you did or didn't do certain things that they are prescribing. Such try to make you unsure of your status as a child of God and tell you to prove it with works, just as the devil did when he tested our Saviour in the wilderness.

Consider the story of Abraham whom God declared righteous apart from works (because he believed God) and was promised Isaac, just as we who are in Christ have the gift of righteousness because we believe. Abraham went on to sleep with Hagar to get a child and lied to Abimelech in the matter of Sarah to save his own neck. The "If you are the Son of God..." preachers that are making you feel that you are not a child of God because you are unable to pay tithe and your other shortcomings would have judged Abraham with the same judgment that they are passing on you!

But God still saw Abraham as righteous because his righteousness was apart from works. And what happened to Abraham? He was transformed. He went on to do a work that the same religious leaders that level accusations at you from pulpits today uphold as the ultimate work: offering Isaac at Mt. Moriah! Today, Abraham is known by all for his faith. Abraham's life is a testament to 2 Corinthians 3:18-

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Believers, the Holy Spirit transforms us. Beware of preachers of a false doctrine. They disregard the power of the Holy Spirit to transform you to the "image of the glory of the Lord, from glory to glory" and tell you to transform yourself using the arm of flesh (human effort at obeying the Ten Commandments, doing good things and paying tithe) that is bound to fail! These false doctrine preachers accuse you of your sins and shortcomings but never point you to Christ who came to save us from our sins, as it is written in Matt 1:21-

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Instead, they make you feel as if it is up to you to save yourself and that you are headed for hell if you don't do certain things that they prescribe.

Believers, good works are evidences of our salvation, not conditions. God works His salvation in us and these good works come about “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” Philippians 2:13.

Don’t fret over when or how these evidences of your salvation will manifest. See yourself as a little child whose father has a long, full beard. Imagine the child worrying that he is not the child of his father because he has no beard! In time, as he grows and matures, he will grow a long, full beard, just like his father. And it will grow without him straining or doing anything to make it grow. He was complete, beard and all inside him, on the day he was born; just as we were made complete in Christ when we became born-again. But some people try to make you feel that you ought to grow a long, full beard and start driving on the day of your birth:)

Believer, Christ said in John 15:5— “I am the Vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without Me.”

So don't worry. The world may not see the evidences of your salvation yet and so judge you, just as they would have turned up their noses at Abraham when he slept with Hagar to get a child and lied about Sarah to save his neck, but you will surely be transformed by the Spirit and bear much fruit. Christ said so.

Remember Christ's response to Satan's “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread” in Matt. 4:4- "But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

When those "If you are the Son of God..." preachers come knocking with their "You are not paying tithe and you call yourself a child of God" message and make you feel that you will perish and not have eternal life, live by the Word that God speaks. His word by which we who are of the New Covenant of Grace (undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour) live is this: John 3:16-

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." Only believe!

His word by which we live is this: John 15:5— “I am the Vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without Me.”

By grace, keep on believing. In Christ, we have eternal life. We will bear much fruit. Your long and full beard has already been worked into you. Christ is putting things together in you to make your beard grow in His time:) But let's not get the meaning of "believing" wrong! Romans 10:9 says-

"If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

To "believe" is not just knowing that Jesus is God's Son and that He rose from the dead. Even demons believe this. To "believe" is to receive the gift that is as a product of God raising Jesus from the dead: the gift of Righteousness apart from works. Very crucial to our believing. Romans 4:25 tells us why God raised our Saviour from the dead:

“Jesus was handed over to be crucified for the forgiveness of our sins and was raised back to life to prove that He had made us right with God!”

Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and that God raising Him from the dead is PROOF that you have been made right with God? Then you are saved. Many people think that their efforts at obeying the law is what makes them right with God. Not so. Only that righteousness which proceeds from the obedience of Christ (Romans 5:19) will suffice for God the Righteous. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done. It isn’t earned. See Ephesians 2:8-10-

“8 God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”

The works we do as a result of our faith in Christ and the willingness and ability to do them are in His hands, not ours. We are not in charge here. See John 6:

“43-46 Jesus said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over Me. You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent Me is in charge. He draws people to Me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End.”

We have nothing to do here. Even our believing is by grace but sometimes, we think we should be given a medal for "deciding" to follow Jesus:) Like sheep owned by The Good Shepherd, our steps are ordered by the Lord. Feeling that its up to you to save yourself and live right is why condemnation hangs around. The arm of flesh will fail so all who are trying to obey the law in order to get right with God stand condemned; after condemnation comes judgment. We will all fail if we attempt this course. But Christ wants us to "let it all hang out" before Him so He can be Saviour to the uttermost to us, even Saviour from sins. Matt. 1:21 tells us:

“21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Even fear and worry are sins. Romans 14:23 says “…Whatever is not from faith is sin [whatever is done with doubt is sinful].” Christ saves from them all. That's why He came.

John 1:12 tells us what makes us children of God: “But all who did receive Him, He gave them— the ones believing in His name— the right to become children of God,”

Doing works of the law cannot make anyone a child of God/have eternal life anymore than a 9-5 job can make an employee a child of his employer. No matter how good an employee is, he cannot inherit the company. But the employer's one-year old son that cannot even talk coherently gets everything. Believing Jesus is what makes us children of God, and even this we do by grace as we see in “He draws people to Me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come.” Only then can we “do the good things He planned for us long ago.”

Even our so-called "good deeds" done to get into God's good books are like "a menstrual rag" in God's sight according to Isaiah 64:6. By grace, let all of your dirty laundry hang out before Him. Let Him see you “ugly-cry” because you're fed up of the way things are. Tell Him you can't go on. He will carry you. He will help you. He will save you. Don't try to rationalise how things ought to be. His strength is made perfect in weakness so we who are wholly and thoroughly imperfect are perfect candidates for His salvation.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.