Is exactness a New Testament command from God? He answers through the Apostle Peter who warns us that judgment begins in the church, and that only the righteous in the church will be saved, and they just barely (1 Pet. 4:18). This statement, along with every Word written in the New Testament, was written to, for and about God’s church. They were not written to Catholics and Protestants who do not know Him and are not known by Him. This being the Scripturally verified Truth, what does it say about the two billion plus “sinners saved by grace” who believe that all they need to do is “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” in order to receive immediate salvation? and that following a prescribed ritual, all that is required to retain their “saved” status is to repent after each inevitable sin. An old saying is still making the rounds of professing Christendom: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”–no exactness, no obedience, no righteousness required–just repentance. Based on what I read in God’s Word, the road to hell is paved with repentance.

The Lord address the believe=salvation heresy in John 8:31-44 where we find Jesus speaking to some “Jews WHO BELIEVED IN HIM.” Read carefully what He said to these people who BELIEVED IN HIM: “IF YOU CONTINUE IN  (BELIEVE AND OBEY) MY WORD, THEN (AND ONLY THEN) YOU WILL BE MY DISCIPLES INDEED” (vs 31). AND (THEN) YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUTH (His Word–JN. 17:17), AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE” (31,32). At this point those Jews who BELIEVED IN HIM began to argue with Him, contending that, because they were descendants of Abraham (today=because they are church members), sin had no effect on them (today=because grace covers all sins). Jesus told those who BELIEVED IN HIM that His Words had no place in them (vs 37) in that they obeyed the words of their father (vs 37,41) whom He identified as Satan (vs 44). Notice that those who do not obey His Word have Satan as their father. Notice also that Jesus did not say those Jews merely claimed to believe in Him, but that they did indeed believe in Him. In this passage Jesus makes it clear that believing in Him and taking Him as one’s Savior does not save the believer, rather that one must believe and obey His Word in order to receive eternal life. In Romans 2:13 the Apostle Paul, writing under the power of the Holy Spirit, tells us: “It is not the hearers of the Law who are justified before God, but the doers of the Law will be (remain) justified.” This is the same Law that the church has nailed to the cross, the same Law that identifies sin: “To transgress (break) the Law is sin, for sin is the transgression of the Law.” Having done away with God’s definition of sin, professing Christendom has concocted her own definition of sin, which is whatever she does not want to do, unless it serves a convenient purpose, in which case it is acceptable. So-called Christianity being the most convenient of all religions, if the sin becomes popular and is committed often enough it automatically becomes a non-sin, homosexuality being a modern day case in point. See the Introduction to this website for some ancient examples of sins that became non-sins.

In order to be saved at the return of Jesus Christ one must “walk as He walked” while a man on this earth (1 Jn. 2:6). He warns us that few in His church will walk that walk (Mat. 7:13,13/1 Pet. 4:18). Anyone who does not believe that exact obedience to Christ’s Word is required for salvation does not know His Word, and therefore does not know Him who is the Word (Jn. 1:1-4,14/Rev. 19:13). He commands those in His true church and those in Satan’s church who know they are being led astray to “come out of her and be separate, touch not that unclean thing.” Then, and only then, can the God-seeker be His child and He can be his/her God (2 Cor. 6:17). L.J.