If they reject the gospel, then the Lord allows the Devil to sort of blind their eyes! (Maria: It says, "In whom the god of this World hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them.") (2Cor.4:4)
Having rejected the Gospel, the Lord then allows the Devil to blind them and give them strong delusion that they might believe a lie, that they might be damned. (2Th.2:10-12) When they reject it, they've rejected the Holy Spirit and committed the unpardonable sin in rejecting Jesus Christ. (Mat.12:31,32)
(Maria: So even though their counsel seems good and seems pretty much according to...) A lot of the Devil's religions are very good.--They can be very good and just lack one thing: Receiving Christ as Saviour. (Maria: You said about this woman's book that it might not be possible to tell whether her source was actually the Devil or the Lord unless you knew whether she believed in Jesus, because her counsel sounds good about everything.) It can sound mostly good and yet doubt the Lord!
The Devil preaches a lot of truth and a lot of good, just so that people will steer clear of Jesus! He even preaches God, as long as they don't mention Jesus.--Like the Jews. Even the Muslims come so close.--They receive Jesus as a great Prophet and Teacher and give Him more credit than some of the Jews will give Him, but they won't accept that He's the Son of God or the Saviour.
So the Devil preaches a lot of truth and a lot of good. He even quoted Scriptures to Jesus! He's a great quoter of Scriptures! He always uses half-truths, and that makes his deceit all the more clever. What he promises is half-good and half-true, but there's always a hidden lie and hidden evil in it. That's why Jesus is the test: "Try the spirits!--Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." 1 John.4:1-3)
Most religions are counterfeits.--They're not exact opposites, they're deceptions.--The Devil was an angel of light! So you don't know until you ask them, "What think ye of Jesus Who is called Christ?" (Mat.22:42) That's the corker, that's the question!
So, "What think ye of Jesus?"--I've asked a lot of people that who wanted to argue religion. I'd say, "Tell me what you think of Jesus! Just tell me what you think about Jesus! There's no use arguing about anything else at all. You just need to know whether they receive Jesus, accept Jesus and believe in Jesus or not! Sometimes they can believe in Jesus and have all kinds of crazy haywire doctrines on Bible Prophecy and a lot of other things, like a lot of Christians do, but what difference does that make?
The only thing we have to worry about is whether they're saved or not, whether they've received Jesus! That's the crux of the whole thing, whether they want Jesus or not. If they say they believe in Jesus, I don't care whether they're Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, Mormons or nothing at all!--If they really believe in Jesus as the Son of God, their Saviour, and they receive Him as such, then okay!
"For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." "Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (1Cor.2:2 ; Ac.4:12 .)
My name is James Arendt. I was raised in the Hegewisch neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, served in the USAF from 1970 to 1974, and became a full-time missionary for Christ living 40 years in Japan, 3.5 years in Russia, and a few months in other countries such as Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China where I also served the King of Kings, Jesus, as an Ambassador for His Kingdom. My full bio.
If you like this article and my work on this website, you can show your appreciation by sending me a gift. Both my wife Tess and I are now unemployed and now live in the Philippines.
On July 31, our pastor drove us 70 kilometers south from our home in the city of Allen to Caybayog City (Samar, Philippines) where there's an immigration office. There I successfully applied for and received a 6-month visa extension! But the cost was higher than expected, 12,450 Philippine pesos, roughly $235 USD. Thankfully, I received one gift so far that covered half of that. If any of the visitors to this website who are not regular contributors to my work would like to help us cover the other half, it would be greatly appreciated. I will immediately send you an email to thank you.
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• Recognize you have violated in some way the laws of God. Violation of legal law is called a crime. Violation of God’s moral law is called a sin. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; - Romans 3:23
As it is written (in the Bible), There is none righteous, no, not one: - Romans 3:10
• Recognize the penalty of sin: Death! For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Romans 6:23
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: - Romans 5:12
• Recognize Jesus is the Saviour! Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. - John 14:6
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. - Acts 4:12
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. - Acts 16:31
• Recognize our lives our sinful by nature. We can do nothing of our own to merit eternal life. Salvation is completely by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ! For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: - Ephesians 2:8
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. - Isaiah 64:6
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; - Titus 3:5
• Recognize Christ paid the sin debt we owe! But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. - Romans 5:8-9
• Recognize you must receive Christ as your personal Saviour! For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. - Romans 10:13
• Ask Jesus to be your Saviour!
Dear Jesus:I know I am a sinner. I know if I were to die right now, I could not go to Heaven. I ask you, right now, to come into my heart, forgive me of my sin, and be my Saviour. Thank you for saving me and giving me eternal life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer with all sincerity, you have passed from death to life and have been born again into the family of God!
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