Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
Meet the true enemies of the cross of Christ, Part 5.
Thursday, December 7, 2000
Turn to Rom 8
He rejected human good and evil, called dead works; HEB 6:1
The Lord Jesus Christ will have nothing to do with human good or evil except to reject and condemn it.
You can be an enemy of the cross by being a church-goer, religious and becoming legalistic and self-righteous.
Enemies of the cross promote salvation plus works, which is a false doctrine that rejects Gods grace policy in the provision of eternal salvation for the human race.
Real spiritual death not only means separation from God at birth and total depravity, but it also means helplessness to do anything about our status quo.
In Christianity, mankind is eternally saved through the work of God.
In religion, man seeks to gain the approbation of God through some category of human works, self-sacrifice, personality, or energy of the flesh.
Turn to EPH 2:8-9
Verbal Works.
Metamelomai – to feel sorry or to regret.
MAT 27:3 “Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,”
Confession of sins.
Turn to 1JO 1:6-10
Begging God to save you.
TIT 2:11 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,”
Turn to EPH 1:13
2CO 6:2b, On the day of salvation, I helped you [efficacious grace].
“Inviting Christ into your heart” is total nonsense and blasphemy.
“Acknowledge Christ publicly.”
Turn to 1PE 3:15
“Acknowledge Christ publicly.” Turn to ROM 10:9-10
Ritual Works.
Baptism was a testimony to retroactive positional truth and current positional truth before the completion of the Canon.
Partaking of the Eucharist is another form of ritual works.
Psychological Works.
“Come forward” in an invitation at the end of a service.
“Raise your hand” during prayer.
Walking down the isle.
Give public testimony to your faith in Christ.