A Satanic Deception Regarding Salvation — Charles Stanley

If you should die and stand before the Lord God and you should say to him I want to get into heaven and God were to say to you Why should I let you in? What would your answer be? One of Satan's most successful areas of deception is an area of deception that deals with salvation and.

The Satanic Deception of Salvation by Works

And the title of this message is a satanic deception regarding salvation. If you'll talk to many of your friends who are church members or many people who are not and you should say to them Do you believe that you'll go to heaven when you die?

More than likely most of them by far would say sure and if you should ask them well Why do you think you'll go to heaven? More than likely you're going to find that they have been deceived by Satan. Because they're going to give you an answer that is oftentimes If not, most of the time and I believe most of the time the answer to people who are lost it is an answer that they give right off the top of their head because.

Many of them are very sincerely convinced that it is the right answer. Many of them are convinced that it is a logical answer and many of them are willing to live and die by it. But it is an answer Which is a satanic deception and the answer is well, I haven't been so bad.

Or I'm a good person and when I think about all the good that I've done Surely a God of love and mercy Certainly will not reject me after the life that I've lived or the other person may say well I know I'm not all that ought to be now.

I failed in lots of ways, but I figured this way I've done a lot of good things and the good things I haven't done or what I failed to do God would sort of add to that and between what I've done what he's done Surely I'm gonna make it.

Then there's the other group of people who likewise are deceived those who have been saved by the grace of God and who are Sincerely attempting to work for God and to labor for him in order to remain in God's good graces.

So they are performing in order to remain saved to keep their salvation to keep in the good graces of God or to keep their Acceptance by him as a result of their good works. Now whatever category that person falls in of those three aspects all three of them have been deceived.

So let me ask you a question. Are you a church member today sitting in a church somewhere and as best, you know. Your idea of being saved is I'm gonna do the best I can. That's all I can do and if God doesn't read if he doesn't accept me after I've done the best I can and I don't want To go to heaven in a way.

Would that happen to be your opinion? Are you one of those persons who says well, I look around me and I'm much better than most of the folks I see and Therefore surely well if I don't get in no one else is going to get in.

Is that is that your attitude? Are you one of those persons and you know that you've been saved? But deep down inside you live under this awesome sense of bondage that you sure hope that somehow You are living up to God's expectation.

You feel pretty guilty most of the time. But but you hope that somehow you're gonna be able to live up to God's expectations that one of your choices in life. Let me show you my friend how Satan deceives us if you'll turn to Galatians chapter 2 the Apostle Paul and st. Peter.

I Had a little argument about something on a given occasion Peter who believed in salvation by grace and Paul who taught that a one occasion when the Judaizers came Peter sort of resorted to a little addition of the law to grace in order to appease the Judaizers and so Paul confronts him and Says to him that you are guilty of mixing law or works for the grace.

And so he causes Peter to back off and in the second chapter of Galatians Paul is dealing with this matter mixing law With grace mixing good works for the grace of God and the result of that and so I want us to read one verse.

It is a powerful verse to counteract Satan's deception concerning the real true and only Basis of salvation and he says it in verse 21 when Paul says I do not nullify I do not render useless and void.

I do not set aside the grace of God By adding works a law for if righteousness if salvation comes through the law then Christ died. Needlessly now what I want you to understand is this. I want you to understand what God says about the only basis for our acceptance as I listen to people share why they believe they're going to heaven and Surely what their concept of God is.

I want to tell you Satan is doing a real successful job of camouflaging the truth and deceiving people by the millions. Now I Want us to look at this whole or this whole concept here of? Identifying the satanic deception regarding salvation.

Let's identify what that deception is and that deception is this it says that you can be saved by being good by doing good and Some other people may read it this way and Satan would say it this way to some you can be saved by.

You know Doing the best you can and then what you can't do God will just sort of add to that and you're gonna make it and the third aspect of that is Even those who say feel that they have to keep saved by doing good works.

That is a threefold aspect of a satanic deception that relates to salvation. Now, let me ask you a question. Can you point to the time in your life at any time back there where you? Said at this moment you made a decision and you said from this moment on I know that I'm saved now I'm just gonna leave that question with you there and then I want us to analyze this satanic deception.

Which is in essence being saved By being good or doing or performing good works now. Let's look at that for a moment. Paul said I do not nullify the grace of God. For if righteousness if that is salvation comes through the law or doing good works, then Christ died needlessly.

He says two things are true if a person can be saved by their good works. Now, let's look at this for a moment if you'll think about this Salvation by good works and doing good is universally accepted every religion in the world accepts that.

Except the true Christian faith and there are multitudes of people who call themselves Christians who really and truly believe that either out of ignorance because they're not been instructed properly or Because it fits their lifestyle and fits their concept of God and so they have decided, you know after all and they have sort of redrawn and reshaped and remade and and Worked God over in their minds to the point that he is the kind of God who accepts them on the basis of their work.

It is a universally accepted form of salvation. You check out any other religion in the world all the cults and all the rest. Nothing is ever salvation by the free gift of God's grace, but it is also performance oriented kind of acceptance.

It caters to man's pride after all. I've not been too bad. I've done the following things. I'm a pretty good person. And usually what you will find that person doing is Comparing their life to other people.

I'm certain not as bad as others. God never tells us to compare ourselves with others and the base our acceptance by him on the basis of how well we are doing. According to what someone else is doing.

It is a self-centered form of looking at God and that is I'm going to perform I'm going to work and therefore on the basis of what I do. Surely this loving God would not reject me. It is a self-centered type of religion.

It is a false view of God that God will accept me on the basis of what I do. And I want you to notice two things that person does not consider. They do not consider God's very very clear Definition and view of sin.

God hates sin because of what it does to the sinner and because of what it will do to a child of God. Nor do they consider the very idea of the holiness of God if you eliminate the holiness of God. Do you know what you can do to him if you eliminate the holiness of God?

You can shape him just about any way you want to to fit any type of theology. You want to fit him into if you will eliminate the holiness of God the righteousness and the holiness and the justice of God is always Eliminated in the minds of those who are working for their salvation or working trying to remain saved.

Scripture, Authority, and the Holiness of God

Then if you will think about all the scriptures that you know. The idea of being saved on the basis of your work is contrary to the scriptures from Genesis the revelation. You cannot find any basis in the Bible for believing that God is going to accept you because you are better than someone else.

Because you don't do this are following things or because of your lifestyle or your conduct. It is not to be found anywhere in the Bible. It is a satanic deception and the more our society moves toward humanism.

And that is after all man's not so bad and all of the world and all of life revolves around man. Then what man does becomes more and more acceptable and the more acceptable what you and I do becomes to us.

Surely after a while we sort of fuzz that over into God's ideas. And so we mix up what God thinks plus what society thinks plus what we think and after all we can get very convinced. That I mean after all surely we all agree that God and his loving Mercy and goodness and kindness isn't going to send somebody as good as I am to hell.

God surely isn't unless he's not gonna reject someone like me. I mean after all look at me versus look at all these folks in prison. Look at all these folks doing all these horrible things. You mean God's gonna reject me.

And so, you know you say well, you know after all they are pretty good before long. We fuzzed it all up. And so we don't have a clear picture now. Listen, it doesn't make any difference what our society does there either has to be a final authority.

In this world or after a while anybody's and everybody's opinion goes that is whatever it is the final authority of Life death morality and all the rest is to be found right here in this book. When you lay aside this book you have no final standard no final law.

So therefore person can say well, you know, I'm not so bad. I believe that you're being that you're saved by being good now. I want to show you the Implications and the fallacy of that kind of thinking which is the kind of thinking.

Many many people who sit in church pews every week that that's their whole perspective. At a businessman say to me some time ago Very outstanding man invest his money very benevolent very generous and here was his remark.

We were talking about salvation. He put in this term. He says I'm trying to. I'm trying to merit he says I'm trying to Chalk up or to add all the merits to my account that I can before I get there. He was sincere.

He would he is an elder in his church working in the church involved in the church. But his whole perspective of salvation man. He's got to be at that doing it week after week getting it done because after all one of these days he knows he's going To die and when he gets there, he wants to be sure he's been accepted.

The Uncertainty of Earning Salvation

Let me show you a phallus in that whole idea. First of all, if you're one of those persons who believes that God's going to accept you on the basis of your works. Let me ask you a question and think very logically about this.

How much work do you have to do? Secondly, how long do you have to work and. Thirdly, when will you know whether you've worked hard enough long enough at the right thing or not? When would you know that?

Well, the truth is you'll never know. So my friend if you're one of those persons sitting in the church pew week after week and you believe that your salvation is based On how well you're doing. Let me tell you something you're gonna have to do.

Here's what you're gonna have to do if you're gonna be intellectually honest. You're gonna have to get the hymn book and get your razor blade or a pair of scissors either one and you have to start right here in the front of your hymn book and.

You're gonna have to start looking at some of these hymns and reading them and you're gonna have to start cutting out pages. Just flicking. I mean just razoring them out because some of these songs you can't sing and beat it and be really intellectually honest.

Listen, if your salvation is based on your works, you can't sing blessed assurance. Jesus is mine. Because you're not sure. Did you know that if your salvation is based on your works? The only time you can really be sure that you've been saved is when you stand in the presence of God.

Because how long do you work? How much do you work? What do you do suppose you do the wrong thing? You see but that is exactly where a majority of people are and they don't even realize it. Well, I mean after all, you know this loving wonderful God of ours and at the same time they really believe.

Really believe that they're good enough to be made acceptable in the eyes of God now. Listen to what Paul said about that He says in verse 21. I do not nullify set of set aside the grace of God. He says to believe that salvation is by works is to set aside the grace of God.

Now, let's define grace. Grace is God's undeserved non purchased non negotiable undeserving love. Unconditional love given to man freely it cannot be worked for its non purchasable. You can't buy it. Non-negotiable you can't negotiate it for it.

It is unconditional. It is undeserved. That's what grace is. Now Paul said to add works to my life to get saved is to nullify. He says it is to nullify the grace of God now. Listen to what Paul said in Galatians in Ephesians chapter 2 turn to this passage now.

I know you know it by heart, but I want you to look at two passages in Ephesians chapter 2. He says in verse 8 for by what are you saved? For by grace, are you saved and have been saved through what and That not of yourselves even the faith is not your faith.

It is the faith that God gives you to believe. It is it is the what the gift of God not as a result of what? Works that no one should boast. God isn't going to give you any Reason for boasting about your salvation now if you turn over to Titus.

Salvation by Grace Through Faith

Turn to Titus chapter 2 and chapter 3 if you can find Hebrews just turn over turn back a couple of chapters. Titus chapter 2 listen to what he says in verse 11. For the grace of God has appeared bringing Salvation to all men.

It is the grace of God that has appeared that brings salvation. Chapter 3 in the same little book verse 5. He saved us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness. But according to his mercy by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.

So all of these verses say to us you cannot be saved by doing good works. You can't be saved by performing by trying to be better than someone else or by keeping the law. Someone says well, I'll tell you what I do.

I just try. What I try to do is I try to live up to the Ten Commandments and I believe if you try to live Up to the Ten Commandments then if you're living up to the Ten Commandments God isn't gonna reject you.

Let me ask you this. How many of you have lived up to the Ten Commandments? Not a single one. Well, let me give you another a little word here. James says you can't and secondly Paul says in this very book of Galatians that the purpose of the Ten Commandments was not a Written law by which if I keep them I will be saved.

Do you know what the purpose of the Ten Commandments was? Paul says it was given to us as a tutor. Now it is also protection of society because without it we'd be in a mess, but when it comes to salvation.

It was given to us as an instructor. Look if you will in verse 24 of Galatians chapter 3 verse 24 says. Therefore the law has become our tutor our instructor. To lead us to Christ that we may be justified by faith not by keeping the law.

For he says in verse 26 for you are all the sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus now turn back over to chapter 2 and he makes it even stronger in verse 16. He says Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified or declared righteous saved by the works of the law by keeping the law.

Doing good performing. He says but through faith in Christ Jesus even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be Justified declared righteous or saved by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law.

Since by the works of the law shall no flesh be made acceptable before God. There isn't anything that you and I can do to make ourselves good enough to be made acceptable before God. He says the very purpose of the Ten Commandments was not to get you to heaven, but to show you your inadequacy.

And is it not true? You pull out the Ten Commandments and you said I'm gonna live by these at least at least one week. I'm gonna live by the Ten Commandments. Try it. He says that's not the purpose of it.

The purpose of it is to show us it is it is an instructor a tutor to show us our inadequacy. Apart from Christ now when Paul says in this second chapter, I do not nullify the grace of God. What he's saying is simply this that if a person can be saved by doing good works.

Then that renders this this non purchasable unconditional undeserved Non-negotiable love of God extended to us in the way of forgiveness and redemption. He says all of that. All of God's grace is null void useless.

Senseless and has no purpose if you can be saved by doing good. Why should God grant us grace if we don't need it because if I can do well enough, I don't need the grace of God. That's the unconditional non-negotiable non-purchasable.

What? Nondeserving love that God extends to us now if I can do without it then God should not have sent it. So he says I don't nullify render useless and void the grace of God by adding works to grace now I want you to turn to Romans chapter 4 for a moment because here is Paul's argument about the same subject from a little different perspective and He is comparing it and relating Abraham and how Abraham was saved by faith.

Listen to what he says verse 1 of chapter 4. What then shall we say that Abraham our forefather? According to the flesh has found. For if Abraham was justified or declared righteous or saved by works He has something to boast about.

Look what I did. But not before God he doesn't for what does the scripture say. And Abraham believed God and it was reckoned that is it was entered on his account. That's an accounting term. It was entered on his account to him as righteousness.

That is that he believed God. Now to the one who works His wage is not entered as a favor, but what is due? But the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly His faith is accounted to him as righteousness.

Grace and Works Cannot Be Combined

Here's what I want you to see. Here's the whole key. You cannot have you cannot have grace and works. Because grace and works are on opposite ends of the pole. They are in conflict with each other. The grace of God is a favor a gift a non Purchasable gift for which you cannot work.

Works on the other hand is What we do in order to be paid if you can do any form of work in order to be saved or forgiven by God. What you've done is you have indebted God to you. God now when you stand in the judgment, he's not expressing love and grace.

He's paying you off and So for eternity you get paid for the work that you've done. Let me ask you this who does that glorify? Does that glorify God since he's this big heavenly employer up here and when he chalks off your account He sees that when you've worked here and here and here and here therefore, I'm going to accept you on the basis of your works.

We're not talking about works on the basis of having been saved and works motivated by love and devotion to Christ. We're talking about working to be saved doing good being good keeping the Ten Commandments living by the Sermon on the Mount.

Neither of which any person can do apart from the grace of God. But here's what Paul saying you've got to make a choice my friend. You may be sitting in a church peering your your name may have been on three or four five six church rolls.

You're still just as lost as you can be if you think that you're going to be made Acceptable in the eyes of God on the basis of doing good. You can't mix grace with works now. Listen, if I'm going to work for you as a favor, it's going to be a favor.

If I'm gonna work for you for wages, then you owe me on the one hand you're indebted to me on the other hand. You're not. God says that we are saved by grace through faith that is God has extended love and forgiveness and reconciliation and justification and Redemption he has offered it as a free gift.

There is no way for me to work up for that because it wasn't given as a wage. It was given as a free gift and any person who thinks that they're going to work and be good and do better and perform. And have a certain kind of conduct and therefore on the basis that get acceptance before God.

I'm going to tell you something he never offered salvation on that basis and if he didn't offer it on that basis you can't be saved by trying to mix your works with the grace of God or By meriting or living up to or reaching a standard because first of all, what is the standard?

The standard is perfection. That's the standard of holiness and You can't reach that. That's why salvation is given as a free act of grace and loving mercy because listen if God said, okay you perform you get saved.

What is the standard God would have to lower his own? Standard of holiness and righteousness to accept you on the basis of your works because your works will never be perfect. You won't be perfect. Your works won't be perfect.

So what you're saying is in order to get saved by my works, I have to recreate another God. I have to form a God who understands except we rationalize it all the way and say well He's brought his standard down.

God knows. Nobody can be perfect. You're absolutely correct. But there are multitudes of people who's sitting in church peers week after week after week who really believe that God's going to accept Them on the basis of how well they're doing and I'm going to tell you you are satanically deceived my friend.

Because it's not true. It cannot be true. Now. Let me show you why it can't be. I want you to jot down these ten things I'm going to give you so get a pencil and piece of paper if you will and Some of you you already know where you are in your relationship to Christ and you know how to be saved by the grace of God.

Ten Reasons Salvation Cannot Be Earned

But you confront people all the time who argue with you about it. So I want to give you ten reasons why their argument will not work. I Think about all these people who are living in bondage. Terrible bondage to believe you can be saved by the grace of God.

But in order to remain saved in order to remain saved you have to perform in a certain fashion. I want to tell you that is bondage that God never placed on us. You cannot mix works with grace and have the true biblical Concept of the atoning death of Jesus Christ.

Now, how is a person saved according to Scriptures? Well It's very simple and that is that God the Beloved sent his only begotten son his beloved son to the cross. Placed upon him all of our sin and Christ's death was the full payment of our sin.

Therefore those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ personally by faith are saying I am accepting God's payment. For my sin in the death of his son and by receiving his son is my personal Savior. I am freed liberated forgiven.

I am justified. I'm saved. I'm saved by what the grace of God the grace of God is what I receive on the basis of what Christ did at Calvary. Christ paid the price and I receive as an act of grace a gift from God.

I can't pay for it. The price was paid at Calvary. We sing these songs. Jesus paid it all. What in the world am I trying to do to work up salvation? You see there's so many hymns we sing and yet on the other hand we live out something entirely different.

So salvation is the act of God. Whereby he forgives us of our sins based on the debt of penalty Jesus paid at the cross now. Here's what I want you to see if a person believes that you say but doing good being good and all the rest.

The first Thing I want you to jot down is some scriptures and I'm going to give them to you quickly. Listen to all these scriptures that are null and void and are Meaningless if you can be saved by your works.

In John chapter 1 verse 29, you remember John the Baptist Identified Jesus as the Lamb of God Who has come to take away the sins of the world the lamb that was to be slain. Secondly in John chapter 10 verse 15 Jesus said I am the Good Shepherd and the Shepherd has come to lay down his life for the sheep.

In Matthew 20 verses 28. He says I've come to give my life a ransom for many. In Hebrews chapter 9 verse 26 He said he offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins. In Romans 5 6 He says he died he shed his blood for the ungodly.

In Romans chapter 5 verse 9 He says he justified us. He saved us by his blood. In Romans chapter 5 verse 10. He says we have been reconciled brought back into fellowship with him by the blood of Jesus Christ.

In Galatians 1 4. He says he gave himself for our sins. In Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7. He says we have forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. He says in 1st Peter 1 18 we were not redeemed by corruptible things such as gold and silver.

But by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that we shed in our behalf. And then he says in verse Peter chapter 2 verse 24 He says that Jesus Christ bore our sins on in his body on the cross that we may be saved from our sins now.

Listen, what purpose what use are all of those verses that have to deal with the crucifixion of Christ? What use are they if you can be saved apart from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? There are meaningless verses.

The death of Jesus Christ was a horrible act on the part of this God who calls himself a loving father. If you can be saved any other way. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father. But by me and if you can come any other way the crucifixion he says here in Galatians the crucifixion. It was a needless Horrible act on the part of Almighty God.

The Gospel and the Finished Work of Christ

That's just the first point. Point number two. We have no need of a gospel if you will look in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 Paul sort of gives us the whole gospel capsule here and Listen what he says. He says what is it that makes up the gospel?

Look, if you will in verse 3 for I delivered to you as Our first importance what I also received that Christ died for our sins According to the scriptures that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

That is the gospel. Let me ask you a question. What do we need with the Gospels if you can be saved by being good? There are multitudes of people millions upon millions of millions of people in this world who don't have the scriptures as you and I have it and they're trying to be good and Some of them are pretty good without the crucifixion.

How good. And If you can be good enough to be acceptable in the eyes of God, what is the purpose of the crucifixion? There's no purpose and there is no need for a gospel. Unless a salvation by the cross is absolutely essential.

Number three. Jesus said on the cross it is finished. The truth is if you can be saved Any other way except by the cross Christ's work was not finished and Secondly Christ's work was not adequate if it takes my good works to get me saved.

Jesus Christ death on the cross was not adequate. The work was not finished. I have to add to whatever he did. Therefore the crucifixion is of little value. You and I know better than that number four.

The Cross, Mercy, Covenant, and the Lord's Supper

The incarnation that is God the Father God the Son God the Spirit God coming in human flesh Here on earth to live among us and Christ dying on the cross. What good is the incarnation. The incarnation was a useless?

Meaningless event. What's the use of Christmas? I? Mean, you know God becoming a child born of the flesh living among men. What's the use of all of that if you can be saved apart from the grace of God and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?

What is the use of the cross? Next Man does not need mercy from God if he can be saved by his works. Listen when a lost person Who's working up their salvation? Why should why should they need mercy? Salvation is based on based.

It's based on their good works. Grace is the result of mercy. The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ is is the result of the mercy of the mercifulness of a loving holy Righteous God who was willing to pay for your sin in mind except you see if there is no cross and There's no need for the cross.

Then there's no need for mercy. Why ask for the mercy of God? Think about the covenant that you and I have with God. The covenant of God has no meaning the Bible says that Jesus established a new covenant with us and he established it through his blood he said.

What what do we need with the covenant? I? Mean, you know God's made all these promises if it's a matter of works, what am I doing? I'm racking up points with God. I'm impressing God. I'm putting God in debt to me and so God must pay me off as I work and as I labor and as I do My best.

Oh, he may subtract some things over here when I fall in falter but after all I'm not doing too bad and compared to other people and surely he's gonna be just enough to compare me to everybody else and so I'm not gonna be doing too bad.

So after all I don't need the cross. I don't need grace. It's just a matter of good works and and the covenant has no meaning the covenant is God's assurance to me. It is his assurance for me that I am forever.

He is. Why do I need that when I'm working it up anyway? What is the meaning and the purpose of the Lord's Supper? If grace comes by works, that is if salvation comes by work what I need for the Lord's Supper come down here.