The 5 LIES About Salvation | Pastor Reacts

Certain myths about salvation have emerged that lead people astray from the true gospel. Saying the sinner's prayer automatically ensures salvation. Am I stepping on somebody's toes yet? We just need Jesus, we don't need a faith community.

Once saved, always saved.

Uh oh.

Works are not important. The separation of faith from evangelism and missions. Are you someone who has believed one of these lies? What are the five lies or myths about salvation within modern Christianity?

Did you even know that church folks sometimes get this wrong? Well, a recent op-ed from the Christian Post is going to tell us what these myths are, but is this going to be accurate and helpful or just way off?

We're about to find out. Welcome back to Wise Disciple. My name is Nate and I'm helping you become the effective Christian that you are meant to be, which includes understanding the truth and avoiding error when it comes to salvation.

Make sure to like, sub, and share this one around if it blesses you. All right, let's get right into it. So here's the article and let's get right into it. In the landscape of modern Christianity, there is often a tendency to oversimplify or distort the biblical message of salvation.

Whether it's due to cultural shifts, a desire for ease, or misconceptions that have taken root in various churches, certain myths about salvation have emerged that lead people astray from the true gospel.

Below, we will address five common myths that can undermine a believer's understanding of salvation while grounding ourselves in scripture to offer a more holistic and biblical view. I like this approach already, guys.

Okay, we do this all the time at this ministry, don't we? All right, so far, so good. So here is the number one lie or myth about salvation. Saying the sinner's prayer automatically ensures salvation.

Am I stepping on somebody's toes yet? One of the most pervasive misconceptions is the belief that simply saying the sinner's prayer guarantees salvation. While Romans 10, 9 to 10 says, if you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

This passage does not promote a one-time verbal acknowledgement of Jesus as sufficient for salvation. Let me read that one more time and let's think this through. This passage does not promote a one-time verbal acknowledgement of Jesus as sufficient for salvation.

Rather, Paul is pointing to the profound truth that salvation involves making Jesus Lord over one's life. Merely reciting words does not equate to true faith. In fact, without a heart transformation and a life that follows Jesus as Lord, the words are empty.

That's why James 2 says what it says. All right, take a look at this. This is James 2, verse 14. What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith? But does not have works? Can that faith save him?

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of them, one of you says to them, go in peace and be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. All right, the problem is in thinking about salvation like a Westerner. Okay, a Westerner is going to be include, inclined to think in terms of separating out the internal thought process of a person and the volition of a person from the actions of that person, as if there's some kind of meaningful distinction or demarcation between what a person believes and what they do.

As a matter of fact, what's the line from Batman where he tells the woman that he loves, you know, it's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me, right? It's a great line and it's worth thinking about.

But that's an example of what I'm talking about right now. We are used to thinking along these lines as if there's some kind of meaningful difference between these categories. Okay, there isn't. We shouldn't think this way.

Why?

Because this is not how the Bible views human beings. The Bible's consistent teaching is that your actions and your beliefs are all interconnected, all part of the same whole. In other words, your actions prove what you believe.

There's no such person that exists that can say, well, I believe in justice, but then refuse to carry it out in their daily lives. The Bible would say this person doesn't believe in justice. How do we know?

Because they don't do anything about it. That's the whole point of the passage here in James. Jesus teaches the same concept in Luke chapter six. I mean, look at this. Verse 45, the good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil.

For, here it is, out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks. You see the undivided connection between the heart, which is the very seat of the person, the entire whole person, and the instrument of action, which is in this case, it's the mouth, right?

But the same sentiment is, you know, also true about your hands and your feet. Whatever you produce is what Jesus is getting at here. All of this comes out of the abundance. Some translations say the overflow of the heart.

There is no line or demarcation between heart and action. Your actions prove your heart. That's why the Jews had certain terms and concepts that would surround the Torah or the law of God, you know? There's two terms that come to mind immediately along these lines, you know?

There's halacha, right, and mitzvot. Both of these terms entail action. That's because the Torah is meant to be walked out, you know? It's meant to be lived out in a person's daily life. As a matter of fact, one of the definitions of halacha is the way or the path.

Now, wait a second. Do you know your Bible? Because that's interesting. The early Christians were also called the way. Look at this. This is Acts chapter 9. It says, Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus so that if he found anyone, this is Paul, belonging to, here it is, the way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

This right here, ladies and gentlemen, is how the early Christians were known amongst the people. And this connects back to not only the teaching of Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life, right? But it also takes the Jew who knows God's word well right back to Deuteronomy that says, you shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you so that you may live.

All of this tracks along the same thought progression.

Why?

Because Jesus is the fulfillment of Tanakh. I'm getting off on a rabbit trail. The point is, this article is absolutely correct. It is a myth or a lie that someone is saved because they said certain words.

No, friends, the Bible says your actions prove your loyalty and your commitment to Christ. All right, here's number two. We just need Jesus. We don't need a faith community. Another dangerous myth is the belief that all we need is Jesus and that we don't need the church or a faith community to live out our salvation.

This idea feeds into the modern culture of individualism where personal spirituality is elevated above communal worship and discipleship. However, the New Testament paints a very different picture of Christian life.

The Bible consistently emphasizes the importance of the church as the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12. We are called to fellowship with other believers, encourage one another, and grow together in faith.

Yes and amen. All right, this is why the Apostle Paul appeals to something that a lot of us tend to miss when we read the New Testament. Look at this. This is 1 Corinthians chapter 3. Now, by the way, now's a good time as any to remind you that I'm using Logos, Bible software, to read the scripture with you, and I love it.

All right, I use it every day in my own studies of the scripture. By the way, I'm reading a scripture right now and sharing my Bible study notes with almost 10 ,000 people on the Patreon. Isn't that crazy?

To me, that is the most important thing that I'm doing at this ministry. Okay, anyway, I use Logos. It's a game changer for the serious student of scripture. You can access my discount with Logos by going to logos .com forward slash wise disciple, and I encourage you to check it out.

It'll bless you. All right, so in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul is addressing the various divisions in the church,.

Right?

And thankfully, we've moved way beyond divisions in the church today, right? Oh, wait, what's that? Oh, yeah, still happening. Okay, but Paul is being intentional here to point out that we all work together as a body.

And then he says this, verse 16, do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you? Now, in Logos, if you just run your cursor over certain words, it's going to tell you certain things like, look, the you right here in the Greek, in the original language is plural.

All right, it's not just plural right here in verse 16, but it's also plural in verse 17. Look at this. If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy and you are holy.

That means there is a purpose that God has for the corporate body being together and also working together. All right, this is also why Paul says this, Philippians 1, verse 6, and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

There's a plan, ladies and gentlemen. There is a reason why we must remain together as brothers and sisters. It's because we have a job to do as God's people. You know, look at this, Ephesians 2, verse 10, for we are, we corporately are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for, here it is, good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Now, there's no you in that passage, but I read it so you could catch this idea that there is a plan that God has, and that plan entails being together and working together, doing good works on behalf of God and his kingdom.

All right, so what I'm not trying to do here is take away, you know, any kind of individual application to the scriptural teaching here. What I'm trying to do is add something that a lot of us do not realize is there, which is the notion that we are supposed to be plural.

You know, we're supposed to gather together. We are not supposed to remain alone and isolated. There is no such thing as a lone ranger Christian, as it turns out, right? And that's Proverbs 18. So good on this article.

That's absolutely correct. All right, number three, number, lie number three, myth number three, whatever you want to call it, once saved, always saved.

Uh oh.

The doctrine of once saved, always saved has led many to a dangerous complacency in their spiritual lives. While scripture assures us of our security in Christ, it also calls us to perseverance in the faith.

The idea that one can pray a prayer of salvation and then live however they choose without concern for ongoing repentance and growth is not supported by scripture.

Okay.

Amen.

Okay, that is correct. In the exact way that this article characterized it, I would agree with that. However, you know, there is, I think, clear biblical teaching that furthers the idea that the salvation of the Christian is held secure by God.

Okay, take a look at this. Ephesians chapter one, this is verse 13, in him, in the Lord, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.

All right.

Now, the Holy Spirit, if you notice, is the earnest, the down payment of the Christian's inheritance. Okay, which Paul says will reach its full consummation at the appropriate time. In other words, God is the one who promises to give us our inheritance and he seals us with his Holy Spirit to remind us that he's good for it.

He will accomplish what he started in us. That and, you know, there are other passages along these lines, clearly teaches that the Christian is held secure by the God who saves. Now, how is that accomplished specifically?

And also, how does that connect to a person's free will is something that the Bible just does not answer. And so, I do not seek to lean too far over the skis of scripture with stuff like that. But nevertheless, the security of the Christian is pretty clear in the Bible.

And even here, you know, in Ephesians chapter one, it's predicated on these other descriptors that are all over the place that point to the sovereign control that God exhibits over creation. You know, look at all these words in the red here.

He chose us, right? He predestined us. He did so according to the purpose of his will, according to his purpose, which was the plan for the fullness of time.

Right?

So, you know, being very careful with the article's word choices, I'd say I would.

Agree.

I would agree with this.

All right?

If once saved, always saved is understood the way that they characterized it, then yes, that's not in the Bible.

All right?

Number four, myth, lie number four about salvation. Works are not important. Another common misconception is the belief that works are irrelevant to salvation. Well, it is true that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works.

Ephesians two, this does not mean that works are unimportant. The very next verse, Ephesians two, ten declares that we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do right.

So we just read that.

Okay.

James chapter two, verse 17 says faith by itself. If it is not accompanied by action is dead. Works do not save us, but they are the evidence of a living faith. True salvation transforms our hearts and motivates us to live out our faith through good deeds.

Okay.

Once again, this is correct.

Okay.

I think the problem comes in, you know, and I was mentioning this a moment ago, when we look at faith and deeds, as if there is some kind of demarcation or dividing line between the two, there is not, that's probably the biggest mental hurdle to overcome for a lot of Christians, right?

So if you're watching this right now, and you're struggling with hearing somebody say that works are a vital component of your faith, it's probably because you think that faith and works are two separate categories.

They're not. Your works reveal what you have faith in. What you do is evidence of what you believe. So, like if, you know, if you're trying to imagine a picture of this, right? And let's remember halacha, right?

And mitzvot. A Jew would say that halacha is a tree. Okay, picture this. Mitzvot is the fruit on the tree of halacha. Now, if you think about that, and really like ponder that long and hard, you know, well, then all of a sudden, this statement by Jesus has greater depth to it.

Take a look at John 15. Jesus says, I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit.

Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

I am the vine. You are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing. Do you understand what this means?

Right?

Think about this. Jesus is the tree. He is our halakha. That's why he says in John 14, I am the way. I am the way. He is our halakha in that sense.

Why?

Because he is the living word of God. And that means that Jesus, his halakha interpretation is true, and it leads to life. And that also means that we will bear fruit as we remain rooted to Jesus. But you see how all of this, right?

And there's a lot more places in the scripture that touch on this, but all of this is rooted in action. You see that, right? It's all action oriented. There is no space in the Bible for the idea that beliefs are this personal, private thing that nobody could guess about you unless you actually come out and say something.

Your whole life should speak the gospel, friends, not just your words.

Why?

Because your life is following the way to life.

Amen?

Jesus told the devil in the wilderness, you know, man shall not live on bread alone, but this is how he shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Your whole life and what you do with your life should speak theology, ladies and gentlemen, just as much as your mouth.

And it will be evidence or fruit of the faith that you have in Jesus Christ. All of it will.

Okay.

Finally, number five, the fifth lie or myth or whatever, the separation of faith from evangelism and missions.

Okay.

Lastly, one of the most overlooked aspects of salvation is the separation of faith from evangelism and missions. Some believe that salvation is a private matter between the individual and God disconnected from the call to share the gospel and live missionally.

Yet Jesus' great commission in Matthew 28 directly ties to our faith to making disciples of all the nations. Salvation is not just about securing eternal life for ourselves, but about participating in God's redemptive plan for the world.

As we confess Christ before men, we fulfill his command to be his witnesses. Evangelism and missions are not optional add-ons to the Christian life. They are integral to the process of sanctification.

To me, this sounds more like an addendum to number four than it is an entirely new point. But that's because number four is correct, right? And then if number four is correct, well, then guess what? Number five is also correct.

I think again, you know, the whole reason why these things have to be said, you know, articles like this have to be written. These things have to be corrected. It's because of a very Western American rugged individualism that permeates our society.

I don't know when specifically it became a shaping characteristic of the typical American experience, but this idea of personal autonomy and self-reliance, you know, which in many ways is the antithesis of the corporate expectation of the body of Christ.

In the scripture, you know, who was it? Was it John Locke or one of his contemporaries that started the ball rolling or not? I don't really, I haven't thought about this all that much. The point is, we tend to see ourselves as individuals, even those of us who are part of the body of Christ.

And this is not how we should see ourselves. We should see ourselves more and more as the entire corporate body. Once we make that shift in perspective, a lot of the scripture is going to make more sense, particularly this idea that, yes, we have work to do as God's people, you know?

So, sometimes I'm asked the question, Nate, if the gospel is about the death and resurrection of Jesus, then what was Jesus proclaiming in his three years of ministry on earth before he died, right? Have you ever thought about that?

I think it's a good question. You know, and the answer is, Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In other words, the garden of Eden dynamic that mankind once had with God has returned. And this garden or kingdom must continue to spread here on earth until Jesus returns one.

Day.

That's what he expects to find us doing when he returns, friends. Not hiding or prepping for Armageddon, but spreading God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Why?

Because Jesus has all authority right now. Not later when he comes back, when he returns. Right now he has it. And so we need to get out there as a group of believers in this fact and obey our Lord as if all of this is true because it is.

All authority has been given to Jesus in heaven and on earth. Therefore, what? Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that Jesus has commanded.

Amen.

Go shine the light of the gospel to a world that desperately needs it. You know, change the wilderness of this lost world into the garden of God, one soul at a time. Because if we remain active to obey our Lord, which entails spreading God's kingdom everywhere, well, then these last words of Jesus before he was arrested will make a lot more sense.

Right?

Look at this. John 17, verse 15. I, Jesus, do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. He's talking about his disciples. Look at this. Verse 16. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, here it is, so I have sent them into the world. Jesus has sent us into the world to transform it into the kingdom of God.

To make the world on earth as it is in heaven. That's why he also tells his disciples in Matthew 6 to pray that prayer on earth as it is in heaven. That's the central thesis of that prayer. Did you know that?

How, ladies and gentlemen, so I'm just trying to like all these dots here, I'm trying to like connect them in some sense, right? How can you be a Christian and not participate in this work? The Christian's role is clear.

It's active. It's walking. It's speaking. It's blessing people. It's getting out of your comfort zone. You know, that's clear as day in the scripture. The role of the Christian is to be active in this world.

That's why Paul likens it to runners, right? That's why he likens it to being a soldier, serving as a soldier. We have a role. It's to spread the kingdom of God here on earth. To make disciples of all the nations.

These are all action-oriented responsibilities, friends. Are you someone who has believed one of these lies? One of these myths, you know? My encouragement to you is not to feel bad, right? Praise the Lord.

You saw the video. Let's, why don't we go back to God's word and why don't we look at it again? Only this time, let's keep looking at it and let's keep staring at it, right? Because all those dots are there, you know?

They can all be connected and appreciated on a much deeper level if we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear what our Lord is teaching us, right? We need to read the Bible as if over the shoulder of a Jew in order to understand not only what the lesson was for the original audience, but how that uniquely still applies to our own lives today, right?

If you'd like to, you know, understand more about how to read the scripture, let me encourage you. I want you to go to my Patreon. Like I said, I'm reading the Bible over there right now. I'm sharing my studies every single day and it's totally free, guys.

You don't have to do anything. There's nothing special to unlock or whatever. It's there for you to go deeper into the scripture, okay? Also, I encourage you to take a look at Logos and avail yourself of my special discount.

Logos is going to hook you up with some great features and commentaries to go deeper into God's word. For more on that, again, you go to logos .com forward slash wise disciple. Finally, though, finally, and this is important, you have to go to church, guys.

You have to seek out your local church. Seek out the body of Christ that is among you who is seeking to know God and make him known. You got to go do it. Um, go find your brothers and sisters who love God's word.

They are committed to living it out well. And then go be with them. Go read the scripture with them. Let them encourage you. Let them walk alongside you as you do the same. Let them hold you accountable to your own Bible studies.

I promise you guys, if you do this, you will grow. Not only in your knowledge of God's word, but in your spirit, in your maturity as well. All right, thank you for watching this video with me. Now it's your turn.

OK, do you think this article was accurate or did they miss some things here? Would you add another myth or another lie? Let me know in the comments below. As always, I will return soon with more for you.

But in the meantime, I'll say bye for now.