by Johninnc
Galatians 1:8: But though we, or angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
It is extremely common in the world of professing Christendom (also known as “churchianity”) to qualify the words “Christian” and “believer” with words like “true” and “real.”
When the Apostle Paul wrote “we, or an angel from heaven,” he meant anyone, including himself. He affirms this in the very next sentence:
Galatians 1:9: As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
The “any man” could include: your mother, your father, your best friend, your pastor, the televangelist, the 19th century “prince of preachers,” the Pope, Billy Graham, the author of “Christian” books, your church, your denomination, your elder – anyone! It could even be someone who has previously presented the gospel to you faithfully.
Now, back to “true believers.” Following are some things that “true believers” may believe:
- I believe that you have to turn from your sins to receive eternal life
- I believe that you have to be water baptized to receive eternal life
- I believe there are mortal sins that, if unconfessed, would result in a Christian losing eternal life
- I believe you have to manifest speaking in tongues to prove you have eternal life
- I believe I must surrender my life to Jesus to receive eternal life
- I believe I must publicly confess Christ to receive eternal life
- I believe that faith is the gift of God
- I believe Christians must persevere in good works and obedience to the Ten Commandments to prove they have eternal life
- I believe God chooses who will believe in Jesus
- I believe you have to have “heart faith,” not just “intellectual assent” to receive eternal life
- I believe that you have to want to grow in Christ in order to have eternal life
- I believe you have to be sorry for your sins to receive eternal life
While we can’t know whether someone holding these beliefs has eternal life, we do know that these beliefs are not compatible with the truth of the gospel.
When we encounter someone who has an honest question about the seemingly endless assaults on the gospel, we will try to teach them from God’s word why these assaults are not true.
But, we will not allow the “true believers” – those who desperately cling to these types of false beliefs despite having been shown the truth from God’s word – to use this site as a forum to promote their false doctrine
Pator Tom Cucuzza put it this way:
We cannot give false teachers a place – and you’ll notice what he said – not even for an hour. Now, that’s not being mean-spirited, that’s just standing our ground.
The question, then, is not whether or not someone is a “true believer.” The question is, does the person believe the truth.
If you would like to know the truth about how to receive eternal life, click here: The Gospel