“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”
–Romans 9:15-16
God’s Word informs that it is because of God’s GREAT MERCY, that ANY men at all are saved eternally.
“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; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
–Titus 3:5-7
“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”
–Romans 11:1-6
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
–Ephesians 2:8-9
SO, even though man is saved ONLY by the grace (mercy) of God, man enjoys being the center of attention. Wicked and deceived man tells MANY stories about how HE ‘came to Jesus.’
NO ONE comes to Jesus on their own: ANY who ‘come to Jesus’ make that decision BECAUSE of God and His mercy.
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
–Ephesians 1:4-6
As Jesus Christ Himself once declared
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
–John 15:16
HOWEVER, if the tares believed the Word of God, they would NOT be tares.
This has led to one of the greatest deceptions of the counterfeit Christian: the conversion tale.
Tales told by unbelievers of their claimed conversion to Jesus Christ usually contain a few of the same items.
1- The conversion story is ALWAYS about how the heathen ‘found God’ or “chose Jesus.’ This runs counter to EVERYTHING said in God’s Word.
2- The unbeliever is almost ALWAYS the center of attention in the story.
3- There is usually MUCH drama and emotion attached to their so-called conversions.
“I cried and cried and cried! I wasn’t even sure what I was crying about!”
4- The claimed convert THEN emphasizes his conversion by repeating accepted phrases over and over and over.
“I’m on fire for the LORD!”
5- The heathen usually knows the month, the day and the hour which his claimed conversion took place–as well as other odd details surrounding that supposed event.
“I’ll never forget it! It was the 8th of June at 9 pm! I was watching The Beverly Hillbillies when it happened!”
[Those who have actually experienced the GREAT TRANSFORMATION of being re-born spiritually MAY mention any of the above. BUT, they USUALLY may mention them MONTHS later, AFTER they have figured out what it was that took place within them.]
ONE THING almost all fake conversions have in common: very DRAMATIC details which the storyteller hopes his audience will believe are true.
HAS the reader ever heard someone tell one of these dramatic conversion stories?
It is not YET too late: there is still a little time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.
DOES the reader believe he is saved?
Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival
DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?
Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16
A Reminder: The Gospel is Simple
MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: January 26, 2022.]
MORE
- The Sheer Drama of Believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ
- The High Drama of Counterfeit Christians
- The End Times Church of the Tares
- The Modern Desire for Drama
- The Secret? Add a Dash of Drama
- False Converts: Tares Among the Wheat
MORE
- Man Struggles Against God
- God is in Control
- The Nature of Spiritual Deception
- Tender Mercies of the Lord: Will Not Always Be Available
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by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier
image: Photo by Emil Jarfelt on Unsplash.com
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