1-15-2023 Devotion: Radical

 This year, we have been looking at errors prevalent in the church. These errors create real problems for people. There is a statement I like to make: "Bad theology leads to bad behavior." If people have not been instructed by true ministers of the gospel, that have not been born-again themselves, they are likely to have several issues: false conversions, the need for an experience of power to help them defeat sin in their lives, or seeking signs and wonders in an effort to have confidence in their salvation. We will look at the second issue: the need for an experience of power to help them defeat sin in their lives. When people just make a "decision for Jesus" or make a profession of faith, they have not been converted. They have had a pseudo experience. It doesn't work so another well meaning "Christian" says, "Your problem is that you need the baptism with the Holy Spirit to have power in your life." They seek this baptism (Hint: it is an error to seek something other than the Lord Jesus Christ) and have some emotional experience, generally speaking in tongues, and they think they now have power to defeat sin in their lives. The list of Charismatic ministers that have had moral falls is too long for this writing to name but suffice it to say, it is lengthy. Like I said, "Bad theology leads to bad behavior." The salvation experience is a radical transformation. Let me give an illustration. If you lived in Los Angeles, you would get your mail there, but your groceries there or perhaps eat at the local restaurants in the city. However, if you moved to New York city, that is where your mail, grocery shopping and eating out would take place. Los Angeles would be in your past and you would have an entire new life in New York. In the same way, when one is awakened by the Holy Spirit, and one repents and has faith in the blood substitute of Christ, a radical change takes place. If we downgrade conversion, we provide people with a non Biblical salvation and it leads to heartaches and spiritual failure. Let us remember the words of our Lord, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13: 3) Let us stand for truth and defeat error. That is true spiritual warfare.