RAISING THE ALARM OVER
FALSE CONVERSION:
Clinging To False Hope
Alfred Chong
Raising the Alarm over False Conversion by Alfred Chong
Copyright © 2013 by Alfred Chong
All rights reserved.
This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the author.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-1616-8
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV)
PREFACE
This is a very important exhortation for the global Christian community. Millions of professing Christians have been misled and are unknowingly living under the delusion of false conversion. For the sake of the Church and the glory of God, the false converts must be awakened to the deception.
The problems which plague the Church today are the lack of spiritual leadership, organizational struggles, false teachings, biblical illiteracy, materialism, worldliness, pragmatism, disobedience, immorality, generational segregation, the lack of spiritual growth and discipline. However, these are symptoms of the more complicated and critical issue of false conversion. Multitudes of professing Christians think that things are going well with their souls but are unaware that they are living a lie. Though they are assured of their salvation repeatedly, they are actually clinging to false hope. False conversion is an all-important matter that must be tackled with urgency as inaction or procrastination would result in the most devastating and heartbreaking consequence.
Generally the professing Christians assume that salvation is there for the taking. Most of them are ignorant or confused about the way to true salvation. They may ever be so earnest in believing they are right, and all is well with their spiritual walk with God. However people must be mindful of the warning in the Proverbs -- the way that seems right to a man may eventually lead to death. The horrendous thing is the false converts or deceived unbelievers do not know their souls are in serious jeopardy. Therefore they must be awakened to the delusion so that they can seek God’s mercy and the true salvation.
Since the most important need of a living person is salvation, it is imperative for one to know what actually saves souls. Readers will learn that it is not enough to be sincere in professing the faith, and to call Jesus “Lord, Lord.” They will also learn how easy the prospects or seekers can become false converts and get trapped in the deception. It is important for professing believers to understand: God’s grace and God’s sovereignty in salvation; true conversion versus false conversion; the visible and invisible aspects of the Church; the importance of preaching and hearing of the Gospel; the false doctrines of free will, decisional regeneration, sinner’s prayer, and baptismal regeneration; the danger of the false gospels and the altar call evangelism; the adverse impact of church growth movement and the mega-churches have on Christian conversions; the great evil scheme; the attributes of the religious hypocrites, the carnal Christians, and the apostates; the perilous state of false converts; the warnings from Jesus; the urgent need for personal awakening. How can one know if one has been converted? What are God’s ways of dealing with mankind in regard to salvation? What to do if you have not been converted? In short, professing Christians ought to know all the relevant and significant matters pertaining to true and false conversions.
If nobody raises the alarm over false conversions and the great evil scheme is not exposed, countless professing Christians around the world would continue to live in false hope. By raising the issue and sharing the knowledge concerning true and false conversions, and by the grace and mercy of God, the author may help to set many false converts free from the devil’s deception so that they are able to seek God’s mercy and the true salvation.
PRAYER 1
Dear heavenly Father,
Look down from your holy and glorious throne, O Lord. Have mercy on the false converts.
May you let this exhortation be the light of your grace to show up the false salvation of countless professing Christians around the world, so that they will earnestly seek your mercy and the true salvation.
I pray in the precious name of Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
1. GRACE & SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
A) Man’s Need for Salvation
Man is condemned because he has inherited Adam's sinful nature and guilt (Rom. 5:12 -19). He is by nature spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13), separated from God (Eph. 4:18; Isa. 59:2), a child of wrath (John 3:36; Eph. 2:3), in bondage to sin (Rom. 7:14; Gal 4:3) and has a legal standing of eternal damnation (Rom. 5:18). Thus all fallen humans are liable to eternal punishment (2 The. 1:8-9). Unless a carnal man receives salvation during his lifetime or before the Lord Jesus returns, he will end up in eternal misery (Mat. 25:46; 2 The. 1:8-9).
In order to be saved, sinners must willingly repent and believe in Christ (Acts 16:31; 17:30). The problem is a fallen man has lost his ability to do anything good spiritually to attain salvation (Gen. 6:5, Isa. 64:6; Rom. 7:19-21). The Gospel is foolishness to him (1 Cor. 1:18) because he is unable to discern spiritual truth (1 Cor. 2:13-14). His natural tendency is to reject God (Rom. 1:18; 8:7) and he cannot come to Christ (John 6:44, 65). No amount of human goodness and work can earn the favor of God (Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5; Gal. 2:16). So how does a lost person become a saved soul?
B) God’s Solution
God has provided the grace for sinners to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:45; 11:17; 15:8; Rom. 5:5). The bestowal of the Holy Spirit is the inception of a true conversion. True conversion is the act of being delivered from the penalty and power of sin so that a converted person gains eternal life and will escape eternal damnation.
By grace God imparts spiritual life and faith to individuals so that they are able to believe. Before sinners can profess their true faith in Christ, they have to be effectually called and regenerated by God the Spirit through the preaching and hearing of the Gospel (2 The. 2:14; Jam. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23).
God has chosen to redeem individuals from their sins by the blood of His Son (Eph. 1:4-7; Rom. 5:6-11). Jesus accomplished their judicial redemption through His atoning sacrifice (1 Pet. 2:24; Rom. 3:24-26). It was on the cross that all the righteous demands of a holy and just God were satisfied so that individuals may be justified (Rom. 3:24-26). The moment a person is declared acquitted by God, the guilt and penalty of one’s sin is wiped out forever (Acts 13:38-39; Rom. 8:1). Hence justification delivers a convert from the penalty of sin. A person must have true faith before one can be justified.
When an individual is baptized by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5; John 1:33), one also receives definitive sanctification. The person is eternally cleansed from sin by the precious blood of Christ (Heb. 13:12), resulting in one’s separation from sin. Definitive sanctification sets a convert free from the power of sin (Rom. 6:22; 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:17) so that one may walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4). The basis of a convert’s definitive sanctification is one’s spiritual union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-7; Col. 1:21-22; 2 Cor. 5:14-15).
C) God’s Grace
Grace is an unmerited or undeserved favor God has granted to His people (Eph. 1:7; 2:7). It is the amazing display of God's love (Rom. 5:8).