Ensuring Our Salvation (Edited with ChatGPT)

We all — except Jesus — are, in essence, heretics, because our knowledge is always incomplete. As we grow in the knowledge of God and the word of God, we reduce our heresy and move closer to the Truth (Jesus). Take John the Baptist, for example. The word of God that came from his mouth was pure truth, but not his understanding or knowledge. His heresy was serious — he misunderstood Jesus Himself. Since we are being led into all truth and not given all of it at once, there will always be things we don’t fully grasp but still speak about. So, the children of God do not lie — but the undead in us lies. This is why our preaching is not part of the Bible. The Bible is accurate; we are not. Our inaccuracy is our heresy. Yet, some ignorance must be handled with love and care, while other ignorance must be fought against until it is destroyed.

 

When Jesus declared that all food is clean, to insist otherwise — except in the case of food sacrificed to idols — is heresy. But if someone chooses not to eat certain foods, how does that harm the gospel? It is an act of love to avoid those foods around them and pray that God opens their eyes. They are wrong, and you are right according to the word of God. Yet it is better to prioritize your brother’s spiritual development over proving your point. You can teach the truth with love and humility far more effectively than with anger and pride. Do what benefits both your own growth and that of your brother. Love is more important than knowledge.

 

Can you imagine how many lies God knows about us? And yet He develops us through wisdom and unconditional love toward all truth. Still, there are theological errors that do real damage to our foundation in Christ and hinder our spiritual growth into His image. If our theology denies Jesus as Lord, if it denies the holiness of the Heavenly Father, the reality of the Holy Spirit, the work of the cross, salvation by grace, or permits sin and worldliness — then such theology must be rejected and condemned outright. These are not minor errors; they are heresies that deserve no tolerance.

 

First, heresy must not destroy our foundation of faith. Second, it must not hinder our growth into the image of Christ. The rest are not critical differences. If we are founded on the Lord and the Spirit of God is shaping us into the image of Jesus, we will correct our errors along the way. What we need is to accept Jesus as Lord, be born again, receive the Holy Spirit, and grow spiritually into His image. In this process, all our ignorance, heresies, works of the flesh, and sinful tendencies will fade away. In the meantime, be patient with my ignorance, dear friend — I am not Jesus, and I will not become perfect overnight.

 

This is why heresies about the nature of God, the identity of Jesus, and the nature of our salvation are especially critical. To say that the Heavenly Father is evil, or that Jesus did not die on the cross, or that God did not become man, or that salvation is by works rather than by faith — these are heresies from the devil and must be treated as such. We cannot build a house without a foundation, and anything that attacks the foundation must be confronted — not with a sword of blood, but with the sword of the word of God.

 

Beyond salvation by grace, there is another heresy from the devil: the idea that sin is natural or acceptable, and that we should become earthly rather than heavenly. This heresy works “progressively,” baptizing us in sin and telling us that our sinful desires are holy and natural. This is no simple error. Moreover, there is a fox in sheep’s clothing within the house of the Lord. It does not openly promote sin; it promotes the earth. It diverts our eyes from heaven and the kingdom of God, and sells us the things of this world.

 

It doesn’t tell you to prostitute yourself or kill someone — it simply tells you that you are destined to prosper and become wealthy. It shifts your focus from heaven to earth. Part of the reason for this downfall is that our way has become too resource-centered. Another reason is that our faith is weak — so weak that even the blind can see it. In this context, we try to attract sponsors, and we preach what they love — money, money, money. Instead of pouring into them the Spirit of God, we pour into them the spirit of this world. If their treasure is on earth, what will they do for wealth and a good life? These are serious apostasies we must fight. One uproots us from our foundation, and the other grows us into the earth instead of heaven.

 

From this perspective, the critical issue between “once saved, always saved” and “conditional salvation” is not about theological purity, but about the fruit it produces. Personally, I believe salvation is unconditional, and I know whether I am saved or not. Anyone who has the Spirit of God is saved, and the Spirit is known by His fruit. However, salvation is not a blank check allowing me to write in sin or holiness without consequence. Just as I can disown my children, God can disown anyone. My children are mine unconditionally, yet there is an implicit conditionality — I may disown them. Do my children live in fear? No. But does that mean they can become spoiled brats, living in my basement in their forties, insulting me, taking my money, wasting their lives, and still expect my unconditional love? We can lose salvation not only by officially disowning God, but also unofficially — by our hearts. What matters is not the circumcision of the mouth, but of the spirit.

 

This is my theological position. But more importantly, why do I care about this theology? Because I want people to take their salvation seriously. After physical death, we can ask Jesus in heaven whether those who fell away were never truly born again or if they lost their salvation. But right now, what matters is ensuring our salvation. And this is where many of us are failing. We have become like self-affirming Pharisees, looking down on the “sinners out there,” while ignoring the sin within ourselves and among people like us. God is not a God of customs and routines. Attending church, paying a tithe, singing gospel songs, saying “Jesus” over and over — none of this is the recipe for salvation. That is a lie. God sees the heart and judges the spirit. He is not like us — He is God.

 

We all agree that the fruit of the Spirit is the guarantee of salvation. But the problem is: what exactly is the fruit of the Spirit? This is where even the good soldiers of God fall and mislead others. We do not want people to worry about their salvation as long as they pass our checklist — attend, pay, pray, worship, preach, and be a “good person” by church standards. But that will not ensure their salvation in heaven. The problem is that we must be faithful by Jesus’s standard, not ours. That was the difference between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees focused on the outside; Jesus looks within. And to understand Jesus’s standard, we must listen to Peter

 

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2^nd Peter 1: 3 -11)

 

What is Peter saying? We are given the capacity to do all these things, but they must grow in us. God gives us the nature of speech, but we learn to speak by growing up among those who speak. In the same way, God gives us the nature of perfection, but we must learn to be perfect in the image of God.

 

So teach your assembly to grow these heavenly fruits and ensure they are increasing over time. You have faith that Jesus is Lord — now add virtue to that. Be a good human being. On virtue, add knowledge. Good people can read an evil book and still find goodness in it, while evil people will find evil in a good book. Good people discern rightly because they read the Bible with a good heart. Before biblical knowledge, your faith should first turn you into a good person — one who is able to receive the right knowledge. That knowledge should lead to self-control and spiritual maturity, where your spirit guides your soul and body — not the other way around.

 

Knowledge and self-control, when joined with faith and good manners, produce endurance and steadfastness. This process pushes you to grow in the image of God. Your behavior will begin to look like Jesus. Yet from all the qualities of Jesus, one stands above the rest: love. When we resemble Jesus, the part of Him that should shine in us most clearly is love. That is why we start by loving our brothers and sisters — those born of the Spirit — and from there, this love should grow to include our neighbors, our coworkers, and ultimately, our enemies.

 

And after reaching this level — where we love even our enemies — what then? We continue to grow. All these virtues must increase because Jesus is an ocean and, at our best, we are but a drop of water. But as we grow in the heavenly nature, people will begin to see Jesus in us. A Muslim may declare, “Muhammad is the prophet of God,” and we will declare, “Jesus is God, Lord, and Yahweh” — but the difference is that they will see God in us. They will see the quality of Jesus shining in our lives and the salt of heaven tasting good in every mouth. Even those who hate us will say, “These are good people — perhaps ignorant — but still good.” They will love the Jesus they see in us. Because Jesus is beautiful to the Heavenly Father, and anyone who knows what is good knows Jesus is good.

 

But now, what is our problem? People do not see Jesus in us. So are we sure we are going to heaven? I am not sure — none of us should be sure automatically. Just as sinful people justify their sins, we justify ourselves. We measure salvation by our own standards. We say, “We are saved,” and point at the tax collector outside. We pray, we tithe, we attend church regularly, we sing “Lord, Lord,” and we say, “We are not like those tax collectors, so we must be saved.” Beloved, do not fool yourself. Ensure your salvation — and let others follow your example. Lead them by how you live.

 

The truth is simple. Start with faith. Add virtue. On virtue, add knowledge, and then self-control. With these, you must have character strong enough to endure the devil’s temptations. From there, grow into the image of God — and from that nature, grow in love. Begin with love for your brothers and sisters in the faith, and reach all the way to loving your enemies. God has given us the Spirit — the Holy Spirit — who makes these things possible. Now train yourself to follow God's lead. It does not matter whether you debate, “Do I do them or did God do them?” — just grow them. That is your assurance of salvation. If you fail and fall to the devil, whether it means you were never born again or fell from grace — who really cares? What matters is this: ensure your salvation.

 

From this perspective, the greatest heresy is not about theological details — like “conditional salvation” versus “once saved, always saved” — but theology that robs assurance of salvation by killing either the second birth or spiritual growth. This is why the Catholic and Orthodox traditions are not mild heresies — they are major ones. Their leaders and teachers are responsible for the eternal damnation of billions. Many do not understand this, and this shows how far they have fallen from the grace of God. You can stand near the largest pile of dirt on earth and not smell anything — because your life is dirt too. Does it not pain you to know people are losing their chance at salvation because they bow to idols instead of God?

 

Some Indian boy once said, “English people, learn your English.” In the same way, people of God — know your God. I am surprised you do not understand what I am saying. You cannot see that these old religions are spiritual slaughterhouses. They destroy the possibility of second birth in the Spirit and rob billions of their salvation — and you still do not care. You are more concerned with uniting Judah and Samaria than preserving the purity of the gospel. Are you really saved? That is the question. Earthly gospels, like the prosperity gospel, are also major heresies because they shift people’s minds away from the assurance of salvation and toward earthly garbage. You do not understand — look how far you have fallen from the grace of God. Anything that distracts us from Jesus is damnation.

 

If your mind is constantly occupied with poverty, development, health, and wealth, can you really grow in virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly love, and unconditional love? Only eyes fixed on Jesus will grow — not eyes chasing after earthly concerns. Earth is not just a lesser gift — it is a worthless one. Wealth is not just temporary — it is worthless. You either love money and hate God, or you despise money and follow God. There is no unity between the love of this world and the love of God. The earthly man cannot be the joy of God.

 

Our minds must be set on heaven. Like foreigners, we should always be preparing for our journey home. Yes, until our seventy years are fulfilled, we will plant vineyards, marry, and multiply — but our hearts must remain in Jerusalem. Our songs and dreams should not be about Babylonian power and wealth, but about our return to the Promised Land. Our gospel should not be about how to prosper in Babylon — but how to leave Babylon and go home.

 

We know that, just as God promised Abraham, our slavery will soon end. But in the meantime, we must not worship Egypt’s idols or follow Egypt’s ways. We are not burnt-out torches like this world — we are part of eternal heaven. Just as God hoped Abraham would teach his children about Him and His ways, we too must teach our children the ways of God — not the ways of Egypt and her false gods. Unless Egypt is removed from our hearts, I am not sure our salvation is assured at all. Store your treasure in heaven and fix your eyes on Jesus — for that is the only road to salvation.

 

In simple words: give the best of yourself to God. The best of your mind and heart, your time, your life, your resources, and even your body — all should belong to God. When God showed His love to us, He gave His best — Jesus. So we should have no other gods before Him. Ethnicity, nationalism, politics, economic success, development, and wealth must take the back seat — Jesus must take the front seat in our lives. We need to be kingdom-minded. Everything else is not just a lesser gift — it is a worthless gift. So look down on it. The wise king said to God, “Give me wisdom to serve You by ruling Your people wisely.” But we make lists of development, prosperity, health, wealth, and national pride. This is the difference between wisdom and foolishness.