| 2. Fundamentals vs. New Age -> Repentance vs New Age Repentance -> Demon Difference |
Know them by their fruit (Matt 7:16)
The Demonic Difference.
Demons are committed to Christ's Lordship (James 2:19), as all of us will someday bow to Him, whether they wish to or not. They must obey when He commands. But demons cannot repent (voluntarily reject their own ways), nor thereby be voluntarily committing (subjecting themselves) to Christ's Lordship. God never granted the "right-of-choice" to them, as He granted that to mankind in the Garden. Adam and Eve were given the choice to obey or disobey (rebel).
Christ said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom (rule) of God is at hand: repent (reject your self-serving) ye, and believe (commit, subject yourself to) the gospel (good news)" (Mark 1:15). Of this preaching of John to repent and believe on Christ Jesus, John the Baptist made an interesting comment in Luke 3:7-18, "Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance......And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit (not any fruit) is hewn down, and cast into the fire," verses 7-9. Said another way, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20 and 26).
In other words, if there was in your life any repentance, we should be seeing evidence of your changed mind of rejecting your ways by your outward behavior. But realize this is after they "supposedly" also believed (committed, subjected themselves) to the person, Jesus as the Lord Christ, which John preached after baptizing Jesus, and recognizing Him as the one whom he was called to herald. To repent and believe (pisteuo, means "to commit," meaning to subject yourself to God's directions, faith), after turning from yourself (repent), to obedience of Lord Jesus Christ, is absolutely necessary for being "born-from-above." This is the gospel preached by John and our Lord and then His Apostles throughout the New Testament.
The Greek word for repentance itself means a "change of mind (intention)" But we should be constantly showing forth works worthy of this continual repentance (intention) of mind toward walking in Faith after we believe. Faith is not the same as believing (this will be covered in the next two articles, Believing vs New Age Believing and Faith vs New Age Faith). Christ and John were saying, where is your changed behavior, if indeed you are repenting, having a change of mind (intention).
Our committing to (eis-for the result of ) Him only reaches God by our repenting (changing of mind in rejecting ourselves) unto (eis-for the result or purpose of) Life (Acts 11:18). Believing (committing) without repentance is like electricity disconnected from the siren: purposeless, nothing happens. It is like a person running about loudly crying, "I am a believer, I am subjecting myself to my Lord's directions," and he is still sinning and behaving as an infidel. God will not hear any of our cries of believing as only mentally affirming, so long as our intentions direct our own ways, no matter how much we believe (affirm) or trust intellectually about Christ or the scriptures.
To simply believe something is worthless, to simply say you are committing is worthless, but to stop doing your own thing (repenting) to subject yourself to the directions of another (committing) is really something !!
This is the state of all demons. They know all the details, and know them to be true, about Christ and the scriptures, but repentance is not granted (allowed) to them. This is their deciding difference. They cannot change their lack of intention to repent, and so they unwillingly commit to His Lordship only when He commands them.
To teach that believing (as only affirming intellectually in the facts of Christ's Life and promises and even Lordship) is all that is necessary for salvation, and that repentance (a change of intention toward God and rejection of our sin and sinful self-ways) is not necessary, is the same as teaching people to be like the demons. But this is exactly what the Dispensational "grace" regardless teachers of Dallas Theological Seminary say is the way to have eternal life guaranteed. And this teaching is now within Fundamentalism. Jude 4 says these are Godless men.
God help us. No wonder our society is NOW destroyed. Where is the salt? If we have lost our savor wherewith shall the world be salted. We are to be the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-14), not give the gospel of demons (1 Tim 4:1). But this is the teaching and preaching our society and so-called Fundamentalism has accepted for the past 100 years.
This is what James said, even the demons believe (must commit to His Lordship), and, therefore, tremble (James 2:19). If someone has faith, which scripturally and logically follows repentance and believing (see next two articles, Believing vs New Age Believing and Faith vs New Age Faith) we would see fruits worthy of repentance, as Christ and John the Baptist said. This was what James was saying about the presence of faith, also. Paul said the same things when he talked about the "revelation of the mystery......made known to all nations for obedience of faith." Rom. 16:26.
Repentance and commitment to Lord Jesus Christ produces new-birth with obedience of faith of indwelling Jesus within us, not only for salvation (justification) but for sanctification "fruits worthy of repentance" as well. Repentance (rejection of self life), believing (committing to Lordship of Christ), and faith (Christ in your spirit, 1 Cor 6:17), all three necessarily coexist in both regeneration (Born from Above) and sanctification (making you Holy). All five are distinct and specific in meaning and purpose.
Listen to that dear saint John C. Ryle (1879):
"The branch which bears not fruit is no living branch of the vine. The union with Christ which produces not effect on heart and life is a mere formal union, which is worthless before God.
The faith which has not a sanctifying influence on character is no better than the faith of devils. It is a 'dead faith, because it is alone'. It is not the gift of God. It is not the faith of God's elect.....True faith worketh by Love, (the Love of Christ indwelling our hearts). It constrains a man to live unto the Lord from a deep sense of gratitude for redemption. It makes him feel that he can never do too much for Him that died for him. Being much forgiven, he loves much."1 What a grand statement!
Listen to what the Apostle John said so simply and clearly:
And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him. I Jn 2:3-4
The Apostle John calls the "grace" regardless people "liars and the Truth is not in them," according to this plain statement of the Holy Spirit. They say that they know Him, and know that they know Him because they believe (mentally affirm) "His promise." They say that salvation has nothing to do with repentance or any behavior or moral commitment at all.
They deny the plain teachings of the Holy Spirit and redefined assurance, believing, faith, repentance, salvation, Lord, Christ, Atonement, God, Love, Truth, Holiness, to make Holy, to make Righteous, Father, and even what a Christian is, as well as multiple other scriptures and words. In effect, the Apostle John by the Holy Spirit also says, these Dispensational "grace" regardless teachers are (1) liars and the truth is not in them, as well as (2) them making God a liar.
He that is continuously committing by his own choice for the propose and result of the Son of God is having His Testimony inside himself. He that is continuously not committing by his own choice to God is now by his own choice making Him a liar,........ (1 John 5:10). See Even the Demons Believe.
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