I’ve listened to many preachers on the radio and most preach the gospel of the kingdom. There was one preaching and teaching from epistles of Paul, and even rightly dividing. But, at the end, he goes to Romans 10 and tells people to pray, confess and ask the Lord to come into their hearts. It appears even now that Satan is working in those that teach and preach the grace message! How can we call these that preach ‘Another’ gospel [2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6-7] ‘brethren’ when they aren’t!?
First off, we cannot be sure that this man is not saved (nor can we be sure that he is saved). No one knows for sure who is saved or not but God! So we can't make statements like whether or not he is saved.
All we can do is judge what he says that he is trusting for his salvation! And that if he trusts for his salvation what he is now preaching to others to be saved, then he is not saved. But we don't know for sure whether or not he trusted the shed blood of Christ for his sins in time past, and had a clear testimony of salvation, and of the gospel, yet overtime lost the clarity of it by adding works.
As it stands now, this man could still be saved, yet has gotten away from the clarity of the Gospel of Grace, and so he will not be able to help others get saved. But he himself may be saved, and if he is, God accepts him, and he is our brother, and we MUST deal with him in in the right spirit of love!
2 Timothy 2:13
If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Galatians 6:1-2
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
2 Thessalonians 3:14-15
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
2 Timothy 2:24-26
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Personally, I would assume that he is saved because he seems to understand the Pauline grace message, and this is a message that is spiritually discerned....in other words it takes the Spirit of God in a man to grasp it.
1 Corinthians 2:12-14
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
So assuming that he is saved, then if you chose to deal with him on this subject, then it must be with a gentle, mild spirit because Paul says that you could also fall into error yourself!
Lastly, it is not our jobs to go around looking for men who do not teach and preach properly...that's God's job, and He will judge us all at the Judgment Seat of Christ. If we spent all of our time trying to deal with people in error, we would not have time to edify ourselves and others in the truth! You will never find two grace preachers who believe 100% exactly the same, especially on the "non-essential" things. And although the clarity of the gospel of grace is very essential, how we deal with a brother is also essential to God!
So pray for that man, but spend your time growing in the truth and sharing it with others who want it! Believe me, I don't have the time to deal with everyone who wants to argue, deny, and reject this truth because I have too many people who actually want it and I spend my time dealing with them!
I would commend that to you as well brother. Spend your time growing in His Word rightly divided and sharing it with others who have not heard! God is not going to judge us on how many men we "set straight." He will judge us on how we loved and treated them, and if we used the spirit of grace as we attempt to correct our brother's error!
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Hopefully this
helps...Maranatha!
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