This post is going to make some people mad. The pope and an Episcopalian bishop both recently made some crazy statements about salvation. If they believe the words that came out of their mouths, then I can state without a doubt that neither one of them are saved. You cannot have a wrong understanding of salvation and truly be saved. Salvation is of the Lord. God convicts sinners and He draws them to Himself. You cry out for the Savior when you realize that you need to be saved. Trusting in anything else is foolish and damnable.
Let’s start with the pope. Last week, Pope Francis said that even atheist who do good works are redeemed. It sounds like the pope is pushing for a one world religion. The Bible warns us about the beast, false prophet and the Antichrist (Revelation 13:1-10). Do not be deceived. Just because the pope says something, doesn’t make it right. The Bible is our authority and nowhere does it state in the Bible that you get to Heaven by doing good works. That is anti-biblical. We bring nothing to God for our salvation except our sins. Jesus paid the price for those who repent and believe (Mark 1:15). My prayer is that the pope will read Ephesians 2:8-9 and that God will convict him. That God will open his blind spiritual eyes and save him.
It doesn’t matter if you are the pope or the average person on the street; you are not a Christian if you believe that you are a good person and that you can get to Heaven by your good deeds. You are wrong. Flat wrong. You cannot work your way to Heaven, you can’t be good enough. One little white lie is enough to send a person to Hell; God is that righteous – He is that Holy! It’s not about us. We are all sinners who need to be saved. But salvation is only found through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can wash away your sins. You can’t hide them, you can’t cover them up and you can’t erase them. Only Jesus can cleanse you and you are only cleansed if you turn away from your sins and trust Jesus.
Now on to the Episcopalian bishop. Earlier this month, Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal church reportedly stated, “Salvation comes not from being cleansed of our sins by the atoning sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, but through the divinization of humanity through the work of human will.” Now if this woman really said this, then she is not saved. Then she topped this off by stating that salvation is found through diversity. That doesn’t make any sense. You are not a Christian if you believe that salvation is found through diversity. She is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She is deceived and she is deceiving many others.
Please note she clearly states what salvation is based on: being cleansed of our sins by the atoning sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. But then she says that His sacrificial, atoning death does not save us. If she really said that, then she is an antichrist – not the Antichrist but one of many (1 John 2:18). She’s also misleading and deceiving the 2.4 Million U.S. Episcopalians that follow her. Save her Lord! Convict her of her sins, save her and convict her to speak Your words of truth to others, instead of Satan’s lies.
How would you like to stand before God on Judgment Day and have Him replay for you – your own words in which you clearly present the Gospel, but said specifically that it wasn’t what saved people? If she doesn’t repent and put her faith in Jesus Christ, she will burn in Hell forever after she dies. I believe Hell will be mental anguish for people as well as physical punishment (because God does a thorough work) and I believe her statement will play over and over in her head for all of eternity. She will not only wish that she never said it, she will wish that she had repented and believed the Gospel.
I don’t care if the pope, or a bishop or Satan or a deceiving angel (an angel pretending to be light 2 Corinthians 11:14) tells you something, anything that is contrary to Scripture, you absolutely cannot believe it. God’s Word is the only authority that we need to believe and stand on. If you are counting on anything except the shed blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you and make you whole, to put you back in right standing with God, then you need to turn away from your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ. Trust Jesus to save you. Surrender your life fully and completely to Him. Do this today. If not, then sadly, you are not a Christian, you are not saved.