In 1 John 2:4 Jesus states, “He that says, I believe in Christ the Lord, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”





SATAN'S ARGUMENT

What is this that you say? Man must by his own power introduce himself to God’s righteous order by keeping his laws? Do you not know that man is not under the law but under grace? That all things are given him freely; and that he cannot receive anything unless it is given him from heaven? And therefore, it is impossible for man to justify himself, which must be done by merely having faith in the name of Jesus and possessing some manner of charity.

THE TRUE CHRISTIAN'S ANSWER TO SATAN

The true meaning of what you say is that man by his own labor and power ought to acquire faith by means of truths from the Word, and yet to believe and understand that not a grain of faith is from himself but from God: moreover, that man by his own labor and power ought to justify himself through overcoming temptation and resisting evil, and yet to believe and understand that not even one point to this justification is from himself, but from God. Is not man commanded to believe in God and to love Him and his neighbor as himself? And does Jesus not declare in John 14:21 that to love him means to not only know his commandments but to keep them? Think, and say how could this have been commanded by God if man had no power to obey and do it?


More specifically John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.” Another way to say this would be that he who knows God’s commandments i.e. believes in his Word and does not keep those commandments does not love God. Yet you teach that I do not have to keep the commandments because of grace. In actuality you are teaching that I do not need to love God! I say to you that you are indeed deceived and a madman! Empty in Spirit! Your faith has seduced you!


I therefore ask you, “How can God confer the righteousness of his Son’s redemption upon anyone who resists the laws of his righteousness? Does not God state in 1 Cor 6:9 “Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” And how then can righteousness itself do what is unrighteous?”


Yet you quote John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death to life.” and therefore you say you must only believe in the name of Jesus and you are saved! Yet 1 John 2:4 clearly says “He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”


So the next time you hear someone tell you that you only need to believe in Jesus to be saved you can answer, " I know Jesus but I will not be a liar by repeating what you say!