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The Soon Coming Judgment Of God Upon America and How To Escape It                 360
creation of the “Lima Text.” The Lima Text is the result of dialog sponsored by the WCC
between many of the Christian Churches. Through this dialog Christian leaders from many
Christian Churches came up with an agreed statement on Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. Many
Christian leaders were willing to compromise what they believed for the sake of unity.
Compromises made within the Lima Text aren't a matter of salvation but they represent
the beginning of a trend. This trend is the acceptance of practices, beliefs and teachings which
are contrary to scripture. Today the salvation of many Americans who call themselves Christians
is in serious jeopardy because of the acceptance of non-biblical teachings.
The doctrinal differences which exist among the Christian churches vary from minor to
very serious, even heretical. These doctrinal differences are the result of four primary causes.
Among these four causes are practices, beliefs and/ or teachings within denomination(s) that: 1)
go beyond what scripture teaches; 2) are based on a deeper understanding of scripture and/or
prophecy; 3) are based on a misinterpretation of scripture and/or prophecy; and 4) have no
biblical foundation and are in fact heretical.
Among the doctrinal differences, there are those that are not a matter of salvation and
those that are a matter salvation. The compromises made in the Lima Text are generally not a
matter of salvation but other doctrinal differences among the churches are. The most important
commonly held beliefs among those who are really Christian are:
1.
There is only one God, he knows all, he is all powerful, he is perfect, he created the
universe and rules the universe today (1 Timothy 2:5; Genesis 1:1; Matthew 5:48). God
exists in the form of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7, John 10:30, 14:7;
Galatians 4:6). God's law is holy, righteous and just (Romans 7:12).
2.
We have all broken God's law and are deserving of death (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8;
Romans 5:12, Genesis 2:17; 6:23; Galatians 3:10-11; James 1:5).
3.
Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins with his death on the cross (Matthew 10:28; 1
Timothy 2:6; Colossians 1:19-23). Although he was without sin (Hebrews 4:15, 9:28; 2
Corinthians 5:21), he died the death that we deserve. Through his resurrection from the
dead we can have eternal life (John 11:25; Romans 6:5).
4.
We are saved by grace through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord
and Saviour (Ephesians 1:6-2:10; Romans 4:16, 5:2). Although Jesus paid the price for our
sins with his death and resurrection, we must make a conscious act to accept him and his
saving grace. This is called faith. To have faith in Jesus Christ, one must love him, believe
him and obey him. If we believe him, we believe that he is the son of God, born of a Virgin
mother and that his commands are righteous and holy. If we love him, we must keep his
commandments (John 14:15, 23; 1 John 2:3-6, 5:2-13). If we truly desire to keep his
commandments, we will confess our sins and repent (Luke 24:46-47).
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5.
We are not saved by our works (by good deeds or keeping the commandments), it is a free
gift from God. In fact, our righteous works can never change the fact that we have sinned
(Ephesians 2:8; Isaiah 64:6; Galatians 2:16; Romans 9:30:33; James 2:10).
If you don't believe these basic tenants of Christianity, you are not Christian. Being
Christian means that you are a follower of Jesus Christ and you can't be a follower of Jesus
Christ if you don't believe the things he taught and do the things he commanded us to do. There
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