False teachers emphasize good works.
Let me repeat that.
False teachers emphasize good works.
Listen to Paul:
No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds (2 Cor 11:14-15).
Satan’s ministers disguise themselves as “servants of righteousness.”
Christendom is awash in false gospels. The primary characteristic of a fasle gospel is that it requires you to do good works to be eternally saved. It rejects the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work. It rejects His free gift. It rejects His mercy. It rejects the one condition of salvation, which is to believe in Jesus. Instead of the simple message of eternal life, they add all kind of moralistic demands to salvation. It substitutes the saving message with religion and all the rules and regulations that go with it. It preaches ladder theology: keep climbing up to heaven by your own strength and maybe you’ll even make it!
Lewis Sperry Chafer explained the problem:
“When dealing with the unsaved, false issues are often raised and these unscriptural demands appear in many forms. Satan’s ministers are said to be the ministers of righteousness (2 Cor 11:14, 15). They waive aside the Bible emphasis on a new birth, which is by the power of God through faith and which is the only source from which works acceptable to God can be produced, and devote their energy to the improvement, morally and righteously, of the individual’s character. Such workers, in spite of their sincerity and humanitarian motives, are by the Spirit of God said to be the ‘ministers of Satan’” (Chafer, Salvation, chap. 5, p. 32).
Pope Francis? A minister of Satan.
He is.
Why? Because instead of calling people to believe in Jesus for the free gift of eternal life, he wants you to work for it.
The nice, clean-cut, local Mormon missionaries? Ministers of Satan. Why? Not because they aren’t upstanding citizens, but because they teach works salvation (among other things).
The Salvation Army? Yes, I’m about to go there. The Salvation Army? Ministers of Satan. They are. They are! Well, insofar as it still promotes and follows the theology of its founders—William and Catherine Booth, who were quite vigorous in opposing the faith alone message, and requiring good works to be saved (for example, see here and here).
We have locks on every cabinet containing cleaning supplies. We don’t want our one-year-old to get in there and drink the bleach. It’s not that bleach is bad. It’s not that we’re against using bleach. We use it! But bleach isn’t for drinking, and little Scout doesn’t know the difference. She could really hurt herself, even die!
Works are good. Works are important. You should be doing good works. But not for salvation. When you try to use works for salvation, you’ll hurt yourself, even die eternally! Works have a purpose, but trying to save yourself through them isn’t it.
When Satan comes around, he’ll just as likely be tempting you to self-righteous morality, as to sinful depravity. Either way, he’s happy, just so long as you never believe that salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone, apart from works.
