The Greatest Lie Ever Told


©1995 Stan Hallett

Who could tell the greatest lie? The answer is simple, the father of all lies who is none other than satan himself (John 8:44). What would one consider a perfect crime? Would it not be a crime where any evidence to the contrary would be hidden or could not be found? A perfect lie is one that is so near the truth that the person being deceived actually believes that have obtained what it is that the liar does not want them to have.

He starts out by telling them that the Christianity stuff isn’t for them, and it works most of the time. But when they insist he tricks them into accepting a placebo Christianity, and a false form of Godliness. The apostle Paul talks about this in 2 Timothy 3:1-7 where he says:

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Most “Christians” today have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof. These are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth. The deceived person believes that they in fact have obtained their salvation.

Slick sales people try to do this all the time. They try to convince you that what they are selling you is the best buy for your money. It’s the genuine article, it’s the best there is. They have the best deal for you. We see this everyday.

At one time or another we’ve all been taken by the con-artist, the liar and the thief. How much better is the master of liars, the master of con-men and the master of thieves?

You may say “how could he be able to do this”? Surely you’d recognize satan and his lies. But the Bible says that satan can appear as angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Further it says in the very next verse: “it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness”. That’s right! There are men appearing as great men of God preaching to great crowds that they gather unto themselves. They are ministers of satan sent to deceive the masses. Indeed the masses are being deceived!

What is this greatest lie ever told? What is this great deception that is being preached by ministers of satan that are posing as great men of God across this country and the world? What is this lie that has deceived millions into believing that they are saved? The lie is the one that says that all you have to do is: “accept Jesus as your personal savior and you are saved” (Orthodox Christianity).

There are slightly different versions and variations of the lie such as saying a little prayer, or asking forgiveness for all your sins, or a prayer of repentance along with accepting Jesus as your savior, but they are all lies, all deception and all part of the greatest lie that satan ever told.

You may say; “Wait a minute, isn’t this in the Bible?” . . . Nope, not there. There is not one word in God’s Word that says that all you have to do is accept Jesus as your personal savior and you are then eternally saved. There is not one word that says “simply say a little prayer and perhaps ask for forgiveness, or a prayer of repentance and you are saved”. There is not one single verse that says that “if you believe in Jesus Christ you ARE saved”. . . not one.

So where did this come from? It came from satan influenced twisting of scripture, and adding and taking away from the Word of God. We’ve all heard how a little sugar helps the medicine go down? A little truth makes deception acceptable.

Here are some of the popular verses that you might be quoted that are in the Bible that satan tries to use to get you to swallow his lie:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

They use this scripture to say that you just believe in Jesus you’ll be saved. The devil takes this one scripture, twists it and makes a doctrine out of it. What this verse is saying is that if you believe in him, in other words believe that he is Lord and Savior then you will obey the Word of the Lord and be saved. If you indeed believe that He is Lord and Savior then you should not perish but act on what you believe and obey the gospel and be saved.

Jesus never said all you have to do to be saved is just believe in me. What He did say is “except a man be born or water and of Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). What He did say was “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:14)

But wait, there’s another scripture that says; “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).

This may seemingly give credence to the belief that “if you’ll just receive Jesus as your personal savior, you’ll be saved”. But that’s not what it says at all! What it says is that IF you receive Him as your Lord and Savior then you have the power to BECOME the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. It does not say if you believe in him you ARE saved, but that IF you believe on Him and IF you receive Him as your LORD and SAVIOR then indeed you HAVE the power to BECOME the sons of God and be saved.

Satan twists the meaning of Ephesians 2:8-9 which says: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” He tries to get this to mean that we do not have to do anything including obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved. This doctrine claims that obeying John 3:5 or Acts 2:38, or any other scripture is a work and not required to be saved.

Yes, it is true that Jesus paid it all on the cross. It is true that we cannot earn our own salvation by doing good works or any other means. But obeying the Gospel of Jesus Christ is NOT a work, it is obedience. Neither can you earn it by obedience, but only through obedience to the Gospel are you saved.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 says; “…when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

If indeed obedience to the Gospel is a work, if true repentance is a work, if being baptized in His name is a work and not necessary for salvation, then indeed praying the “sinners prayer” or “accepting Jesus as your personal savior” is also a work and not needed by the premise of this very same doctrine.

No, we cannot earn salvation. We are not worthy of it no matter what we do. It is indeed by grace we are saved and not of ourselves lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9).

However, if we truly accept Him as Lord and Savior then being our Lord means that we are to be obedient to Him. If we are not obedient to Him then we are saying He is not our Lord thus we have NOT accepted Him as Lord and Savior, and we are liars.

Faith Without Works is Dead

The Bible says that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and God saved him and his family from the flood.  However if Noah didn’t have faith that God’s Word was true, and he wasn’t obedient and went and built that ark, Noah would have perished in that great flood like everyone else.

James said, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:14-16).

Salvation IS a free gift, you don’t deserve it, and you cannot earn it.  But you must obey the Gospel to obtain it.  As Peter said on the day of Pentecost two-thousand years ago, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). That is the Gospel! This is the act of obedience that saves us!

Read on. . .  Peter continues in his plea in verse 40 for them to save themselves. Then it goes on to say in verse 41 that about three thousand souls were added that day.  Added to what?  The Church!  This was the beginning of the Church and obeying Acts 2:38 was how you were added.

We repent which means we truly turn from our ways to God’s way.  We are baptized in Jesus name, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 5:12). Then He promises to fills us with His Spirit (the gift of the Holy Ghost) just as he did on the day of Pentecost, which is still being poured out today!

Most “Christians” today want the Savior part, but do not want a Lord. They want the benefit, but not what they consider to be the price that comes with it. They want to be saved, but still do as they please. They want to be assured they are going to heaven, and still enjoy the pleasures of this world. Satan gives them exactly what they want. . . at least they think that they have it. They’ve been duped by the greatest lie ever told!

You are either a slave to satan or a servant of Jesus, there is no in-between, and no middle ground. You are either obedient or disobedient, you are either saved or lost.

Do you have questions?  Feel free to write to me via my contact form.

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