IT'S EVERYWHERE AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

Talk to any missionary, foreign or domestic, and he'll tell you, "It's everywhere. Everywhere I've been, it's there." It's in America; it's overseas in every foreign country, even in places that aren't countries. It's in Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, and Islam, et al.

DO THE MATH

There are 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. There are 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide. There are 15 million Jews worldwide. There are 14 million Mormons worldwide. There are 50 countries which have a Muslim majority. By my admittedly rough count, there are 42 countries in which Roman Catholicism is dominant, going by the percentages of the populations.

THEREFORE: IT'S EVERYWHERE

What's everywhere? What's everywhere is the Satanic deception that salvation comes by works. From Judaism: "Salvation is open to all; people must observe and practice the ethical pattern of behavior as summarized in the Ten Commandments."

From Mormonism: "You are saved by grace after you've done all you can do."

From Roman Catholicism: "It is the grace of Christ alone that saves us by our cooperating with that grace in fulfilling the law of Christ," . . . "and we see faith also involves assent to God's truth, obedience to Him, and it must be working in love."

From Islam: "Live in such a way that's pleasing to Allah so that [you] might gain paradise."

THERE'S ONLY ONE

Biblical Christianity is unique: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

"Because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction." 

 "What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS."

"And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life  without cost."

We could go on and on, but those texts suffice. Salvation is a gift. No one has ever had to work for a gift. If you work for a gift, it's wages, not a gift.

THE WORLDWIDE LIE AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

So we see that Satan has disseminated a worldwide lie, just as Paul wrote, he has blinded the minds of men. He has billions of victims. That word, "victim," changes our attitude toward the unbeliever--he's a victim of satanic blinding, living in chains in the slave market of sin.

This blinding is the background of Paul's instructions to Timothy concerning the Christian's social skills: "The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged." The Christian teaches in kindness, teaching in kindness in person, in writing, and on the social media (which is better termed, "The Unsocial Media"). Note well that we're to exhibit patience with those we instruct, even when they wrong us.

We have way, way too many cantankerous Christians who love to quarrel. They aren't servants of Christ ("The Lords' bond servant must not be quarrelsome.") What are Paul's instructions in this text--"be kind to those who agree with you"? No. His instructions are, "be kind to all." We're to be kind, even to the unbeliever who's opposing us because we see what he can't see, we see what's going on behind the scenes--he's a victim of the deceiver. We then treat him accordingly.

JUST HOW WIDESPREAD IS IT?

I was reading an author who was proclaiming that salvation is free. Absolutely free. Totally free. He emphasized that only Christianity offered salvation free and clear, a gift. And then he came to his dramatic conclusion. (Are you ready for this?) To get that absolutely, totally free salvation, he wrote,  "Turn from your sin." Wait. What?

It's everywhere.