The Difference Between True and False Teachers: The Flesh Cannot Save Itself

The weight of true salvation is not on the person being saved. The Cross is the power of the gospel. That means the flesh cannot save itself.

False teachers place the weight of salvation on people. Change this, tweak this, stop this, do more of this… if only we had done this, then God would have done more…

These are vain thoughts. God is looking for children to make saints, not saints to make children. The flesh is arrogant. It does not want to be weak. The flesh hates being needy. It hates being a child.

This goes all the way back to the original sin. Adam and Eve wanted to be like God, but outside of His leading. This delusion has infected all flesh. It is why Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit AND David’s seed.

David learned to embrace weakness and need. This was the true source of David’s strength: getting out of God’s way. Jesus took David’s flesh and submitted it fully to the Holy Spirit’s leadership… even unto death on a cross. The false Gospel wants to save man’s life. The true Gospel requires a man’s flesh die, so God can re-birth a human.

God will not compete with us for our salvation. Either we yield to Him completely or He yields to us and lets us go our own way. You cannot choose a cross and self-renovation at the same time. You can’t get better and follow Jesus simultaneously.

Philippians 3:3-11 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, (4) though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: (5) circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; (6) concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. (7) But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. (8) Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ (9) and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; (10) that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, (11) if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Either I humble myself as a child under God’s goodness, mercy and grace… or I just keep trying to diagnose my sin and build God a better sacrifice than what He asks for. Humility sets me free from self-saving. Arrogance puts all the weight of salvation on me.

Mankind cannot be “good” children of God. We can only be children. Children are inherently weak… unable to do things for themselves. This is the HARDEST thing for the flesh to accept. It isn’t false, or cheap, grace. No. Humility requires a miracle.

False grace is believing I can do whatever I want… even legalistic self-improvement… and still find the salvation of God. I cannot.

Paul didn’t try to find out how to be a better Christian, pray better, teach better, lead better. No. Paul didn’t judge himself. That was key to Paul becoming saved! When his name was Saul, he was FORMERLY good at applying the rules to himself, which left him fighting God, not helping him. Paul learned to have no confidence in the flesh at all.

False teachers are confident in the exact WRONG thing: that if I know the right thing to do, then my flesh would just do it. The false Gospel puts the weight on knowing the right information, which makes the dispenser of the right information the highest in the false pyramid. Information cannot save!

Adam and Eve not only had all the right instructions. They had the perfect flesh and the perfect environment to carry out every divine instruction! So, why did they fall?!

Pride. They wouldn’t COME TO GOD for what they needed and wanted. They broke the relationship with God. More information will not fix the broken relationship. Only becoming a child again can do that. That is what the Spirit of Adoption groans for: our humility.

John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. (40) But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

The flesh wants to continually diagnose its own failure, but that IS the failure. Those who choose to be children come to God and let Him lead out of failure.

Our flesh plays tricks with false humility. The flesh embraces regret as though it is piety. Regret is not humble; it’s the pinnacle of arrogance. We have always been hopeless to save ourselves, our family, our churches, and our cities. Humility embraces that weakness of the flesh; it doesn’t lament it.

1 Corinthians 4:3-5 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. (4) For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. (5) Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God.

The only hope for humanity… including me and including you… is that we embrace fully the impossibility that anyone or anything could save us, especially ourselves, and give ourselves in humility to God to receive the love of the Father. Then, and only then, will we shine as lights in a dark world. The light is God. The Glory is God’s. The power is God’s. The plan is God’s. I am God’s. You are God’s. My children are God’s before mine. My church is God’s. The world is God’s.

Humility fully embraces this.

Luke 9:23-26 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (24) For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. (25) For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? (26) For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.

Christians mostly find the wide road that leads to destruction trying to save their lives for God, rather than lose them to God. Between these two options are heaven and hell.

Pride is the reason the true Gospel seems too good to be true. However, the true Gospel kills pride, which makes the road narrow, hard to find, and DIFFICULT. It isn’t cheap grace. Its death to pride. Anyone who has ever really decided to deny themselves, take up the cross and follow Jesus in this way will tell you it’s the most difficult thing to do in the flesh. But, in the Spirit, the burden is light and the yoke is easy.

We rest into the Salvation of Jesus.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Don’t listen to teachers that tell you how to be better at following God. Listen to those who have a testimony of how God is taking the burden off themselves and putting it on Himself… teachers like Peter, Paul, James, John… like Jesus!

John 5:30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

John 15:4-6 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (5) "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (6) If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

I know I am abiding in Yeshua when I have no regrets for how I’ve missed it in the past… because I can see how He even used my failure for my good! My salvation was never on me… it was always on Him. He only requires I fully embrace that truth. I do that at His feet, learning to see His beauty, mercy, wisdom, kindness, and love.