Hezekiah was one of the kings of Judah that God’s Word speaks highly of.  Although he was not perfect, he was a man of faith and righteousness which really caused some tremendous blessings to occur in his life.  There are many aspects of his character that we can imitate today to make us better Christians.

          Hezekiah was the king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  He was 25 years old when he became king.  He was the king of Judah for 29 years.  God was pleased with him, because he did what was right in the eyes of God.  He was a great religious reformer among the Jewish people.  So much so, he destroyed a lot of the idols and their shrines throughout the country (2 Kings 18:1-4).  God was greatly pleased because He is disgusted by idol worship.  Remember God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14).  This means that He does not want us worshipping any other God than Him!  This angers Him.  Remembers, lifeless statues never created the earth, animals, plants, or mankind.  God did these things, Himself (Genesis 1-2).  Thus, it makes no sense to worship things that have no power and we can destroy ourselves by smashing them to the ground.  So, any idol is a worthless thing that should never be worshipped.  It has no power and it also makes God angry when we worship it (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

          The Bible continues to speak highly of Hezekiah.  It says that he had faith in the things God had revealed to him.  This means that he believed in the Word of God.  But the Bible does not stop there.  It says he was also obedient to the things he was taught regarding God’s Word.  Since Hezekiah was faithful and obedient to the Lord’s commandments in his life, God was with Him in all that he did.  He was successful in anything he decided to do.  No king that came to battle against him could defeat him, because the Lord was blessing him to be a winner at everything he did (2 Kings 18:5-8).  What do we learn from Hezekiah at this stage in the story?  We learn that we must believe and obey everything God says to please Him (Hebrews 3:13; 11:6; James 2:20; Matthew 7:21).  When we do these things, God walks with us.  In other words, a true friendship will be there between us and God.  Furthermore, God has all the power and can use it to bless us as He did with Hezekiah.  Remember, when you please God, you can ask Him for the things that you need in this life (1 Peter 3:12).  Anything that is according to His Will be given to us (1 John 5:14-15).  However, when we are no longer believing in Him or what He says, He will not listen to our prayer requests and we will not receive the things we want.  Also, if we are not living in a righteous manner, God is also ignoring our prayer requests.  So, to be a friend to God and gain a listening ear from Him, we must believe His Word and obey it.

          Returning to Hezekiah’s story, we know that the children of Israel were divided into two nations when Hezekiah was king.  Hezekiah was the king of Judah while Hoshea was the king of Israel.  However, Hezekiah had the chance to find out the horrible end to the kingdom of Israel.  The Bible says that the Assyrians captured and conquered Israel’s capital of Samaria.  This was the same as cutting off the head of a snake.  The snake will die.  So, the capture of Samaria was the death of the nation of Israel.  The Assyrians destroyed the kingdom and took the children of Israel off into captivity in faraway lands.  These children of Israel of the Northern Kingdom of Israel were punished due to their idol worship and sinful practices.  God used the Assyrians to punish Israel for their sins.  The capture of Samaria occurred in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign as king of Judah (2 Kings 18:9-12).

          Unfortunately, many nations like to bully other nations and come to conquer those they think they could defeat.  Perhaps, Assyria was confident they could defeat the Southern Kingdom Judah, because they were fresh off of the victory over the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  So, eight years after the fall of Samaria and after being king of Judah for fourteen years, Hezekiah had the bad experience of the Assyrians attacking his own kingdom.  The Bible says that Sennacherib was the king of the Assyrians and he attacked many of the cities of Judah and conquered them.  As a result, Hezekiah began to pay tribute to the king of Assyria.  A tribute payment is basically a tax to the dominant nation that is acting as the bully in the relationship.  Hezekiah paid a tremendous amount of gold and silver, with some of it coming from the Jewish Temple, to appease Sennacherib and keep him from attacking Jerusalem.  Remember, Jerusalem was the capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  To conquer it would have destroyed the kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 18:13-16). 

          The Assyrian army sent a message to King Hezekiah after marching to Jerusalem.  As the Assyrian army stood outside of the walls of Jerusalem, an Assyrian messenger said to Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18:19-25 (New International Version):

 

This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22 But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”? 23 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 How can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord? The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it…

 

This Assyrian messenger accused Hezekiah of depending on Egypt as his help, but claimed that Egypt would betray him.  The messenger even had the audacity to claim that God sent him to destroy Jerusalem.  Of course, this Assyrian messenger was lying.  God had not sent him.  This is common today.  Unfortunately, today, we call these types of liars by the terms “false prophet, false teacher, or false preacher.”  Unfortunately, you will encounter many frauds in this life who will try to mislead you into following them as they masquerade as men come from God.  How can you tell the difference between someone God has sent with a Word from Him and a fraud?  Well, the Bible is your gauge.  If the man is lying, then God did not send him.  All lies come from the devil (John 8:44).  You must know the Bible’s teachings for yourself so you are not naive and fall for the false teachings of men God did not send (Acts 17:10-15).

          Returning to our story, Rabshakeh, the Assyrian messenger, continued to try and discourage the Jews of Judah.  He said the following to them in 2 Kings 18:28-35 (New International Version):

 

28…Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 31 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern, 32 until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death! “Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ 33 Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

 

          Notice, Rabshakeh stated that God could not deliver the Jews from the Assyrians.  Thus, he really started to down the name of God and tried to put doubt in the heart of the Jews regarding God’s power.  This is what the devil does and the devil was influencing Rabshakeh to say these evil, crazy words.  The Assyrians were no match for God; who has all power.  Always remember that in your life.  God can do anything.  He can even get rid of a bully as he will do with the Assyrians later in the story.  God will never leave you and is there to help us in our time of need.  Let no one tell you differently.

          When Hezekiah was told the evil words from Rabshakeh, he went into the Temple.  He also sent messengers to the man of God, which was Isaiah, to tell him Rabshakeh’s evil words and to ask for prayer (2 Kings 19:1-4).  Here is what Isaiah told Hezekiah’s messengers (2 Kings 19:5-7 New International Version):

 

5…Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword…

 

Notice, God was promising victory to Hezekiah and his men without them lifting the sword to deliver themselves.  You will find out that things happen this way sometimes in your life.  There are times where God will act by Himself to deliver you and me.  This is why we allow God to take vengeance on other people and not take things into our own hands (Romans 12:19).  We certainly do not wish harm on anyone.  That is not the Christian way.  However, God is the Judge of all mankind.  He is able to punish the wicked and preserve the good at the same time.  You will see God’s Word turn out to be true, because He cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

Returning to the story, although Hezekiah and the Jews of Judah were defying King Sennacherib, this Assyrian king did not give up.  He wrote a letter to Hezekiah saying the following (2 Kings 19:10-13 New International Version):

 

10…Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”

 

As you can see, King Sennacherib was doubting the power of God and trying to make the Jewish people do the same.  However, Hezekiah did the smart thing by taking the issue to God in prayer (2 Kings 19:14)!  He said the following things to God (2 Kings 19:15-19 New International Version):

 

15…“Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. 17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”

 

Notice, Hezekiah was concerned about God’s name and honor.  He asked for deliverance, but within that deliverance, he wanted God to get the praise.  This is always our attitude in life.  As Christians, we do good deeds for others, but not so they give us the applause.  Instead, we should give God the credit when something good happens in our lives or we are blessed to do good things for others (Matthew 5:16).  That way, God gets the honor and not us.  This is important, because no matter how smart we are or how hard we work, all blessings ultimately come from God anyway (James 1:17).

God answered Hezekiah’s prayer.  He sent Isaiah the prophet with Words of encouragement.  He told Hezekiah that the Lord took Sennacherib’s threats personally.  In other words, God took Sennacherib’s mocking against Him as a challenge.  God’s Words were designed to let Sennacherib know that his victories over many other nations were because He allowed it.  In other words, Sennacherib had become arrogant regarding his military success, when all along, it was God allowing him to be successful.  Now, God tells Sennacherib that He will force them to leave Jerusalem, Himself.  The Lord goes on to tell Hezekiah that He will deliver them from the Assyrians (2 Kings 19:20-34).  Notice what encouraged Hezekiah.  It was a Word from God!  You will find out that is exactly what God’s Word does for us.  So, open up your Bible if you need to feel better.  God’s Bible is full of encouraging Words and promises that will make your day better.  However, you must not be lazy.  You must study it daily to get the encouragement you need for a better day every day.

2 Kings 19:35-37 gives us the end of the story regarding Sennacherib and Hezekiah.  The Bible says that God sent an angel into the camp of the Assyrians.  This angel killed 185,000 of the Assyrians.  This caused Sennacherib to return to Assyria as God said would happen. Unfortunately for him, Sennacherib was killed by his own sons (Isaiah 36:1-7:38).  Again, this shows us that sometimes we do not have the power to deliver ourselves.  This is when we trust in God to fight our battles.  He will be victorious in any battle he fights for us!

Moving on, 2 Kings 20 tells about a time when King Hezekiah became extremely sick.  So much so, he was about to die.  God sent the Prophet Isaiah to come and tell Hezekiah the news.  He told Hezekiah that he would die and should get his house in order (2 Kings 20:1).  To get one’s house in order is to make all final arrangements.  If Hezekiah was alive today, this would mean he would have to start making his funeral arrangements, paying off bills so his family does not inherit them, making sure his life insurance was paid to date, and so on.  However, Hezekiah was not ready to die yet.  Instead, he turned to the wall and prayed to the Lord.  He told God that he had been faithful to Him, sincere in heart, and did what was right in God’s eyes.  He then began to cry (1 Kings 20:2-3).  God heard his prayer, because Hezekiah had lived righteously in God’s eyes.  Remember, in order for our prayers to be heard by God, we must be living right (1 Peter 3:12).  If Hezekiah was living a sinful, rebellious lifestyle, God would have ignored his prayer.  The good part about the story is that before Isaiah could leave the palace, God sent him back with a message for Hezekiah.  Isaiah told Hezekiah that God would heal him in 3 days!  Not only would Hezekiah be healed, but God would add 15 more years onto his life.  (2 Kings 20:4-6; Isaiah 38).

In conclusion, we see the power of faith and righteousness in action through Hezekiah’s life.  He is a good example in many ways for us to imitate in our own spiritual lives.  However, we are also shown the power of God in a tremendous way.  Remember, God blessed Hezekiah with healing and longer life.  He also drove away Hezekiah’s enemies without his people lifting a sword in their own defense.  Thus, we can see through the eyes of faith that nothing is impossible for God and it pays to be faithful to the Lord.  May God bless and keep you!

 

         

 

God’s Plan of Salvation

 

          There is so much confusion in the world today regarding what some people preach as God’s plan of salvation.  Some will have one say a prayer similar to the following, “Dear Jesus.  I realize that I am a sinner.  I accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.  Please forgive me now and save me.”  This is commonly called “A Sinner’s Prayer.”  There is only one portion of this type of prayer that is right.  One must accept Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior, but a prayer for salvation is not in the Bible.  One cannot pray and receive salvation.

Others preach that one can just believe and he/she is automatically a child of God.  Unfortunately, this method is not mentioned in the Bible as God's way of salvation either.

Even others preach that if an infant is baptized, he/she is saved at that moment.  Well, friend, again, this is a method made up by man and not in the Bible.

Literally studying the Bible, itself, is the only way to get a true and righteous answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved?"  This is where it is wise to allow the Word of God to explain itself as much as possible.  Please come with an open mind to this study as it is not meant nor worded to offend.  It is only designed to spread the truth of what God literally says one must do to be saved. 

First, we must study the first element of God's plan of salvation, which is to hear His Word as taught in the Bible, itself.  1 Corinthians 1:21 reads, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”  To those disinterested in the things of God, preaching salvation through Jesus Christ is foolishness to them.  It is nonsense.  On the other hand, for those truly seeking God, it is God’s wisdom displayed unto him/her.  Salvation comes through hearing the Word of God.  It does not come through feelings, flashes of great light, an audible Word from Jesus, Himself, a literal appearance from Him, or any other methods people claim to have experienced today.  Instead, God has said salvation comes from preaching.  In fact, Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (New King James Version).  This means one must hear the Word of God to be saved.  Again, this is done through preaching! 

Second, in order to be saved, Jesus says, “15…Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16 New King James Version). This verse is showing us one must believe the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. What is that Gospel (i.e. the good news)? Acts 2:22-39 explains it to us and reads:

22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know-- 23 "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 "For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.' 29 "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 "Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 "he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 "Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 "For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." 36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call (New King James Version).

To say this in a brief manner, in order to be saved, one must believe that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross of Calvary, rose again to life on the third day, and has been chosen by God the Father to be mankind’s Lord and Christ (i.e. Savior).

 

How is He the Savior of all mankind who will believe and obey Him? The answer is all mankind, including you and me, have sinned. This means we have all done something worthy of spiritual, eternal death. We are worthy of eternal punishment through our evil deeds (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Jesus volunteered to give His life as a substitute offering so we could be freed from the sentence of eternal, spiritual death (1 John 2:2; Romans 5:9-10). In other words, Jesus’ death was a peacemaking offering, also known as an atonement, with God the Father (Romans 5:11).

If one can believe the death of Jesus was the substitute for the eternal, spiritual death we deserved, then God is able to save him/her. If not, he/she cannot be saved, because there is no other way one can be saved (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 4:12; Titus 1:4). There is no salvation to those who do not become Christians before they die (John 14:6). Believing that Jesus is Lord and Christ is also a conviction that Jesus is the literal Son of God (John 3:16). He was human, but Divine as well.

Third, in order to be saved, one must also repent of his/her sins.  Jesus made it quite clear in His preaching that one must repent in order to be pleasing to God the Father.  One example of this command from Jesus is in Mark 1:15, which reads as follows, according to the New King James Version, “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

What is repentance?  Orville J. Nave has a great definition of what this word means and is quoted as follows, “A complete reversal of one’s attitude and values, i.e. a turning toward God” (Unger & White, 1996).  This is just another way of saying when one desires to become a Christian, he/she has to make a commitment to live a morally upright life according to the Will of God in the New Testament.

Remember, when Jesus died, He brought in the New Testament (which is the New Covenant) and closed the Old Testament (i.e. the Old Covenant).  We are to obey the New Testament for salvation, but use the Old Testament for our learning of principles that have been carried over into the New Testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 12:24, Romans 15:4).  Please also keep in mind, the Father God speaks to us in these last days through His Son-Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).  His Words, which are the Words of the Father God, are captured in the New Testament of the Bible (Matthew 7:21-23).

What does repentance lead to according to the Bible?  Acts 2:38 shows us and reads as follows, according to the New International Version, “…Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Remember, repentance is a change of lifestyle from the bad to the good.  Notice, repentance must come before God will forgive us of our sins.  Thus, if one will not commit to leaving a sinful lifestyle behind, then God cannot forgive the person.  Without forgiveness, there is no salvation. 

Fourth, one must confess Jesus Christ to be one’s Lord in order to be saved.  This is shown to us in Romans 10:9-10, according to the New International Version, “9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Italics Added).

The Bible gives an example of this confession in Acts 8:37.  Acts 8:36-38 reads as follows, according to the New American Standard 1995 Version:

36 As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ``Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?'' 37 And Philip said, ``If you believe with all your heart, you may.'' And he answered and said, ``I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'' 38 And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.

Friend, as you can see, the saving confession, which acknowledges the fact one has accepted Jesus as his/her Lord, is “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Fifth, in order to be saved, one MUST be baptized in water.  Jesus, again said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16 New King James Version).

Notice, Jesus used the word “and” between the words “believes” and “is baptized.”  This means the two concepts are connected and inseparable.  In order to be saved, one must BOTH believe and be baptized according to the teachings of God!  Man may separate the two in his own false teachings, but it is only the Word of God that saves! Water baptism is absolutely necessary for salvation with no exceptions.  If the Bible teaches it, then it is true.  If man teaches otherwise, then he is a liar! 

Sixth and finally, the last thing one must do to be saved is to stay faithful to Jesus Christ until he or she dies. This author did not imagine this concept, it is literally written in the Scriptures. Jesus said the following to all Christians, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10 New American Standard 1995 Version).

This word “faithful” is accurately defined by the renowned Greek scholar, Joseph Thayer. He defines the original Greek Word “pistos” (Strong’s number 4103) as the following, “Trusty; faithful; of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties” (Thayer, 2003).

Thus, to remain faithful to Jesus until death means all Christians are bound to live a life according to what Jesus commanded. That is, we have to continue believing in Him as our Lord and Savior until our earthly deaths (Hebrews 10:39; Matthew 10:32-33).   In addition, we have to live a life morally in accordance to the things He taught us (Matthew 7:21-23; Hebrews 1:1-3; Luke 6:41-49; James 2:20).

In summary, God’s plan of salvation, according to the Bible, is as follows:

1.  One must hear the Word of God being the offering of salvation through Jesus Christ (Romans 10:17).

2. (2) He or she must then believe this Gospel story of salvation by accepting Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior (Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 8:24).

3.  He or she then must repent, which means to live a morally, clean Christian life by abandoning sinful ways (Acts 2:38; Mark 1:14-15).

4. He or she must also confess Jesus Christ as his or her Lord, which means the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 2:37).

5. He or she must be submerged in the watery of grave of baptism for the forgiveness of one’s sins (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21).

6. All Christians must remain faithful to Jesus Christ by continued belief in and obedience to Lord until death (Revelation 2:10; Matthew 7:21-23; Hebrews 1:1-3; James 2:20; Hebrews 10:39).

 

What Are You Going To Do Now?

 

Are you one who has read the Bible and has understood that you may have, unfortunately, been deceived into thinking you were saved, but were not due to being taught false doctrine? Please do not be ashamed. Satan has many false teachers and preachers in this world (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)!  Remember, one of the tools Satan uses to keep us enslaved to sin and headed to eternal punishment is our own pride (1 John 2:16)!  Please do not let pride stop you from becoming a true Christian.  If you are one who thought you were a Christian, but realized you were not taught the truth leading to salvation, then this author begs of you to find a local church of Christ congregation and tell the minister there your dilemma.  Then, allow yourself to be taught the truth (Acts 8:26-39). From there, give yourself to Christ in truth so there will be no doubt of your salvation when the judgment day comes!  Make sure you have yourself baptized at the local congregation to wash away your sins (Acts 22:16)!  Remember, false teachings send us to eternal punishment and not heaven (Matthew 15:13-14; Galatians 1:8-9).  Only the truth will set us free from sin and eternal death (John 8:32).  May God bless you and keep you! This author loves you, but God loves you more (1 John 4:8-11; John 15:13)!