03. Chapter 2: The Plan Of Salvation According To Joel Osteen

Chapter 2 The Plan Of Salvation According To Joel Osteen

If you’ve ever had a bad day, or if you have lost hope, then listen to a message by Joel Osteen and I guarantee that you will be inspired by what he says. I have nothing but praise for this man, his positive messages of hope, and the tone of voice in which he delivers his thought-provoking words of comfort to those who really, really need a hand up in this dire world.

Joel Osteen is the pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, and his television shows can be seen most every day on a number of channels as well as on a number of Internet pages. Simply put, he is not hard to find. People really like him and seem to get a lot out of what he has to say. Me included. Osteen is perhaps the only real encourager out there, in my personal opinion, and your life can and will change if you listen to him. Before I was born again, I followed Mr. Osteen’s teachings with great enthusiasm; in fact, I couldn’t get enough of his teachings. From one show to the next, what he had to say made me feel so wonderful that I forgot all about the agony of not being sure of my eternal destiny. At the end of each show, Osteen would tell his audience that everyone needed to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and he instructed everyone to repent of their sins and to make Jesus their Lord and savior. He still teaches the same message today at the end of every service.

Now, in my case, as a result of watching Osteen and because I was so hungry to know for sure where I would spend my eternity, I did exactly what he said to do at the end of every show, which is to repent of sin, to ask Jesus into my heart, and to make Him both my Lord and my savior. I made up my mind to stop sinning to the best of my ability and to make Christ my Lord at the end of every show I watched, but it never worked. I was never born again according to the way Osteen said we had to be born again, but I was happier as a result because my opinion of myself changed, I was empowered, I felt better about who I was as a person, yet, had I died while believing in Osteen’s plan of salvation, I would never have made it to heaven, according to the bible.

What is the problem, here? Does the problem arise from a mere lack of understanding of what Mr. Osteen says to do? Or could it be that what Mr. Osteen is telling us to do is not even found in the bible, at all? And what shall we use in order to determine the answers to such questions? For the answers to these questions, let us look at the Greek translation of the English word “repent” as well as look at some key verses about salvation in the bible; however, before we do this, I have to say on the authority of the Word of God (not my opinion) and with a very disappointed feeling in having to say these things about someone who has meant so much to me in the past, I can say most strongly that Mr. Osteen unknowingly provides an unbiblical, counterfeit plan of salvation to both the members of his church and to his world-wide audience at the end of every presentation and that I honestly believe that no one has ever explained to him how to be saved, and that he, like so many others in the Christian business, simply copy each others’ plans of salvation in order to sound similar so as not to be seen as “different” from the mainstream. For these reasons, I have chosen to write a chapter about Joel Osteen in order to show you that no matter how wonderful a person is, or how well they speak, or even how much comfort and encouragement they give, if what they say about salvation does not match with what Christ Himself has said concerning salvation, then, according to the bible, there is no light in them and they are not of God (Isaiah 8:20). They are, without realizing it, “the blind who lead the blind” according to Jesus’ own words, and they always end up falling into the ditch; yet, in the most disappointing sense, these spiritually blind teachers and followers of a counterfeit plan of salvation are the ones who end up standing before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgement after a lifetime of honestly trying their best to get their lives together, of trying their best to do the right thing, and of trying to live for Christ the best way they knew how to do. Their reward is not an eternity in heaven with the Lord they sought so longingly to live for; rather, according to Jesus Himself, their eternity will be one of endless suffering, loss, and torment because they trusted in works, i.e., in turning away from their sins and bad habits and in living the Christian Lifestyle in addition to faith in Christ as their means to enter into heaven rather than placing their trust alone (apart from works) in Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection from the grave, the way Christ said to do, as their only hope of escaping eternal damnation. Osteen is not the enemy, folks, but Osteen is being “used” by the enemy to lead all who believe in a “different gospel” into a Christless eternity, and it is my firm belief that neither Osteen nor his followers understand the destination to where self-effort and Lordship Salvation will eventually take them, eternally. So, with a heavy heart, yet with tremendous hope in the power of God to show everyone what Christ says about salvation, let us now reason together using the anchor of God’s Word in comparison to what Osteen has to say regarding salvation, and maybe these bible truths contained in this chapter will cut through the satanic deceptions of Lordship Salvation as well as the erroneous definition of repentance that is adhered to by so many pastors today, and, as a result, will help to open everyone’s eyes to Christ’s truths, which, in case I’ve not said it enough already, is my true aim.

Joel Osteen is very inspiring. I watched several of his sermons in order to give you an informed chapter about him. I will paraphrase for you what he says in most of his sermons. For example, Osteen argues that we should understand that we are children of God, that we are winners made in God’s image. In one Internet broadcast (title unknown) he used the example of a new-born colt to explain how problems cannot effect our royal standing with God. The new-born colt that has trouble standing up upon his weak legs is not seen as a champion horse yet, but because of his bloodline, he will become a champion one day. Osteen often inserts little jokes between serious statements, and he is genuinely funny when he does. In most every sermon he will say that we should never believe lies about our weaknesses, that we should never dwell upon the mistakes we have made in life, and that God sees everyone as a champion. Self-image, meaning how you see yourself along with how God sees you, is very important. Osteen gives so many real-world examples that relate very well with bible principles, and they are very pleasing to hear as he tells them in story-like fashion. Osteen says that we are all “masterpieces” in God’s eyes, that we are not “average” and that He did not make a mistake when He made you and me. He says that even though people might push us down and give us a hard time, it is God who ultimately determines our destinies, not our adversaries. Osteen, just like Zig Ziglar, says that nobody can make us feel inferior unless we give them permission to do so. In fact, overcoming feelings of inferiority and insecurity are major themes in just about every sermon given by Osteen. And let me ask you, reader, who in their right minds doesn’t want to hear these positive things? What Osteen says is wonderful and virtually all of it is, in fact, true and can be found in the bible. Everything except his plan of salvation, that is, and we are going to take a look at it in this next section.

Salvation, according to Joel Osteen, consists of having a “relationship” with Jesus Christ. In order to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, Osteen says we must 1) repent of sins, 2) ask Jesus into our hearts, 3) ask Him to wash us clean, and 4) “make Him” our Lord and savior.

Now, according to the bible, this is not how to go to heaven. What this is, however, is a blueprint for discipleship. More accurately, what we really need is a “savior.” When you become born again through faith alone in Christ, you are automatically in a “relationship” with Jesus Christ the very instant you trust in what He did for you by His death, burial and resurrection from the dead. To say that we need a relationship with Christ is not an accurate statement. We need salvation in order to escape the wrath of God, not a “relationship.” Osteen preaches our need for a discipleship-based relationship with Christ. Salvation is vastly different from discipleship in that discipleship requires hard work whereas salvation requires only your trust in the promise of everlasting life that Christ extends to all of us by His grace. Quite literally, Jesus saves you the instant you trust in what He did for you. Salvation is not what you do for God. Salvation is what God did for you and nothing of yourself (works) enters into the contract (Ephesians 2:8-9). Imagine you are about to buy a home. As you are about to sign the contract, you cross out the price and you insert a lower price. Will the seller of the home honor that contract? No, of course not. You have violated the terms of the contract. In the same way, a pastor who crosses out the terms of God’s contract and adds different terms to His contract, that contract is void. It will not stand.

What is free and available to all by grace through faith is hijacked by the addition of human efforts. In no way can a person’s good works and deeds be added to the contract. God will not honor such a contract, and if you die under the terms of your own works-based contract, which essentially makes you the “savior” and not Christ, you will stand before Him at the Great White Throne Judgement.

One of the reasons why Osteen’s plan of salvation is not biblical is due to the misuse of the word “repent.” The New Testament was written predominantly in the Greek language. The definition of the word “repent” in the Greek language is different from how it is defined in the English language. When Christ told people to repent He was telling them to “change their minds” about what they were currently believing in (works of the law) to get them into heaven and to instead trust in Him alone to get them into heaven. The Greek word for repent is “metanoia” which means “a change of mind” and has nothing at all to do with turning from sins. To consciously turn from your sins involves a great amount of self-effort and resolve. It takes effort to put down that bottle of alcohol. It takes effort to quit smoking cigarettes. It takes effort to quit a drug habit. It takes great efforts to not get angry at someone who has wronged you, or to stop lusting, lying, cheating, or to keep the Ten Commandments, etc. That, dear reader, is “works-based salvation” and goes against what Christ teaches, despite how wholesome and good it sounds. The English word repent, according to just about any English dictionary, means to “turn from sin...” or to “feel regret” or to “feel sorrow.” So, why do so many pastors use the English definition of repent rather than using the Greek meaning? Specifically, why does Osteen define repent as turning from sins when it, in fact, means to change your mind? The man who led me to trust Christ alone as my savior, Dr. Hank Lindstrom, argues that the word “metanoia” should have been brought into the English language either as it is currently spelled and pronounced or by using transliteration, such as the Greek word for baptize is “baptizo” and was transliterated into English by removing the “o” and adding an “e” in its place. Ultimately, Satan is to blame for the misuse of the word repent. While the translators of the bible in the year 1611 failed to accurately define the word repent, the bible is still the infallible and inspired Word of God; however, to know the correct meanings of certain words, one must refer to a concordance that translates certain Greek words into their accurate English equivalents. Although Satan is to blame ultimately for the misuse and continued propagation of this word, and although the translators of the bible bear some share of the blame, as well, the real problem today is a lack of discipline on each pastor’s part. Pastors today have failed to do the necessary work of rightly dividing God’s Word. To “rightly divide” the bible, a pastor must know the original intent and meaning of certain Greek words, and every difficult verse of scripture must be interpreted in light of an easier one. For example, many cults and even many mainstream Christian churches today claim that Acts 2:38 says we must repent of our sins and get water baptized in order to be saved, but when this verse is rightly divided using other, more clear verses, such as John 3:16 or John 6:40, and when the Greek word for repent is used correctly, we know that Peter was telling the audience who had just crucified Christ that in order for them to be born again they had to “change their minds” about exactly who they had just crucified, that He was, in fact, the Messiah, and that if they trusted in Him alone they would be baptized “in the Name” of Jesus Christ, which meant that they would be “brought into His family” and has nothing at all to do with being immersed into water. What many people, as well as many cults, fail to understand is that the bible speaks of 10 different baptisms. Specifically, the bible speaks of the baptism of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:11), the baptism of death (Matthew 20:22), the diverse baptisms of the Old Testament (Hebrews 9:10), the baptism of believers (Acts 8:36-39), the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11), the baptism of Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:15-17), the baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11), the baptism of Moses (1 Corinthians 10:2), the baptism of pots and pans (Mark 7:4) and the baptism in the Name (Acts 2:38). It is easy to misinterpret Acts 2:38 as being a water baptism” verse just as easily as it is to wrongly define repent using the English definition rather than the Greek definition; however, the unique thing about the Greek language is that virtually every word in the language is different and therefore each word is defined a little differently from every other word, however similar they might appear to be.

Essentially, no two words can be defined in the same manner. In a later chapter of this book, I will be defining three variations of metanoia for you to consider, yet, in virtually every case that Christ used the word repent, He was telling lost people to “change their minds” from their works to His grace. Grace is the absolute opposite of works. The two are as different as night and day according to Romans 11:6, which says, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” While this is definitely a brain teaser of a verse, it is quite clear that if salvation is by grace, then it cannot be of works, otherwise the definitions of both grace and works would be false. You cannot have grace if you attempt to be saved by your works, otherwise, grace would not be grace. If you attempt to be saved by your works, you will stand before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgement and all of your works will never be enough to get you into heaven. Why? Because nothing you could ever do in your lifetime would ever make you “as righteous as” Christ. You see, we must all be “as righteous as” God in order to enter into heaven. It is a place where there is no sin. The only thing that can “wash away” our sins is the blood of Christ. If you will think back with me to when God used Moses to issue the plagues against Pharaoh, everyone who applied the blood of a lamb upon their door posts were spared from having a “death angel” kill the firstborn of their children. When the death angel saw the “blood” he passed over their home; however, when the death angel saw a house that had no blood upon the door post, he killed the first-born child in that home. In a similar way, today, when Christ sees His blood covering the sins of a believer, there is no judgement. There is no condemnation or a future in the lake of fire for the one who has “applied the blood” of Christ to themselves. While figuratively speaking, we do not actually dip His blood onto a cloth and cover ourselves with it. Instead, His blood washes our sins away the instant that we trust Him as our savior. He shed His blood upon the cross almost 2,000 years ago. Moses was saved by believing in what Christ “would do” for him in the future. Today, we are saved by believing in what Christ “already did” for us on the cross 2,000 years ago. And according to the scriptures, His dead body was buried in a grave, and three days later He arose from that grave. He laid His life down for our sins and He took it back up again. He did this for you and for me so that, upon believing in Him as our savior, as our only hope of heaven, He saves us in that instant, forever and forever.

Now, when a pastor uses the English version of repent rather than Christ’s version of repent which is based upon the meaning of the Greek translation, a form of “works” enters into the equation that subsequently nullifies the free gift of salvation. God will not accept our “works” when it comes to salvation. God only accepts the sacrifice of His Son as the payment for our sins and as the “ticket” for entering into heaven. While we are born sinners, Christ was without sin. We cannot help our condition anymore than a cheetah can remove his spots. Our works, no matter how honest and genuine they are, are considered as “filthy rags” in God’s eyes according to Isaiah 64:6, which says, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

If you think that works will help you, or if you think that “anything of self” will aid you in getting into heaven, or if any combination of faith in Christ plus your good deeds will count in God’s eyes, I want you to look very closely at this particular verse: “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39). The “him” this verse is referring to is none other than Jesus Christ. In both of the aforementioned verses, we are told outright by the Holy Spirit who wrote the bible using the ink and scrolls of people that, under no circumstances whatsoever can our good deeds and righteous works (discipleship) be used as a bargaining chip. What is so deceptive in most all of today’s ministries is the ubiquitous and egregiously wrong usage of three of the most straight-forward verses in the bible concerning salvation: John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9. John 3:16 states, “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.” Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “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.”

While I have yet to see Osteen use either of these verses in his sermons, although I am sure that he has used them at various points throughout his career as a pastor, the point I am trying to make here is that every pastor who uses these verses and then, at the end of their message, says you must repent of your sins, i.e., quit sinning, in order to be saved, is actually changing God’s contract by “adding works” to the clear plan of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone that each of these verses allude to or state emphatically as the only means by which we are saved. They will state with strong conviction that no amount of human works can enter in to salvation, then quote Ephesians 2:8-9 and John 3:16 to strengthen their arguments, yet, they turn right back around and make it “mandatory” that you must exert the self-efforts necessary to turn from your sins (works) in order to go to heaven. Essentially, they are telling you to drive west when, in fact, you have asked them how to go east. They present salvation as a free gift and, when it comes time to “sign the contract” they add unbiblical demands to it. Why won’t anyone stand up to them? Why are people so afraid to question a pastor’s teachings? Is it even biblical to question someone who teaches the bible? Should we question the teachings of today’s pastors even though they are held in such high esteem and are seemingly above reproach? Yes!

Christ told us to test them, to see whether or not they speak according to His Word. Christ said that many will come in His Name, agreeing that Jesus is the Messiah, yet, they will deceive many.

Jesus said this, “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many”(Matthew 24:4-5). Reader, you have to choose to believe the bible rather than in what men or women might tell you. Christ “cannot” lie, but men and women in today’s Christian businesses will lie to you for their own financial gain and sense of power; however, I do not believe Osteen is guilty of such things. I believe he is sincere in what he is doing. For example, Osteen asked his audience in one of the sermons I watched recently that if your heart stopped beating and if you were to die, where would you spend eternity, etc., and stated that he was not there to condemn anybody but that everybody needed a “relationship” with Jesus Christ. Osteen said that in order to have a relationship with Jesus Christ we must repent (turn) of our sins and essentially make Christ the “Lord of our lives.” In this particular sermon Osteen asked members of his audience to stand up and to make their decision public as he led them in his version of the salvation prayer, implying that if they did not stand up in his service that Christ would be ashamed of them before His Father, yet, as oblivious as he and his followers are, this “act” of standing up and making a public decision is yet another “good work” that cancels out God’s grace in terms of salvation because it is yet one more instance of “something of self” that both Acts 13:39 and Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly state as being wrong. When you look at John 3:16, the very words of Christ to Nicodemus who asked Him how he could be born again, notice where Christ said “whosoever believeth in Him...” and ask yourself why would Christ leave out “and repent of your sins” or “make it public” or any other combination of good works you can imagine. Did Christ lie to Nicodemus? Is Christ lying to us, today, through this verse? Of course not. When Christ said to someone that he or she had to “believe” in Him, He was always referring to the fact that He was the one who would pay for the sins of the world through His death on the cross, that He would be buried for three days, and that He would rise from the dead. The Greek word for “believe” is “pisteuo” which means “to trust.” When we “trust” that Christ paid for our sins by His death, burial and resurrection from the dead, He saves us. How? Because He knows all of our thoughts. He knows every single thing you are thinking at this very moment. He even knows the content of your dreams as you sleep. He knows every star and planet in the universe by name. He knows every process of every molecule and atom in His creation. He knows every single thing about “every single thing.” God knows the “instant” that you trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, to save you, and when you do, He saves you. He “knows” whether or not you have trusted Jesus as your savior.

Notice how I use “God” and “Christ” interchangeably. The reason I do this is because Jesus said that He and the Father are “one” and that if you have seen Him you have also seen the Father. That throws a lot of people off. What I tell people to do is to think of God as they would think of an egg. An egg has three basic parts, essentially. An egg has 1) a shell, 2) a white, and 3) a yolk. Although it has three basic parts, it is still “one egg.” Similarly, we have 1) God the Father, 2) God the Song of Solomon 3:1-11) God the Holy Spirit. While they are three unique personalities, God is still “one God.” When Jesus Christ took on human flesh, He was literally “God in a body.” Christ “is” God. That is why He was able to say to the disciple(s) that if they had seen Him (Christ) that they had also seen the “Father.” They are not three different “gods.” God is “one God” who chooses to express Himself through three distinct “persons” who perform different duties. For instance, the Holy Spirit convicts people of their need for salvation, and Christ makes intercession for us to the Father. Therefore, I use both God and Christ interchangeably when I speak of salvation because both are the same. Christ was, and is, literally God in a human body, according to the bible. The egg example is a good way to remember the fact that God is “one” God and not three individual “gods” comprising some joint force.

Nevertheless, when Osteen says we must make Christ both our “Lord” and our “savior,” we are being told that works of “discipleship” are necessary in order to go to heaven. You see, Christ is your “Lord” when you choose to serve Him. As far as salvation is concerned, Christ said that He must be your “savior,” not your “Lord.” Christ calls people to salvation, but He does not call everyone to be a disciple. He leaves that choice up to you, but make no mistake, once you become His, you cannot live as you please.

Salvation is free, but He will interfere in your life if you live disobediently. Still, He never demands that you become a disciple, but if you live in gross sin, He will step in and correct you. What is so sad about today’s brand of Christianity is that most every pastor you can name will make discipleship a necessary part of salvation, yet, to do so is not scriptural. It voids the salvation contract that God wants to make with you.

You see, you can be a “disciple” and never be “saved.” For example, look at Judas, the one who betrayed Christ. Judas was a “follower” of Christ. In every sense of the word, Judas was a disciple. Judas followed Christ as “his Lord.” Yet, Judas never believed on Christ as his “savior.” Judas is not in heaven today despite the fact that he followed Christ, was a disciple of Christ, lived with the other apostles and did virtually everything that Christ told him to do. My point, in terms of Osteen’s plan of salvation, is that you can quit sinning and follow Christ as your Lord for the rest of your life but still end up in the eternal lake of fire because you wrongly assumed that what Osteen told you concerning salvation was the truth. What Osteen says about salvation is far from the truth; in fact, it is the direct opposite of truth. On the other hand, you can be a believer and not do a single thing for Christ as long as you live and still go to heaven. Take Abraham and Lot, for example. Abraham lived for God and he was blessed. Lot chose to live for himself and he died in misery and in failure. Both men were born again. Both men are in heaven, today. Abraham amassed great reward, while Lot received nothing because he chose to live his life apart from God.

“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). Again and again, Christ makes the condition for a person’s salvation dependent upon belief (trust) alone in Himself. Nowhere in the bible does Christ say that making Him “your Lord” or quitting sins and bad habits is ever necessary to attain the free gift of everlasting life, yet, pastors such as Osteen and all of the rest make works — the very same works that Christ Himself condemns outright — a necessary part of salvation. Truly, I do not believe Osteen understands that his plan of salvation is different from the plan of salvation that God offers through faith alone in His Son, Jesus.

If Joel Osteen understood the simplicity of salvation that is found in Christ alone, and then taught Christ’s way of salvation instead of man’s way, we would see an explosion of salvation the likes of which the world has never seen! But will satanic blindness of scriptures or perhaps pride keep a pastor from being saved and then admitting to the world that he was wrong about salvation all along? Maybe. Or would the world embrace such a pastor and then believe on Christ alone? I tell you the truth, if any unbelieving pastor gets born again the way Jesus said to do, that pastor would be favored by God in so many wonderful ways that it would defy description; however, Satan is not about to allow that to happen. Although his power is limited, Satan will cause a pastor to be so concerned with his image and standing in society that even if an unbelieving pastor got born again, he may never admit this to his audience for fear that he would lose his credibility, his salary, his position, and maybe even his wife.

Osteen is so wonderful, in every way, and when I’m not feeling well or if I need some encouragement, I must admit that I enjoy tuning in to his show on occasion because the fact is that he is virtually the only positive in a world of religiously dead negatives out there today, and although what he says about salvation is totally wrong according to Christ, he is still an invigorating fellow to watch. If Osteen would simply trust Christ alone as his savior, and fully trust on what Christ did for him through His death and resurrection from the grave, Christ would save him. And from his already successful platform, he could literally change the world by giving it the pure plan of salvation that actually saves people instead of having them trust in both Jesus partially and in discipleship partially, essentially making them followers of a counterfeit gospel who will never reach heaven. I am praying for Osteen. I am praying to this end, for the glory of God and for the eternal well-being of everyone who comes in contact with Osteen whether it is by television, radio, book or meeting. Osteen is so gifted, such a joy to watch, but my heart goes out to him and to everyone who simply cannot see that salvation is by trust alone in what Jesus Christ the savior did for us by His death and subsequent resurrection from the dead.

What will salvation according to Joel Osteen get you? Jesus says this is what it will get you:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”(Matthew 7:21-23). But it doesn’t have to be this way! Look what Jesus says to us, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). Christ is very, very clear about his trust-alone requirement. Christ cannot lie. He will never hide truth from you and He will never deceive you. Christ says “no works.” But Osteen says “works.” I will leave the choice as to which of these two plans of salvation you will place your faith in up to you, friend. My job is to point you to Jesus. The rest is up to Him. He seeks and He saves those who are lost. Had He not sought me, I would never have been delivered from my unbelief. I was not looking for Christ. Instead, He came looking for me, but when He did, Satan gave me a counterfeit version of the gospel that caused me never to be born again. God allowed this to happen, I feel, so that He could use me to help you know the difference between real salvation and false salvation. He will save you, too, just as He saved me the instant I believed that He died for me and rose from the grave as the full payment for my sins, without any behavioral changes or promises to serve Him. Those discipleship aspects of the “relationship” with Christ come “after” we are born again. Never does the bible say or imply that we must follow Him in obedience and live our lives for Him in order to be saved. Those who say that we must follow Him and commit our lives to Him as a condition of being saved are reading the bible incorrectly and they are skipping past the parts of the bible that state clearly that we are born again only by trusting in Jesus alone. Even though I sin, daily, and so do you, when we trust Christ alone as our savior we are seen positionally as sons and daughters of Christ. Osteen says we are all children of God, but this is not true. Yes, God is our creator, but we are only His children if we trust Jesus as our savior. When saved, we are seen by Him as sinless even though we still sin. The Holy Spirit helps us to overcome sins in our lives, but we will never be fully sin-free in this life because we inhabit sinful bodies that were born with sinful natures. Although believers have God’s new nature in them, we still possess that old, sinful nature that we received at birth. Because we are what we are — sinners — we cannot “change” what we are by any amount of good works we can do. That’s precisely why we need a “savior.” We cannot, cannot, cannot save ourselves. We are helpless. Christ knew this, and He died for us and rose again from the grave to secure a place for you and for me in heaven if we trust Him. You see, Christ credited me with His righteousness and I, just like all believers, am seen by God as His own. Once Christ credits your account with His righteousness, He no longer sees you as a dead sinner bound for the lake of fire. He sees you as His child, and from His grip nothing can ever remove you. He keeps you saved — not your works or discipleship. In sum, you will either choose to believe what Osteen says about salvation, or you will choose to believe what Christ has said about salvation. While it is my great hope that you will choose what Christ says over what men say, as with every chapter about salvation in this book, the choice is up to you; however, if you fail to choose the one-and-only plan that the bible talks about, this is what you can expect to happen to you:

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”(Revelation 20:11-15).