Early this morning I noticed that I had missed a call. I called the number back because it was unusual for me to get a call before 7 am. A man named Joe answered who had accidentally dialed my number while tinkering with his phone. I asked Joe where he was calling from and he mentioned a small town in Oklahoma. I asked him if there were any good churches in that area and he mentioned that he attended a Church of God denomination nearby.
Me: If you don't mind me asking, what separates the Church of God from other denominations?
Joe: We do not believe that it is possible to sin once you are saved.
Me: So would you say that Christ's payment on the cross was insufficient?
Joe: No, he died for your sins, but if you sin again it's now your problem.
Me: The Bible says that salvation is a gift from God. Do you have to pay for a gift?
Joe: Nothing is for free. The Bible says that faith without works is dead.
Me: But it also says that we have been saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves it is a gift from God. Not of works less any man shall boast.
Joe: That's right, but born-again believers do not sin.
Me: Have you sinned since you were saved.
Joe: No, I have been saved for five years and I haven't sinned since.
Me: You have never looked with lust?
Joe: No, I turn away.
Me: Have you ever lost your temper?
Joe: Yes, but I keep it to myself.
I haven't had this type of conversation in a long time. The last time I encountered someone like Joe, I memorized several verses in case it happened again. Unfortunately, I have forgotten many of them. If I had the opportunity to share with Joe again I would remind him that the Apostle John was speaking to believers when he states, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
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