This study discusses true and false conversions and the use of the Ten Commandments
in evangelism, viewed from the starting point of a Christian ethical perspective.
The use of the Ten Commandments in Evangelism is affirmed by Jesus Himself and
also by Jesus’ apostles after His ascension to heaven. The validity of the Ten
Commandments is eternal. The modern evangelist has been caught by the snares of
Satan with regards to the Ten Commandments. The power of the Ten Commandments
in evoking a true sense of sin is being undermined by a sly plan of Satan that causes
enmity between the Law and grace. It has basically brought about two schools of
thought: those who use the Ten Commandments, and those who reject it. Those who
use the Ten Commandments, however, run the risk of using the law in an illegitimate
way, and this is termed as “legalism”. On the other hand, those who reject the Ten
Commandments are guilty of “Antinomianism”, that literally means “anti-law”.
Consequently, all the underlying principles, which God had laid down for the use of the
Ten Commandments, are being blatantly disregarded. Instead, the workings and
efficacy of the Ten Commandments are exclusively replaced by love and grace. False
conversions are the result in both cases. Satan achieves his goal.
In opposition to this is the legitimate use of the Ten Commandments as the only means
of preventing false conversions. God designed the Ten Commandments in such a way
as to firstly reveal His holiness as the only standard that a sinner must meet. As the
standard requires absolute holiness and perfection, it brings about a sense of sin. This
is because no person can fulfill the standard. Without a true sense of sin, no person can
be saved. Within the framework of the Ten Commandments, evidence of the person’s
love towards God is comprised through the upholding of the Ten Commandments. The
Ten Commandments cannot save anyone, but if the person loves Jesus, they will keep
His commandments; a sign of true conversion. The goal of this study was to determine whether any guidelines can be composed to
help Evangelists prevent or minimize false conversions, in a Biblically justified manner.
The research indicates that without the use of the Ten Commandments during
evangelism, many false conversions will ensue.
The conclusion of this research is that false conversions can be prevented or minimized
through the legitimate use of the Ten Commandments during evangelism. / Thesis (PhD (Ethics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/8443 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Ferreira, Antonio William Johannes |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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