One of my students asked me once, If I believed that God would condemn people who follow a false doctrine. I told him I feared the same thing, once, because I knew many of these folks lived as Jesus prescribed in his Gospel..24/7/365 days of the year. And it also tore at my heart, to think that God would not save them.
I told him that there are two kinds of people in church. There are those who live their lives in obedience to Jesus, no matter what they are taught about, "Works" and "Grace". And there are those who do not live their lives in obedience to Jesus, and live their lives according to the false doctrines..which say God will save you whether you make Jesus, 'Lord or not.
I see, you,.... and some of the other folks here on ChristianChat, as 24/7/ 365 followers of Jesus Christ. You do not simply call Jesus Lord..,you have made him Lord!
I can see it in their hearts.
These folks who believe in these false doctrines, yet live in obedience to Jesus Christ, I believe they will be saved. But those who live a life disobedient to God, using the Lords sacrifice as a license to sin, they will be condemned. Why do I believe this?
(2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
There are clearly some unclear passages – Jesus never stated he did not follow the Law and was clear that he has not come to change anything that came before. Paul also even after Jesus ascended followed the law;
Acts 21
25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
26 The next day Paul took the men and
purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
[Paul never objected to the law to continue to the Gentiles and even purified himself based on the law.]
James 2:20- 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that
faith without deeds is useless?
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so
faith without works is dead (2:26)
"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE
LAWLESSNESS.' (Matthew 7:23)
"So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of
hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:28)
Revelation 2:20 - 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she
misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. [implying clearly there is a law and it has not been done away
]
There are many more passages.
As to Paul – his message is slightly confusing;
“Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary,
we uphold the law!” (Romans 3:31).
Then you have;
Because, if you
confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
Romans 3:28 For we maintain that a person is
justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
Was Paul following Jesus – hard to tell, some times he says yes and sometimes its his own gospel. No third party evidence;
Yes:
Galatians 1:12 For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a
revelation of Jesus Christ.
“He (Jesus) brought the hostility to an end, by
abolishing the Law of commandments with its regulations”. (Ephesians 2:14)
Arguable:
Therefore, having left the beginning teaching of the Christ, we should go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and faith in God, (Hebrews 6:1)
"Rememebr that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel" 2 Timothy 2:8
Many more passages for both opinions, hence the continued debate – do we follow the law or not.