21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew
I think there are many people out there who believe they are following Jesus, that they are "Christians", and are living life the way that Jesus would have them. They may be faithful members of the church who give every single Sunday to the offering plate, they sing in the choir, they volunteer their time to church activities, they might even teach Sunday School.
But sadly, they've missed the mark. They think that all the things they are DOING are the keys to getting in good with Jesus, and ultimately on that day, will open the doors of Heaven for them.
These folks may have grown up in a Christian home, where the Bible was read and prayers were offered. They may have been taught impeccable morals. God has offered his grace freely to all. We must choose to receive or reject it. Unfortunately, the religious but lost have chosen to reject that free grace, in favor of their own good works and self justification, even without realizing it.
The only means of covering sin is by faith in Christ's atonement. All those outside of genuine faith live in their sin, which exposes them to the wrath of God. All that stands between them and the burning flames of hell is simple trust. Yet they refuse, either willfully, or through the irresponsible act of neglect to that small voice calling inside that says..."Step out, trust me. You're not yet right!"
They probably hear that voice, but are confused by it because in their minds they are doing good, their sin is minimal, they believe in God, they believe Jesus died on the cross, yet they've forgotten that Jesus said they must REPENT of their sins.
Sure, they may pray, and tell God to take their sins away. But true repentance means that they are truly sorry for the things they have done and never want to do them again. Repentance means you literally turn yourself around in a 180 and go the opposite direction. But these people who are religious, think that all the good things they do make up for those things that are sinful.
There have been great men who laid down their lives, even gave their bodies to be burned, who were religious but lost. One example of such a religious but lost martyr was Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormanism. Mormons believe that one's salvation is based on such good works as baptism, good deeds, missionary work, and following Mormon teachings.
Being religious means following a certain set of rules or doctrines. It means that I go to a church (or synagogue or temple or whatever), and I do what the pastor (or priest, or rabbi) tells me I should. It means that I believe, that by doing what I should do, I am some how getting closer to God. This is not Christianity at all.
Being religious is being a "doer" manipulated by guilt, to try to please a God who is distant, sitting up there just waiting for them to mess up so he can strike them down.
Being Christian on the other hand, offers more freedom, as it is not based on rules and regulations, but on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A Christian knows that he is a sinner saved by grace and that when he follows Christ, the Holy Spirit will do the work of change from the inside out. It is a growing process. The deeper your relationship with Christ becomes, the more you want to follow Him, and the more Christ-like you become.
Being a Christian means being a hearer, not a doer, not manipulated by guilt, but by the desire to please the Lord, who is intimately involved with every step of their life, who patiently and lovingly picks them up when they fall.
Not to say that Christian's are not "doers", because they should be. But a Christians works come out of a deep dedication to their Lord to follow Jesus' teachings. Their HEART wants to do things for others, because they have the one and only true love -Jesus- living there. They don't do good works for the purpose of "Look what I did", or "This makes me a better person". Or at least they SHOULDNT. Its very easy to get caught up in that way of thinking, but a Christian does the good works because they WANT to, not because they feel they HAVE to in order to get on God's good side.
They know that they stepped out on faith that day Jesus spoke to their hearts and said, "Its time, trust me, follow me, put your faith in me, I died for you so that you may live, set yourself aside and live in ME, and I will become the Lord of your life". The only thing they ever have to do to become a Christian, secure their right to Heaven, is Repent of their lives, and follow Jesus.
It sounds so easy, doesn't it? But is it really that easy to leave behind who you are up until this point? Is it that easy to quit smoking cold turkey? Is it easy to control your foul mouth just because you've decided not to curse anymore? It is easy to stop hanging out with those best friends you've had since elementary school that you party and experiment drugs and alcohol with? Is it easy to go from a life of sexual immorality to saving yourself for your wedding day?
NOO! It's the HARDEST thing you will ever do! And no amount of good deeds is going to cover it up!
But, repentance means that you give all that up! You commit to never doing that stuff again and Jesus tells us is hurtful to our bodies, which is now HIS Temple. Where HE resides!
Are you going to mess up? Most definitely! But, Jesus died on the cross for ALL our sins.
It's not easy to just give up that life as we've known it to be thus far. If you put your trust in Jesus to take away those desires, He will do it. Sure, we may let ourselves get in the way, and that is the time to turn it back over to Him. Confess it! Lay it down! If we WANT him to change us, He will.
It may be hard, but no where near as hard as having to remember every single little white lie, cross word, or sinful thought or action and having to do a good deed, or confess to a priest, in order to be free of it. (which in that case you never really are).
Don't be religious... it's too much work!
Be a follower of JESUS- The ONLY way to Eternal Life!
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9
"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". Ephesians 2:8-9
"Salvation comes to those who do not work for salvation, but believe on Jesus Christ instead!" Romans 4:5
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