Sunday, July 10, 2022
Salvation Through Christ the Reality
Salvation through Christ does not come because we say we are a Christian or because we do something.
Salvation only happens when we confess that we have a sinful nature and want to be changed into a new person by Christ.
We cannot do anything good enough to save ourselves, no declarations we often hear will save us.
You probably hear these kinds of things from lots of people these days that make them think they are going to heaven, here are a few;
"I go to church every week"
" I know the Bible very well"
"I went to Bible college (or seminary)"
"I believe in God"
"I'm a good person so I am going to heaven"
"I am not as bad as other people"
Every person can say these things, it does not prove they have ever been born-again.
When someone has confessed their sinfulness and been changed into a new creation by Christ their life will reflect the fruit of His Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Anyone who claims to be a Christian and walks in pride about how good they think they are, even believing they are better than others is not born-again. Their words and even good deeds do not prove salvation, it only proves they have attempted to earn their way to heaven in their own flesh.
You will find these people deeply judgmental of others, phony in their humility and easily offended at the slightest hint they have not been kind, even raging at someone for the challenge to ask God if they are born-again.
A truly born-again person will enjoy telling you their story and how much God changed them. They will walk in great joy and peace without guile or jealousy toward others. If they fail they confess it to be cleansed and begin again the better path.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
In these last days many Christians are being fooled by the culture around them, taught many unbiblical things while operating in the flesh they think they are spiritual. This is why my challenge here to all of us is to seek Christ and His Word for ourselves so that we are not drawn into the false gospel and the lies of the devil.
Making Christ Your First Choice
Many years ago I was a new believer and a weak one at that. Other Christians attempted to influence me in ways that didn't seem right so I went to prayer and the Bible to find out if I was hearing from God or just resistant to the truth.
I was so open to God at that time that every slight imperfection in myself bothered me sending me to prayer and more study of His Word.
God clearly taught me that I was to depend entirely on him and no other person. Christians that would say unbiblical things treated me disrespectfully when I didn't believe them because God had told me something different from their cultural Christianity.
As I learned more of the Word and sought the Lord on everything I heard I realized that most "Christians" today are either deceived or were never born again. One of the clues of this revelation was that they were resistant to hearing what God had to say in His word. Rather than giving me a clear answer from His word or saying they would check it out because they didn't know, they just became angry and rude.
I am thankful for these encounters with superficial Christians because it drove me deeper into the Word and prayer to discover God's truth and His heart.
When I began to become more dependent on God and His Word friendships began to fall away, not because I rejected my friends but because they rejected me. They had no desire to delve into the Word deeply with me to find out the truth so they just rejected me.
There are not very many "truth-tellers" in the church today. Most Christians are relying on teachers and tradition instead of Christ. When a challenge appears to cause them to think differently from their traditions they become seriously agitated as though something mean or rude has happened to them.
We live in a culture now that expects everyone to just agree to allow everyone to believe what they want without any challenge at all.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"
People in our generation are more dedicated to traditions and happy feelings than they are to Christ. Feelings take priority over the truth most of the time.
My humble advice is this to any believer who loves Christ and loves the truth, is to resist the pressure from others to do and say what they want you to do and say to so that you can follow Christ.
When someone pressures you to do something immediately take it to God.
There is only one mediator between you and God the Father and that mediator is Jesus Christ your Savior.
No man, no person should ever be your “go-to” person when you have questions about the Bible. It is one thing to consult with others at times but never instead of God through Christ.
Do not allow any person to guilt you into becoming like them, believing like them or following what they want for you. When there is pressure placed to make you conform to them they are not walking in faith, but fleshly tradition.
Romans 3:3-4 “…3 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Certainly not! Let God be TRUE and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
We no longer need a teacher because we have Jesus Christ living in us. There can be no better teacher than Christ Himself.
John 16:13-14 “13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.”
This command was from Christ to every born-again believer. We have teachers who help us but they do not force or control us, they must measure up to God’s Word too, just as we are challenged at times so must they be challenged too.
Evaluate everything according to God’s word. When something is discovered to be the traditions of men not supported by the Bible then we are free to reject it, even commanded to reject it.
Mark 7:13 “13Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”
Remember to consult Christ first and chances are you will not have to go to another human being even though God’s answer may come through someone without us seeking them. Often, leaders, these days are operating more from tradition than from the truth of the bible, do not make them your first choice, make Christ your first choice.
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