Sunday, November 26, 2023

Religiosity Does Not Save Anyone

2 Corinthians 6:16
"16 Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,"
“I will dwell among them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

Believers are not those who just attend churches to have a religion they can rely on to make them feel good about themselves.
 
Believers are those who have confessed their sinfulness and desire to be changed by Christ. They hate the false ways and the sinful attractions. They love the things of God and want to learn to walk in them more and more as they grow in holiness.
If there is no desire to grow in holiness then there has been no born-again experience. Anyone trying to appear good on the outside without a change in the WAY they think was never born again.
 
John 13:8
"Never shall You wash my feet!" Peter told Him. Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me."

The washing of feet is symbolic of Christ cleansing those who have trusted in Him. Unless He cleanses us there can be no cleansing.
 
1 Corinthians 1:30
"It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption."

Do not think for one minute we can save ourselves or change our hearts. We can only temporarily change our ways on the outside but we cannot change our own hearts, Christ must do that.
 
Matthew 23:27-28
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

Next time we see a Christian raging at us over our assertion that they have violated Scripture, remember what God said about the religious leaders. This applies to anyone who claims to be religious but has never been born again.

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