Friday, November 3, 2023
Few Who Say they are "Christians" were never born-again
Anyone who has been the victim of "family scapegoating" knows that it does not change just because we grow up and change. Those who love to feel superior to others will continue to scapegoat only in different ways and more covertly than they did before.
Narcissists generally don't change but only because most people do not change as they grow older, in fact, most become more staunch in their dysfunctional ways as they age.
Those who are on their way to hell rarely admit the things they have done that harm others, they rather justify them to seem comfortable with their abusive behavior.
It takes the power of Christ in a life changed by Him to remove this self-confident justifying attitude and replace it with a heart of humility. Someone who has learned their despicable state must be humbled first before trusting in Christ. No one who is proud and self-righteous will ever come to Christ.
Luke 13:24
"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able."
Why would someone not be able to enter the narrow gate? Its quite simple, those who are full of pride will walk down the wide road to hell thinking they are going to heaven. They cannot see the truth and are too prideful to stop to take a look at their lives admitting they have nothing to offer that God would allow them into heaven. They think they deserve heaven.
No one who is born again authentically believes they deserve heaven. We are grateful for our salvation because we know there was nothing we could do to make our own way to heaven.
Those who walk in pride enjoy believing they are worthy and that all their own efforts will get them to the gate and inside. But here is what God says about that: "I NEVER KNEW YOU."
Matthew 7:21-23
I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
The narrow gate has a small number following it and they are there because they realized their own filthiness and their need for Christ to change them into a new creation. Those on the wide road are attempting to change themselves, be good themselves, and love themselves, they cannot go on the narrow road because they are all about themselves.
Those who have been changed by Christ because of their humility and confessed their own sinfulness and inability to save themselves will be the ones on the narrow road that leads to heaven. These people will hear something very different from those on the wide road.
Matthew 25:23 "23 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ "
Matthew 25:21
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!'"
The prideful wide road walker says; "but Lord didn't I do this for you."
The traveler on the narrow road says; "You saved me, You cleansed me, You loved me......You, You, You Lord!!!!!
Pride has no place in the born-again believer's life, God removes that and replaces it with all the fruit of the Spirit. And, it is not our own work but His Work in us.
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
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."
If the fruit is absent from someone who says they are a Christian then there is no salvation. If someone fights against the Bible then they were never born again.
Not by our own words alone!
We are not saved by words alone, our changed life is the evidence of salvation, changed through the fruit of the Spirit. Our changed life is evidenced in that fruit.
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."
Those who remain stubborn, resistant to correction, worldly-minded and pleasure-seeking have not trusted in Christ but have trusted in their own ways and their own words.
When Christ changes us it is evident to everyone except those who fight against Christ, these are those who want to believe we have not changed because they do not want to believe the miracle of salvation Christ has done in us.
1 Corinthians 2:13-15 "…13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment."
May all those who are pretenders repent and trust in Christ to be changed by Him.
John 14:17
the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
1 Corinthians 1:18
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
1 Corinthians 1:21
"For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe."
1 Corinthians 1:23
"but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,"
1 Corinthians 1:25
"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."
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