How many have heard men or women
representing the Gospel, say things like this, “if you want, joy, peace, love
and happiness, accept Jesus into your life” or “you've given everything else a
try why not try Jesus”? As if they are selling a fashionable item. Sadly the
record needs to be straightened and by the grace of God I shall endeavour to do
exactly that! It is no wonder the Arminian believes a child of God can fall
away into unbelief and lose his salvation. The only one who truly falls away is
the one who has a misconception of what the gospel actually is. A person who is
told by others that he/she is saved and yet the person being told has not
really understood what that means. This in hindsight happened to me when I responded
to a salvation call on my life. I was confused and dismayed and didn't
understand my action in response to the altar call, for a few days anyway. It
was only when I engaged with Almighty God; wrestled as it were on a personal
level did the lights go on! I confess I didn't understand it like I do today,
but I had understood this one truth that the Lord Jesus Christ had died for my
sin, and only then did the flood gates of tears fall from my cheeks and joy
flooded my soul in appreciation for what He had done for me.
Over the years I have witnessed many who
have been asked to repeat a few words “the sinner’s prayer” and then they are told
that they are now part of God’s army, part of His family. Even my brother told
me I was saved but I was not willing to accept his word for it, I had to know!
And so I believe we all need to make sure! By God’s grace I will endeavour to
help with a correct understanding with the true Gospel message and not the popular
message of today’s gospel. For many that respond to this favourable gospel
message, it initially excites most as they now feel part of something, they
have some self-worth but before long the trial of life presents itself and
disillusion sets in and the questions begin to fly, “WHY? I don’t understand!”
Ray comfort calls this “hell’s best kept secret”. Why a secret, I suppose my
deduction on this would be a similar tactic was used in the Garden of Eden by
the serpent; like that of a magician using the tactic “sleight of hand”, but rather
with a play on words. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other
beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say,
'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"” (Genesis 3:1) – “Play” on the emphasis on what something actually means and it will
change the hearers understanding. Resulting in the
deceiver’s ultimate goal and that was to deceive! And this is how Eve was
deceived and sin entered in!
Courses like the “Alpha Course” do far
more damage than good, selling technics used to “close” (get them to sign on
the dotted line) into a fashionable frenzy called “the Christian life”, with
very little, if any, sound doctrine attached to its core. But before I run away
with my finger pointing out the faults of others let me first do some
self-examination with these verses in mind; "Judge
not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you
will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye,
but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck
out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly
to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5) –
I am tired of the falsities people like to throw around as if it is a given
without much thought or study behind what is said. I am guilty as a man who has
in the past called from a sanction position of the pulpit, beckoning to
men/woman to come to Christ without giving them a correct understanding of what
the Gospel actually is and what it should mean to them before any decision can
or should be made. I have always believed that was the job of God the Holy
Spirit, which it is! With that said I am also aware that God can save someone
from a bumper sticker if He so chooses. But we as representatives of the Almighty
God have an enormous responsibility to present the Gospel accurately and with
precision. We must not give potential converts false hope, may God help us!
I confess from the outset that I too have in times past, used those types of catch phrases when looking
to steer people to Christ. “If you want joy real joy wonderful joy let Jesus
come into your heart.” This is obviously a true statement but only applicable to
the one whom understands what that actually means. It does not mean, come to
the Lord and all your misery in life will disappear and life will become a “bed
of roses”. Nor does it mean if you struggled financially all your monetary
problems will now be miraculously arranged.
In order to find Salvation, we must
first understand what we need to be saved from. We need to understand that we
indeed qualify for salvation, no differently to a sick person searching out a
physician’s guidance in finding a cure for their symptoms. Why would a healthy
person seek out the advice of a doctor? They wouldn't!
The purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ
dying on the cross for sinners was for that exact reason, to pardon them of
their sin. But for this to become relevant to us on an individual level we must
understand and admit that we qualify, that we are in fact sinners; that we have
sinned against God and we need salvation from ourselves.
Our natural instinct is to excuse
ourselves from our sin and to justify ourselves in the light of others that we
see as worse than ourselves. We use statements like,” but I don’t steal and
I’ve never murdered anyone”.
I will use the methodology that Ray
Comfort uses to convince all that they are sinners before God; he uses the Ten
Commandments to establish how you (we) shape up to God’s requirement: - “Now
we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every
mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” (Romans 3:19)
He goes on to ask a person if he/she has ever
lied. The answer is normally, “yes”. He them asks them, “what does that make
you”, and they reply “a sinner”. “No”, he says, “That makes you a liar.” The
first retort is normal, “I’m not a liar”. Obviously we all qualify as liars if
we have told a lie, no matter how we cut it, if we have told a lie regardless
of the circumstances it means we have not told the truth making us a liar! As
so he moves through the Ten Commandments and we should all do the same exercise
with our lives. Sadly we will all come to the same conclusion, that we are
sinners and have broken God’s law. Ironically this now then qualifies us to
receive the good news; only now are we in a place to repent and call on God to
forgive us for our sin against Him.
The Bible is very clear, that if we break God’s
law and do not find His forgiveness through repentance, in and through the Lord
Jesus Christ we will have to face His judgement!
You
might be thinking that God is a good God and because He is good He will
overlook your sin. He is good and just, no differently to a judge who finds a
person guilty of a crime in our judicial system, because he is honourable and
good he must past a sentence on the perpetrator. He/she will be found guilty
and be sentenced. Hell will be the ultimate sentence for all those who do not
find true repentance in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. God will not
overlook sin; it is not possible for Him to do it. We must all come God’s way,
acknowledge our own sin, accept the fact that we have sinned against God, and deserve
hell as our penalty, but rather thankful that instead of doom and gloom God’s
provision is perfect and available to all who believe. He sent His only
begotten Son to die in our place, so before some of you run off with statement
like, “if God is love, why will he send me to hell, that isn't love!” Well sir,
He so loved the world, passed tense, that not only did He vocalize it but in
action proved it, He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die for
sinners, He felt their desperate state. Which Father do you know, who has
sacrificed his own son for those who hate him? Think on that! “But God shows his love for us in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) – Reject that to your own detriment! God
will never, in this life or the life to come, overlook what it cost both Him
and His Son to save sinful man from the traps of the devil. If for one minute
you thought you could remain neutral and still find God’s favour, you shall be
wrong and judgement will be your destiny!
With
this almost unbelievable offer on the plate why do some reject the call? “The
pride of life” a viscous adversary! So what will it be? A humble plea, save me
from my sin oh God or I think I’ll be ok! Our opinions in the larger scheme of
things will never change the outcome. What is the definition of a madman? “Someone
who tries the same thing time and again and expects a different result”; God
has established His plan and regardless of our opinions about it. Be assured of
this one fact it will come to pass, regardless of what people think about it! However He has graciously made a way for all
to be saved, so what will you do with that provision? What will you do with the
Lord Jesus’ sacrifice? Will you repent and believe or will you bury your head
in the sand and hope for the best? If so the worst will surely happen! Hell
will be your eternal destiny!
Please
remember this; we are all condemned because of one woman’s sin! Eve sinned in
the Garden of Eden; what does that have to do with us we may ask ourselves? The
long and the short of it is this, because of her sin we have all been tarred
with the same brush; we have inherited her sinful nature and therefore from
birth doomed and condemned. This is how the Apostle John puts it to us;
“For God
did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order
that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of
God. And this is the judgment: the light has
come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light
because their works were evil. For everyone who
does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his
works should be exposed. But whoever does what
is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have
been carried out in God." (John
3:17-21)
It is simple to understand, but will you believe
it is the only question that still needs to be asked?
Signing off
Tyrone
