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Salvation
"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. 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?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'" Matthew 7:21 - 23
It's very clear from the above verses that Jesus is saying it will only be ... the one who does the will of my Father ... who will be allowed into heaven. So what is the Father's will regarding salvation? We can find the answer in the Gospel of John, chapter 6, verse 40. Jesus is speaking, and says "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day"
How is it then, according to the Bible, that so many people seem to miss the mark concerning salvation, even people who acknowledge Jesus as their Lord? If we go back to the Gospel of Matthew, I think we'll find the answer. Again Jesus is speaking, and quotes from the book of Isaiah "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain, their teachings are but rules taught by men'." Matthew 15:7 - 9
In the above verses, Jesus is speaking to the Jewish religious leaders of His day. Their problem, very simply put, is they had no heart for God. Sure they were very religious, but they were also very uninterested in coming to God on His terms. They were much more interetsed in their own system of works, and their man made religion. Yes, they certainly looked to be very good people on the outside. But God doesn't look at just the external, He looks at our hearts! "... These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me". They simply did not believe (or want to believe) that Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life ... John 14:6. What they were doing, was trusting in themselves and their religion to save them, and not in Jesus. "What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." Romans 9:30-33
Is it really any different today? There are many religious people who go to church every week. They show up on Sunday mornings, go through the motions, feel good about themselves (for a little while anyway), and then go right back to their old ways by Sunday evenning. If there's never been any real change in their hearts, all they've done is "stumbled" over the Rock of Offense, which is Jesus Christ. So then, what is their faith really in? Is it in Jesus and the redemption He has provided? Or is it simply in themselves, their good works, or maybe in their church's doctrines and teachings? "... They worship me in vain, their teachings are but rules taught by men"
This is the simple truth of the Gospel. The Bible tells us that it is only through Christ's death on the cross that our sins can be forgiven. "In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace" Ephesians 1:7. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we can have confidence in this forgiveness. "Christ died for our sins ... He was buried ... He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures ... He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred ..." 1 Corinthians 15:3-6. And finally, Jesus ascended into Heaven "... He left them and was taken up into Heaven" Luke 24:51.
When we stop working to earn our salvation, and choose instead to place our faith in what Jesus has already done for us, we have found the way to Heaven. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast" Ephesians 2:8-9.
I'd like to leave you with this final thought. It is important how we live our lives before God. I don't want anyone to misunderstand what I'm saying. We are called to live a life "... holy and pleasing to God" Romans 12:1. This growth will come over time, as we develop our personal relationship with Christ. But our good works will never get us into heaven. We must rely on Christ for that. Once we have laid the proper foundation, which is faith in Jesus Christ for our salvation, then we can build on that foundation, to live the life which will be pleasing to God. "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" 1 Corinthians 3:11
Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner, in need of a Savior. I now ask you to come into my life, and to forgive my sins. I thank you for dying for me, for forgiving all my sins, and for giving me eternal life. Take control of my life now, and make me into the person you want me to be.
If you have just prayed this prayer, and in your heart meant what you said, you have just become a child of God! "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12. God also gives us His Holy Spirit, the moment we believe, to guide us in our understanding of Him. "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." 1 Corinthians 2:12. I would suggest that you find a local Christian church that teaches the Word of God. It is very important to be involved in a fellowship with other believers. This is one way in which our faith will grow. Ask God to lead you to a church where the Bible is taught and studied, and where Jesus is preached as the Risen Savior and LORD. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!
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