In the “Bible Belt” of the south everyone claims to
be a Christian on their way to Heaven. At the same time many live a life that
is as worldly as Hollywood. The Word of God tells us to live a life of
sacrifice yet the people remain extremely selfish. Of course the favorite
religious saying is “once saved always saved.” They feel that baptism justifies
their self-centered way of living. However genuine Christians are only
interested in living a righteous life. All the Scripture has been given to
direct us in the approved path.
When Jesus called Paul on the road to Damascus he
said “I am sending
you to the Gentiles to open their eyes… “. Of course we know that Paul had an amazing Christian life.
Toward the end of his life Paul testified that he had preached to the Gentiles
for years. He wanted everyone to know: … that all must repent of their sins and turn
to God—and prove they have changed
by the good things they do. Acts 26:20
(NLT). His experience had
shown him that after people were born-again they had to prove it by their
deeds.
Our society continually
tells people to live any way they desire. The only rule is not to hurt other
people. This is an extremely selfish way to live. Salvation is turning our way
of living around to live the way Jesus taught us while on earth. Many people
are claiming to have accepted Jesus into their heart because they want the
great reward of Heaven. Simply claiming to be saved will not work because our
life is used to judge each of us. We must sincerely know and serve God because
he is aware of our every thought.
Today many Christians
believe one verse is all they need to gain Heaven. It says: God saved you by his grace when you
believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8. They claim we can do nothing to gain salvation so this
logically means that we should do nothing to live a righteous life. But the
scripture continues: He
has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so
we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10. This passage clearly says God wants us to be godly.
We are to be known as the
“set apart” people. Even this name says we cannot live like the world around
us. We are required to live a completely different type of life from the
normal. The Bible says:
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of
this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you
think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and
pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2. Everyone can understand what God is saying here. It is rebellion not to
accept God’s words.
Proving our salvation is a
requirement and there are not many days left before all the born-again people
will be taken away. Folks need to ask God for a totally different life right
now. The Scripture warns us: Later, when the other five
bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door
for us!’ “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ “So you, too, must keep watch! For you
do not know the day or hour of my return. Matthew 25:11-13 (NLT). Satan has distracted people
today and we must alert them now.
