“Raise your hand if you want to be saved…”
“Repeat after me…”
“Welcome to the Body of Christ…”
Does this sound familiar? Is this what your church promotes? Is this what God’s holy word promotes? Is this the gospel?
This is what I was presented with week after week, year after year, in all the “churches” I attended. That included pentacostal, baptist, assemblies of God, non-denominational, and modern forms. They all had a variant of this same formula. Do you want to be saved? Ok raise your hand and repeat what I say in this prayer. Done, you are a Christian forever.
It is interesting that there is a parable told by Jesus about counting the cost of becoming His disciple. Does the above formula used by most modern day “churches” cost anything? Lets go to the scriptures.
And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:25-33 KJV)
Jesus is very clear here, that we must count the cost. The cost is the world and the flesh, you must forsake the world and your flesh. You must put nothing in higher priority that Jesus. You can place no person in front of Jesus. Jesus must be your all-in-all and your priority. Are you taught this in your place of worship? I wasn’t, as it was not a message that people wanted to hear. Tickling ears….
Modern Christianity teaches that separation from the world and sin is not required for believers. It is something that should be pursued, but it is not required as Jesus paid for it all on the cross and that you are sealed as a believer. Essentially, there is no sin that can separate you from God once you said a prayer one time in your life and that He pursues you. Lets see what scripture says.
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 5:19-6:23 KJV)
Grace is not a license to sin. Continuing in sin shows that you are not a servant of God, but a servant of your flesh. It is completely summed up in these three scriptures contained above:
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
(Romans 6:1-2 KJV)
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
(Romans 6:14-16 KJV)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 KJV)
In this short section of Romans, Paul teaches new gentile believers that though God has shown grace toward them, they do not continue in sin. Why? The wages of sin is death. Sin separates us from the Holiness of our Lord.
But wait you say, what about where 1 John states that if we say we have no sin we lie.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
(1 John 1:8 KJV)
You would be correct, for in this life we do not attain the perfection we strive for. However, this does not mean that we just continue in sin because we can’t get rid of it all in perfection. Just continue to the next verse.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:9 KJV)
What does this mean? This means that we walk in repentance. Every day, for every sin. When we sin and we fall short, which we all do. We repent and when we repent we have an advocate with the Father, Christ Jesus.
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
(1 John 2:1 KJV)
John then continues and reminds us further not to sin and even tells us of the way we know that we know them, if we keep His commandments.
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
(1 John 2:2-6 KJV)
So if we do not keep His commandments, we do not know Christ. What happens when we do not know Christ?
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
(Matthew 7:21-23 KJV)
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
(Luke 13:24-28 KJV)
Do not let the modern philosophies of man twist you into a false sense of security. There is one way to the Father and that is through Jesus, and there is one way to Jesus, by understanding the fullness of and accepting His gift of salvation and then keeping His commandments.
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
(John 15:10 KJV)
For the Glory and Majesty of God,
Timothy
(For the full gospel please check the bottom of our main page: afamilyservingtheking.com)