Here is What I Wish I had Said to This Man
I remembered last night going to a Bahi temple once when I was a freshman in college. It was a beautiful place full of people who seemed very pleasant. Our tourist told us about how he married a woman who believed in Cabala. He said that he had been a christian but changed to a cabalist after running out of excuses with his wife. I was saddened by this because as he described what cabala was I realized that he could not have been a Bible reader. He talked about how the same spirit was in Jesus that was in Muhammad and Moses and a bunch of other people, and that we could pray to whoever we wanted. He talked about our good deeds taking us to levels of light, and I was just shocked at how a man who said he was a Christian could be so deceived. Here is what I wish I had said to this man.
We are rooted by what we believe, and if our roots are deep enough we can not be removed. I believe that a christian who truly believes in their heart that Jesus is the son of God and our salvation through is through his death and resurrection will not be shaken to the point of disbelief. There are many people who confess with their mouth, but salvation requires that we also believe in our heart. I don't think that this man believed in his heart what he was saying with his mouth. ""For whatsoever is born o God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" 1John 5:4.
Many people get saved because they are afraid that God will send them to hell if they don't. This is not the right attitude to have about salvation. It is God's love for us that led him to send Jesus to be our salvation. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not parish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16. When we understand salvation as a gift which was bought with the ultimate love sacrifice then we are dealing with the real reason why we should get saved. God wants a close relationship with us and he sacrificed himself for it. God doesn't want us to go to hell because by definition hell is eternal separation from God. God wants us to have a close relationship with him that lasts forever. God loves us. "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins" 1John 4:8-10.
It took the death of the only begotten son to make the opportunity for this relationship for two reasons: 1. God is holy and can not look upon sin. 2. We are all born into sin and continue to be covered in that sin because there is nothing we can do to wipe it out of our lives. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus" Romans 3:23-24.
There is nothing that we can do of our own accord to correct our sin dilemma other than accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior. Imagine having a beautiful house that is totally filled on the inside with animal droppings. You can barely move and every step you take is in more poop. The walls are covered, the floors are covered, and even the tables and counters are covered. At that point we are totally out of our area of expertise. Even if we get an industrial sized poop scooper, we still are not equipped with the proper cleaning agent to get rid of the stains left or the smell. Even after we get rid of the actual poop there are still stains and smells left. That is how we look to God; this is how our sin looks to God. He can see straight through our appearance into what is going on inside of us, and our sin is filthy to him. He will not come to our house as long as we are filthy. The only cleaning agent powerful enough to get rid of our sin stains and smells is the blood of Jesus Christ. His holy DNA has the remedy for our sin problem. "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light , and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" 1John 1:5-7.
Doing good works does not get rid of our sin. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God lest any man should boast" Ephesians 2:8-9. Many people like this man believe that if we do enough good that it is enough to counteract the bad that we do every day. This is inaccurate. Good deeds do not negate sin. Sin by definition is missing the mark. Can you imagine how many times we miss the mark in a day according to the goal of perfection? When God said to be holy he set the mark, holiness. We have a lot of sin. Imagine that beautiful house again with the poop stains. Let's say you decided to stop lying, cheating, stealing, treating people meanly, having sex with people who were not your spouse and anything else that you were stinking up your house with. The sin is gone, but the stains remain. Now let's say instead of allowing Jesus to cleanse your house instead you got some pretty rugs, paint, table clothes and good smelling spray. Let's say that you also added landscaping to your yard and triple pane windows. Let's even say that you got brand new furniture. Does this negate the stains in any way or get rid of the stench of sin in any way that is permanent? Absolutely not. It is wonderful to renovate ourselves, but it should start with getting rid of the stains of sin in our lives. We need to address that first or none of the other things matter. "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" Galatians 2:16.
Jesus is the only way. In case you haven't noticed by now, Christ is the only remedy that has been presented this whole time. It is because Christ is the only remedy. If the point of salvation is to get back in close relationship with God then Jesus is the only way. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" John 14:6. This is a statement that anyone who says that there is a way that does not include Jesus is deceiving us. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confessis come in the of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come ' and even now already is it in the world" - 1John 4:1-3
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traiters, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" 2Timothy 3:1-7.
If we as Christians do not study to show ourselves approved workmen that don't need to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth then nothing should take us away from what we believe. We have to know what we believe or we will blown back and forth by every wind of doctrine. I pray that the people of God will find their roots and stick to them. We should carry the truth and love everywhere we go and we should not be moved. This is what I wish I had told that man in the Bahi temple all those years ago.
For those of you who are not Christians. There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God, but your sin can separate you from fellowship with him if it isn't address with the proper salve, Jesus Christ. I mean no offense I only hope that everyone comes into the realization that Jesus died for our sins and we can find salvation only through him.
We are rooted by what we believe, and if our roots are deep enough we can not be removed. I believe that a christian who truly believes in their heart that Jesus is the son of God and our salvation through is through his death and resurrection will not be shaken to the point of disbelief. There are many people who confess with their mouth, but salvation requires that we also believe in our heart. I don't think that this man believed in his heart what he was saying with his mouth. ""For whatsoever is born o God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" 1John 5:4.
Many people get saved because they are afraid that God will send them to hell if they don't. This is not the right attitude to have about salvation. It is God's love for us that led him to send Jesus to be our salvation. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not parish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16. When we understand salvation as a gift which was bought with the ultimate love sacrifice then we are dealing with the real reason why we should get saved. God wants a close relationship with us and he sacrificed himself for it. God doesn't want us to go to hell because by definition hell is eternal separation from God. God wants us to have a close relationship with him that lasts forever. God loves us. "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins" 1John 4:8-10.
It took the death of the only begotten son to make the opportunity for this relationship for two reasons: 1. God is holy and can not look upon sin. 2. We are all born into sin and continue to be covered in that sin because there is nothing we can do to wipe it out of our lives. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus" Romans 3:23-24.
There is nothing that we can do of our own accord to correct our sin dilemma other than accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior. Imagine having a beautiful house that is totally filled on the inside with animal droppings. You can barely move and every step you take is in more poop. The walls are covered, the floors are covered, and even the tables and counters are covered. At that point we are totally out of our area of expertise. Even if we get an industrial sized poop scooper, we still are not equipped with the proper cleaning agent to get rid of the stains left or the smell. Even after we get rid of the actual poop there are still stains and smells left. That is how we look to God; this is how our sin looks to God. He can see straight through our appearance into what is going on inside of us, and our sin is filthy to him. He will not come to our house as long as we are filthy. The only cleaning agent powerful enough to get rid of our sin stains and smells is the blood of Jesus Christ. His holy DNA has the remedy for our sin problem. "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light , and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" 1John 1:5-7.
Doing good works does not get rid of our sin. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God lest any man should boast" Ephesians 2:8-9. Many people like this man believe that if we do enough good that it is enough to counteract the bad that we do every day. This is inaccurate. Good deeds do not negate sin. Sin by definition is missing the mark. Can you imagine how many times we miss the mark in a day according to the goal of perfection? When God said to be holy he set the mark, holiness. We have a lot of sin. Imagine that beautiful house again with the poop stains. Let's say you decided to stop lying, cheating, stealing, treating people meanly, having sex with people who were not your spouse and anything else that you were stinking up your house with. The sin is gone, but the stains remain. Now let's say instead of allowing Jesus to cleanse your house instead you got some pretty rugs, paint, table clothes and good smelling spray. Let's say that you also added landscaping to your yard and triple pane windows. Let's even say that you got brand new furniture. Does this negate the stains in any way or get rid of the stench of sin in any way that is permanent? Absolutely not. It is wonderful to renovate ourselves, but it should start with getting rid of the stains of sin in our lives. We need to address that first or none of the other things matter. "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" Galatians 2:16.
Jesus is the only way. In case you haven't noticed by now, Christ is the only remedy that has been presented this whole time. It is because Christ is the only remedy. If the point of salvation is to get back in close relationship with God then Jesus is the only way. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" John 14:6. This is a statement that anyone who says that there is a way that does not include Jesus is deceiving us. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confessis come in the of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come ' and even now already is it in the world" - 1John 4:1-3
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traiters, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" 2Timothy 3:1-7.
If we as Christians do not study to show ourselves approved workmen that don't need to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth then nothing should take us away from what we believe. We have to know what we believe or we will blown back and forth by every wind of doctrine. I pray that the people of God will find their roots and stick to them. We should carry the truth and love everywhere we go and we should not be moved. This is what I wish I had told that man in the Bahi temple all those years ago.
For those of you who are not Christians. There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God, but your sin can separate you from fellowship with him if it isn't address with the proper salve, Jesus Christ. I mean no offense I only hope that everyone comes into the realization that Jesus died for our sins and we can find salvation only through him.
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