Somewhere along the way some people have the idea that once they are saved then that’s all there is to it. In a certain sense they are correct. Once you give your life to Jesus Christ (in absolute truth) you are definitely saved and no one can reverse that or take it away from you! Does that mean that you are able to live however you wish, act however or be whatever you wish?

The answer of course is NO. This is the area with which most people have a problem. It is then important to read God’s holy Word─the Bible─to find the answers to questions like these that perplex us the most;

“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:15-18, emphasis added).

Please note in the verses above the emboldened words are imperative for the born-again believer to understand. When we are truly saved we are no longer the same persons we were before giving our their lives to Christ. “All things are become new,” is the part of the passage that resonates the most. This is where the “rubber meets the road” so to speak. This is exactly where we fail our Lord and Savior most often because we drift from this place so easily.

I do NOT mean just you, but all of us! If we take a moment and think on this truth we can see at that point when  we are babes in Christ we are subsisting on the “milk of the Word, not the meat. In easier terms we have not made it to the point where we are eating solid food just yet! Having said that, do you see why it is so easy for the new born-again individual to slip away?

This is the exact time the more mature Christian needs to step in and remind the babes in Christ to keep their eyes on our Lord and noses in their Bibles. How many times have you heard these new Christians complain  about how hard it is to maintain themselves in the Lord when temptaion is so prevalent around them? It seems it is something akin to being placed on a very strict diet. No fun, no pleasure!

It is at these times that they need to be reminded why they gave their lives to Christ in the first place; the desire for heaven, for eternal life and that the opposite of that is eternal death and separation from the Lord.

I remember when I was a new dad my daughter would awake, sometimes not hungry or in need of a new diaper but something near and dear to her was absent. The mother’s heartbeat! I would hold my daughter close to my chest that she could hear my heartbeat. Then I would put my arms around her and lay back on the couch and we would both fall alseep, content with each other.

This went on for weeks and weeks and I found that it met the needs us both. My daughter would feel the safety of my heartbeat and my arms around her and I would feel the safety of her being so close that I could care and nurture her. We both benefited from this. She slept soundly and safely and so did I.

It is the same thing with new Christians. If they are constantly coming to the Lord for all their needs, as with a new born baby, the baby does not know to crawl to the Father. The Father must hear the cry and respond. What would happen if there is no cry, no knowledge of need? Hunger and starvation, a stunting of growth! New Chrisitans need the more mature Christians to lean on! Newcomers often don’t want to ask for help, it makes them appear weak and frail. But the mature Christian is able to know the needs of the new Christian and supply the answers.

Often it is the lack of mature Christians interceding that contributes to the downfall of new Christians causing them to jump back into old lifestyles. When these new beleivers realize they have sinned they have no idea of what to do. They fear telling anyone out of shame and give up on their newfound faith and the fall continues unabated. They do not realize the answers are right there in the Word of God. They have no idea which way to turn and the Bible is then relegated to the dusty table only to be forgotten.

It would then appear that there is no one responsible for this failure, so we must then turn the tide and look to the Scriptures for the answer. The mature Christian should be helping the new Christian  see where the ball was dropped and help remedy the situation. But often times people do not want to be considered responsible for the growth of others. Somewhere along the way they come to feel that they have done all there is to do as far as the Great Commission is concerned. Here are some examples from the Word of God:

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak” (Romans 14:19-21, emphasis added).

Probably the most telling Scripture concerning our duties as born-again Christians is found in Ezekiel 3.17-21, emphasis added:

“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.”

As you can see this is not something the Lord leaves as something weak or ineffectual. It is profound to every born-again Christian and we must be conscious of it. We talk a great deal about the Great Commission. Evidence like this from the Bible outshines many other areas in the area of responsibilty.

“Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old” (Daniel 5:24-31, emphasis added).

The adages of old need to be remembered and adhered to! These sayings are important for all of us to know because there is cause and effect, an answer for all things and every one of us are responsible to the Lord. This is exactly true regardless of whether you are saved to Jesus Christ or NOT! If a man is foolish enough to say. “There is NO God,” then He deserves the just rewards for his ignorant choice!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

God’s way, it’s HIS way or the highway! And the highway leads to destruction. Therefore one might want to contemplate these choices and the future! The unsaved know nothing that is why they need YOU and me. The born-again Christian should be reading the Bible and learning everything possible. We will be held accoountable, ignorance is NO excuse!

Jesus Christ still saves!

Just asking a couple questions here, like: “If you see railroad tracks warning lights and a bell going off, do you think trains run on those tracks?” Then I would have to assume it would be a bad thing to stand or park your car on the tracks, right? That is of course, unless you’re suicidal.

If you go up in a really high tower of any sort, there is usually tall fencing around the edge, to make sure no one falls off, right? Then I would have to assume that falling off the edge of the tower would be counter-productive to living! Again, unless you are suicidal.

Sounds a little stupid or at the very least the proper use of “common sense” should be adhered to if you wish to continue living. My previous article will probably come across to some as fantasy or a lousy story at best. But what if you suddenly decided to use common sense and read the Bible and find out that there are only two directions after this life, heaven or hell? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but this is true, whether you wish to believe it or not.

The Lord gives you this ONE free will choice (I know it feels better to think there are many free will choices). HIS Word, the Bible, words directly from God’s mouth to our ears tells us how to be saved, how to go to heaven! It also tells us that if we do NOT accept the free will gift of Jesus Christ you definitely go to hell. I believe this is an excellent example of using “common sense.”

For those who are unaware: heaven – good, hell – bad! Now this information is given to you and me because God is the Creator and HE did indeed create everything, including you and me. There is a problem though and it’s not with the Word of God but in how we humans wish to interpret the Bible.

Today there are way too many people that are more than willing to skew the Word of God in order to make YOU feel better or to increase their income through YOU. You’ll gladly go to their church and give of YOUR income if they think YOU feel good, if YOU feel happy there. Let’s be honest here. You wouldn’t want to go somewhere and have people call YOU a heathen and beat you over the head, right? They will say whatever needs to be said if they can get away with it. Who cares if what they is the truth or not! That is of course until the day you find yourself standing before righteous God─then truth is paramount.

You must understand this too, that it will not always be someone else lying to you. You can lie to yourself at will and you do so — quite often. Step on the scale for a moment and tell me the truth. See what I mean? Here is the question that needs to be asked: WHO are YOU willing to believe? Hey, this is not to be funny. It’s downright serious stuff here because once you die the rest of eternity and where you are in that eternity is going to make all the difference to YOU! Everyone that has ever been born and lived on this earth is in the exact same spot as YOU. Here are a few things that YOU might want to consider:

Romans 3.20-23, emphasis added: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

John 3.14-18, emphasis added: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

So after only two or three verses we find out there is only ONE WAY into heaven and that is through Jesus Christ! We find out that there is nothing we can do to be saved! We MUST go to Jesus Christ and ask HIM to save us! Without pulling any punches, this is saying that you and I are worthless. We are not even worth the dirt we were made from. WITHOUT Jesus Christ, who is GOD, the CREATOR of all things including you and me.

So do you want to hear the truth or are YOU still so willing to be LIED to? I hate it when I am lied to because those who are lying to me are implying that I do not have what it takes to deal with the truth! I can NOT think of a better way to be told that someone thinks I’m stupid! I have given you Scripture, I have given you stories of truth, I have given you some strange things to think about but I have NEVER LIED TO YOU!

I try and think of ways to give out the Word of God in ways no one else has thought of or used thus far. I try and use words that are simple to understand and easy to read because it’s not my delivery that counts, it’s the message in the words! It’s the blood of Jesus Christ, it’s HIS love for you and me that matters and all I want is for more people to hear those words and know them as truth. NOT what I say, BUT to see Jesus Christ everywhere you look, because IF you see anything else YOU’RE LOST!

Matthew 7.13-14, emphasis added: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Please notice the last six words in the Scripture above! Notice it says, “few there be that find it.” Out of all the people who have ever been born and raised to live on this planet since Adam and Eve ONLY A FEW will get to heaven? So how many is a FEW? How do YOU know you are one of that FEW? I don’t know about YOU, but this is some scary stuff to be considering. And then we look at everyone saying, “There are many ways to God” and yet that is incorrect!

I thought we just said that you must belong to Jesus Christ, you must be saved, born-again and you must be a true follower of Jesus Christ and then you come along and say only a FEW will find the road to heaven? Yuppers! “Ya cain’t skew the Word of God and expect to enter heaven — that there jus’ ain’t possible! Don’t you understand? That’s the entire reason for the Bible, God’s Holy Word to YOU and ME.YOU MUST READ IT! As a writer, I can throw words together and tell you anything but that doesn’t mean I am telling you the truth!

GO to your BIBLE and READ it for yourself! How else do you think the Lord is going to talk with YOU? Duhhhh, people this is NOT rocket science. Wake-up and try doing a little of your own homework just for yourself. The relationship with Jesus Christ is between YOU and HIM, alone!

People, just because you go to a church and plunk your butt on a pew doesn’t mean you are saved to heaven! Just because you are a member of the choir and you’re an Elder of the church, doesn’t mean you’re going to heaven either! There are very strict criteria to be saved to Jesus Christ!

Matthew 11.28-30: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

John 14.6-7: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

Take those two passages and memorize them. Say them to yourself often, more frequently than just often — how about all the time? They are the absolute TRUTH and they are the ONLY way to heaven and life eternal with Jesus Christ — who is GOD.

Ya got a choice to make before you die. You want heaven and eternal life? Call Jesus Christ and don’t ever let anything or anyone tell you different!

In my Life, Jesus Christ is Lord!