January 18th, 2010
A TRUE Christian is someone who knows Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. No, I don't mean just BELIEVING in God. Hey, Satan, a.k.a. the devil, believes in God! What I mean is someone who has accepted Him as Savior and Lord of their life. Someone who loves the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind, and also loves their neighbor as themselves (Luke 10:27). Someone who has an active and personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sure, you can follow the Ten Commandments to the ‘T’, read the Bible every day, pray, go to church each Sunday, do every good deed, but that won’t get you to heaven. If it could, I highly doubt that God would have sent His only begotten Son to earth to die for our sins so that we might have eternal life with Him (John 3:16)! Like one once said, “...going to church a lot doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger. Saying a prayer doesn’t make you a Christian; people in every religion pray. Even praying to Jesus doesn’t make you a Christian. ...” In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says, “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 in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name 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.”
There’s more to being a Christian than just SAYING that you are. Hey, I could tell you that I’m an RN, a high school teacher, or even a veterinarian, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I am. Just like if someone does good deeds, says all the right things, goes to church whenever the doors are open, and so forth, it doesn’t mean that they are a Christian. That’s something that I know from experience. I know someone who, a few years ago, I thought was a Christian. I didn’t realize until during a Vacation Bible School when she accepted Jesus as her Savior and Lord that she wasn’t a Christian yet. She was such a sweet girl, always helping out, etc. that I just assumed she was. But, she wasn’t. It’s true: looks CAN be deceiving.
The only way to eternal life in heaven is through Jesus Christ. There is no other way. Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved...” (John chapter ten, the first part of verse nine). To be a Christian, we must first have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ the Lord. One where we are continually seeking and following Him by faith. Otherwise, there is no salvation, and we are only Christians on a "name only" basis.
So, what does being a Christian mean to you? Does it just mean attending church every Sunday, praying on a regular basis, reading your Bible each day, listening to and singing worship and praise songs? What does it REALLY mean to you?
No comments:
Post a Comment