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The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15 KJV)
I have been preaching the Gospel for many years and have run into many hindrances with regard to simply believing or trusting in the Lord Jesus for salvation. I want to deal with one of those hindrances in this meditation.
What About Good People Who Do Not Believe?
One of the greatest hindrances to believing the Gospel is that many people have friends or spouses or children that they know do not believe what the Bible says. In some cases, the spouses or friends have died. In other cases the children were raised to be Christians in churches that do not preach the truth about how to be saved, even though those churches teach the stories of the Gospel. Many churches are “Christian-like” in their good works, but neglect the idea that true Christians have to be saved or born again before their good works are considered good by God.
The Value of Good Works
Good works are not our Savior, only Christ can save. When we believe that by “doing good” we will get to heaven, we set aside the need for a sacrifice for our sins that satisfies God.
But how do we help those who know that they have loved ones (who are good people as far as we are concerned) and who claim to be Christians, but who have never been taught the truth of the new birth? John 3:3 says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (NKJV).” Nor have they been taught that having been born sinners, they need to be “saved.” See also, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17 NKJV). Neither have they been taught that good works are the result of the new birth or salvation and not the cause as explained below:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we (who are saved) are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV).
We Really Do Not Know What Others Believe!
The first thing that I try to emphasize when people are struggling with the idea that friends or loved ones might not be saved is that we really don’t know what our friends or loved ones really believe. While I understand that those who are saved need to publicly confess that to others, not everyone does–at least not right away. The thief on the cross that went to paradise did not have the opportunity to tell others about his faith in the Lord. Nicodemus didn’t publicly confess Christ until after the crucifixion when he helped bury the Lord. I believe that it is possible that loved ones who have died without leaving a clear profession of faith may very well be in heaven while Satan uses their lack of a public confession to deceive friends and loved ones into believing that they do not need to heed the need to “repent and believe.”
Is There Really Only One Way?
Some that I talk to simply do not want to believe that there is only one way of salvation since they have close friends who do not believe in the Bible. I have friends that are studying the way in which major religious groups explain salvation. In nearly every case, good works as defined by that particular religion is the way to heaven. Of course some groups add ceremonial requirements that are not in the Bible such as confession to a priest, infant baptism, communion, etc.
Since no one wants to believe that they have friends or loved ones who are condemned eternally, the easy way out is to assume that the Bible is in error. Many will claim that the Lord was a good teacher, but they will not believe that He is THE Son of God and that He died as the sinner’s substitute. However, if the Lord was not The Son of God, if He didn’t fulfill old testament prophecy, then He is a liar like everyone else in this world. He simply cannot be a good teacher if what He taught was not true. Obviously, those who believe that He is a good teacher, but not the savior that He claimed to be, have not thought this through.
We Can All be Wrong but We Can’t All Be Right!
One thing I try to emphasize is that we can all be wrong about the way to heaven but we can’t all be right when our views are contradictory. Some would argue with that statement because they believe that many roads lead to the celestial city. I wish that were true but my Bible says there is only one way to be saved. If there are many roads or paths to heaven then we cannot depend on what the Lord taught. Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6 NKJV).” The Bible does not allow for many ways to heaven. If the above statement is not true, then I know of no other communication by God that gives us instructions as to how to be right with Him.
The Bible has archaeological and historical evidence of its accuracy. It has many old testament prophecies written hundreds of years before the Lord’s birth that were fulfilled when the Lord was born into this world. It is the only TRUTH that can be depended upon. Yet, Satan, the great liar, will try to convince people through various means that the Bible is not true.
Deception is Satan’s Game
Please don’t be deceived. If you have friends and loved ones that you know are not saved, make sure that they hear the truth and don’t let their faith or lack of it affect yours.
Yes, we all need to repent and believe. Please don’t allow the hindrance of not knowing whether loved ones and friends believe the Bible keep you from repenting and believing. I want to meet all of you in that celestial city.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of July 21, 2024
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