It's Really Sad 😒
Sadly, many who excuse sinful living, or hypocrite living, will be surprised one day. Check out Matthew 7:21-23, and you will see people standing before God, and they are thinking they are ready to do well at judgement. They think like this because of all the good stuff they believe they did for God. What happens, when they actually stand before God, is they are actually horrifically shocked! What makes this more surprising, for them, is these particular people apparently were actually active in formal ministry throughout their entire lives. Some of these may even have attended Bible College or Seminary. They may even have earned their Doctorate degree. Yep! they appear to be Clergy or Clergy types, and they don't even know Jesus. Nor does He know them. So, this made their shock even worse. Like a lot of modernist they, on this side of Heaven, live their lives on their own terms. They hear the words of Jesus, but they live by the credo, "I did it my way."
Still In Chains
Additionally, in this life, they will remain in bondage to their life style which they feel like is normal. Pathological liars, for example, will continue telling half truths, and these half truths they drown in a lake of lies, just to get people to do what they want. Eventually, they walk through this life deceived about their sinful ways. Yes, the are religious, but have no relationship with the Lord, and it traps them. In John 8:34, Jesus is clear, if you commit yourself to a sinful lifestyle, it will make a slave of you, and being in bondage is Not something the Lord wants for any one! Check out the context of this verse 34 in John 8:31-36. You will see The Creator doesn't wish slavery for them at all. He wants each of us to be free and free "indeed." Galatians 5:1 also confirms this. Yet, their choices keep them in chains much like the American Civil War slaves remained in bondage after The Emancipation Proclamation had set them free: Though free, they still believed and acted like slaves; needless to say, they had all the ability to be free, but their belief system left them living like slaves.
Gateways and The Twelve Commandments.
However, God will not impose the eternal life, new creation, living on those who choose what God calls the "Broadway" gate. (Matthew 7:13.) God will always allow us the freedom to choose our port of entry for our daily journey: It's up to each individual to choose the gate through which they will travel. Here are the choices: First, we can choose the Gateway of destructive living, which Jesus calls the broad gate, and it leads to destruction. This includes a life of living by each individuals own rules. It's a life of calling what is right wrong, as well as calling what is wrong right. God's liberating limits, or God's Twelve Commandments, are completely ignored. Truly surrendering to Christ Jesus empowers each to be transformed in order to live by these God given rules for holy and healthy living. That's right. I said Twelve not Ten. The two greatest commandments are the two "Love Commandments" which all the other Ten hang on.
Secondly, the other gate is the gateway God offers in order to provide Eternal Life Living. (Matthew 7:14.) Jesus actually tells us "choose this gate;" yet, few choose this gate because, like the believers in John 8:31-36, and following verses, they want to believe the way they want to believe, but they really do not want to believe Jesus nor follow Jesus. And verse 31 clearly says these folks "believed." But they believed on their own terms. If you read the whole story, you will see this was not, and it still is NOT, acceptable to God Almighty.
Christ Followers True Identity
True #ChristFollowers absolutely cannot, and do not have our identity in our social or economic status! Nor do we have our identity in our physical prowess or lack thereof. We don't have our identity in our perfection or imperfections. How handsome or pretty we are, or are not, does not define us when we are in Christ Jesus. Our athleticism or awkwardness, simply does not cut it when defining who we are; additionally, we do not have our identity in our sexuality. Our only, ultimate, absolute, freedom giving, eternal life causing identity, MUST be in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord! If we choose our identity by any other way, we are setting ourselves for a life of enslavement and eternal death. We are putting ourselves in the most precarious place as we approach the time we will stand before God. God's Three Fold Freedom Miracle Way:
1. Faith in Jesus, as our resurrected Savior and Lord, leads to repentance, which is turning from our old identity -- denying ourselves, taking up the Cross to follow Him -- to our new creation identity in Jesus the Christ, as HE empowers us to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. (Romans 6:1-13.) Having this wonderful relationship, with God, through Jesus, by the power of The Holy Spirit, is absolutely and infinitely amazing!
2. Faith is followed by repentance, and this leads to forgiveness! Psalm 51, 1 John 1:9. Hebrews 9: 12.) But this is not the end.
3. Forgiveness leads to new creation, transformational and godly living! (2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 10:10-15) This provides us to confident daily access to God, in the holiest place, in the Heavenly Dimension. (Hebrews 10:17-23.)
There are huge numbers of people, who go about "becoming members of the church." Some are actually confirmed in the church. Still others get baptized. Yet, they have NO desire to repent or turn from sin. And since they are not seeking Christ Jesus perfect will to "go and sin no more," they remain enslaved, and their bad choices keep them that way. I hope I am not talking about you. Please, let's not make bad choices. Let's get our identity right. Let us believe, repent, be forgiven and then transformed, and become completely FREE!
SoJourner
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