"Mostly Christian" Won't Do

Ezekiel 33:12 (CEV) - Tell them that when good people start sinning, all the good they did in the past cannot save them from being punished. And remind them that when wicked people stop sinning, their past sins will be completely forgiven, and they won't be punished.

Have you ever heard (or made) these kinds of statements? "Sure I'm a Christian. I mean, I go to church, I follow the commandments." But is that truly enough to make it into heaven?

The Lord reminded me of a court trial I participated in a few years ago when I lived in PG County. I was called to jury duty, only to find myself sitting on the jury in a trial for first-degree murder. So this example is from my trial experience, not "TV trial" experience (sorry Perry Mason fans). During the trial, the charges were read, the plea ('innocent') was entered, witnesses and evidence were brought up and examined, etc. At no point in the trial was the defendant allowed to speak about how good he'd been, how many charities he'd donated to, how many Sunday School lessons he'd taught. The trial focused exclusively on the OFFENSE. Only during the sentencing portion of the trial were the character and past performance of the person allowed, presumably to help lighten the sentence, if appropriate. But the sentence remained unchanged based on any of this "peripheral" information. If you did the crime, you did the time.

James 2:10 (CEV) - If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all.

Matt 5:48 (NLT) - But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that if I tell a lie, or gossip, or something pretty minor like that, God's gonna "throw the book at me"? But what about all the OTHER things I've done for God, like attend church, give in the offering, and I even listened to Christian stations on my radio! Doesn't any of that count?

Luke 13:23-28 (MSG) - A bystander said, "Master, will only a few be saved?"
He said, "Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you'll sit down to God's salvation banquet just because you've been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you're going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you'll find the door locked and the Master saying, 'Sorry, you're not on my guest list.'
You'll protest, 'But we've known you all our lives!' only to be interrupted with his abrupt, 'Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don't know the first thing about me.'
That's when you'll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You'll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God's kingdom. You'll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God's kingdom. And all the time you'll be outside looking in—and wondering what happened.

"So what about 'saved folks'? Isn't someone saved for ever, once they're saved the first time? Is it possible to jeopardize their salvation too?"

For my way of answer, here's an expansion of the first scripture, and a scripture from the book of Revelation:

Ezekiel 33:12-20 (CEV) - Tell them that when good people start sinning, all the good they did in the past cannot save them from being punished. And remind them that when wicked people stop sinning, their past sins will be completely forgiven, and they won't be punished. Suppose I promise good people that they will live, then later they start sinning and believe they will be saved by the good they did in the past. These people will certainly be put to death because of their sins. Their good deeds will be forgotten. Suppose I warn wicked people that they will die because of their sins, and they stop sinning and start doing right. For example, they need to return anything they have taken as security for a loan and anything they have stolen. Then if they stop doing evil and start obeying my Law, they will live. Their past sins will be forgiven, and they will live because they have done right. Ezekiel, your people accuse me of being unfair. But they are the ones who are unfair. If good people start doing evil, they will be put to death, because they have sinned. And if wicked people stop sinning and start doing right, they will save themselves from punishment. But the Israelites still think I am unfair. So warn them that they will be punished for what they have done.

Rev 22:11-12 (AMP) - He who is unrighteous (unjust, wicked), let him be unrighteous still; and he who is filthy (vile, impure), let him be filthy still; and he who is righteous (just, upright, in right standing with God), let him do right still; and he who is holy, let him be holy still.Behold, I am coming soon, and I shall bring My wages and rewards with Me, to repay and render to each one just what his own actions and his own work merit.

So the scriptures tell us that to make it to heaven, we need to GET right, and then STAY right by LIVING right. We must BE right when Jesus returns, and NO ONE knows when that will occur. And the tough thing is we can't - through our own efforts - live a life without sin. But I thank God for Jesus, who died so man (you and me) can have a way back to right fellowship with the Father. He paid a debt he didn't owe, because we owed a debt we couldn't repay. And after he left to be with the Father, Jesus provided us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who accompanies us through all life's struggles and guides us at every step. Prayer, fasting, studying God's word, and paying attention to the Holy Spirit, is the only way I know to ENSURE I'm gonna be on God's "Guest List".

Please remember, according to what the scriptures say, "Mostly Good" or "Mostly Christian" won't be enough. This is an all-day every-day thing.

I pray your strength in the Lord!

© 2008 Scotty Ward