A great tragedy within the Christian faith is that many who believe they are on their way to Heaven will one day find they are sadly mistaken. They have been misled into believing that Church membership, being “good,” or working extra hard will ensure Salvation; but on the day of judgment they will be cast aside. This tragedy must be fought by speaking the truth about Salvation. We must teach of the need to trust in the saving grace offered through the sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of sin. We must teach that faith in Jesus Christ – the Lord and Savior clearly presented in God’s Word – is the ONLY way!
A second tragedy is that many who have truly trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, and desire to love Him and serve Him with all their heart, will live their days full of doubt and fear. They are on their way to Heaven but doubt when they don’t feel “good enough” to deserve such a gift, and they fear a Holy God who couldn’t possibly save one so unworthy. As they draw closer to the Light, their failures are revealed and they become discouraged or try to “work” harder to please God and gain His acceptance. We must also fight this tragedy by speaking the truth about Salvation.
The glorious truth is that none of us are good enough! “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Without God’s grace, no one can ever hope to hit the mark of His perfect glory.
We don’t enter Heaven based on what we’ve done; rather, we are accepted based on the One in whom we’ve placed our faith; “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). At the moment of Salvation, we become an eternal Child of God; “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We were purchased with His blood and have become a “new creation: the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). But a new creation does not continue down the same path.
We are “born again” when the Spirit of God transforms our heart; and as a new creation, we will learn to crawl, then walk, and one day run! We may stumble, but God promises we will continue to grow; for it’s His plan that ALL His children become “conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29)…and being conformed is a lifetime process!
Philippians 1:6
“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
God has given us His Holy Spirit and “sealed {us} for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). Let’s be confident in God’s promise. We must continue to draw closer and give Him more of our heart, but we must also remember that we are His and He WILL finish the work He began. Our Heavenly Father has saved us AND promised to carry us to completion.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries
