Let me explain what I’m saying by asking you to wear a different pair of shoes for a moment.  For a moment pretend that you are the would-be mom that had her child aborted:  You are driving down the street one morning on the way to work 6 years after your abortion and you pass a school.  Seeing all the cute little boys and girls running from the bus and into the school with pony tails flopping and hearing shouts of excited children, you suddenly realize that your baby boy or girl would now be old enough to be running into that same school with them if you hadn’t terminated your pregnancy.  And then the guilt hits, like it has so many times before.  You know in the back of your mind that you didn’t just “terminate a pregnancy”, but rather, you killed a little baby.  It seemed like a good move at the time, your career was taking off and the father really wasn’t the right guy, money was tight… but when the guilt came after the abortion, it never went away.  You continue driving and are trying to push the guilt and tears back down inside where you keep them buried.  That’s when you then drive up next to a church.  In the front lawn are rows of white crosses and some banners explaining that each one represents an aborted child.  The whole scene is carefully designed like a graveyard to remind you that abortion is murder, and murder is wrong!  But the problem is that you already know it was wrong!!  You have been living with the pain and guilt of it for six long years!  Often you lash out in anger loudly declaring it is a woman’s right to do whatever she wants with her body, and her life, but often it is those very same nights that you cry yourself to sleep.  And you wonder to yourself if God could ever forgive a person for killing a little boy or girl like those ones at the school… like the one you killed?  But you think to yourself, “I don’t know what to do, all hope is lost… it’s too late.  I can’t talk to anybody about this!  My friends are all pro-choice and the people at that church think I am a monster and remind me of it every day.  Maybe I am a monster?!? I must push this pain down, and try to get through another day…”

If you think this story is a stretch, it isn’t.  Guilt haunts many, many women who have had an abortion and they go through life with it crushing down on them daily.  And what do those little white crosses do?  They preach God’s law (Thou shalt not murder) but they offer no hint of the good news that forgiveness is available.  These crosses are Law with no Gospel.  They are like a doctor telling you have a horrible disease and then walking away leaving you in confusion and despair, never telling you of the cure.  These abortion campaigns all focus on the victims while completely forgetting that the great commission is to go out and preach the good news of the gospel to both the victims and the lawbreakers.  Think of your favorite sins for moment.  Were you an alcoholic?  When crying over your addiction, would you seek a savior at a church with a yard full of beer cans and huge banners saying “Drunkeness is a horrible, horrible crime!!”  Or maybe you struggle with pornography.  Are you expecting to hear of the forgiveness of sins at a church that has hundreds of wooden “XXX ” statues in the yard and a banner proclaiming “If you look at porn, you are a pervert!”?  We are all criminals and guilty of breaking God’s laws.  It is the good news of the Gospel that caused us to look with astonished adoration at our savior who paid for our crimes while He hung on a Cross.  But it is this same good news of a savior that we are denying to those driving by, instead offering them only the condemnation that the law brings.

Campaigns like this are all law with no Gospel, and simply announcing condemnation to the lost is not what we are called to do!  So this year, how about a new approach?  Get all those crosses out (it would be a shame to let them go to waste) and use them to proclaim the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Put the crosses out, and this year make the banner bigger than ever.  Let it read, “Abortion is murder – but Christ died for sins such as these!!“

Folks, taking a stance on abortion and encouraging pregnant women to choose the right path can both be done while fulfilling the great commission.  We do not have to crush the countless women who have already had an abortion to do these things.  Please stop preaching law without Gospel.  Instead, preach both…preach the “Repentance and forgiveness of sins” in Jesus name!

NOTE: For every aborted baby there was a mother, and there is a very good chance that the ex-mother now has a sea of guilt, confusion and turmoil deep inside.  The need to preach the forgiveness offered by Christ to these women is HUGE, and so I would like you to feel free to link or download this article (unchanged) and distribute freely.  Thank You!

As we think about how to determine if one is truly born again, we must continue to examine the biblical fruit which always accompanies authentic salvation. The Apostle John lists another fruit or evidence of biblical salvation as the acknowledgement of personal sin (1 John 1:5-2:2).

What do I mean by a personal acknowledgement of sin in one’s life? John indicates in (1 John 1:5-2:2) that a person who is saved will not continuously live in darkness (sin), but they will consistently seek to walk in the Light where God dwells (holiness, purity). But when a true believer does sin, they acknowledge their sin to God. Also, they do not deny that they have sinned, but confess their sin to the Lord, who forgives and cleanse the believer of all unrighteousness (1:9). The word confess in (1:9) means to fully agree with God concerning the nature and vileness of your sin, as well as, to take full responsibility for your sin. The man Job in the Old Testament is a good example of how a New Testament follower of Jesus Christ will seek to walk before the Lord (see Job 1:8).

The Apostle Paul exhorted people to examine themselves to see if they were truly in the faith. Paul stated, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you– unless indeed you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

Other posts in this series:

How to be sure you are genuinely saved  – Part 1

How to be sure you are genuinely saved  – Part 2

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

However, the one thing, which is most disturbing, is one particular comment often expressed by Christians and lost people alike, which is to the effect, that every deceased individual, professing Christian or not, is in a better place (Heaven) or they are no longer hurting physically, again, because they are “in a better place”.

This alarming remark reveals an incorrect understanding of biblical salvation, and indicates that scores of people in our society have a latent belief in universalism. What does universalism mean? Universalism is the belief that ultimately everyone will be saved by God regardless of whether they were a genuine follower of Jesus Christ or not. It is all too common of an occurrence, while attending a funeral service held for a non-Christian individual, to hear others state that the deceased is now in Heaven with God; or stating that the deceased is in a better place. Lost people are those who do not possess a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus. In reality, unconverted or lost people do not go to Heaven under any circumstance.

For a professing Christian to make such a statement is extremely alarming and appalling! Every person who claims to belong to Jesus Christ should know better than to make such a false and potentially damning statement. It makes one question the validity of the salvation of the professing believer. Furthermore, lost people regularly repeat the same false mantra that all people are in a better place now, which is Heaven. If you evaluated the spiritual condition of every deceased individual based on what most people say about their final destination, you would come away thinking that all people go to Heaven.

However, the Bible declares that before any individual can enter Heaven, they must be spiritually born again (John 3). That is, only those who have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, on His terms of repentance and belief in Him, are allowed into Heaven. People who were religious, but were never spiritually born again will not be allowed into Heaven. Also, the individual who lived a good moral life, yet never came to faith in Jesus Christ, will never enter Heaven. The sobering truth is they will spend eternity suffering in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:15). The Apostle John wrote, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:12). If an individual has come to saving faith in the Lord Jesus their life will be transformed and they will bear the fruit of biblical salvation.

In conclusion, only those who have been spiritually born again are allowed into Heaven, all the rest who die in their sins are ushered immediately into Hell and after the final judgment of the lost, they will be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15), where they will suffer eternally. At death, not everyone is in a better place now! I urge you to make sure that you are ready to die.

 Jesus stated, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:6).

However, it is often times like this that make us reflect on our standing before the Holy and Sovereign Lord.  If in reflection or self-examination (a healthy and biblical thing to practice, see 2 Corinthians 13:5) you find yourself convicted or concerned about your standing before God, please read on.  There are many false teachers in this modern world delivering messages focusing on man rather than God.  They claim to be Christ-centered, but deliver teachings that sound more like formulas or equations resulting in a blessed or successful life.  After tragedy strikes, these teachings are often seen as what they truly are… shallow, self-centered doctrines with Scriptures references given only in an effort to add a religious flavor.  The true Gospel is this… Adoption into the family of God through the work of Christ on the Cross.  This comes about when we put all hope and trust concerning salvation in Christ alone and repent (change our view and intentions) of all sins, even our “little” or “favorite” sins.  The Lord is able to take the most vile of sinners, and change them into new creatures through the blood of Jesus Christ.  This is a miracle of God and becoming a new creature, or a Christian, is not something that can be done on your own, no matter how hard you try.  Such is the love of God to shed His own blood to rescue us!

If you are currently sitting under a teacher who is using tragedy to control you or your dreams of success to mislead you, please take time to prayerfully examine the Word of God so as to distinguish what the good news of salvation really is.  Remember, if what you are hearing is about what you have to go do, then it really isn’t good news (nor is the result a gift), is it?

For now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.   Romans 6:22-23

Is there a God?  

Which God preached on Earth is the real one (if any)?

Does God (if He exists) have Laws that I am to obey?

Are there consequence for breaking God’s laws (if He does exist and does indeed have laws)?

Is there an afterlife?

Was Jesus simply a man, or was He more than a man?

Did Jesus have a particular mission in mind when He lived and died on this planet?

Did Jesus arise from the dead?

Now let me ask you to reflect on how you viewed these question.  Do you think they are in the world of the abstract and philosophical? Do you feel that these are all religious questions?  They aren’t!  Every single one of the above questions are questions concerning reality.  Each one of them pertains to facts that you will someday verify.  They are not at all abstract or subjective.  The factual answers to these questions cannot be altered by our debates, beliefs and denials.  They are not open to interpretation.  If you were asked, “Was Abraham Lincoln an actual President of the United States, or is he a fictional character?” the answer would be either, “Yes, he was a real President” or “No, he is a fictional character.  There is a fact-based answer that would be either right (if you answered “yes”) or wrong (if you answered “no”).  The question concerning Lincoln is not of political nature, it is simply a factual and historical query.

The questions above pertain to present reality or historical fact, not experience or belief.  Many, many people view these questions and the discussion of such things to be subjective.  “What’s true for you might not be true for me” is the motto of many when discussing things of this nature.  But this is a ridiculous and poorly reasoned.  There are indeed subjective topics discussed in religion, but far fewer than most people think.  Facts of reality are facts of reality.  Some may disagree on the facts… we may argue the facts… some facts may not be verifiable this side of the grave, but facts (or truths) are not subjective or flexible.  In this short post I am not discussing any of these topics themselves, I am merely asking you to consider how you view the claims of Christianity and other religions.  I am asking you to consider how you read the Bible, when it lays out much of its’ content as historical fact.  Do you think the these things are abstract and subjective?  They most assuredly are not!  And considering the nature of the facts being discussed, is there anything more important than coming to a correct knowledge of the true facts?  Of course not!  It is of the utmost importance that you take the time to search out these truths!

Please take the time to consider your views…

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2  for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.   1 Timothy 2:1-2

We see here that praying for the citizens and leaders of our land isn’t just allowable according to Scripture, it is actually urged by the Apostle Paul.  So the idea of gathering together and seeking the Lord to move on our nation and its’ leaders is a good one.  But is it Scriptural to gather with people of all faiths?  Let us first clarify our terminology… “people of all faiths” is a modern-day, polite and politically correct way of saying, “all religious people, even those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord”.  But God’s Word is not written in soft and modern language, and it has a word for folks who reject Christ as Lord and instead bow to other “gods”.  They are called “idolators”, meaning “those who worship idols”.  In Scripture, do we see any urging to gather with idolators and pray together?  No! Far from it!  Those familiar with God’s Holy Word know that in the Old Testament, idolators in Israel were executed (sometimes by the Lord’s prophets themselves).  In the New Testament we are told to flee from idols and their worship.  In no way is it biblical or desirable for professing Christians to enter into joint religious gatherings with idol-worshipers!  What fellowship does light have with darkness?

So what is Rick Perry (and many other professing Christians) doing when joining with idol worshipers in public religious ceremony?   They are engaging in blatant disregard of Scripture and blurring the line between light and darkness.  This is a terrible thing!  It can (and does) encourage the modern view that since all religions are equally legal and permissible, that they all have an equal amount of truth and validity, which they most certainly do not.  Many who read this will immediately want to take this discussion into the realm of politics and evaluate Perry’s motives and the substance of his faith.  I, however, do not.  This even is simply a great illustration with how comfortable professing Christian’s in this country have become with idolatry, and how easily they throw Scripture by the wayside.

So what is the Biblical response when encountering idol worshipers (people of different faiths)?  Should we avoid them in everyday life, despising them from a distance?  Should we use violence and force against them?  Absolutely not!  We are to do the same thing the Apostle Paul did when he would visit towns full of idol worshipers.  Talk with them gently, using God’s Law to show them their guilt before God, how they (like us) will be found guilty before the great throne for lying, stealing, lusting, etc.  We then show them the Cross where Christ was crucified for the sins of His people.  We are to be friends and neighbors to them, preaching Christ and Him crucified every chance we get, but never for one second offering encouragement or validity to their terrible worship of idols.  Our Lord made it crystal clear that salvation was exclusively through Him when He said,  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”   (John 14:6)  Rick Perry and the other professing Christians who attend these events need to publicly acknowledge this exclusive claim and make it clear who the one true God is…and who He isn’t.  And you, dear reader, what about you?  Will you lend validity those lost in their sins as they worship idols, or will you preach to them, “repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Jesus name”?  To join them in religion is to walk in rebellion to our Lord, and to shy away from telling them the hard news of God’s Law and the great news of the Cross would be unloving indeed!

Please note: The fact that Rick Perry made the statement that he had “invited and welcomed people of all faiths to attend” the latest rally (The Response), can be seen in an article linked HERE.

 in the name of the Son of God,

so that you may know that you have eternal life”

- 1 John 5:13

Are you struggling with doubts as to whether or not you are genuinely born again (John 3)? If so, please know that it is indeed possible to determine your true spiritual state.  The first article in this series began by asking the following questions: Can a person know that they possess saving faith? Is it possible for an individual to know that they belong to Jesus Christ? If so, is there an effective way to measure an individual’s profession of  faith to determine its authenticity?

 The answer to all these questions is a resounding “Yes!”  The New Testament Book of 1st John lists several objective truths for correctly ascertaining the existence or absence of true saving faith. The first fruit or evidence of saving faith is…

 THE FRUIT OF A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS CHRIST

 Where biblical salvation is concerned, it is necessary for an individual to correctly comprehend the correct identity of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-4). Why is this important? For one thing, it is imperative that you go to the right person for salvation. You must be sure that you are seeking the Jesus of the Bible. People believe all sorts of incorrect things about the person of Jesus Christ, and often times they teach other folks these same false notions.  For example:

•  The Mormon cult teaches that Jesus is the half-brother of Lucifer, the Devil. The Mormon Jesus and the biblical Jesus are completely different. The Jesus of the Bible is uniquely God’s Son, he does not have a brother (John 3:16, 18).
•  The Jehovah Witnesses (The Watch Tower Society) who teach that Jesus is not the God of the Old Testament, but a lesser being or little god, created by Jehovah. Where did such a notion come from? The Jehovah Witnesses have embraced, hook, line, and sinker, an ancient heresy known as Arianism, which denies the deity of Jesus Christ.

 But those are groups that are known by most to be outside of the true Christian faith, right?  But many who would appear to be inside mainstream Christianity have false ideas as well…

•  Many believe Jesus was merely a good man, teacher, or prophet (Matt 16:13-16), and thus they reject Him as being God incarnate, and of divine nature.
•  Others dream up their own Jesus, one whom they can manipulate and manage. They often superimpose their own beliefs upon their fabricated Jesus so that He is in line with their ideas and desires. 
•  Many try to simplify (and thus distort) His teachings, as can be seen by the common notion that to become a Christian one must start by learning to “love God and love others” or that the Gospel message is, “God is love”.

 Because of these things, it is imperative for an individual seeking to obtain salvation to seek the real Jesus!  The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is both 100% God (Col 1:19; 1John 4:15) and 100% Human without the sin nature (Hebrews 4:15; 1John 4:2-3), with which the rest of humanity is born into this world (Rom 3:10, 23). When Jesus Christ is erroneously identified, salvation becomes impossible. A fictional Jesus is not a savior simply because He shares a name with the Biblical Jesus!  The Bible plainly teaches that Jesus is both Savior and Lord and you must go to Him for salvation as such (Romans 10:9-10, 13; 2Cor. 4:5). Yea, He is absolute and sovereign Lord and you must seek Him alone for salvation (Romans 10:9-13; 1Cor 12:3; 2Cor 4:5; Luke 6:46).

 If you desire for Him to saved you, then you must approach Him in repentance and faith (Mark 1:15). Once more, salvation is only found in the person of the true Jesus Christ and in no other (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Rom 10:9-13). This is the first mark of a true Christian. Stay tuned for part 3!

Read Part 1 of this series by clicking HERE.