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Get saved today!
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And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not (Acts 28:24)
Introduction
It is fairly obvious that not everyone who hears God's word chooses to believe it. The general public's contempt towards biblical evangelism is very common indeed. To most sinners, the offer of righteous is like offering carrot juice to an alchoholic. This is often because most people know that accepting Jesus Christ into their lives means "change". It appeals to everything the natural man is not, Holy. A change in character, change in heart, mind, soul and ways. Since many fail to understand that such changes are done under the grace and moulding of God after one receives salvation, it has unfortunately given the impression that becoming a Christian is a process and not an instantaeous rebirth.
There are numerous excuses people put on the defense table when it comes to accepting thegospel message. Jesus stated that the root cause is because men love darkness rather than light - And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved John 3:19-20.
If you enjoy the freedom of a sinful lifestyle, it's no surprise Jesus would be the last thing on your mind. No matter what excuses people throw at the bible, it is always rooted back to the sinner's love for sin.
Why men love sin
So why do you love sin? Well for starters, you've inherited Adam's disobediance. Remeber when your dear parents use to feed you healthy baby porage and how you would spit it out and start crying in hopes for something sweeter. That kind of like how it is with good and bad. It's obvious that people don't enjoy others telling them what to do or how to live. They like doing whatever pleases them and do not enjoy freedom restraints. But most humans don't realize that freedom is God given. God gave every man free-will. But they have twisted free-will by making sin part of that freedom. Since God created us for a personal relationship with Him, he cannot force us to love Him or obey Him. He comes to us and expresses His love and wrath but it is ultimately our choices which determine our eternal dwelling. In John 5:40 Jesus said - "they WILL not come"
The devil is the one deceiving world but it is man's receptiveness to such evil that is destroying it. We cannot blame the entire evils on this on Satan alone since we are the ones who willfully "choose" to commit sin. We are serving the "god of this world" and not the "Holy Creator" and his laws. Satan's tempts us but he does not make decisions for us.
Intellectual reasoning/ rational thinking
One of the growing movements in this decade is proving the existence of God. Ridiculous organizations such as Rational Response Squad attempt to disprove God's existence by persuading men and woman to live life with rational precepts and use history documents to show the negative effects of religious bigotry. They are clearly immoral men and women who want others to live the same way because they will "missout" on sex, drugs, rock music and so on. They speak for themselves. They cannot reckon the word of Christ and the "rational" loving and safegurding aspect of His teachings because they are seduced by their evil convictions. Positive responses to this movement have shown the world's increasing levels of apostasy. Like I quote in my creation topic, As long as a man does not want to repent from His sins, he will endeavor to prove his reasons.
Every individual usually has their own personal philosophical views regarding life and death. People like to share their own wisdom quote because it makes them feel "rational" and does not make them come off as some religious bigot which they know people dispise. This is what I refer to as "The love of Flattery". People love to please other people because they are concerned with the things of the world and not God's. They are concerned with what men think and not what God thinks. A proud man would rather draw himself a large crowd by pleasing them with words THEY want to hear rather than the word of God. They are self-righteous, self-sufficiant, self-condemned, and selfgods. They care not for you but for themselves. God cares for all.
The scriptures also prophesied a time where sound doctrine would no longer be received and replaced with the doctrines of men (Darwinism, etc). For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4) Fulfilled!
Self righteousness
Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? -Proverbs 20:6 Commonly accompanied with unbelief is self-righteousness. For some odd reason, the mass majority of people in the world believe that as long as they haven't killed anybody or pulled off a bank heist, they are good people. This would mean that all of God's other commandments don't apply and were utterly written in vain. This is a false perception and a dangerous one indeed. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all - James 2:10
Self-Righteous: Proclaiming one's goodness, not according to God's righteousness, but to the god of "self" under the influence of Satan. A self-righteous individual is a hypocrite and that goes for most people on the planet. Doing good things does in no way make a man "good". Jesus clearly said "there is none good but one, that is, God (Matthew 19:17). (Romans 3:10 says "there is none righteous) No one in the world can claim that he is good because every man has sinned (Rom 3:23). He may seem good in the eyes of men, but under God's lens, his goodness is as a filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6).
Those who walk through life holding on to feelings of personal satisfaction have likely not encountered Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is the source of all Love, man cannot understand nor experiance true love (Agape) and is left to walk by his tainted self-centered judgment. Please visit Good deeds v.s Grace All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits - Proverbs 16:2. In the end, God knows our hearts and he will judge us according to his righteousness which will determine whether you were in fact righteous (In Christ) or not (self).
How NOT to go to Heaven
I have encountered many angry folks in the past who have expressed resentment toward certain verses about hell. I know it is because they enjoy sinning, but when someone realizes for the first time that they are heading for eternal torment for simply having lived their lives oblivious to God's laws, they tend to panic and deny any such truth.
Therefore, it should be made clear what the Bible says about salvation. Every potential seeker must come to terms with this.
You do not go to Heaven by;
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1. Joining a church |
7. Doing charity work |
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2. Going to church |
8. Being a good person |
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3. Being baptised with water |
9. Paying your taxes |
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4. Confessing to a catholic priest |
10. Being part of a religion |
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5. Praying to Mary |
11. Saying, lord, lord |
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6. Believing in "god" |
12. Confessing your sins |
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6)
Bible's way to Heaven
The Bible clearly indicates what you need to do to go to heaven!
You are a sinner:
| Romans 3:23 | For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God |
| Romans 5:12 | Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned |
| Romans 3:10 | As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one |
| Isaiah 53:6 | All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all |
The price for sin is death and eternal Hell:
| Romans 6:23 | For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord |
| Rev 20:15 | And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire |
Jesus died for our sins:
| Romans 5:8 | But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us |
| John 3:16 | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life |
| Luke 23:33 | And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him. |
| Romans 4:25 | Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification |
We are saved by faith in Jesus alone:
| John 3:15 | That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. |
| Romans 10:13 | For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved |
| Romans 3:28 | Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law |
| Acts 26:18 | To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me |
| John 3:3 | Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God |
| John 3:18 | He that believeth on him is not condemned |
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