Christian Living

AM I REALLY A CHRISTIAN?

by Ramona Cook 
06/04/22
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AM I REALLY A CHRISTIAN?

The verse that follows gave me pause to consider the question.

Matthew 7: 21, “Not everyone who calls out to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; but ONLY THOSE who DO the will of My Father.”

We know that the first step of becoming a Christian is to:

1. Acknowledge that I am a sinner and need a Savior.  Yep, I am.

2. Believe, in my heart, not just my head, that God raised Jesus from the dead, that He is now alive.  I do.

3.  Confess aloud, with my mouth and voice, consenting with my head BUT also believing in my heart that God is offering me salvation through the death of Jesus and His resurrection, and now I have become a child of God forever.  Safe, Secure, on my way to Heaven, and that is a FACT!

We must consider ALL the texts of Scripture and not select our chosen favorites, then build a fence around them to the exclusion of all other information provided to us in the SAME Scriptures, especially when the information is said to come from the mouth of Jesus.

Jesus talked about things the Church of today does not like to hear; things like Hell for one and Sin for another.  Jesus taught much of His information in parables, word pictures.

The parable of the 10 Virgins is such a teaching.  Matthew 25: 1–13.

We, as Believers are instructed to “watch and wait, be on guard” because we do not know WHEN the Lord will return to take us to

the marriage supper.  We are to be prepared to leave in a moment.

Jesus gives vital information to us in the telling about the 10 Virgins.

He used the terminology “virgins” to denote that they were indeed all of one group.  They all had lamps, they all had oil, but some more and some had less.  So when the CALL came saying that the Bridegroom was on His way to take His Bride away to live with Him,  they all woke from their sleep getting ready, but 5 of the virgins had so little oil in their lamps that they panicked, asking the other 5 to share with them.

They refused.  “You’ll need to run out and buy some because we can’t be sure we have enough to share.”

While that 5 were out trying to find enough oil the Bridegroom came and took the 5 that were ready.  When the other 5 saw that He had come, and that the door was shut, they knocked on the door so that it would be opened to admit them into the marriage supper.  BUT Jesus says that the Bridegroom said to them, “I don’t know you, go away.”

Why would Jesus put those words into the Bridegrooms mouth?  I believe it is because of the message that runs like a thread throughout the texts of Scripture, the one in fact like the very words Jesus said to those who listened to this parable:  Matthew 7: 21, “Not everyone who calls out to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; but ONLY THOSE who DO the will of My Father.”

That statement was the teaching point of the entire parable.  Jesus was telling us that YES, once we have come to Him for salvation we are eternally secure and He will never drop us from His hand but the litmus test is DO WE FOLLOW HIM IN CONTINUING TO DO the will of His Father?   Did we from the beginning really make a never to change commitment to Him or did we just consent with our heads that this is a good thing to do, then later go dabble with the devil’s styles of living?

This argument within the Christian doctrines is as old as the Church over which the Apostle James presided in New Testament days.   Read the brief Book of James.

James tells those who were worried that they might fall into “working for their salvation” and not secure it by faith alone, “You show me your faith, (faith can’t be SHOWN apart from what it DOES) and I will SHOW YOU MY FAITH BY MY WORKS.” 

Faith is also a verb and not a noun only. 

So, what is the will of the Father?  We must be students of the Holy Bible, all of it, to get to KNOW God and what He likes and what He doesn’t like. We must get a Bible and begin to read it, or get a Bible app on our phone or computer and listen to the Word read to us.  If we can find a good Church, join in, always checking out the preacher or teacher by comparing what they teach to what the Bible says. 

We can and will, IF we really believe in God, talk to Him, ask Him questions, in fact He likes that, He does respond.  We do not need to put on a mask to hang out with God.  The fact is that He knows each of us more completely than we know ourselves.  Nothing we can confess to Him will be a shock to Him, He already knows it.

My concluding statement is twofold:  1. This writing is an incomplete presentation on our desperate need to be applied in our relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The Bible is full of these warnings and instructions.  2.  Let us take note that we are totally secure in our salvation when we showing effort to DO as God likes and requires us to do.  The person that is our monitor is our self.  We dip the litmus paper of discernment into our own lives and check the color for what is really in us, judged by what we are doing, because we DO what we believe, it cannot be otherwise.

Sure we might fall into sins, but IF we do, we do what John advises, CONFESS it to God in a hurry, ask forgiveness, and GET OUT OF IT IMMEDIATELY.  1 John, 2:1.

God is understanding and merciful but He is no push-over.  He holds expectations of us.  We work WITH Him, we work for Him.  Holy Spirit gives us power to resist sin and Holy Spirit lives in every true believer.  As believers in Jesus, we don’t have reasons to do other than that of which God approves.  It is not easy BUT it is worth it, both now and later.

I persuade you to THINK on this, study the subject for yourself, be convinced in your own heart and mind by the message of the Scriptures.  I have challenged you with a question.  It could be life or death to know the answer.

Also study Mark 4: 1-20.  The parable is about the SOIL’s “condition” and what the soil DID with the seed that fell upon it.  I checked myself by this parable once long ago and discerned that I was in the category of the seed being choked out by too much stuff that I had to use all my time to maintain. 

Be wise.

Ramona: 06/04/2022