Does It Really Matter What You Believe?

What do you think? Does it really matter what you believe? We are saved by grace… Know this:

Jesus’ blood is all that makes Christians different from non-Christians on Judgement Day.

Once Saved Always Saved?
So, does that mean once saved always saved? This is a popular belief. Many Christians believe that all that is needed to be saved by Jesus is to believe in Him. They believe that once you bow your head and say the three step prayer of Salvation that you have been saved by grace and nothing you do will keep you from entering the kingdom of God.

 Does everyone who believes in Jesus have a ticket to heaven? Is all you need to do believe?

 Satan believes in God. He knows for a fact that Jesus is God’s Son. He knows that Jesus died to to save us from sin.

Jesus said, “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as `Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 (NLT)

 There are people who you believe will be in Heaven and unfortunately, they are not living according to God’s will. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15. 1 John 2:4 says, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

 Obviously as Christians we have a duty to our Savior to obey Him. If a young woman at the age of 18 accepts Christ as her Savior and later down the road begins to “slide away” from Him and lives in sin is she okay? Is it really okay for us to simply live the way we want even tho we know in our hearts it is displeasing to God?

 Do you believe that our end of the deal ends at the cross? Or as Jesus said do we need to “take up [our] cross and follow” Him? (Marl 10:21)

 I am not suggesting that every time we sin we are in jeopardy of losing our salvation. I believe that as Christians we CAN and SHOULD be assured of our salvation. However, there is a difference in living a life seeking to do His will and not always getting it right and knowing that we should, but not caring enough to seek out His will.

 I can’t draw a line and say, “You cross this line and you are out.” Keeping God’s commandments and doing His will are not matters of the Law. They are matters of the heart. God knows what is in our heart. A truly repentent Christian realizes how sinful she really is. She knows that no matter how much she tries or how many good works she does that the price Jesus paid was more than she could ever be worthy of. She also realizes that each and every day that she lives without Her Savior’s leading is a day that is lost forever that she might have used to please Him.

So, having said that, remember that while we have all fallen short of the glory of God, there are no excuses for bad behavior. If we fail, we need to kneel before him with a repentent spirit and ask for forgiveness and strength to do better the next time.

Don’t go through life thinking that if you go to church every week that it does not really matter if you seek out God in your daily life. It does matter. “If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin.” 1 Corinthians 10:12

Doctrines of Men or Doctrines of God

What about the meaty parts of the Bible? You know, the parts that really take some thought, study, and prayer to understand?

The trend these days seems to be churches that don’t really stand for anything. Or in other words, ANYTHING GOES. You have seen them, visited them, joined them, but maybe you have never given it much thought.

These churches teach the love of Jesus - the gospel message very well. They make people feel good. They are fun. They are often empowering. No one feels uncomfortable in their own sin. They simply feel good about how much God loves them.

It used to be that churches, regardless of the denomination, stood for something even if they were a little mislead. This list of wrong doings may have looked something like this:

• Dancing
• Drinking
• Dating
• Adultery
• Divorce
• Wearing Jewelry
• Women Wearing Pants
• and so on.

 
“In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:9. Is your church replacing the commandments of God with the doctrines of men? Is your church standing on the Solid Rock or do they seek out the truths found only in the Scriptures? The Bible alone is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” and “given by inspiration of God.” 2 Timothy 3:16

 What happened to standing for something? How does the saying go? “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” Well, I guess standing for some things are better than others. However, it is time that we as Christians really stand up for what the Bible says!

 Do you really believe Jesus is coming again SOON? Are you living like it?

 The Last Days

 I believe we are living in the last days. I believe that we are living in a time that is coming to an end very soon. God’s Word is full of passages that guide a persons spiritual walk. Jeus said of the Tribulation, “For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.” Matthew 24:24 (NLT)

 Is it possible that God’s chosen, will be deceived? What would happen tomorrow if the world around you was violently falling apart but you no longer had access to a Bible? Would you know what to do? Would you be deceived?

 What do you believe? Why do you believe it? Is what you believe found in the Bible, or are you uncertain about the days ahead? Do you wish you knew what to expect in these last days? Or do you feel that the Bible is too complicated for us to really understand?

 Do you really believe that God would have put anything in the Bible if it were not important or something that no one could understand?