By John Larkins
The false teachers are lined up and shouting and gesturing: “Jesus will bring all to heaven! You do not have to do anything; it does not matter which church or even any church you attend, come see me and I will reassure you!”
This is good for the false teachers’ employment and makes everyone content that they owe Jesus nothing. Read Jesus’ instructions to His apostles at the close of both Matthew’s and Mark’s gospels. See any problems?
When we scrutinize our own behavior and choices in priorities for our lives, we can see how compatible this formula is for what you want. You see, it is readily apparent that salvation is not really something you care about, anyway. Is this too abrasive for you? Well, cool down, for this assessment is quite ordinary and true to some degree for all of us. If God requires us to keep the holy day, is once a week too often? Once a year? Once a lifetime?
The basic problem is that we do not even like the concept of God as a being to which we must pledge obedience and loyalty. This was expressed by Adam and Eve and reinforced by Satan, God’s primary enemy. Who loves the God who will protect us from the trials of life, forgetting His declaration to our first parents that from thence forward, we must obtain our life necessities by the sweat of our brow and toil and be uncomfortable? In short, the gravy train was leaving the station. The God we seek will love and care for us without us lifting a finger. Especially we do not wish to obey His laws. That God is nowhere in the Bible.
You see, the question of how many people will be saved is causally related to how many of us actually WANT to be saved. In general, we do not like to obey God’s Ten Commandment, even though Jesus said, “If you love me, you will follow my commandments.” We rear back on our haunches and announce that “I am my own boss, and I will do as I please.” Or, “I am a woman who decides what is correct for my body. If I kill my baby, that is my business and none of God’s.” Or, “I do not care that God created me as a man (or woman). I will change my sex as I see fit.” There are many more creative ways we have of rejecting God authority, but just one is necessary.
Would we be more at home in Heaven, where a loving God is to be worshiped as the Creator and Ruler of the universe, or in Hell, with a being that despised the Creator and defied all His commands? Which one do we have more in common with? Where would we be more at ease? Would we know more people in one venue than the other? Are we prepared to suffer – as Satan does – for eternity because of our arrogance?
This column has often discussed The Way God has provided for us over the last 4,000 years, beginning with Abraham and then with Moses and finally with Jesus Christ and His one holy Church, which dispenses Christ’s salvation, as Jesus directed, shown to us in The Acts of the Apostles.
When the apostles asked Jesus if all would go to Heaven, He replied that the gate of life is wide but the road to salvation is narrow, and many will not find it. The false teachers say you do not need to worry about the narrow road Jesus died to show you. Will any of them be your advocate with Jesus at the Last Judgement? The rock-solid truth is that Jesus requires that we repent and follow Him!
So, only those who WISH to spend eternity with God will do so. What is your preference?
For the past 15 years, John Larkins has evangelized on the street, door-to-door, in tent revivals and in church situations. Contact him at johnlarkins@bellsouth.net.