There is something that has been lying heavily on my heart for about a month now. At first, I thought God was having me check my heart on this issue, so I did—repeatedly. I have been convicted and I am working on changing some things. However, the nagging of it hasn't stopped. If anything, it has gotten worse and God has shown me many examples of it the last few weeks. I believe the nagging hasn't let up because He wanted me to write this and post it. When Pastor Clay spoke this morning, this blog was screaming to be written.
What does it mean to be saved? Is it simply a matter of believing in God? That Jesus is the Son of God? That Jesus did miracles? James 2:19 says "You say you have faith, for you believe that there is only one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror." The demons believe and are not going to be saved from eternal torment in hell.
Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved." What does that really mean? Can you CONFESS "Jesus is Lord" and BELIEVE that, but continue to live an ungodly lifestyle, and be saved? There are two key phrases in this verse—"is Lord" and "in your heart". Both imply a lifestyle shift. If you confess it, but don't make him Lord, you will not be saved. The word LORD means "a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler". Is that what Jesus is in your life? Have you surrendered to His authority? Is He your master? Or do you say He is Lord while still living your life your way? If you believe, but not in your heart, you will not be saved. I looked up heart on my dictionary.com app and this is what it says, "3 the center of the total personality, esp. with reference to intuition, feeling or emotion." (The first two definitions are referring to the organ that pumps blood throughout the body.) If you truly believe that God raised Jesus from the dead you cannot go on living an ungodly lifestyle. The Resurrection becomes the center of your total personality! It becomes the basis for your intuition, your feelings, your emotions. It becomes the core of who you are!
Luke 14:33-35 takes it a step further. "So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!"
Matt 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless."
Salt is an amazing substance! It is consists of sodium and chloride. Both are needed by the human body, but too much of either can be deadly. Chloride is only slightly soluble in water. The presence of excess chloride causes corrosion. Sodium is a metal that is completely soluble in water, however; when sodium alone (without chloride) is first introduced to water, it reacts violently and will explode! Keep in mind that the human body is 70+% water.
True love consists of grace and truth (spiritual salt) and it works the same way. Grace is like the chloride. Grace only goes so far and if given too much it begins to corrode the Gospel. Those who believe that hell and judgment don't exist have so much grace that it has corroded the Gospel. The problem is that without acknowledging sin or fault, they have led people to believe that there is no need for repentance. Truth, on the other hand, is like sodium. If truth is introduced without grace, the reaction is violent and explosive. I saw a t-shirt the other day that said "Repent or burn in hell." Now, while that is the truth, there is no grace and a non-Christian who sees that probably reacts violently to that statement and is not going to repent based on that statement alone.
To be the salt of this earth, we must walk in love while speaking truth. We cannot keep diluting the Gospel, but neither can we be the judge and jury of the world. We must live our lives in such a way that our everyday actions are full of grace and truth. We cannot walk around with a hateful attitude while saying we are Christians. When you encounter the unsaved, instead of looking down your nose at them, remember who you were before you got saved. When you encounter people who claim to be Christians while living a sinful lifestyle, instead of acknowledging how messed up their lifestyle is, show them with grace the truth behind James 2:19 and Romans 10:9, and lead them into a relationship with Christ.
Hell is real and we have been given the responsibility of sharing that truth with the people God has placed in our lives. "We have got to learn to love better."-Pastor Clay
