Of churches and choices

 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If i is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:18-22 ESV)

          If you ask most people what their biggest problem with Christianity is, the single most frequent answer that you will receive is Christians. This is truly tragic, and church, if you want to know my thoughts on why that is, look to my previous blog. The answer is there. Instead, today I address those that say that Christians are their biggest impediment to Christianity. I understand that many people who profess belief in Christ are two-faced. I get that you don't see Christians as any different than yourself. I even understand that you have had your feelings hurt by Christians, or church members. I get that, but I need you to understand something. The bad behavior of the children of God does not absolve you of your need for him. 

          The bible has clear statements about who needs Jesus, and I am going to lay them out plainly. 

as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
(Romans 3:10-12 ESV)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

(Romans 3:23 ESV)

          So in other words, if you breathe air, you have sinned. Does this make you any different from anyone else? No. All is an important word there. See, the word "sin" comes from a Latin root. It was the name that the Roman soldiery gave to the rings on an archery target that surround the bullseye. It literally means, "to miss the mark" or to be imperfect. If you are imperfect, like the rest of us, you have sinned. What does that mean for us? 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 ESV)

          Wages are a concept with which we are familiar. It is the name we give to what he earn from our labor. This means two things to us. What we have earned is death. We've earned it. It is the fruit of our labor. We cannot labor to reach heaven, because what our labor gains us is death. We cannot earn salvation. It is a gift that comes from God, through his son Jesus Christ. There is only one way to achieve it.

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, 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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
(Romans 10:8-10 ESV)

          What more can I say? Confession is a critical part of our redemption. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Admission of imperfection, belief in the Jesus Christ, and Confession that he is the Son of God, and the one who can save your soul from it's own earnings. Death. That is the road map. 

          Even as you read these words, you understand your position. I offer no condemnation, that is not what I want. What I want is for you to come to the understanding that there is a way out, that you know what it is, and that everything else is an excuse. You know this without me telling you. Still, you rail against it and fight it anyway. You say that a loving God would not send someone to hell, I say you are right. It is a stubborn people that would prefer hell over the love of God. That is why people go to hell. Because they choose too. In your mind you are calling me crazy right now. I'm not. I have shown you the way, yet still you fight against it. You say, "I won't go to church. Those people are all sinners like me." Of course we are. Who isn't? Did you miss the part where I said all have sinned? Jesus calls to us to repentance. and all we offer is "what about that guy?"

          

           This is what the sovereign Lord says. “If i is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” He says it to each of us in turn, and calls us to his side. He will not deny you his grace, nor will he withhold from you his salvation. Do not let your opinion of Christians keep you out of heaven. Do not let your stubborn pride, or your desire to continue reveling in your imperfection cause you to chose hell. That is not God's will. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

      

          There is an old song that said it best: 

"If you are tired of the load of your sin, let Jesus come into your heart.

If you desire a new life to begin, let Jesus come into your heart.

Just now, your doubting give o'er, just now reject him no more.

Just now throw open the door, let Jesus come into your heart."

          It is really that simple. 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

(Revelation 3:20 ESV)