Must We Tell Sinners to Repent and Serve Christ?

One of the most dangerous doctrines infiltrating churches is called easy believeism. It teaches that repentance and total obedience to Christ's teaching is old fashioned and repulsive to the world's people. Many pastors believe that having large congregations of fair weather Christians is better than a small group of believers who are in love with the Master's teachings.

Even a casual reading of the New Testament shows that our Master wants total devotion, not mere ascent. Luke 14:26 (KJV) says, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

The word "hate" is comparative, not a commandment. Our devotion to Christ must be so strong that familial affection is comparatively hatred. We love people but we absolutely adore our Lord.

Neither must we let money and other worldly attractions interfere with our service to the King of kings. Matthew 6:24 (KJV) quotes him as saying, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

So it is that one of our Master's commandments is to warn people against ending up in hell. Look at the extreme language he used in Mark 9:47 and 48 (BBE). "And if your eye is a cause of trouble to you, take it out: it is better for you to go into the kingdom of God with one eye than, having two eyes, to go into hell, Where their worm is ever living and the fire is not put out."

This warning must also be given to pseudo-believers. The Pharisees were outwardly holy but Christ exposed their hidden sins. In Matthew 23:14 (KJV) our Master tore a huge strip out of those pretenders. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."

Jesus was insistent about Judgement Day as well. Matthew 3:12 (KJV) shows how God will judge the disobedient, "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

We mustn't fear telling sinners about God's wrath. As Christ said to his disciples in Matthew 10:28 (KJV)  "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

And since hell is so horrific, the Bible uses various metaphors. Darkness is one of those which describe the utter misery of the damned. Jude 1:13 (KJV) describes the fate of the wicked this way. "Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever."

Hell is no joke. That's why I want to warn those churchgoers that they too could be imprisoned there forever if they don't repent and follow Christ. I'll explain all that in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven?On Thursday, I'll post about how to recognize the real believers from the pretenders.

Is Accepting Christ enough?

In my previous post, I mentioned why religious people have such a hard time accepting the gospel. But is just accepting Jesus Christ as your personal saviour enough? Many Protestant churches say it is but I disagree. Moreover, Jesus himself disagrees with them.

Christ said in Luke 9:23 (KJV) "And he said to them all, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.'" Taking up your cross daily means to be ready to die for him at any time. This is no "easy believeism" statement but one of total commitment by us to obey only Christ, no matter what it costs us in this world.

Neither does Jesus accept excuses. One man asked if he could first go and burry a dead family member. In the culture of that day, funerals lasted for days. The Lord replied in Matthew 8:22 KJV), "But Jesus said unto him, 'Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.'" By this, he means those who are spiritually dead should burry their physically dead family members.

Why was Christ so harsh regarding the matter of total commitment? He said in Matthew 10:38 (KJV),  "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." So if you wish to be worthy of your God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, you must follow him with a passion to know him and obey him in all things.

This is one of many points I wish to make with my next book, You Think Your Going to Heaven? People think that merely confessing sins and accepting Christ as if he were some sort of  Cracker Jack prize is enough to get them out of hell. The Bible shows in many passages that our lives MUST be wholly given over to Jesus, no exceptions permitted.

In my next post, I'll deal with the matter of election and people's attitudes toward this thorny issue.