Free will. God created us with free will. He could have made a bunch of robots who just walked around doing His bidding, but He created humans in HIS IMAGE. And He gave us FREE WILL. Now, had He just said, “Do what you please!” We’d be living in eternal paradise. But, no, He gave Adam and Eve one rule, one commandment…
15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
Genesis 2:15-17 NLT
Then Satan came in the form of the serpent who connived and coaxed Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. She then coaxed Adam into breaking God’s one rule. They blew it. Moreover, they blew it for the rest of humankind!
Fast forward a bit and you have God angry and disgusted with everybody…
5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.
11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!”
Genesis 6:5-8, 11-13 NLT
So, the flood wipes out everyone but Noah, his wife, his 3 sons and their wives — 8 people. And their descendants — us — still can’t get it right. Even after giving us the 10 Commandments, we still can’t obey 10 simple rules.
The Flesh is Weak
That’s the problem with us. We are tempted, we sin. God hates sin. As long as we are sinning, we cannot go to heaven! Sinners aren’t allowed up there! Jesus told us…
8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Revelation 21:8 NLT
That, my friends, is hell and you don’t want to go there. Oh, by the way, there is no such thing as purgatory. That is a made up scheme of the Catholic Church to extort money from unknowing parishioners.
How to Avoid Hell and Reserve Your Place in Heaven
There is only one way to Heaven and that is THROUGH JESUS.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16-17 NLT
On your own, you are not good enough to get into heaven — no matter how many sacraments and good works you do on earth! Without the salvation of Jesus, our sinful nature — our flesh — will get us sent to hell. And, God doesn’t want that! He wants everyone to be saved. He wants to fill up heaven!
Once you accept that fact, you must repent of your sins — STOP SINNING! Then get baptized where you show to yourself and others that you are dying to your old sinful self and rising to a new life with Christ. You then receive the Holy Spirit, which gives eternal life and sanctifies you.
The Offensive Truth
This is a quote from a study in the YouVersion free Bible app from Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
People are often offended by Christ. And one of the particular offenses is the teaching that the Spirit of God gives life and that the flesh counts for nothing. But the truth is that flesh cannot give a person life. The flesh can neither profit nor count for a person. We are totally incapable of helping or saving ourselves. People do not like to accept or think about the zero value of the flesh. They do everything they can to preserve its youth, attractiveness, and stamina. But before too long, the flesh proves unprofitable; it ages, deteriorates, and surrenders to the process of decay. Eventually, every person dies; the flesh surrenders to its own failure.
Such a thought—despite its truthfulness—offends people. They love the world and the flesh, its pleasures and feelings. But the truth of the matter is, only the Spirit can give us abundant and eternal life. How do we receive this life? By receiving the Word of Christ. The words that Christ spoke are spirit and life. When a person receives the words of Christ into their hearts and lives, they begin to live. What sounds better to you? Living according to the flesh that ultimately deteriorates and dies—or living according to the Spirit, which ultimately leads to abundant and eternal life in Christ.
From https://lmw.org/ via the YouVersion free Bible app
Are You a Halfway Christian?
Are you walking around with a false sense of salvation? If you’re not absolutely sure that when you die, you’ll be instantly with Jesus in heaven, then you’re heading to hell. There’s no other choice. But, the choice is yours.
Jesus is Coming Back Soon for His Believers!
He told us…
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
John 14:1-4 NLT
And you know where HE is! He’s in heaven seated at the right hand of the Father! He’s waiting for the right moment when God the Father says, that’s it! Go get them. Then the Rapture will happen when He comes and calls up all His true, born-again believers. No halfway Christians here. No Mary-worshiping Catholics either.
You Don’t Want to Be Left Behind!
Those who are left behind at the rapture will have a second chance to be born again, but they’ll have to live through the Great Tribulation and, friends, that will not be pleasant!
It’s Your Choice!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
