An Uncomfortable Truth

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter God's kingdom. The only people who will enter are those who do what my Father in heaven wants.

So, how do you know whether you have the gift of eternal life or not? What is it that you can look at, as evidence of your salvation?

There are many people wandering around this planet, imagining vaguely that somehow, when they die, they’re “going to heaven” whatever that is and whatever it looks like. Their basis for coming to that conclusion, is that they believe in Jesus, well, kind of.

But let me tell you what Jesus had to say about that. Hold onto your hat and listen closely. These are His words, not mine:

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter God’s kingdom. The only people who will enter are those who do what my Father in heaven wants.

Now, hang on a minute. I thought it was all about grace and faith. I thought that I didn’t have to work my way into heaven, but that all I had to do was believe in Jesus. Isn’t that what the Bible says elsewhere? So how can Jesus say that my entry into heaven is conditional on my obedience?

Well, here’s why. It’s not that He means for us to work our way into heaven – no. God’s forgiveness is a free gift. It’s an act of grace purchased by the death of His Son at the Cross.

What He’s saying here, is that when we accept Him into our hearts, our lives are supposed to be different. Our lives should bear fruit through our obedience to what He says. And if they don’t, then something’s drastically wrong.

The bottom line is this: the evidence of your faith, is in what you do. Obedience demonstrates the authenticity of your faith. Disobedience demonstrates that you never really believed in the first place. I know it’s tough, but …

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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