God Means What He Says
Sometimes in my life, I forget how serious God is – how true the words in the Bible are. In this day and age of instant gratification and feel good messages, it’s easy to start to think of God as a warm and fuzzy persona. The unconditional love He has for us is talked on more than the firmness of the proclamations He’s made.
In Hebrews, we are told that God means what He says. In two ways. That once we are His, we are His forever. That we are to “…hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Heb. 10:23 NIV) We can come before him and know that because of Jesus, we are shown as white as snow.
But the flip side of this is the last part of these verses. For those who hear the Word and turn away from it, who refuse to accept Jesus’ offer of salvation, “…no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” (Heb 10:26-27 NIV) That’s pretty heavy stuff. How often do we hear this in the same paragraph as a loving God?
“But,” we may think, “not really. I mean, surely when they die God tells them it’s ok, no worries. They might be really nice people. He won’t send anyone to eternal hell.”
Sisters, nice isn’t the condition for salvation. It’s fully, totally, unconditionally accepting that we are broken and sinful by nature, and the only way that we can come before God is through Jesus. Jesus makes this very simple: there are no hoops to jump through, no lists, no good works to get to a certain level of holy. Nothing. There is nothing on earth we can do to ensure eternal salvation short of having Jesus as your Savior.
This verse is uncomfortable. It’s not pretty. But it’s the truth. God means what He says. When you’re His, you’re His forever. Period. And if you hear and reject what He’s offered, there is no other option. No second chance at those pearly gates.
As we start this New Year, let’s look into our hearts and make sure we are fully comprehending our salvation, that we have truly given our lives to our Father and not simply been working on getting to heaven because we are nice people.
Good works should come from our thankfulness for salvation and love for Jesus, not as a way to get around what He did for us.
How long did I live my life thinking "If there really is a God and He sees I'm doing the best I can and trying to be a good person, shouldn't that be enough? I'm nice, and I'm even a better person than some of those people who call themselves Christians...shouldn't this 'God of love' reward me for that?"
UGH! How many wasted years! I could have been in deep and meaningful relationship with Christ but instead was trying to convince myself that I was good enough!
Oh, Lins! Couldn't be further from the truth! Never, can anyone 'be good enough' to get into heaven. Except Jesus Christ. He is the only spotless Lamb there ever was and ever will be. There is no way we can earn Salvation. We can't earn God's love either. He loves us. Period. No matter what. We can throw fits, walk away, spit in His face even, but His love for us will never cease. Sure, there will be repercussions for our sin, but losing His love will never be one of them.
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| Sigh...nothing beats twinkle lights, chai and the Bible... |
That was a hard concept for me to grasp. I am a people-pleaser and perfectionist to the max and I struggled to understand that nothing I do will ever be good enough to earn His love or my salvation. All I need to do is simply accept His love, His sacrifice, His gifts of grace and mercy. To love Him in return.
And for that, an eternity in His presence.
Wow. I'm in.
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