by David Scott Robertson
The man appeared to be a model Christian.
He didn't smoke, didn't drink alcohol, not even an occasional glass of wine. He didn't watch dirty movies, and wouldn't even allow a PG-13 movie in his house. He didn't read trashy novels, didn't subscribe to questionable magazines, avoided scanning the sexy headlines on the tabloids at Wal-Mart, and even had a filter on his computer to safely surf the Internet.
The man appeared to be a model Christian.
He didn't gossip about his co-workers and was a faithful, dependable employee at the same company for 32 years. He was a good husband and provider, a decent father that went to all his son's ballgames, gave blood regularly, and was a volunteer fireman.
The man appeared to be a model Christian.
He attended church each Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night, and even had earned a Sunday School perfect attendance pin two years in a row. He drove the teens to youth camp in the church van, and took his turn on the rotating schedule of mowing the church grass.
The man appeared to be a model Christian.
He was clean cut, voted in every election, sent flowers to his mom on Mother's Day, was faithful to his marriage vows, and on the surface you would think that this man had it all together.
The man appeared to be a model Christian.
The only problem with this man is that if he were to die right now he would go straight to hell.
What's up with that? The sad reality is that this man, for all the good he does, is not born again.
Jesus frankly declared the startling truth of salvation to all when He said in John 3:3: "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
This mostly good man I'm describing in this thought (who probably lives in your neighborhood and possibly attends your church) has never truly been regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Oh sure, he knows about the gospel, but he's never embraced Christ as Lord. He knows how to "do church" and he speaks fluent "Christian-ese" but he never quite bought into the whole "lordship-of-Christ" thing. To the average church-goer he looks obedient enough but, Lord knows, there's something missing.
Here's the deal: His wife doesn't see it, his pastor doesn't see it, his Sunday School teacher doesn't see it, his boss and friends don't see it, but God sees it.
Truth is, in his heart of hearts, this man questions the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The most influential people in his life are not his spiritual leaders but his fishing and golfing buddies who continually tempt him to compromise his integrity. He wonders if all of God's Word is infallible and struggles over some of the apparent contradictions. He is not pro-life and believes that every woman has a choice concerning the fate of the fetus inside her. He has given money to the church over the years but has never been a tither. He is critical of his pastor, but never publicly. He suffered a verbal wound from a co-worker years ago that has grown into a root of bitterness.
Questioning some of the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith is not, in and of itself, enough to disqualify you from heaven and consign you to hell. Who among us has perfect understanding of the Scriptures? The real question is not semantics but "what are you going to do with Jesus?"
In light of that question, this "mostly good man," appears on the outside to be a model Christian, but on the inside, he is not saved.
I'm concerned that this man is representative of multitudes in the church of Jesus Christ today. They go through the motions of religious activity to soothe their "religious conscience" but they don't have an authentic relationship with the Son of God. One preacher I heard called pretenders like these "tippin', dippin', and sippin' saints," if you know what I mean.
Religion never saved anyone. Jesus spoke out boldly against men like this and it cost Him His life.
Good works are good but not good enough to get to heaven. Noted Evangelist David Ring preached one time that "if you miss heaven it will be by eighteen inches. That's the distance between your head and your heart."
Knowing about God is not enough. Believing there is a God is not enough (demons do that). Going to church is good but it is an insufficient substitute for knowing God intimately, experiencing God ultimately, and dwelling with God eternally.
Jesus plainly indicated that He alone was the pathway to eternal life: "…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
Luke wrote in Acts that "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12)
We can fool some of the people some of the time, but we can never fool God anytime.
My encouragement to you today is to pursue your love relationship with Jesus with your whole heart and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and then everything else in your spiritual life will fall into place (Matthew 6:33).
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
DSR
6/26/05