Articles
Some Questions For You
With all the turmoil going on in our society, many people are asking questions about how we got to where we are, or what we can do to change things. A lot of important, relevant questions are being asked, but I believe the questions being asked are missing the point of the real problem with our society, and if the wrong questions are being asked, it is highly unlikely we will be getting the answers we need.
Quite often, the questions I hear are along the lines of "What are you going to do about it?" or, "What is [some government official or agency] going to do about it?" The questions all seem to be pointing the finger at others as the solution for the perceived problems, and seldom do I hear someone asking, "What can/should I do?" Maybe that in itself is the cause of our problems. If we were to take a better and more honest look at self, maybe we would see that our 'problems' are sometimes of our creation; but maybe we would also see that most of the 'problems' we have in this country have to do more with our lack of spiritual focus.
I would challenge anyone reading this to name a problem in our current society that doesn't exist because someone is not following the teachings found within God's written word, the Bible. Racism? God's word condemns it (Jas. 2:9). Dishonesty? God's word condemns it (Eph. 4:25; Rev. 21:8). Materialism and greed? It is condemned , too (Luke 12:13-21). Divorce for any reason? God's word condemns that, too (Matt. 19:9). We could go on and on, but the answers are all there in the written word; we just aren't looking in the right place for the answers to our problems. It's not that we don't have the answers; the problem is, society, as a whole, doesn't want the answers God gave.
But let's bring this down to a level more relevant to you, the reader; let's ask some questions for you to answer regarding your spiritual standing before God. These questions — and how you answer — are more important than society's problems, more important than politics and who won the last election, and more important than any questions about your financial future. Here is the first question:
Have you been forgiven of your sins?
It is commonly believed by most people they are 'good' people and, with that thought in mind, that they are saved and going to heaven. The reality, though, is that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Though we may think of ourselves as 'good,' “there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Eccl. 7:20). Declaring ourselves 'good' will not change the fact we are all guilty of sin. That said, why should anyone care?
You should care because “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23), and every man will face “the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’” (Rom. 2:5, 6). The fact is, “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). If you have a sin that has not been forgiven,you will have to answer for it. So, what can you do?
God knew before man was created that all would sin, and conceived a plan by which we could be forgiven, and that plan included the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ for our sins. Peter noted that we were redeemed from our sins “with the precious blood of Christ,” and that was set in place “before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:18, 19). Jesus died on the cross for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3), but that doesn't mean you don't have to do anything.
When the message of God's plan was first preached and some understood what that meant, they asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37); Peter responded, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). When Jesus sent the apostles out into the world to preach this message, He told them, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15, 16). The remission of sins means you are no longer counted guilty by God, and it means you are now saved. This is what defines the grace of God, who offered forgiveness to the guilty; He didn't owe us anything, but did it because He loved us (John 3:16) and because we could not save ourselves.
In the act of baptism, “through faith in the working of God,” you are raised up with Christ and forgiven of your sins (Col. 2:11-13). You have not earned forgiveness, and there is nothing you could do to earn it; you are saved because it is in this act that God promised He would forgive, and He does the work of forgiving when we obey. Those who say this is "works salvation"misunderstand [sometimes purposefully, because it contradicts their beliefs that salvation is entirely God's part, but it is not]; it is simply obedience to God. There is no command of God we may ignore or diminish and expect He will then reward us with eternal life.
And what about once you have done this and have been forgiven of past sins? Is the initial act of obedience enough to ensure the eternal reward promised by God? An important question to ask all Christians is this: Are you faithful to God?
The initial act of obedience is not all there is to it, no more than the wedding ceremony is all there is to a marriage relationship; it is just the beginning! Just as your spouse expects you to be faithful to them all your life, God expects you to be faithful to Him all your life. He takes no pleasure in those who turn back, and one must endure to the end to receive the reward (Heb. 10:36-38). Jesus spoke to the early disciples who were suffering persecutions and trials, and exhorted them, saying, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). We cannot expect an eternal reward for one act of obedience; faithfulness to the end is what is required.
Furthermore, just as sin needed forgiving before that initial act of obedience, it will need forgiving after you obey. [Yes, Christians sin, too.] The difference between a Christian and an unbeliever is not that Christians don't sin, but that they have forgiveness for those sins. John makes it clear when he wrote to the early Christians, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us… If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8, 10). The answer to those sins is not being baptized every time we sin again, but repentance and confession in prayer to God. John also gives us the answer: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Whether a Christian or an unbeliever, you and I are required to keep the commandments of our Lord, and this is not an option. Jesus spoke to those of the first century who heard Him, and said, “if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:47, 48). Believe Him or not, those words will judge us, too.
Now is the time to answer these questions, so the final Judgment will be a cause for joy, and not dread. —— Steven Harper
