In this season, many Christians all over the world remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus died because of our offenses and rose again because of our justification (Romans 4:25). Therefore, we should always be very grateful to God for our salvation and never take it lightly. For if we neglect so great a salvation, we shall not escape the wrath of God (Hebrews 2:3).
I believe there are two main things concerning this salvation that was secured for us by the precious blood of Jesus. First and most importantly is that we shall forever live with God. Secondly, we shall not go to hell. Now, I must confess that very often, it is the lesser – not going to hell – that makes me grateful to God for the death and resurrection of Jesus. You see, the thought of burning in hell fire forever scares me. I have heard and read accounts of people God has supernaturally showed what hell is really like. My friend, those stories are not anywhere near ‘funny’.
Now, some people say that once a person is saved, it is impossible for them to fall away from the Lord and wind up in hell. I used to believe that doctrine. However, the Scriptures never say any such falsehood. On the contrary, Jesus spoke of people who prophesied, cast out devils and did signs and wonders in His name (meaning they were Christians) who He commanded to depart from Him and not to enter the kingdom of God because they were workers or practitioners of iniquity. Paul, in agreement with the Lord because he could not do otherwise against the truth, warned Christians that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. In fact, he commanded them not to be deceived otherwise (1 Corinthians 6:9).
I am absolutely convinced that the current and prevalent false hyper-grace teaching was engineered from the pit of hell for just one reason – to get believers there, into hell fire. You see, it is not easy for Satan to get a Christian to renounce Jesus verbally. Therefore, what Satan does is to deceive us that we can sin as much as we want and all is well because “no one, even yourself, can snatch you out of Jesus’ hand”. However, Satan never quotes verses such as:
“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. (Ephesians 5:5-7)
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
In the event that someone sees those verses, the devil will help that person to twist them by twisting the Greek in which they were written originally.
My fellow believers, during this season, let us appreciate what our salvation cost Jesus; we were redeemed by His precious blood. Since life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11), it means it cost our Saviour His life in order to secure our salvation. “. . . if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries (Hebrews 10:26-27).
Terrible eternal punishment awaits the Christian who willfully practices unrighteousness because by so doing, s/he will have trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29). You and I must not be that person.
I hope you will always mean it when you say, “Father, thank you for the blood of your Son Jesus that was shed for me”.
God bless you.