a man totally committed to the sufficiency of Christ and the sufficiency of Scripture…

So you made a profession of faith in Christ! You walked down an alter and you said you believed in Him, you said you would submit your life to Him. You started going to church, and recently you purchased your first bible. You may have reset the previously worldly radio stations in your car to the religious stations. You attend a bible study at your church and you fellowship with others who have made the same profession. You watch the religious channels on TV now and you no longer go to the places you use to go. As a matter of fact, you may have let someone in your life go, because you came under conviction, or maybe, perhaps someone told you it was wrong. You also may have cleaned up your speech and started to memorize the Scriptures.

Others may have notice a change in your life, and made certain comments about how you think you’re holy now. You may have even asked others to start living right and come to Jesus so that they can “be blessed”. For the most part, however, everybody can still identify with you because your life is still similar to theirs. Those Scriptures you may have memorized are nothing more than standard church lingo that most know but don’t truly understand. You say you believe in Jesus, but on the inside you trust in an event that happened……a walk you made, a feeling you felt, and sadly you have placed your faith in that event and not the Risen Savior.

Welcome……you just joined the 70% percent of people in America who claimed that they have been saved….

But does this mean you are truly saved? Not necessarily……..If what I’ve said describes you then sadly you could quite possibly join the millions of people who will hear this on judgment day:

“……..I never knew you; depart from me you workers of lawlessness.” Matthew 7:23

You may say, “But Brandon I’m not going to hear that from Jesus, He will tell me ‘Well done’.

My response to you: How do you know? How do you know that Jesus Christ will tell you well done? How do you know that He will welcome you into His rest? How do you know that God’s wrath, the wrath that Paul says we need to be saved from (Romans 5:9), is no longer upon you?

Here’s a better question: Do you even know that God’s wrath is upon you? Do you even consider yourself someone who needs to be saved? The Scriptures paint a very condemning position for sinful men:

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God…….” Romans 5:10

 Have you ever considered the fact that at one point in time (or maybe even as you read this article) you were an enemy of God? Have you ever thought of yourself as an unfriendly opponent, or somebody who hates or is hostile towards God? Most don’t, they cry Peace, Peace, when there is no peace. They have looked at themselves and have determined that they are just fine. They erroneously and dangerously have come to the conclusion that they are a good person and that God must feel the same way about them. But to do this is just a severe form of self deception, because you contradict and deny the Great Physician’s (God) diagnosis that He has laid upon every man that has ever been born. The Bible says:

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Romans 3:10-12

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….” Romans 3:23

According to Scripture the diagnosis is clear: All men are sinful. According to the Law of God the prognosis is devastating: All men deserve death. They deserve the wrath of God to consume them.

You may say, “Ok Brandon, I have committed sin before, but not to the extent that God is angry with me.” Well, the bible says:

“For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all evildoers.” Psalm 5:4-5

“God is a righteous judge, and is angry with the wicked every day.” Psalm 7:11

If you have sinned once, you are guilty of breaking all His commands (James 2:10), and under His wrath for that transgression.

Now you may say, “But Brandon, the bible says that God is love and that He loved the world so much that He gave His Son. And the bible says that God did not send His Son to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.”

Yes you’re right, the bible does say that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son…….however don’t stop reading there. The Scripture continues:

“…….that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

It is those who believe that shall not perish. Now you are correct again in saying that The Messiah’s primary purpose for coming the first time was not to condemn. That is exactly what the text says. But again, please continue reading:

“Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” John 3:18

There’s a reason why the Son of Man wasn’t sent into the world to condemn it, it’s because those who don’t believe in Him are condemned already, by GOD!

You may say, “Well the bible says that grace came through Jesus Christ, so He will return with much grace.”

 Oh really???

“…..the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels…….” 2 Thessalonians 1:7

Many think that Jesus will return as a meek and mild loving Jesus who would never lift a finger against them. They’ve believed a lie; the bible tells us exactly how Christ will return:

“….in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He comes on that day……” 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10

To those who have made a profession of Christ: Do you really know God? Was your life miraculously changed at the point you confessed Jesus as Lord? Have you begun to run away from the sin that once ensnared you and run to the righteousness you once ignored?  Do you long to be with Jesus, in His presence, under His protection, hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)?

Here is a simple question:

Do you obey Christ? Have you obeyed His Gospel? Is He your Lord? Have you submitted to Him in all things? If you can’t answer yes to all of these questions then you should have NO assurance that you are saved! The bible is very clear:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15

“And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.” 1 John 2:3

“Whoever says I know Him but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him….” 1 John 2:4

God makes those who trust in His Christ into obedient (not perfect) servants. If this is not evident in your life you have not been saved……..