You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. (Mat 7:13)
How do you know which is the right religion for you? There are a number of very large religions in the world. These represent hundreds of millions of people and most of them promote some very good virtues Why so many and which one is right?
There's little doubt that people have a built in curiosity about the super natural. One look into the heavens on a clear starry night causes there to be an incredible wonderment regarding not only its vastness but how it all got there. To believe in God is common, to be atheistic is not! The vast majority of people regardless of nationality or culture believe in a god greater than themselves, a god to be worshipped and served!
Some well meaning people have suggested that the various religions of the world merely represent different paths to the same god. Humanly speaking this seems to make a lot of sense while at the same time diminishing walls of religious differences and hatred.
There is one major difference between genuine Christianity and the other religions of the world and that has to do with justification. How people come into a right relationship with God is the biggest issue in life. To miss it here is to miss it all together! To get it right here determines our eternal life.
Every religion expect that taught and proclaimed by the Lord Jesus Christ makes heavy demands on people. They all have their strict rules and rituals. All the morally best demands still are void of the power to accomplish them. This is why anything short of being "Born Again" by the power of God's Holy Spirit falls short of God's requirements. Col 2:21-23 - "Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!"? 22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. 23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desires.
All the demands in the world, as well intended as they may be do give people the power to do them with a human heart (spirit) that is acceptable to God. Here's a statement made by Jesus that requires our thoughtful attention. Mat 5:20 - "But I warn you-unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! These Pharisees were strictly religious and purposed to live according to all the Jewish laws and statutes of the original covenant. What was Jesus alluding to here?
What must change in order to be acceptable to God is the spiritual engine that drives our human life. When Adam, the federal head of the human race, rebelled against God through his chosen disobedience, he experienced a spiritual death, a separation from God in his human spirit. He was clearly told by the LORD that the day he sinned would be the day he died. History reveals and present world population proves that Adam did not physically die the day he chose to sin. The death he experienced that horrific and tragic day took place in the depths of his human spirit, in the core of his personal relationship with God, in his heart. All the demands in the world are powerless to resurrect the human spirit. This requires the life breath of Almighty God.
God gave the Israelites His great moral code known as the Ten Commandments and regardless of what name tag one would choose to put on them, if fully obeyed by the peoples of the earth would manifest God's Kingdom on earth. These moral laws are of God who made people in the first place. He knows what is required for all of us to live together on this planet in harmony as one happy family.
It's important for you to understand why God gave the Ten Commandments. If He knew people were powerless to live up to such a high standard then why give it? God knows the limitation of the human heart but people don't. He gave the Law so that we could see our need of being saved and changed .Gal 3:24 - Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (NASB) The Law's divine and holy purpose is to show us that people lack the spiritual power to please God. People need an engine swap! They need to be "born of God". They need "new life". This is the heart of true Christianity. This is what's at the heart of Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. It's all about God doing for people what they cannot do for themselves.
It's not without significance that it was Nicodemus, a strict religious Jew and a teacher of the Law, who first heard these words, "You must be born again". Are you born again? Have you had the "power plant" in the engine room of your life changed? Have you received, from God, the spiritual capability of pleasing Him? There's no eternal life without being "Born Again"!
What every person receives when birthed in the human race is a human spirit that is dead to God and incapable of pleasing Him. For there to be eternal life in the presence of God this situation must be changed. You must be born again! You must receive a completely new spiritual engine in your life. John 3:6,7 - "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again'
There's not another religion in the world that offers you what only God gives through the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many ways to heaven. John 14:6 - Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. Jesus purchased the right to give "new life" when He voluntarily took upon Himself the sins of the world. He paid in full the price to redeem us from the penalty of sin. He did then when He offered Himself up to the Father in physical. That offering being fully accepted resulted in the Father raising Jesus up from the grave. He now lives to give "new life" to all who repent of their sins and fully embrace Him as their personal Lord and Savior. Have you done this? Are you saved from your sins yet? You can be! It can happen for you right now! Right where you are!
Isn't it enough just to believe in God? James 2:19 - You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. Clearly believing in God isn't enough. The devils believe that that's helping them and it wont help you either. The various religions of the world have the same thing in common with the demons of Hell. They believe in God but they don't have the "new life" that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus died for you! He took upon Himself your sins. He died in your place! He took God's judgment upon Himself for your sins. What religion has done this for you? None! Wont you come to God His way. Wont you accept His love for through Christ? Wont you let Him give you new life? Let Jesus do an engine swap in you right now. You need God's spiritual power birthed in you. Jesus will do this for you as you turn to Him right now. Don't hesitate! Reach out to Him right now in repentance of your sins and receive forgiveness and new life. He wants you! He welcomes you right now. He's waiting, arms outstretched to receive you. He died for you now let Him give you new life.
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Are you conscious that God has been speaking to you? If you would like to respond to God's love for but you still feel need for a bit more help taking the first steps to Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, then I want to encourage you to click here where you'll find a few simple, clear instructions to help you in your decision.
This is such a serious decision you are making that I don't want to leave you until I know I have encouraged you not to put it off. If you feel God has been speaking to your heart then you need to respond now. You need to go to God right where you are. They will not be a better place or a better time. Don't put God off when He calls, respond now and you'll be glad you did. He wants you to come. He's waiting for you to come. Don't however be deceived to think He'll wait forever. He wont! You need to take your first steps towards a personal intimate relationship with the Lord right now. May God help you to make the right choice!
If I can be of any personal help to you then please don't hesitate to E-mail me at
newliferealities@hotmail.com
