A FREE GIFT!
Very rarely is anything in life for free, if it is, then you will always discover that there is a catch attached to it. In Christianity, salvation is a gift and it is free and that’s why it is called the Gospel – the Good News of Jesus Christ!
There is not a thing you need to do to be saved and inherit everlasting life except believe in the One who purchased it for you with His blood. The minute you believe in Jesus Christ you immediately come into right standing with the Father (righteousness), and I believe it becomes your eternal position. I believe once saved always saved unless you personally reject your salvation, otherwise there is not a thing you can do to lose it, just like there was nothing you did to receive it except believe – it is a gift!
Ephesians 2: 8-9 (KJV)
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Christianity is the only religion that puts its faith, trust and dependence in a ‘who’ and the only ‘who’, i.e. Jesus Christ, who was resurrected from death to life and makes the hearts of those who choose Him, His home. This is in direct contrast with putting faith and trust in a bunch of carved images, a philosophy, or bending to a list of rules, regulations and rituals which place demands on you to perform and to appease the god you are worshipping.
Every religion outside of Christianity demands a lifestyle of perfection in your thinking and your ways. It does not matter whether it is Hinduism, Catholicism, Buddhism or any of the other ‘isms’, as well as Islam, salvation does not come free. With all the ‘isms’, salvation comes with a price and that price depends on your ability, efforts and striving to be able to live up to the teachings outlined in these religions. In other words, it is all about you – making you a self-focused, self-centered, inward-focused human being – in other words your salvation depends on you! All the ‘isms’ are works and behavior orientated. Although Buddhism is not a belief in a personal God, but rather more a way of life or a moral philosophy, the Buddhist’s goal is to reach the state of nirvana (state of nothingness) which still makes it a religion based upon works. The problem with the ‘isms’ is that one will live their entire life never knowing whether they have done enough to earn and secure their salvation until the day they die. They will live day in and day out with an uncertainty as to where they are going or what their existence will be like when they pass from this life to the next, and therefore this person lives their life with the spirit of fear hanging over their heads.
There were times prior to my being saved when I would wake up suddenly at 2am in the morning. It was always a time when my mind would wander and think about many things including death – I would dwell on frightening and very paralyzing thoughts of how I would die and where I would go when I die. Even though, I did not believe in anything prior to salvation, the spirit of fear would be all over me and I would feel a ‘cold sweat’ on my skin. I can tell you in all honesty that since I became a child of God, I have never again feared death or what would happen to me when I die. God delivered me of the spirit of fear. How do I know this? Because God’s Word tells me so and His Word is truth! I praise God because I know where I’m going and my salvation is secure in Jesus. There is no fear for the child of God.
Romans 8: 15 (KJV)
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba (Daddy), Father.”
2 Timothy 1: 7 (AMP)
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but (He has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”
When you look at the major religions of the world outside of Christianity, you will notice that Jesus is completely omitted from its pages and if you do find that He has been mentioned, is He the same Jesus of the bible? He may merely be recognized as a ‘good teacher, a good man or a prophet’, but He is not recognized as Lord and Savior, as God and the author of salvation. It amazes me that Jesus the Christ (the anointed one) has been so conveniently left out of all these religions, the only One who can guarantee an everlasting life where there is no death, destruction, poverty and sickness. The only One who is a reliable authority on life after death as well as an authority on spiritual matters. Jesus is the only One who guarantees an everlasting life of freedom, peace, joy and love which begins right here on earth the minute you make a decision for Christ. Has Jesus been conveniently left out because the spirit and author behind all religions outside of Christianity is the same spirit and author who hates Jesus and hates humanity and desires to see humanity live an everlasting life in torment and suffering forever separated from the very God who created them out of a heart of love? Is it possible that this spirit and author of hate has concocted religions that are designed to keep you out of an eternity with God (heaven)? It seems obvious to me that he, this spirit and author (satan), has craftily designed religions over the centuries which temporarily give one illusions of peace, calmness and freedom, but are exactly just that – illusions that are temporary and false only to last the time frame of the ‘blink of an eye’ on this earth knowing that the minute your last breath escapes you, your eternal destiny is in a place you would never desire even your worst enemy to dwell.
Both Buddha and Mohammad admitted to a life of sinfulness, neither Buddha or Mohammad performed any miracles and both of their bodies are in their tombs still to this day and yet Jesus lived a perfect sinless life, performed countless miracles and His grave is empty!
It is fascinating to me that among Western civilization, so many of these religions are becoming more popular and ‘hip’ especially among the wealthy. Their hope lies in a future existence where they may live happier and wealthier lives, and yet in the East, where I have done some mission trips (Sri Lanka and India), the very place where these doctrines originate, you will find most people living under a heavy weight of hopelessness with no joy or pleasure, living in extreme poverty and filth, bound by fear to a religion that has kept these cultures in bondage to the spirit of darkness for centuries. On the surface these religions appear innocent, but the closer one looks, the darker they become.
(Satan comes as an angel of light – 2 Corinthians 11: 14)
The bottom line is, is that it does not matter whether you are putting your faith and trust in your power and wealth or you are looking for that alternate route heavenward, hoping that you will be able to purchase that piece of real estate in heaven through your self-effort and works or you are bound by fear to a religion of darkness – none of these will save you and none of these will give you the destiny you are hoping for. Every person outside of Christ will stand before God on the day of judgement and they will come up short on that day because all they will have is to boast in themselves and their works of self-salvation, instead of the One who purchased salvation for us. Salvation is not based on your works – it is by His grace (un-merited, un-earned and un-deserved favor) alone that you are saved through faith in Jesus. Jesus did all that was required for you on your behalf so that you can have everlasting life in Him and that is why, He is the way and the ONLY way.
For those of us who are in Christ, we need not worry about any GPS (Global positioning system) as we may be in this world, but we are not of this world (John 17: 14); we are free agents fully centered and eternally positioned in our God. We are seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2: 6). We cannot boast in our wisdom, our power or our riches, after all, all these things come from God and He is the source of our wisdom, power and wealth on this earth. We will never be able to boast in our good works because we have none that can ever match the perfection of Christ’s work. When we boast, we can only boast in our King and His redemptive work, we boast in His goodness and His unfailing love for us. Without knowing God and having His blessing upon our lives, wisdom, power and riches will not satisfy, but will only bring weariness and disappointment.
Today is the day of salvation.
Titus 2: 11 (KJV)
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.”
Hebrews 5: 9 (AMP)
“And, (His completed experience) making Him perfectly (equipped), He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him.”
Hebrews 2:3 (AMP)
“How shall we escape (appropriate retribution) if we neglect and refuse to pay attention to such a great salvation (as is now offered to us, letting it drift past us forever)? For it was declared at first by the Lord (Himself), and it was confirmed to us and proved to be real and genuine by those who personally heard (Him speak).
Read on: KNOWING GOD
