184. COULD YOU BE SINCERELY WRONG?

(The Information & Edification Series – Batch 2)

Having sincere intentions, zeal, passion and a genuine love for religion and religiosity, never got a man to heaven yet. You may be sincerely religious or have sincere intentions but sincere intentions do not equate to gaining access to God’s heaven.

You may be serious about pursuing after God and godly things but unless you do what God has prescribed in his Word the Bible, you will not get to God but remain lost. All of your sincerity would have been for nought.

There is one way, one path that God has set for man to trod, in order to be saved and that way is Jesus Christ. This was why Jesus said, “I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE. No man cometh to the Father but by me.”

It is also why the Word of God states in Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

When man rejects God’s way and instead pursues the way that seems right in his own eyes, when he does so zealously and with good intentions, it is sad because God does not ever change the path he has set for man to trod according to his divine purposes, even where a person is sincere and means well. It is possible to be sincere but wrong and it has often been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

This may seem harsh but the fact of the matter is that God, who is far superior to us, does not change his precepts for us. The fact of the matter is that man MUST submit themselves to the way that God has set because only then will they attain to His righteousness, which is perfect.

This is why Acts 4:12 tells us of Jesus,“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we MUST be saved.”

It thereby follows that Mother Lakshmi, Allah and Bhudda cannot save you. Your good works and charity efforts cannot save you. All that you have done purportedly for God, cannot save you and no amount of prayers uttered by another for your soul, especially after you have died, can ever save you.

Mary cannot save you. The Old Testament LAW (including the sabbath) cannot save you, nor will it do you any good, if you decide to come up with your own formula and to mix the Old Testament law with Jesus Christ, who came to usher in a new covenant, by GRACE through FAITH alone.

This is why, though Israel in Romans 10: 1-4 had a zeal when it came to God, it was not according to knowledge, meaning, they were seeking after God according to their own understanding, clinging uselessly to the Old Testament law and practices, while rejecting the path that God had already provided for salvation, in Jesus Christ. Hence, they remained unsaved, lost and destined for eternal damnation.

Prior to his conversion, Paul himself (previously called ‘Saul’), an Israelite and a proponent for the Old Testament law, had thought he was so right but yet was so wrong.

As far as he knew, Jesus, a mere man, had been killed for blasphemy because he purported to be the Son of God, the Messiah and God himself in human form. To his mind, Jesus was therefore dead and gone to a lost eternity for such blasphemy.

Yet, when that same Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, through a light that shined from heaven and with a voice that came from heaven, that experience was so mind-blowingly shocking and humbling, that all of Paul’s pride went running. Trembling in the presence of deity, he realized in that moment, when the voice that spoke from heaven identified himself as Jesus Christ, that despite all of his education, learning, zeal and confidence, that he had gotten it horribly wrong. Had it not been for the Lord’s mercy and grace in appearing to him and to let him know the truth, he realized, that despite his best efforts to get it right, he would have still been lost and destined for hell.

Struck with sudden blindness from the Lord, he realized in that moment, that a person could think that he was pious, righteous and definitely on the right path to heaven but yet be furthering the purposes of the devil. This was shocking to him and extremely humbling. For, all along, he saw himself as a warrior for God and on God’s side and was sure that he was well pleased with him and his conduct. Yet in that moment, he realized, that he was not.

Ironically, all along, when his eyes were physically open, he was spiritually blind and stumbling in the law without even knowing it and now that his eyes were spiritually open and he could see the truth, he was physically blind.

Later on, his physical sight having been restored by the Lord through his servant, in speaking of Israel’s error or spiritual blindness, Paul, this same man who had previously been sincerely wrong and zealously in error but finally saw the light, stated in Romans 10:1-4:

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. FOR CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH.”

In Romans 9:31-32, he stated:

“But Israel, which followed after the LAW of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by FAITH, but as it were by the works of the LAW. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone.”

What then does God prescribe and how does an imperfect human being, laden with sins, gain access to his perfect heaven?

Well, God’s Word makes it clear. To attain to his perfect righteousness, he does not say we must pray to Mary or keep the sabbath or any other aspect of the Old Testament Law or try our best to be good people. He says simply that we must have FAITH in his Son, Jesus Christ, ALONE. Nothing else needs to be added.

This FAITH requires us to do two (2) things: (1) BELIEVE in our hearts that Jesus Christ died but rose up again from the dead on the third day and (2) once we have genuinely believed, humbly CONFESS the truth with our mouth, that this Jesus is truly Lord, meaning Lord over all of creation, Lord over us and Lord over all.

When we BELIEVE on Jesus and put our FAITH and trust in him ALONE, adding nothing else, God extends his GRACE towards us, we are washed from our sins in Jesus’ blood which he shed on the cross when he died for our sins, adopted into God’s royal family, JUSTIFIED by Him (which means made acceptable and righteous according to God’s standard) and a place in heaven reserved for us.

Of this way to God’s righteousness and heaven, which comes only through FAITH, the Word of God clearly states:

“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of FAITH, which we preach;That if thou shalt CONFESS with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt BELIEVE in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED.

For with the heart man BELIEVETH unto righteousness; and with the mouth CONFESSION is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever BELIEVETH on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED.”

“Therefore being JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, we have peace with God THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: By whom also we have access BY FAITH into this GRACE wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God…Much more then, being now JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, we shall be saved from wrath THROUGH HIM.” (Romans 5:1-2)

“Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of GRACE but of DEBT. But to him that worketh not, but BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT JUSTIFIETH the ungodly, his FAITH is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness, without works, Saying, Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin…

For if they which are of the LAW be heirs, FAITH is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is there is no transgression. Therefore it is of FAITH, that it might be BY GRACE…” (Romans 4:4-8, 14-16)

“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.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

(Written on 16th June, 2021, added to thereafter)

Dear Reader, if you found the above Article to be interesting, informative, edifying or beneficial, you may also be interested in the following under the ‘SINGLE Daughters of God’ page:

Note 82 – ‘Trying To Be The Best You Can Is Not Enough – Jesus Is The Answer’
Note 93 – ‘Must I Keep The Law? (Part 1/3)‘
Note 237 – ‘Why Your Good Deeds/Works Are Not Enough To Earn You A Place In Heaven’
Note 239 – ‘Jesus – Who Is He?’
Note 243 – ‘What The Bible Says About Keeping The Law (Part 2/3)‘
Note 244 – ‘Are You Trying To Establish Your Own Righteousness?’
Note 246 – ‘To Those Who Insist On Keeping The Law (Part 3/3)’
Note 248 – ‘A Light Above The Brightness Of The Sun’
Note 302 – ‘God Has Said It – So That Settles It’