John 5:24 - "I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life."
Jesus' promise of eternal life to those who believe in God who sent Him, is nothing short of remarkable. This is really all it takes to have eternal life in God's Heavenly Kingdom. No good works will save us, although our faith and belief in our new found redemption should produce good works (James 2:17-18). It is sometimes hard to imagine the hornet's nest that this new teaching stirred up when Jesus presented it (understatement of the year).
Some might say that it takes more than just believing. You have to confess and repent of your sins as well. Well of course you do. The belief in what Jesus teaches us should lead to our confession. The thief that died on the cross is a good example. While one of the thieves was taunting Jesus, the other one believed. He said that they deserved to die for their crimes (confession), but that Jesus was innocent, and he asked for Jesus' forgiveness by asking Him to remember him when He entered into His Kingdom. Because of this belief, which lead to his confession, Jesus promised him that he would be in paradise with Him (Luke 23:39-43). Where were his good works?
Many in that day, and still today to a very large degree, believe that it's important to show everyone how righteous you are. A great example of this was the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18. The Pharisee went through his laundry list of how "good" he was, while the Tax Collector knew he wasn't even worthy to lift his eyes to Heaven to pray (Luke 18:9-14). How many people do we hear that try to go over their list of how good they are or have been? I often say that there are going to be a lot of "good" people in Hell.
When we share our faith with others, we have a responsibility to make sure we are sharing it accurately. God doesn't want people brought into the Kingdom under false pretenses anymore than we should be doing it that way. If we are being disingenuous with others, how can we expect them to come to trust the Lord if they think that we are being blessed for doing it wrong. God won't bless us for doing it wrong. The Gospel message (promise) of Jesus Christ doesn't need our editing skills.
All we need to do is share the remarkable promise that Jesus Christ gave us, and live our lives like we believe it. It's not nearly as hard as it may seem.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for redeeming and saving us through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for showing us all the only way to eternal life in Your Kingdom. I pray that I will share Your message of salvation accurately and without any additional editing on my part. I know that Your Gospel contains the power of salvation to those who believe, and I pray that I will be blessed to share it with whomever You put in my path. I pray for those that aren't being honest in their sharing. My prayer is that Your Holy Spirit will convict them of the error of their ways, so that they can confess, repent, and do it right. I pray that we are all found to be doing it right when it comes time to go before You in judgment. In the precious name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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