Christianity at a Great Bargain

The way the economy is today, people are always looking for the best bargain.  We look for discounts, sales, freebees, and products at the best value.  We look for deals on clothes, groceries, furniture, and just about everything else.  It isn’t surprising then for people to look for Christianity at a bargain as well.

What do we mean by “bargain Christianity”?  Think of it this way, every denomination claims to be able to show how to get to heaven, but nearly every one of them has a different way to get there.  As a result, many people end up settling for the brand of Christianity that requires the least amount of effort to get to heaven and seems to fits them the best.

Let’s say there are two form of Christianity we are considering.  One follows Scripture very closely and puts incredible effort into following every command found in the New Testament.  People following this form will strive their entire lives to sin less, to be closer with God, and could even miss the heavenly reward if not followed.  The other form simply asks that we have faith in Jesus and make him our personal savior, thereby saving us and making it impossible to ever fall away from grace, no matter what we do.  People following this form can literally never be lost in sin ever again, no matter how bad or sinful the rest of their lives are.  If both of these brands of Christianity were going to get you to heaven, which would you choose?  Obviously we would choose the second option because it’s much easier and seems to be a better bargain.  The problem is, this doesn’t fit with the Christianity in Scripture (Galatians 5:4; Revelation 2:10; Matthew 7:21-23; etc).

Even though denominations seem like a steal, they are actually gimmicks and knockoffs of true Christianity.  Scripture has always made it clear that there is a very specific and limited way to reach heaven.  Jesus said in the singular tense, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).  To make it even clearer, Jesus talked about one, and only one, road that leads to life, and the other road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).  The inspired apostle Paul reinforced this idea by saying, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

In reality, there is no such thing as “bargain Christianity.”  According to Scripture, either we are a part of the one and only church found in Scripture (Acts 2), or we are being deceived by Satan and those who are “disguised as servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15; 4:3-4; Matthew 7:21-23).  The only way to know the truth is to follow the Bible’s commands.

The Christianity God offers to all people could not come at any better price as it is!  There is only one true form of Christianity; all other brands are gimmicks and knockoffs.  Thankfully, Scripture gives very specific guidelines for salvation, worship, and the organization of the church to make true Christianity easier to identify.

Are you part of the one church found in Scripture?  Would you like to know more about the Christianity found in the Bible?  Do you have questions?  If so, please let us know so we can study and find the truth together.

The Wide and Narrow Roads

 

This particular subject has been on my mind frequently as of late.  This is partly due to a conversation I’ve been having with a friend, and partly due to the great lesson delivered this past Sunday night.  Notice the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Certainly there is much that could be said about these 2 verses, but I want to emphasize the phrases “there are many who enter through it [gate of destruction],” and “there are few who find it [gate of life].”

According to many sources, 2.2 billion people (about 1/3 of the population) are “Christians.”  All sects of Christianity believe that a person needs to “believe in Jesus” to be saved (at least in part), but many denominations claim that this is all that is needed for salvation.  Several of these same denominations believe that a person cannot be lost once they have been saved, no matter what they do from then on.

Matthew 7:13-14 is a very clear indicator that these denominations are mistaken.  Think about it.  If all a person needs to do to be saved is to “believe in Jesus,” then potentially 2.2 billion people are saved and will go to heaven.  This means 2.2 billion will enter heaven every 60-80 years (the span of a generation).  Certainly these numbers have been this way for hundreds of years and will probably continue until the end of time.  But does this fit Jesus words, “there are few who find it”?  Not at all.

We simply cannot follow the popular mold of the denominations to find salvation.  Let’s look to the Bible for the answer.  Scripture says that one is saved by…

1. Hearing the gospel of Christ (John 6:45; James 1:18, 21).
2. Believing that Jesus is God’s Son (Romans 10:17; John 8:24).
3. Repenting of past sins (Luke 13:3; 2 Peter 3:9).
4. Confessing that Jesus is the Lord (Romans 10:9-10).
5. Being baptized for the purpose of having sins forgiven at that very moment (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 6:3-4).
6. Remaining faithful until death (Revelation 2:10) – because one can fall away from God and lose salvation (Galatians 5:4; 2 Peter 2:20-21; Hebrews 3:12; 8:4-8).

Something to keep in mind is that all verses of Scripture must fit together.  We cannot take one verse that says we are saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8) and ignore the many others that say salvation comes through repentance (Luke 13:3), confession (Romans 10:9-10), and baptism (1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6:3-4).  All have to fit together!  In fact, many Scriptures list several at the same time (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 8:12-13; 18:8).  Every single item mentioned in the list above plays a part in obtaining and keeping salvation.  Baptism is the final act, after the others have been done, to bring a person from a lost condition to a saved condition (Acts 2:37-41). 

Does your congregation or denomination teach and follow these things?  If not, then the words of Jesus indicate that you are traveling down the wrong path with the “many” (Matthew 7:13).  We must make sure we are on the right path (Matthew 7:14).  Heaven is just too good to miss, and hell is too terrible to attend.  They only way make sure we are on the right path is to follow all the turns on God’s road map, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3).