For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you; it is Gods approach present, not of works, lest anyone should be boasting
Paul to the Ephesians 2: 8-9, Concordant New Testament
If you've spent any time in the confines of any Christian church you've indeed heard the qualifications which are required of us in order to punch that ticket into heaven. In my time spent in the church, I was told that I needed to accept Christ Jesus and believe in order to get into heaven. But then they raised that bar of expectations on me, telling me that it was my still existent sin which could still prevent me from seeing Gods heaven. So, what is the standard? A life void of sin? Accepting the Lord Jesus? Someone please tell me so that I can be assured that I'm on the right path. I have a gym friend who is constantly reminding me of the qualifications required for those believers desiring to get into heaven. That qualification is that one accepts Jesus into their hearts. I get it. The apostle Paul attests to this in his letter to the Romans {Paul to the Romans 10:9}. But what about those who for one reason or another have never heard or been made aware of Jesus? I'll get to that scenario in a bit. But first allow me to address the mainstream church free gift of conditional salvation. That's right, although the Father has graced us with His free gift of salvation, those within the church continue to confess that we must "Accomplish something" in order to make our salvation possible. That something is our acceptance of Christ Jesus. Now, in this the church goes strictly by scripture. For Paul himself has spoken that we must believe. However, Paul also speaks to the truth that it is by the grace of the Father by which we have been saved {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}. So, which is it? Do we accept Jesus and by doing so stake our claim to the Lords salvation? Or, do we trust in the grace and truth of the Father and accept that through Christ Jesus it has already been provided for? I choose to trust in the Lord.
In the film Come Sunday, the reverend Carlton Pearson causes quite a stir within his congregation by proclaiming that there is no hell. That the free gift given unto us by the Father has negated the need for eternal punishment. As a result of his radical teachings, the reverend Pearson was removed from his position in the church. It seems that the church leadership couldn't stomach the blasphemy of trusting in the free gift of God. Carlton Pearson was driven to his own revelation of the Father from watching a commercial on television which depicted starving people in a far away impoverished land. Would God really condemn to hell these of His children whom may have never even heard of Christ Jesus? Would God condemn any of His children to hell? Is there even a hell? Far from being a theological question, this is more along the lines of believing what the Father has already revealed to us through the scriptures. That His salvation is not something that we earn, but something He Himself has given unto us. Of course, it is through Christ Jesus that we will come to the Father, for He is the "Way and the Truth and the Life" {Johns Account 14:6}. Nobody shall ever come to the Father except through Jesus. That being said, we must also understand that it is the Father Who has graced us with the gift of His salvation. The church has not done this, it could never have achieved it. What we have is forgiveness given unto us by the grace of God through Christ Jesus. Through Christ Jesus, we have access to the Father {Johns Account 6:44}. Contrary to the teachings of those within the church, there is NOTHING which we can do that will ever guarantee us entrance into the Lords presence. However, when He reveals the truth of our life in Him, we will understand that we already have a place there {Johns Account 14:20}.
No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing him. And I shall be raising him in the last day
Johns Account 6: 44, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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