There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. - Proverbs 14:12
As I see it, there are 2 main reasons that keep people from Christianity:
Jesus is the only way (John 14:6), and His the only name (Acts 4:12) by which we can be saved. All religions are not alike.
All men are hopelessly separated from God by sin, there are none “good” in His eyes (Romans 3:10-18). Salvation is a gift, not earned (Romans 9:16, Ephesians 2:8,9). People like to think they are good (Provers 20:6).
Christianity truly stands apart from all other religions, because salvation is a gift that cannot be earned. All other religions, including Catholicism, declare that people must earn their salvation by good works.
But today we are at the end of history as we have known it. There is a spiritual “falling away,” and men are “departing from true faith.” People will not accept “sound doctrine,” and listen to teachers that support their lusts; they will turn away from truth, and turn to fables. They will have a “form of godliness” which denies the power - from which believers are to TURN AWAY. II Thessalonians 2:3, I Timothy 4:1, II Timothy 4:3,4 & 3:5
So we see that even among those who claim to be born again, they are not embracing genuine Christianity. Yet every Sunday, churches are full – how can this be?
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23
These verses are serious to consider, but I want to point out 3 things: (1) Jesus said that MANY would be in this condition. (2) These are not “average” believers being described! They would be considered among church leaders. (3) These individuals did not come before Jesus thinking that they could fool Him: no, they were deceived into believing that all was well between them and their judge.
No one wants to be in this position, because it will be too late. And, as I have received mercy, I wish to peel away the layers of deception that my wife and I were also snared with which God somehow, miraculously, freed us from.
Jesus said that, “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name.” - Luke 24:47. Likewise also in Acts 20:21, Paul was testifying, “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” So there are 2 aspects to consider in becoming “born again:”(John 3:3) the first is repentance, the second is the remission of sins.
Repentance: to repent is most often spoken of in regard to sinful behavior. It reflects a genuine sorrow, and regret for what we have done, even in our thoughts. It is followed by a change in behavior to turn away from repeating those evil actions, and sometimes to “make up” with others that we have hurt, as in Luke 19:8&9.
Remission: this reflects the cancellling of a debt, or penalty. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. The shedding of blood is required for remission of sins by God's holy standards. (Hebrews 9:22-28)
And so for our sins we were deserving of God's wrath (John 3:36; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 2:3); “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:23
Salvation then comes when we are truly sorry for our sins; we ask God to forgive us, and we turn away from continuing in sins. We then ask God to save us for Jesus'sake, whose perfect blood sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins – ALL sins, past, present, and future.
Generally, professing Christians know these things. But this knowledge is only intellectual, and is largely not applied meaningfully in the way professing Christians conduct their lives, or in the way they consider things.
Where have we gone wrong? We did not come to this time in history with large numbers of true Christians left (Matthew 7:13,14; Genesis 7:23). If God would spare Sodom and Gomorrah for only 10 righteous (Genesis 18:32), or spare Jerusalem if Jeremiah could find one (Jeremiah 5:1), then the actual number of true Christians remaining, in God's eyes, must be very, very small (Luke 18:8b). But the main, appointed time of judgment has yet to come.
The key part that is missing revolves around true repentance. Our sinful separation from God is not preached. In so called evangelistic services, many times sin is not even mentioned. In these, the “way of salvation” has become a quick, microwave recipe that only looses all the good gifts God wants to bestow upon us!
In other services where sin may be mentioned, it is treated as a very light thing that isn't very important to God. Attitudes might be thoughts like, “nobody's perfect,” or “we all make mistakes.” And inwardly our deceitful hearts (Jeremiah 17:9) are saying, I'm not so bad,” or, “many are worse than me.”
And so we compare ourselves with others (II Corinthians 10:12), instead of seeking honor from God (John 5:44) only. But this means we must see ourselves as God sees us. We are not children of God by nature. We are sinners, unclean, and deserving of wrath (Isaiah 64:6).
This is what it cost Jesus to redeem us; He bore the wrath of God which we deserved. His appearance was “marred more than any man.” - Isaiah 52:14. Please read about our Lord's sufferings in Isaiah 53:3-8. Is sin a light thing to God? Just one sin, any sin, is enough to eternally separate us from God (Haggai 2:12-14). And Jesus even became separated from the Father and cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” - Mark 15:34.
Have you really repented? Take time to think about your many offences to God: do you understand how you have grieved Him in your attitudes and behavior? Or do you think that such sins are, “No big deal,” and God doesn't care about them?
Examine your life through the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:3-17). How many lies have you told? Have you stolen? Have you always honored your parents? Have you lusted, or coveted? Do you “love your neighbor as yourself”at all times? - Mark 12:31. Pray that the Lord will open your eyes to where you fall short.
The Bible instucts us to examine ourselves, so that we will not be lost; see Psalm 139:23,24; John 3:21; I Corinthians 10:12; II Corinthians 13:5. Scripture also shows that we tend to resist doing that (I Corinthians 11:31,32). "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes.”- Proverbs 21:2A.
Remember that in our flesh “dwells no good thing” (Romans 7:18). Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and let Him lift you up.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. James 4:8-10
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