Saturday, December 18, 2004

Who Will Be Saved?

No one's works will satisfy God's requirements. Neither will the fact that they "believe". The Devil not only believes, he knows. So what does that leave?

We are God's creation and most of us long for our Creator. Some of us believe Christ was the Messiah. Some of us do not. Some of us have never even heard the name of Christ. Yet we long for our Creator -- and the only way we have of reaching Him is through Christ.

Christ is the way, the truth and the light. There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. He is the only doorway -- there are no back doors or side doors. He came to earth and became our doorway to life eternal. This is the "Good News" we can shout around the world.

So, if our works and beliefs won't buy us a ticket, how do we reach God, especially if we are ignorant of Christ's name, misled, retarded, or have Alzheimer's? I doubt if there are any special words, prayers, secret handshakes, liturgies, denominations or baptisms that will get us through the door (Christ). What will get us through that door is our hearts -- the creature longing to be reunited with its Creator and who is willing to deny itself and follow its Creator to the best of its knowledge and ability.

Every knee WILL bow to Christ, just as every person will someday know as they were known. We will not be judged by our religion, our knowledge or our accomplishments. We will be judged by our hearts -- by our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for God and for our fellow man. On "That Day", God will not have to judge us, we will judge ourselves. Our consciences will either accuse us or excuse us.

There will be those who have done "great works" in Christ's name who will be turned away -- because what they did, they did for themselves. Although their minds knew Christ, their hearts never accepted Him.

There will be those who never knew Christ's name who will be welcomed in -- because they loved their Creator and their neighbor. They denied themselves and took up their cross and followed Him, without even knowing who He was. When they fed the hungry, they fed Him. Their hearts knew, accepted and followed Christ, even if their minds were ignorant of His name.

The way is narrow and few there be who find it -- but not because they didn't belong to the right church, know the right theology or say the right prayers. The way is narrow because few there be who are willing to love -- to deny themselves for the sake of their Creator and their neighbor.

To those who are willing to put their Creator and their neighbor above themselves, God will someday say, "Well done, thy good and faithful servent!" -- regardless of what they called themselves on earth. They will have worshipped God in spirit and truth, not in words and ceremony.

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