Normally, on Sundays people around the world fill their churches. Most would identify themselves as Christians. Perhaps because they grew up in a Christian home or because they have some general belief in God. But could there be a great danger in that assumption? Could many, even some who attend church every week, be Christians in name only?

When an observer in Jesus’ time asked, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” He warned that the gate is narrow. And when the people of Joshua’s day claimed that they would serve the Lord, he told them not to take that commitment lightly. Are there many today who have failed to heed those warnings? Are there many who base their relationship with God on something besides the true gospel?

That should be a heart-breaking thought for those of us who truly understand the gospel because it is the most incredible GOOD NEWS ever! Today’s post includes a link to a video that could shake your understanding of what the good news of the gospel really is!

Today’s Readings:

Joshua 23 & 24
Psalm 47.1-9
Proverbs 14.14
Luke 13.23-35

Could You or Someone You Know Be a Christian in Name Only?

Joshua 23 & 24:

You Choose

What a rich portion of Scripture! Joshua is coming to the end of his life and he wants to leave everything in order. He takes time to remind the people about all God has done for them and encourages them to remember how He has been faithful to His Word.

In Joshua 23.12-13 he warns them about intermarrying with unbelievers. This is still true today. If you are single and considering marriage or if you do in the future, remember, we are free to marry only in the Lord! (1 Cor. 7.39) – that is to another believer.

Then Joshua calls them to make a choice as to whom they will serve:

…. choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (v. 24.15).

And when they were quick to say, “We also will serve the Lord,” he challenged them that it should not be a flippant promise. It was serious business and they should count the cost and mean what they say.

Is He Lord?

Today some people talk about “cheap grace” referring to those who say, “If you want to go to heaven, just ask Jesus to come into your heart. He’ll forgive you for your sins. You will be a Christian and you’ll have your ticket to heaven.

It is true that we can do nothing to deserve salvation and nothing to save ourselves. It is by grace alone through faith alone. But Jesus didn’t imply that it was “cheap.” First of all, it wasn’t cheap for Him. He paid the ultimate price.

Part of coming to Him in faith means we recognize our desperate need for Him and that we are sinners with no ability to fix ourselves. That is often expressed through prayer, but there is nothing magical in the words of a prayer. Prayer should be accompanied by faith and repentance (a change of heart and mind leading to change in the direction of our lives) and a willingness to acknowledge Him as Lord (Rom. 10.9-10; Acts 2.36). Lord means Master, God, the One who has the right to tell us what is right and wrong and how to live our lives! All that may not be fully understood, but the seed of it must be there.

Jesus gave an even stronger warning in today’s New Testament reading.

Luke 13.23-35:

The Narrow Gate

Jesus warned that the gate is narrow and that many who think they have entered, have not. Verses 23-27:

23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”

And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’”

What a terrifying thing, to think you’re a Christian and guaranteed a place in heaven, yet hear those words, “I do not know you.”

Not Good Works or Self-Efforts

The striving Jesus talked about is not our good works or self-efforts. In fact, we can’t get to heaven based on our own righteousness, because we don’t have any of our own (Rom. 3.10-12).

Today the gate is open (Heb. 3.15). God desires that all men be saved (1 Tim. 2.4), but we must repent, believe, and receive the gospel. Jesus said:

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel (Mk. 1.15).

And John said:

¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (1 Jn. 1.11-13).

In what have you placed your hope of heaven? Is it your church membership or the fact you were born into a Christian family? Could it be your good works? Is it simply that you believe in God? Is it that you once prayed a prayer, walked an aisle, or got baptized?

Those are all good things and may take place as part of our Christian experience. But none of them, in and of themselves, can save you! We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone (Eph. 2.8-9), His grace received through our faith in what Jesus did on the cross. 

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk. 1.15).

So What is the Gospel?

If you have any doubts about whether you have believed the gospel, I want to encourage you to watch this video by Dr. Michael Horton of Westminster Seminary. It’s a little long, but you can’t listen to Dr. Horton’s explanation and not realize what incredibly GOOD NEWS the gospel really is!

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 47.1-9:

Worship Him with Song and with Deeds

This psalm reminds me that heaven is going to be a joyful place. The psalmist said, “Clap your hands … shout to the Lord with a voice of triumph!” He says that God Himself “has gone up with a shout … with the sound of a trumpet.”

But as I read this psalm this morning, verses 6-7 stood out to me.

Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.

According to Strong’s’ Concordance, the word translated understanding means, “to be circumspect or intelligent.” Translations include consider, understanding, wise, and skillful.

How well do you do with that on Sunday mornings? Do you think about what you are singing? Do you understand what it means? Is what you’re singing biblically sound?

Look at the passage again. Notice when we worship, we are singing to the King, not just any king, but the “King of all the earth.” Do the songs you sing exalt God or are they man-centered? Are you more concerned about a catchy tune, a style you like, or lyrics that truly worship and exalt God?

To read more on this subject, you might check out:

“Why Are the Songs We Sing Important?”

He Is the King

I hope you’ll consider the quality of your worship each Sunday and whenever you gather to worship the King. Make it a point to be there for praise and worship. Ask Him to help you worship Him through music. Consider what you are saying to God as you sing. And, just as important, worship Him with your life all day, every day. Because … As C.S. Lewis captured it so well, “He’s the King, I tell you.”

From The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis:

“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Proverbs 14.14:

Backsliding

The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways …

How sad that some of us, even after hearing the truth, would turn away and live life our own way.

What About You?

What is the quality of your corporate praise and worship? Do you worship Him privately through music? Do the lyrics properly exalt “the King of all the earth”?

What is your testimony? How and when did you receive Christ and the gospel? Share below in the comments section. I’d love to hear your story!

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about a housewife who became a superhero, how to respond to our prodigals, and look at the question, “Should you force your religion on your children?” 

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. 

If you would like to receive a FREE downloadable and printable Bible study through the book of Mark, you can click here for more information.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.