It’s Not About Salvation

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:19 (KJV)

Least commandments – I assume you know which commandments are the two greatest – love God, and love your neighbor. But do you know which ones are the least? If not, it might surprise you that Yeshua places an importance on the keeping even the least of them. Continue reading “It’s Not About Salvation”

And Thy House

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Acts 16:31 (NASB)

And thy house – Does this strike you odd? This prison keeper asked Paul what he must do to be saved. And Paul’s answer is that if he would believe on Yeshua, then not only he would be saved, but his whole house as well. Isn’t salvation an individual choice? How is it that by this one man’s belief his entire household would be saved? Continue reading “And Thy House”

Are You Saved?

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

Philippians 3:13 (NASB)

Not laid hold – I’m often asked by other Christians an interesting question. It goes something like this, “If an accident were to happen right now, and you died, are you secure in your salvation? Would you be saved?” And in my former years I always responded emphatically, “Yes!” But I’ve been raised under the influence of main stream Christianity – Paul was not. Paul admits that he himself is not even sure he’s obtained salvation through the resurrection of the dead (Phil. 3:11). How is this possible? Paul is much more inline with the teachings of Christ than I am. Paul’s earnest desire is to be found in Christ, to receive the righteousness of Him by God through faith, to know Him and the power of His resurrection. Me, on the other hand… well I’m just trying to balance my family and work. My battles are much smaller than Paul’s, my trials aren’t life threatening, and because of this, my conviction is quite insignificant compared to Paul’s. Yeshua is the complete center of Paul’s life, and don’t get me wrong, He’s the center of my life too when I’m not completely focused on work, or putting the kids down for bed, or helping around the house. So why am I so sure of my salvation when Paul isn’t? Continue reading “Are You Saved?”