It's not enough to be a good person. It's not enough to try harder to do what's right. It's not enough to be religious. It's not enough to go to church and become a member. It's not enough to try to be a good Christian and do the best you can. It's not enough to know that you're a sinner. It's not enough to want to be saved from hell. It's not enough to know that Jesus died and rose again. It's not enough to want to believe.
If you asked the devil whether Jesus died for sinners and if God raised Him from the dead, he would (if he wasn't lying) say yes. He knows. If you asked Satan if Jesus was God in the flesh, he would say yes. He knows that even though he isn't saved. That doesn't make Satan a Christian.
What separates a Christian from a non Christian then? Baptism? Membership? Obedience? No. A true Christian has stopped trusting in himself because he sees his utter lack of sufficiency and placed his faith in another. He has turned from himself as an end to all his deeds, and placed his faith in Jesus. A saved person no longer has any faith in a single thing he has ever done, or ever will do to get him right with God. A born again Christian has no confidence that his own righteousness and merit will gain favour with God.
A religious person on the other hand is no different in a sense, then a total heathen sinner. A religious person does religious deeds in order to earn favour with God (and to be seen of men) for his own personal gain. So in effect, the religious person is going through life, working and living purely for himself. How is this any different then the sinner who continually indulges in his own lusts? Their both working for the same end... Themselves. The end of living for yourself is eternal death. The religious person is growing his own "good person portfolio". That is selfish and selfishness is the essence of sin. That is as sinful as you can get. Just because an individual does right in the eyes of man, does not mean that God views it the same way. We can fool men but we can't fool God. God knows the intention of the heart and if the "good deed" is done merely for selfish reasons, He doesn't count it as good. He counts it as sin. He knows why the religious person does religious deeds. He knows that all this person's work and self effort is for self gain. That religious person is worse off then the ungodly sinner who has never has stepped into a church building, synagogue or mosque. That's why Jesus had more harsh words for the religious then for the ungodly sinner.
Back to the Christian. A true Christian knows that if left to his own devices, he will perish and spend eternity in the lake of fire. He has no faith in how he has lived. He has no confidence in his own right doing. He has turned from himself, from his life, from his self-seeking ways and placed his life in the hands of another. His faith is in a Man who died for his sins whom God raised from the dead. All his hope and faith is in the Son of God and in His right doing... In Christ's righteousness... In His merit alone. That's why the Christian is saved. Not because he lived right, but because Jesus lived right. He's not saved because he confessed all his sins, but because the blood of Jesus paid for his sins and he simply believed that. He is not counted righteous because he is righteous. The Christian is counted righteous because God reckoned or imputed righteousness to his account when he simply stopped trusting in himself believed the gospel with all his heart.
This belief is not something mentioned in passing or something you confess and live out on Sunday morning. This is not a glib faith. This belief costs you yourself. It costs you self love, self trust, self worth, and self gain. When you believe in Jesus, He is your focus every day. He is your affection. He is your hope. You no longer live for yourself but for the one who died for you and rose again. Not a day goes by that you aren't thankful that He saved you from the wrath to come. Not a day goes by that you don't wonder at the mercy and grace of God that saved a wretch like you. It never ceases to amaze that God didn't just throw you into hell like you deserved.
So what are you trusting in to get you to heaven? Your good works? Your faithful church attendance? Maybe because you're a Methodist, Lutheran or a Baptist? If that is what you're trusting in, you're lost. There is no salvation there. Salvation is in Jesus Christ alone and it is in turning from yourself, from your life and believing with all your heart that what Jesus did is enough to get you into heaven. It's believing, that makes salvation effectual for the sinner, not doing something. It is giving up on yourself and trusting Jesus.
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