It is so easy to put on a few additional pounds between Christmas and the New Year. But it is the exact opposite when one day everyone will stand before God to give an account of how they lived their lives in this world.
For the unbeliever their good works will be weighed in God’s scales and be found wanting. (Daniel 5 vs 27)
For the believer their good works will also be weighed but will NOT be found wanting. Why is that?
Jesus alone has stepped into the scales and by His righteousness has declared them righteous. For it is by Grace, through Faith, this is not from yourselves, it is the Gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2 vs 8-9)
Before people become Christians their good works cannot earn their way into heaven. But after they become Christian they do count. In James 2 vs 17 “In the same way faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead.”
This is not a contradiction. It is by faith alone, but faith is never alone. The difference is before and after one becomes a Christian. For the Christian, God must gain weight in their lives. We know that God as Spirit does not have weight. The Hebrew word KAVOD means something heavy both physically and figuratively. This refers to the Glory of God. He must increase and we must decrease.
There are 3 categories of people in which one of them is false.
THE UNCHRISTIAN. They want nothing to do with Christ and are self made people.
THE CARNAL CHRISTIAN. They think that they can have SELF on the throne and Christ outside of it. They are lukewarm. They also believe that they can live and simply profess Christ and have no change whatsoever in their lives. They also believe they can have Christ as Saviour but not Lord, and they falsely believe they are Heaven Bound. There are countless people in this category.
THE TRUE CHRISTIAN. They receive the work of Christ on the cross as their only hope of salvation. He is their King, Lord and Saviour both now and forever.
There is no such category as number 2 THE CARNAL CHRISTIAN, although all Christians will have remaining carnal desires in their lives until Glory, owing to their fallen natures.
There are many people who are so close, yet so far from the Kingdom. They have procrastinated in making the All Important Decision for Christ, until it is too late, forever too late.
Jesus said to one teacher of the law, “You are not far from the Kingdom.” (Mark12 vs 34) In the final analysis not far is not close enough. Almost a Christian is so close yet so far.
My prayer, hope and desire is that all who read these words will not be close to the Kingdom of God and they will not be almost Christians. But all together Christians growing in the Grace and Knowledge of Christ, and that you will have NOT an ALMOST but an ALL TOGETHER HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Pastor Gary Tomiuck
Wainfleet Congregational Christian Church
