The Four Ingrediens of Authentic Christianity
In the story of the rich young ruler, we found five qualities which made this man special--eagerness, humility, discernment, spiritual interest, and moral purity. The power of all five will get you everywhere in the world, but they won't open the gates of Heaven.
Your neighbors will love you, your boss may even give you a raise, but these qualities won't move you an inch closer to knowing Christ, or any nearer to living authentic Christianity.
The rich young ruler was still missing four essential things: conviction about the absolute holy character of God, obedience to the greatest commandments of God on love, conversion to God in repentance and faith, and commitment to God.
Read about these and examine your heart. Determine whether you truly know the Lord Jesus Christ. Sooner than some of us may dream, we will stand in His presence to be welcomed or to be judged.
The Character of God
"There is none good but One"...
At first, it seems like the Lord Jesus treats this young ruler roughly. He begins with a rebuke. "Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but One, that is God." (Matthew 19:17) The very first thing Jesus did was to emphasize the character of God, which is the very root of New Testament Christianity.
Was Jesus saying that He Himself is not good? Not at all. He simply wanted to challenge the young ruler's thinking: So, what does "good" mean in this passage? It means holy and perfect.
Jesus is saying, "Don't throw around the word 'good.' Don't call Me 'Good Master' if you are not ready to call Me 'Almighty God.'" This rich young man was not prepared to call Him Lord.
We have a generation today of people who are baptized pagans, members of our churches who have never understood the absolute holiness of God. They join the church thinking they're doing God a favor. The call Him "Good Master," but they never intend to look at the matchless character of God.
They see "good" in many things, even in themselves. And this causes them to underestimate what the word "good" means when describing God. No one has ever truly been saved until he or she understands the infinite goodness of Almighty God.
We hear over and over again that God is love, and it's true. God is love, He really is. He epitomizes infinite, measureless, fathomless love, but that is not the whole truth.
If all you see is the love of God, without grasping the holiness of God, I doubt you have ever known authentic Christianity.
Part 5 Coming Soon to a computer near you.......okay, that was hokey. I take full responsibility. I'm putting myself in a time out.
In the story of the rich young ruler, we found five qualities which made this man special--eagerness, humility, discernment, spiritual interest, and moral purity. The power of all five will get you everywhere in the world, but they won't open the gates of Heaven.
Your neighbors will love you, your boss may even give you a raise, but these qualities won't move you an inch closer to knowing Christ, or any nearer to living authentic Christianity.
The rich young ruler was still missing four essential things: conviction about the absolute holy character of God, obedience to the greatest commandments of God on love, conversion to God in repentance and faith, and commitment to God.
Read about these and examine your heart. Determine whether you truly know the Lord Jesus Christ. Sooner than some of us may dream, we will stand in His presence to be welcomed or to be judged.
The Character of God
"There is none good but One"...
At first, it seems like the Lord Jesus treats this young ruler roughly. He begins with a rebuke. "Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but One, that is God." (Matthew 19:17) The very first thing Jesus did was to emphasize the character of God, which is the very root of New Testament Christianity.
Was Jesus saying that He Himself is not good? Not at all. He simply wanted to challenge the young ruler's thinking: So, what does "good" mean in this passage? It means holy and perfect.
Jesus is saying, "Don't throw around the word 'good.' Don't call Me 'Good Master' if you are not ready to call Me 'Almighty God.'" This rich young man was not prepared to call Him Lord.
We have a generation today of people who are baptized pagans, members of our churches who have never understood the absolute holiness of God. They join the church thinking they're doing God a favor. The call Him "Good Master," but they never intend to look at the matchless character of God.
They see "good" in many things, even in themselves. And this causes them to underestimate what the word "good" means when describing God. No one has ever truly been saved until he or she understands the infinite goodness of Almighty God.
We hear over and over again that God is love, and it's true. God is love, He really is. He epitomizes infinite, measureless, fathomless love, but that is not the whole truth.
If all you see is the love of God, without grasping the holiness of God, I doubt you have ever known authentic Christianity.
Part 5 Coming Soon to a computer near you.......okay, that was hokey. I take full responsibility. I'm putting myself in a time out.
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