salvation

Hope In Christ

We’ve been through a lot in the past two years. The global pandemic has brought many challenges and interruptions to our lives that perhaps we never saw coming and weren’t prepared for. Heartache and loss have certainly been a large part of the struggles that we have encountered. On top of that, restrictions were put in place that interrupted our daily routines and what we considered to be normal life. A new reality took over. A reality that didn’t ask permission or allow for our opinions before taking hold. Change forced itself upon us all.

Change is inevitable in life. Everything we know, everything we see, everyone we love will change. We ourselves change, our interests, our desires, our physical bodies will change. With each change comes the necessity for us to adapt to that change and move forward. Some changes are relatively easy to adapt to and live with. Others bring us trouble, stress and grief. Adapting to those changes isn’t always so easy.

Working in healthcare, I see the effects of change on a daily basis. I see how different people react to the changes in their lives. Some seem to take the changes in stride, while others are quite down trodden, sad, and angry. I am alarmed at the increasing frequency which I see of younger and younger people attempting to end their lives. I see an increase of young individuals in need of psychiatric help. Life’s changes are bringing about troublesome times that some people just don’t know how to handle, or they’re seemingly incapable of accepting and adapting. They lose hope.

Hope in our modern language and hope in the Bible carry different definitions. When we speak of hope today, it is normally used in a way that whatever it is that we are hoping for is uncertain. “I hope we win the ball game.” “I hope I get that promotion at work.” When hope is spoken of in the Bible, there is no uncertainty to speak of. Instead it is a declaration of anticipation of what is certain. The inspired apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian church, “For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” (Galatians 5:3) So, there is the “hope of righteousness”, but what is righteousness? “My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.”  (Psa 119:172) God’s word is righteousness. God’s word gives us hope. It is in God’s word that we learn how we got here, why we exist, and the purpose for our lives. We learn how we should live and we learn of what is to come after this life. We read the promises of God to those who are obediently faithful to His word. We also learn of the punishment to come for those who reject God. We learn about Jesus, the Son of God, who bore our sins on the cross. We read His words and His commands. Everything we need to know in this life is revealed to us in the word of God.

God tells us that in an ever changing world, “”For I am the LORD, I do not change;…(Mal 3:6)

God is a God “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  (1Ti 2:4)

God’s word tells us how we can be saved.

Peace and hope are found in Jesus Christ. His promises are certain if we remain faithful until death. The world will continue to change, will continue to bring hardship. All we need to do to overcome is to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Christ (Luk 9:23).

Are you feeling hopeless? Are you feeling alone? Are you seeking purpose in life? I encourage you to seek out the truth that is found in God’s word, to seek out the gospel of Christ, and to become a faithful child of God. Please reach out via email or on the Facebook page and I will be happy to help you in your search for truth.

God bless.

World So Cold…

We are living in increasingly dark times, it seems. America is struggling to hold on to freedoms and liberties that have been the pillar of what makes this country so great. What started out as a country based on laws and moral principles has turned into an anything goes society with a “rules for thee, but not for me” mentality. Truth is subjective, laws are immaterial, morals are based in humanism. These are cold and dark times, indeed, and can bring people to their brink with worry and stress and fear.

But….

For the Christian, there is no fear. Concern? Absolutely! But not fear, because fear cannot coexist with FAITH. They are incompatible. Christians know and place their faith in certain truths, that when realized, eliminate fears that may crop up. Let’s go over a few of them.

Nothing New

(Ecc 1:9) That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.

What is happening now in our time has already happened in past times. Sure, there may be differences in technology or circumstances, but basically the evil that exists today is the same evil that has existed in the past and can be overcome.

God Is In Control

(Heb 2:14) Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

Jesus gave Himself to be crucified on the cross, was buried, and resurrected. He has conquered death and is sitting at the right hand of God today.

(Mat 28:18) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

It is Jesus who has all authority, granted to Him by God Almighty. Why then should we fear?

(Heb 13:6) So we may boldly say: “THE LORD IS MY HELPER; I WILL NOT FEAR. WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME?”

Peace In Christ

(Rom 5:1-11)  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  (2)  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  (3)  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  (4)  and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  (5)  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  (6)  For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  (7)  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  (8)  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (9)  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  (10)  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  (11)  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

This world is certain to bring us much tribulation. But if we are in Christ, we have the surety of knowing that He is with us every step of the way. Loving us, guiding us, helping us, forgiving us. When all is said and done and we are found to have been faithful until the end, we are promised a home with Him in heaven. Therefore, I ask again: What is there to fear?

Are you in Christ? Are you unsure? Do you need someone to assist you in studying the Bible? Please make it known by emailing info@toreachthelost.com, or reaching out on our Facebook page.

God bless you.

Truth Came Once

In the book of Jude, verse 3, Jude exhorts his readers, namely fellow believers in Christ, by writing: “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

There are three things we can derive from this exhortation.

First, the faith of which he is writing was delivered. God delivered the faith through the Holy Spirit to the apostles, who then taught it and wrote it down. The scriptures reveal that God is the source of the faith. It did not originate with man. We are told in Ephesians 4:5 that there is only “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

Second, this one faith was delivered “once for all”. God delivered it only one time for all people in all generations in all the earth. This secures for us that what was delivered by God the one time He delivered it, is the only revelation we should be expecting! There are no further revelations, there are no changes being made, there are no additions or subtractions. What was delivered will remain unchanged for all of time. All we need is the Bible to teach us and guide us in the faith that we find in its pages. No other creed or additional “revelations” from man are necessary, and in fact, they work against our salvation.

Lastly, God is not subject to our culture. No matter the hot topics of the day, no matter the social agendas making the most noise…….what God delivered once still stands.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16,17

May His Word enlighten you, teach you, guide you, and comfort you this day.

Shouting in Silence

In Matthew’s gospel account, we read of the events that took place as Jesus was arrested and sent before Caiaphas, the high priest:

Mat 26:59-63  Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,  (60)  but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward  (61)  and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”  (62)  And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?”  (63)  But Jesus kept silent. (emphasis mine).

We’re told a few verses before how Peter was following at a distance to see what was going to happen. No doubt, he was concerned about the situation and what they were doing to Jesus. What do you imagine was going through his mind as he watches Jesus be questioned and ridiculed? I imagine him silently imploring Jesus to answer their questions, to tell them who He was and why He taught the things that He taught. “Tell them Lord, oh please, tell them!” But Jesus kept silent.

Consider what had happened before, when Jesus was brought first before Annas the high priest:

Joh 18:19-22  The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine.  (20)  Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing.  (21)  Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.”

Jesus makes the point that it is no secret at all who He is and why He’s here. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you! But look what happens….

 (22)  And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?”

Their hearts were darkened. They were dead set against Jesus and His teaching. It would make no difference if He had elaborately explained everything to them…again!

Perhaps the silence of Jesus takes on more meaning when we look to what Isaiah had prophesied regarding Him:

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

Have you ever considered why Jesus endured what He did, in silence? Do you ever stop and think about why Jesus had to face this abuse and the torment of the cross?

Heb 9:27-28  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,  (28)  so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

For you. He did it for you.

God’s love for us, His creation, was shouting through the silence of Jesus.

The Nature of Man

2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”

There is a strong belief today among many people that mankind is just another animal, no different than a dog or a monkey. Yet scripture teaches us otherwise. In the verse above, Paul confirms that there is something unique about our makeup that distinguishes us from the rest of the animal kingdom. He speaks of the inward man and the outward man. What does he mean? Let’s go back to the account given in Genesis chapter 1 regarding the creation of man.

Genesis 1:26,27 “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness: let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him: male and female He created them.”

So we see the creation of man having something additional than that of the animals that were created. Man was created in the image of God. Not meaning that we physically look like God, but that we have His “likeness”. We have an eternal spirit. This is what Paul called the “inward” man. Paul refers to the spirit of man in 1 Corinthians 2:11, “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?…”

Unlike the animal kingdom, we have two aspects of life: physical and spiritual. The former is temporary, while the latter is eternal. Our spirit will remain living even after our physical body has perished. We are God’s special creation. We are created in His likeness. While we must tend to our physical life, we must also have concern for our spiritual life.

The Hebrew writer wrote “Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” (Heb. 12:9) As children, we receive discipline and correction from our earthly fathers that help us to grow and mature and be successful in our earthly life. But what about our spiritual life? Do we make ourselves subject to the discipline of God so that we may grow and mature spiritually?

Death occurs when the spirit is removed from the body. Our physical body will return from where it came (Genesis 3:19). Ecclesiastes 12:7, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Physical death is the first death. But, it is not the end as some would have you believe.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Man is able to kill the physical body but cannot kill the soul. As stated earlier, the soul returns to God who gave it. God will determine the fate of the soul, and he will determine that fate based upon how we lived our lives while existing on the earth. Therefore, we must tend to our spiritual life while we exist physically upon this earth, knowing that physical death is not the end.

Matthew 16:24-27, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.'”

A judgment day is coming. Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed for man to die once, but after this the judgment.” We will be judged according to how we lived our lives before our physical death. Did we live according to God’s will? Or, did we neglect God and do whatever our physical bodies willed us to do? This will determine whether we have an eternal existence in the presence of God, or whether we will live on in everlasting torment having been separated from God forever. So the answer to the all important question that is asked by most people, “What is my purpose for living?” is answered for us by our Creator.

Ecclesiastes 12: 13,14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

He Shall Direct Thy Paths

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;  (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

It isn’t always easy to trust in someone who isn’t ourselves. It’s even worse when said trusting may result in pain, suffering, or even death. This proverb teaches us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and put aside our own understanding. As is usually the case, we have some examples in scripture to look to regarding this truth.

Job lost everything. His own wife and even his friends instructed him to just curse God and die. End your own misery! Wisely, Job did not heed their instruction. Instead, he trusted in the Lord to see him through. Job 13:15  Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. Oh, he certainly questioned God, but he never cursed Him. Job surely knew that God could slay him, but be that as it may, he would still trust Him.

John 21:18-19  Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”  (19)  This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” Jesus is making known to Peter that he would one day suffer and die because of his faith. Yet even knowing this, Peter continued in the doctrine of Christ, trusting God to fulfill all of His promises.

We trust him unto death knowing His great and precious promises. 2Pe 1:4  by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Can you count the promises of God? Is there anything of more value to us than what God has promised us?

When you think you’ve got it all figured out and your understanding is complete, remember Job. Job 38:1-4;Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:  (2) “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?  (3) Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.  (4) “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” Job had questioned God regarding his dealings with him and his afflictions. God is very direct with him and puts him in his rightful place as a mere man who is not even close to fathoming the knowledge and wisdom of God. Aren’t we sometimes like Job? Don’t we often think too highly of ourselves? Let’s also remember these scriptures:

Prov. 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Jer. 10:23 O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

Jesus implores us to always acknowledge Him. Matt. 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  (30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” We must acknowledge Christ and his doctrine and abide in it if we are to succeed in our endeavor to have heaven as our eternal home.

By putting our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ, God will direct our paths. How? Through His divine word. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,  (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. God’s word is truth, it is all sufficient.  Hold on to it and do not compromise! It is truly the most valuable possession one could have in this life.

John 12:48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him— the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. So tell me again, why wouldn’t I let God’s word direct my path? His word is what will judge us in the end!

Let us be diligent in contending earnestly for the faith. Trusting in the Lord and never wavering.

Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 

1 Cor. 2:4-5 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,  (5) that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Who is it that leads you? Do you walk according to your own understanding? Do you follow some other doctrine thought up by man? Or, do you walk according to the pattern that God has laid out in His word? The choice is all yours to make. Choose wisely.

Is Your Heart Hardened?

In the book of Exodus we have the account of Moses and Aaron and their attempts to plead with Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of their bondage in Egypt. The bible records that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he would not let the people go. In other words, he did not believe in the God of the Israelites and thus saw no reason to obey His commands.

As a result of his hardened heart, God brought plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians, proving Himself to be the God that He declared Himself to be. You can read of these plagues beginning in Exodus 7:14 and following.

Have you ever heard people say, “If God would show me a miracle or a wonder, then I would definitely believe in Him.”? Have you ever said that? Have you considered the number of times in scripture that God indeed showed miraculous wonders to people, and yet they still would not believe in and obey God? They, like Pharaoh, had a hardened heart.

If you are a non-believer and you are reading this, what is making your heart hardened against God? Certainly, He has granted mankind the free will to believe or not to believe. It is His desire that all would come to repentance and turn from their wicked ways (2 Peter 3:9). God has proven Himself to be a just and loving God. He sent His Son to die a most painful and agonizing death on the cross to pay for your sins. Will you crucify him over and over again by remaining in your sins?

Jesus is the cure to a hardened heart. Only the message of the Gospel can prick one’s heart to recognize that they are in servitude to sin and in need of the grace of God to forgive them.

Diagnosis: Hardened Heart

Prescription: Hear the Gospel (Romans 10:17), Believe the Gospel (Hebrews 11:6) , Repent of your sins (Acts 2:38), Confess Christ as the Son of God (Acts 8:37), Be immersed in the waters of baptism (Mark 16:16), Arise and walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).

It isn’t too late, but remember we are not promised tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation.

Jesus is #1
Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

For any endeavor to succeed, we must set our priorities accordingly. When starting a new business, you must prioritize how you spend your time and your money in order to achieve success. In preparing for the big game, you must prioritize your time and training if you want to have the best chance at winning.

Setting your priorities is not only important for success in your physical life, but also for your spiritual life. Where would God have us place our priorities? Did Jesus teach us what our priorities should be?

Jesus taught in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (emphasis mine) We are to seek out God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness first. It should be our top priority in life. Do we have an example of what that looks like? Look at Hebrews 11:9, “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;”. The Hebrew writer is speaking about Abraham, who was instructed by God to gather his things and his family and leave his home to go to a place he was unaware of. He obeyed God without question and did as he was instructed. He was putting God first.

Have you ever considered this: Jesus refuses to occupy any other position in one’s life other than 1st place. And why would we put Jesus first?

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'”

Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Jesus is the only way to salvation. It cannot be had through any other person. He paid the heavy price for our sins so that we could have the hope of having Heaven as our eternal home. We must be in Christ and abiding in His doctrine if we want to have salvation. Therefore, Christ must be our priority.

How can we know if Jesus is our priority?

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (emphasis mine)

Do our actions reflect that we are following the word of God? Do others see the love of God in us? Are we striving to imitate Christ in all that we say and do? If not, we had better take a look at our priorities! God’s word is what will judge us in the end (John 12:48). We need to make it a priority to prepare for that judgment!

What condition is your soul in today? Are you lost? Or, are you saved? It is a matter of your priorities.

The Bucket Religion

Man has devised for himself all manner of beliefs for as long as he has been in existence on this earth.  Among these beliefs is what has been termed the “bucket” religion.  Essentially, this is the belief that as long as your good outweighs your evil, you will gain entrance into heaven.  So, say you have two buckets, one carrying all of your good deeds and the other carrying all of your bad deeds.  The goal is to have your “good” bucket full and your “evil” bucket not as full as your “good” bucket.  As long as you’re a good person, as evidenced by your full “good” bucket, you will be admitted into the kingdom of heaven.  It sounds good in theory, right?  After all, God is good and wants all of his children to have heaven as their home, right?  Surely, if I’m a good person God will not send me to be punished for eternity.  There are problems with this belief and one could take a lot of time to address each one.  For the sake of this post, we will focus on perhaps the greatest illustration that we find in Scripture that argues the case against this belief.

In the book of Acts, we read of a man named Cornelius.  He is described as “a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.” (Acts 10:2)  Later in the chapter, he is further described as “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation” (Acts 10:22).  We can therefore gather from this text that Cornelius was indeed a “good” person in every sense of the word.  So was Cornelius destined to enter the kingdom of heaven on account of him being good?  The answer is no!  If you read the whole of chapter 10, Cornelius was instructed by an angel to send for the apostle Peter.  Peter, at the same time, was given a vision by God describing to him that salvation was not only meant for the Jews, but also the Gentiles, of which Cornelius was one.  Peter came to Cornelius’ house, where many had gathered, and he preached the gospel to them.  They heard the gospel, believed the gospel, and were baptized into Christ.  This wouldn’t have been necessary if the bucket religion were true.

The Bible instructs us to hear the Word, believe the Word, repent of our sins, confess Christ before men, and have our sins washed away in the waters of baptism.  This puts one into Christ, who is the only way to the Father (John 14:6).  We must be in Christ to inherit that upper kingdom promised to those who love Him.  It’s great if you’re a good person, I commend you.  But don’t stop there!!  We must be obedient as well.

Running The Race

The idea of life in general being a race isn’t a new one.  It’s a race that we begin at birth when we enter this world, and we work hard towards the goals that we set before ourselves.  We’ve all heard of the term “rat race”, and certainly life does sometimes feel like a rat race, where we are just working and working, going through the motions to achieve success.  The apostle Paul used the analogy of a race while speaking to the church at Corinth.  Found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, Paul writes, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.  Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.”  

There is one point I want to make that goes along with the analogy of the Christian race.  There are many TV evangelists that mislead their followers by preaching what can be referred to as “health and wealth” type of sermons.  They urge their followers to just ask Jesus into their hearts (sinner’s prayer) and make a pledge (almost always a monetary gift) to their organization and God will bless them with health and wealth.  It would seem that being a Christian is just that easy.  Send in money and you will be saved.  But is that true?

Let’s think about Paul’s race analogy.  If living a Christian life is a race, that would imply that one would have to put forth effort in order to win that race and have the reward of Heaven as their eternal home.  Have you ever known a competitor who is running a race to remain on the starting line at the sound of the gun and win that race?  It just can’t happen.  Those competing must put forth an effort, work hard to compete in that race in order to obtain the prize.  Living a Christian life is no different.  The Bible lays out the work that a Christian must do to obtain the reward of Heaven.  One can’t simply believe and be saved, as that is equivalent to standing on the starting line while the race goes on.  Belief in Christ, repenting of sins, confessing Christ before men, and being immersed in the waters of baptism is only the beginning of the Christian’s “race” toward Heaven.  Do not be deceived by those who would have you believe otherwise.