God, be merciful. . . .

  

Someone I know belongs to a cult that does not recognize Jesus as God the Son. He recently said, “Jesus has done it all. All we need to do is believe.” While that sounds hopeful that he understands the gospel, Jesus also said:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21–23)

This person says many right words, yet his focus is on the future. He looks forward to a new earth where all is made well. A little voice inside of me says, “But what about now? What about the promise of a new life and an intimate relationship with the Lord that changes life each day?”

Piper writes about the seriousness of being authentic. He points to the parable of the sower to show that making a decision for Christ may start out with some form of commitment, but living for Christ does not necessarily follow. My friend does not fit this category. He has been faithful to his beliefs for decades.

However, that particular cult holds the idea that Jesus died to give them the right to earn their salvation. They have a strange list of what that means. Not only that, if anyone decides to leave them, they are shunned and lose any hope. In other words, salvation is about adhering to their belief system and if someone says otherwise, they cannot belong or be saved.

The gospel is clear to those who DO have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He says of them:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) Much of the NT has words about knowledge of eternal life:

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (1 John 5:13–15)

With this person, there is no talk of answered prayer, only of personal and organizational accomplishments. While he said Jesus has done it all, nothing specific is shared, only his focus on the future with no more problems. 

I cannot judge or hope to know what all this means for him, but I do know what it says to me; don’t take my own profession of faith as reality without the consequences the Bible says will go with it. Some basics: Know Jesus is God in the flesh. He is Lord and gives me the Spirit so I can obey Him. I trust Him alone for eternal life; nothing I do can earn or deserve it. My attitude to sin has changed; I fight it — instead of always giving in to it. New life is from Jesus and God uses all things to transform me to be like Him. 

For all this, the Bible also says: 

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13–14)
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. . . . (Matthew 7:15–20)

PRAY: Jesus, You described a religious Pharisee who prayed boasting in what he had done. The prayer of a tax collector was, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” When talking with my friend, I need to remember that no one has anything to boast about. I also need to do the same when looking in a mirror.