There is a belief commonly shared among both active church goers, and non-church goers alike which says, “As long as a person tries to be good, to be morally upright, and to treat people fairly, he will be all right eternally.”

Those who make this argument generally do so in defense of themselves or others who have little or no religious involvement or commitment. They often seek to bolster their position by saying that they can be just as close to God on the golf course, along the trout stream, or on the ski slopes as others are in a church building. The argument is not nearly as convincing as they think it is. Is there any support for this way of thinking in the Bible? The answer to that question is an emphatic, NO!

Before I proceed, I need to acknowledge that faithful church attendance is no guarantee of salvation either. It is possible to be a faithful churchgoer, and still be a scoundrel. So no one should jump to the false conclusion that “church attendance” is all that God requires. As the late Jess Nutter was often heard to say, “Sitting in a church building no more makes you a Christian than sitting in a hen house makes you a chicken.”

Cornelius is an excellent example of the point I am making. He was a Roman centurion (a soldier over 100 men) stationed at Caesarea, a city on the Mediterranean sea coast. According to the account of this man’s conversion, he was devout, generous, and prayerful (Acts 10:1,2). But what was his spiritual condition? In spite of these commendable and essential qualities, he was still lost. It is true that God heard and responded to his prayer. But, it was not his prayer which saved him. It was not until he heard the preaching of Peter, believed it, and was baptized that this good man was saved (read the full account of his conversion in Acts 10 and 11).

It is wrong to equate religion and morality with salvation. It is possible for one to be very religious and morally upright and yet be lost. Cornelius was all of these things, but still needed to learn of Jesus. Christ, Himself, offered this warning: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23). He was talking about religious people!

Are you a Christian?

Copied from Sixth & Washington Streets Bulletin, Marietta, Ohio

Here are some men who mocked God:

John Lennon: Some years before, during an interview with an American magazine, he said, “Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was okay, but his subjects were too simple. Today we are more famous than him” (1966). Lennon, some years after making that statement, was shot six times.

Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil): During the presidential campaign, he said if he got 500 votes from his part, not even God, could move him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick (one day before he was supposed to take the oath of office and died one month later).

Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer, and poet): During a show in Caneca (Rio de Janero) Cazuza, whilst smoking his cigarette, puffed out some smoke in the air and said “God that’s for you.” He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner.

The man who built the Titanic: After the construction of the Titanic a reporter asked, “How safe would the Titanic be?” With an ironic tone he said, “not even God can sink it.” The result: You all know what happened.

The article above originally was written for Gospel Minutes, but has appeared recently in many different bulletins.

THE PRAYER

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou has sent me” (John 17:20,21).

THE PLEA

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same things, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10).

THE PLAN

“Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as yea are called in one hope you your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:3-6). -- Copied from Sebring Parkway Church of Christ Bulletin


On The Lighter Side
The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, “If he gets loose, will he hurt us?”