Who Sits on Your Throne?

Dave Miller — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:21:37 +0000

There is no such thing as a carnal Christian

- Paul Washer-

Take a look at the graphic below. Which of the two circles represents your life most closely? Be sure to read the descriptions carefully.

There is a third circle that is also a possibility. It is a blend between the two circles above, the dots might be a little more organized than the Self-directed life, but not as organized as the Christ-directed life. Christ is inside the circle, but Self is still on the throne. This circle is typically known as the “Carnal Christian” circle. See below and read the descriptions carefully.

In the “Carnal Christian” circle above, Christ is a part of your life, but you have not fully yielded to Him and probably about half the bullet points apply to you. Sadly, this is the most fitting description for most people who claim to be Christians. In my experience, more than half of the people sitting in church on any given Sunday fall into this category.

Perhaps you are one of them. Until relatively recently, so was I. Are you trying to take the Bible more seriously, trying to live a better life, trying not to worry, trying to pray a little more often, trying to consider what Jesus would do before you decide what you will do? Doing these things usually just leads to a legalistic attitude where you do your best and hope it is enough. Sadly, according to Matthew 7:22-23, most of the people who try to “do” their religion this way will be turned away from the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now, take a look a this short video from OneTimeBlind.

The hard news of Christianity is that until you relinquish complete control of your life to Jesus and let His will be your will, you will not be living in Him and will have no part of the Kingdom of heaven when this life is over.

The good news of Christianity is that when you relinquish complete control of your life to Jesus and let His will be your will, you will be living in Him and will have a part of the Kingdom of heaven when this life is over.

Repent and believe, trust and obey.

But I’m a good person…

Dave Miller — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:38:13 +0000

“But I’m a good person…” I’ve heard that statement many times, usually from a Christian friend or family member; often from a non-religious person as well. When a discussion about life after death comes up, the subject inevitably turns to heaven, who goes there and why. According to an ABC poll, 85 percent of Americans believe they are going to heaven. The most amazing part of this poll is that 77 percent of people who describe themselves as “not religious” think they are going to heaven.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 that not everyone who calls him “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Just a few verses earlier, in Matthew 7:14, Jesus says that few even find the gate to life eternal. This should give even the most religious Christian pause. What are the chances that everyone in your church is among the few who find the narrow gate? Could some of them be on the wide path, even though they think they’re not? Could you?

One of the things that might falsely convince you that you are on the narrow path is if you think you are just as good or better than other people in your life. The fact of the matter is that virtually everybody can find somebody more despicable than himself without looking too hard. In a church setting, all you have to do is find the busybody, the gossip or the world-pleaser and compare yourself. You’ll certainly measure up better in the eyes of God, right?

“…do not think more highly of yourself than you ought…” Romans 12:3

This is a deadly step toward self-deception. We must never minimize our own sinfulness by comparing ourselves to our sinful brothers or sisters. God doesn’t grade on a curve. We won’t be compared to the adulterer, the homosexual or the thief – we’ll be compared to Jesus, and we will be found wanting. Romans 3:23.

One of the dominant features of universal human fallenness is deception about one’s true condition. The sinner is unwilling to see himself in his true condition and is convinced of his own goodness. People deny they are sinners. They deny that there is evil in their lives because they are good – and they do not see the evil in their religion. They are self deceived. They may claim the name of Christ, but in reality they hate God. They may have some sentimental feelings for Him, but only for the parts of Him that they find acceptable. — John MacArthur

“Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.” James 4:10

It is impossible to understand how holy God is until you have an inkling of how sinful and depraved mankind is. Start with yourself. Take a good hard look in the mirror and dig deep into the corners of your life where you would rather not go. Dig out that sticky sin. Pull it out into the open and thrust it into the light! Yes. It is going to hurt. Hold it up to God with tears and cry for forgiveness. Lay down that burden and NEVER pick it up again. Take comfort that God promises to all who trust him, forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Trust AND Obey » self-deception

Who Sits on Your Throne?

But I’m a good person…