Endurance of the Believer.
In the world of entertainment, there is a common phrase which states, ” It’s not over till it’s over. Another well-known quote declares, ” It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. These quotes are from worldly-minded people, but the greatest quote on finishing something is the one Jesus Christ has declared, the most important message on the subject of completion.
Jesus declared: Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:11-14.
It is invaluable for every professing believer in Jesus Christ to grasp the enormity of the meaning of endurance. One meaning is to remain in a fixed and settled position. There is also another meaning, that of being consistent, to hold fast to one’s conviction, never receding despite being under intense pressure to do so.
It is so very important that every believer take up their own responsibility in being grounded in the Word of Jesus Christ for their lives. Believers must have a firm foundation and remain on a sure footing, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of erroneous teachings and doctrines. Unfortunately, there are many believers whose lives have been built on sand instead of the solid rock of the words of Jesus Christ.
This is so important; every believer must guard against one common false teaching: basing one’s eternal existence on the repeating of the sinner’s prayer. Sincere people are told that they have only got to repeat a few words of prayer and are told they have now become a Christian, and that they are now on their way to heaven in the event of them dying suddenly.
These persons are victims of the false teaching of easy believism. It is a blight on the name of Jesus to preach a watered-down so-called gospel message that everything is okay with the man upstairs, he loves you, and all you have to do is repeat this prayer, and you are made for life.
According to some proponents of the doctrine of radical grace, the person appealing for salvation may at the same time be wilfully refusing to obey the commands of Christ, but because he has intellectual faith, he will still be saved, in spite of his ongoing rebellion. This is never taught anywhere in the scriptures.
This whole concept of cheap salvation preached by grace teachers eliminates the need for biblical repentance, and true repentance is more than just having a change of mind. True repentance invokes a change of direction. Instead of going away from the Father, repentance draws a soul back into a correct standing and relationship with the Father. This is clearly exemplified in the gospel account of the prodigal son.
Finally the prodigal came to his senses and said, how many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food? But here I am, starving to death. Will get up and go back to my father and say to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. So he got up and went to his father. Luke 15:17-20
- Repentance, genuinely received and activated, leaves no room for boasting or celebrating anything that you have done while in a fallen state.
- Repentance is a breaking process. Anything in one’s life as a fallen sinner leads a person seeking reconciliation with the Father with a sense of remorse.
They hate their wayward life. They want nothing to do with their old nature. Unfortunately, this remorse is missing in the lives of sinners who come into contact with the false doctrine of easy believism. They are taught that all they have to do is believe that God so loved them, that Jesus came especially for them and died for them, and if they just simply accept this by repeating a few words from the preacher, they are in the church.
This is so important, these people may be in a church that they attend, but are they in right standing with the Father through hearing correctly concerning the Lordship of Jesus Christ, believing right, and living right through faith and repentance towards the Father?
Did Jesus Christ ever teach anything the way that modern-day preachers present the gospel? The answer is an emphatic no, never! Jesus pulled no punches. He left none of His hearers in any doubt as to what salvation truly involves.
This salvation so freely offered up to the lives of all people, from all nations and for all generations is received through people entering in through Jesus Christ, who is the narrow door and walking in the narrow path, which is living in His word, empowered by the Holy Spirit to endure to the end. To experience all that the Father desires for our lives, we have to have perseverance.
The Lord has given me this illustration. Two athletes are entering a race. The first is a marathon runner, the other is a finely honed sprinter. They are not compatible with each other. The sprinter will tear off at a speed but will not endure in the race, whereas the other runner will run the course and complete the race.