Holiness Required:
I am always amazed at the people who think themselves
Christian, but live like the devil. They don’t believe their sins are a factor,
because they claim Christ as their savior. They call Him “Lord” and believe
that by doing so He is their Lord, but that is not Scripturally sound.
“Beware of
the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
are ravenous wolves. You will know
them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered
from thorn bushes, nor figs from
thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree bears
good fruit; but the bad tree bears
bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit,
nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is
cut down and thrown into the fire. So
then, you will know them by their fruits.”
“Not everyone who says to Me,
‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom
of Heaven,
but he who does the will of My
Father who is in heaven.”
“Many will say to Me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name cast out
demons, and in Your name perform many
miracles?’
And then I will declare to them, ‘I
never knew you; depart from Me, you who
practice lawlessness.’” -- Mat
7:15-21
We see here that the Lord is not fooled by our
rationalizations. He demands holiness from us, an obedience that is both
physical and spiritual. It’s not just who we credit ourselves as being, but who
we really are. We must bear real fruit. We must be dedicated to His will for
our lives.
If you are comfortable living like you belong to the devil,
you might want to reread these passages. Being Christian is not just about
speaking one’s allegiance. It is about being a living testimony to how the Holy
Spirit in us transforms us to be like Him.
