In the last article we looked at four false statements that are preached and believed by most in religion today. They are, "God loves you", "Jesus died for you", "Will you accept Jesus?", and "Give your heart to Jesus". If you look at these four statements honestly, scripturally, and with your Bible open, you will find they are false.
Let us look together at the last two statements. "Will you accept Jesus?" This is a common question asked by preachers today, but do you know that the Lord Himself never asked anyone, ever, if they would please accept him? The thing this generation needs to face is whether the Lord Jesus Christ will accept you! He is the Creator – you are the creature. He is Lord of lords, King of kings, and He is the Sovereign of the universe with all power in heaven and earth vested in Him. Do you really think, for one moment, that He is begging, or that any of His preachers should go begging proud sinners to please "accept Jesus"? Have you ever heard of a king asking his subjects to accept him? Find if you can, any apostle, any prophet, any scripture that would even intimate that the Lord Jesus Christ is presented to sinners to accept or reject! You can find where sinners are told to repent, to bow the knee, to call on the Lord – but never to accept Him! The very thought is repugnant. It belittles the Lord Jesus' glory and power, and especially His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross. Do you think for one moment that he died such an ignominious death on the cross and then offer himself to be accepted or rejected by miserable sinners like you and I?
Now let us consider the last statement, "Give your heart to Jesus". Again, where is this found in all of God's word? What we do find is, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9, Mark 7:22). That man's heart is, "hard as a nether millstone" (Job 41:24). "Who can say I have clean hands and a pure heart?" The Bible truth is that we don't "give" our heart to Jesus – He is the one who must give us a new heart and a right spirit (Ezk. 36:26). Man by nature has a heart that is against God and His Christ. God, for Christ's sake, gives all who submit to Him a new heart. Because man's heart is hard and deceitful, he must be born again (John 3:3-8). A man cannot give himself life, only God can do that. In giving the New Birth, He gives a new heart, a right spirit. A new creature is born, one that knows, loves and obeys his Lord, his God, Jesus Christ.
It is only when men are taught by the Holy Spirit that they are sinners by birth and practice, that they deserve hell for their sins, they are also under the just condemnation of the Holy and Just God of the Bible, "No man can come unto me except the Father which sent me draw them, and they shall all be taught of God" (John 6:44-45). It is only a soul that is drawn and taught by the Holy Spirit that can find any assurance in the love of God and the death of Christ for them. God's love is manifested only in Christ and only towards them who believe on Christ for forgiveness of their sin and justification before God, but the wrath of God abides on everyone who does not believe on God's dear Son, the Lord Jesus(John 3:35-36).
You may not believe what I say. You may ridicule what I say, you may get angry at what I say, but you cannot refute what I say with the Scriptures. Read your bibles –
you conclude for yourselves who has all power; is it Christ? Or is it man? Today's preaching presents the Lord Jesus as the beggar, pleading with men, instead of man as the beggar, pleading with Christ for mercy. by Don Bell
