I’ve Heard It All
by Joe La Bianca

I’ve heard it all. I’ve heard of Christians who live in sin and think they’re saved. I’ve heard of Christians that work for salvation and make Jesus something other than a Savior. I’ve heard of false religions that change Jesus to suit their wrong ideas about God. I’ve heard of people who think they are just fine without Jesus. I’ve heard of people who accept any kind of weird and unfounded notion about science, just as long as it says, “ No God.” Yes, I’ve heard it all.
A Christian who lives in sin wants God without wanting God’s likeness in their lives. They want God at a distance. They say they love God, but in practice they hate the way God is. They desire God and sins, Christ and the Devil.
Why does God want us to be like Him? Because ungodliness is always harmful to body, soul and spirit. Look at any sin described as such in the Bible. They always hurt the person, the society, and the world.
To live in sin is to disbelieve in the cross. If someone believes in the cross, they will not continue to practice the sins of the body. This is because to believe in the cross is to be sorry for the sins that nailed Jesus there. You mock the cross when you flippantly live in sin without the least bit of remorse. But if you are caught in a sin, and you want out, Jesus will help you and empower you to be victorious.
Is Jesus the Savior or isn’t He? If you are trying to earn salvation, you are attempting to be your own savior. You are trying to save yourself. This is a denial of Jesus and who He is. This is saying that Jesus is not the only way, that you are a way.
Either Jesus is the complete Savior or He is no Savior at all. Either Jesus died for our sins, and this is what saves us, or His cross has no meaning.
If you have been religious and have been trying to please God so He will accept you, I tell you to stop it. You do not please God by denying the One He sent. You do not please God with your works, when you trust in your works and not in the cross.
I have some good news and some bad news. The cross is the good news, or the gospel, and your works are the bad news. You must renounce every good thing that you think you’ve done. You must admit you are a worm, a no good sinner, before Jesus can save you. You must put no confidence in yourself and all confidence in the cross before the cross can remove even one of your sins.
Many religions include a form of Jesus in their teachings, but it’s not the real Jesus.
Islam changed Jesus to a mere prophet. They say that Jesus did not die for sin. They are very adamant about this. Why? Because they know that if Jesus died for sin, then who needs Islam? Who needs anything but Jesus, if He died for sin. They realize that to believe Jesus died for sin is to disbelieve everything else. They seem to understand more of this than lots of Christians. But Islam rejects the cross, to their own destruction.
Islam strangely accepts the virgin birth, but without a reason for it. What I mean is, Islam believes in the virgin birth of Jesus, but why? They cannot give an explanation for it, but true believers in the cross can. You see, Jesus is called the last Adam. He started the human race anew so He could reverse everything the first Adam did. Jesus lived the only perfect life and then gave that life as a sacrifice for sins. The virgin birth is directly connected to the cross. But Muslims do not know this. They accept the virgin birth out of ignorance.
People who follow Judaism say that Jesus was a good teacher, but did not die for sin. What!? Jesus taught that He was going to die for sin. I guess people should read the teachings before they say someone is a good teacher. Judaism seeks to justify their followers by obedience to the law of Moses. But the law was given to show us our sinfulness so that we can be led to Christ. Judaism fails to realize that the mechanism for their forgiveness is gone. I mean the sacrifices and the temple. The temple and the sacrifices were done away with in 70 AD. This was the end of the generation that saw the cross. This was no coincidence. To the disbelieving Jew I say, “ Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”
Buddhists say that Jesus was some kind of Zen master. They believe that Jesus taught that the answer to all our problems lies within each one of us. No, sin lies within each one of us. That’s the problem, not the answer. Buddhists say that if you meditate enough you will find the truth. But their truth is always a lie because the heart is deceitfully wicked. The are fooled by their own hearts when they trust in self. They trust in self, not Christ’s cross. Notice the common theme here. All these false religions say that Jesus is not the Savior.
If you are a person who thinks he doesn’t need Jesus, you haven’t thought enough. Take some time and realize your need for God’s forgiveness. All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of, not your neighbor, but of God. Yes, we all fall short of God. Can you admit this about yourself? If you can, you can have Jesus as your Savior. Just believe that He died in your place and paid the price for your sins. You will be considered perfect in God’s eyes if you believe in the cross. This is not too much to ask. If you will not call yourself a sinner and trust in what Jesus has done for you, you will die in your sins. To die in your sins means that your sins can never be paid for. Believe in Christ before this happens. You don’t have to understand all of it. That will come with time. Just call upon the Savior and tell Him you trust in His forgiving act. The cross is the forgiving act of Christ. It’s already done, just believe.
There is a theory that many believe disproves the existence of God. Without drilling a million holes in that pseudo-science in crisis, suffice it to say that there are many scientists on both sides of the issue that believe in God. So there remains no theory of science, or fact of science, which disproves God. In fact, all that we find in nature strongly supports the Creator.
So now what will you do? You have a decision to make. Your sin tells you to trust the Lord Jesus. Your failure at legalism tells you to trust in Someone else. The obvious perversions of Christ in other religions rules them out. And nature declares the glory of God, the God who sent His Son to die for the world. Look up to heaven and say, “ God, I believe that your only Son died for my sins and rose again. Please help me to believe that my sins were placed on Jesus, and that they are already punished. And help me to always trust the Son.”
If you prayed that, you are now a child of God. Do not let anyone tell you different. If they try to destroy your confidence in Christ, do not listen to them. Instead, listen to Jesus who said, “ Whoever comes to Me, I will never drive away.”