Immune to Christianity 

      When talking with a person who has had just enough experience with Christianity to make him/her immune to – Christianity, ask the person: 

     You: Have you ever stolen anything?  What does that make you? 

     Friend: A thief. 

     You: Have you ever lied?  What does that make you?   

     Friend: A liar.   

     You: Have you ever lusted after a person that is not your spouse? 

     Friend: Of Course. 

     You: Have you ever used God’s name in vain, essentially as a substitute curse word? 

     Friend: Yes, many times. 

     You: The Bible says that there is coming a day of judgment by God for all of mankind.  Given that you have already admitted that you are guilty of breaking many of God’s laws, do you believe you will be found innocent or guilty?  

     Friend: Guilty.   

     You: What do you think your sentence will be?  Heaven or Hell?   

     Friend: Heaven. 

     You: What makes you say that?  Do you think that you are basically a good person and that God will have mercy on you for not really being all that bad? 

     Friend: Yes.  I believe that there are so many others out there who are truly evil that God will send them to Hell, not me.  I know the scriptures.  I have an uncle who is a preacher and I grew up listening to him all my life.  I know I don’t do everything right but I know what the Bible says.  I believe there is a Jesus and all that.  I just became tired of asking God for forgiveness all the time.  It was exhausting.  I just don’t think about God so much now and don’t worry about sinning and I feel much better. 

     You: Ok, that is all fine and good but that won’t stop the future from arriving along with death and judgment.  You see, you have admitted that you are guilty of sin and God clearly states in His Word, the Bible, that all liars, thieves, blasphemers, all who are guilty of breaking God’s laws will be sentenced to spend the rest of eternity suffering in the Lake of Fire.  The Bible says that there are no righteous men and all who are found guilty will face this horrific judgment of life eternal in Hell. 

     Friend: Ok, like I said, I am a Christian.  I grew up in church. 

     You: Do you go to church now? 

     Friend: No. 

     You: Do you take your children to church or teach them of Jesus Christ? 

     Friend: No.  I believe that they need to grow up and make those kinds of decisions for themselves. 

     You: What decisions? 

     Friend: You know - whether or not to believe in a religion. 

     You: But you consider yourself a Christian? 

     Friend: Sure, I believe in God but I am no fanatic about it. 

     You: Ok, think about this.  There is a large building nearby and you are outside watching intently as a raging fire is blazing out of control on many of the floors inside of the complex.  All of a sudden, in the distance you see your very young children walking toward the main doors.  They cannot see the flames from their current perspective.  You know that once they go in they will be trapped and burned alive in this terrible inferno.   

     What would you do?  Would you let them make up their own minds as whether or not to enter the building?  No, of course not.  You would, with all of your might, rush toward them yelling, kicking and screaming to stop and not go any further.  You would be screaming at others nearby to try and stop them.  You would be fanatical in your efforts to save your kids.  You would pursue them regardless of how much they ignored your pleas.  You would do all that is possible to open their eyes to see the flames so that they would change their course leading them into that burning hell. 

     A true Christian can see the flames and is fanatical about evangelizing the lost, especially those closest to them - their own family members.  A Christian would endure all of the ridicule and embarrassment of being a so called “fanatic” in order to teach their children of Christ.  He would endeavor with all that is in him to open their eyes to see the truth of Heaven and Hell.  If you have never done this then you must examine yourself as to whether or not you are truly a faithful Christian or even a Christian at all.   

     You see, the Bible says that all men have sinned and have come short of the Glory of God.  All men are condemned already to Hell for their sin.  Consequently, all men need a Savior to deliver them from this terrible judgment.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a person that could or would actually take your place at that future trial?  This person would have to be perfect and not guilty of any sin himself.  Only a worthy candidate could possibly stand in your place before God.  But if all men are already guilty themselves for their own sin crimes, who could do this?  Only God in the flesh – Jesus.   

     Before you were ever born Jesus had you specifically in mind and already knew that you were going to be found guilty of sinning against God on Judgment Day.  Yet, He still loved you so much that He resolved within Himself to take your place at this trial.  But first Jesus had to live a completely sinless life free of any guilt that could condemn Him.  He had to die as an innocent man on the cross.  Just as you were to be sentenced to death in Hell for your own sin charges, Jesus died on that cross taking your sin debt to the grave with Him.  Therefore, by asking Him to forgive you and to become your Savior, you can no longer be charged with these crimes.  If you will let Him, there will come one future day when Jesus as your Savior will stand between you and God declaring your innocence.  He will say that your sin charges have already been paid for by His own death.  You will be found innocent, not by your own righteousness but by being clothed in His Righteousness – the Righteousness of God. 

     So, are you a Christian?  

     Examine yourself by God’s standards alone.  Attending church, having Godly parents, reading the Bible occasionally, does not automatically make you a Christian.  It can, unfortunately, instill a person with just enough arrogance as to not allow him to seek advice or to listen further to any Christian teaching.  God despises arrogance.  It is un-teachable and unreachable.  It is too proud to be broken.  Yet, men need to be broken in order to accept Jesus as their Savior.  They need to realize that they are sinners.  They need to feel a genuine regret and sorrow for breaking the laws of God.  They need to be broken to the point that they have a respectful fear of a loving God who has not only died for them but has the power to condemn men to Hell for breaking His laws and not accepting Jesus’ sin debt payment for their crimes.  

     Your zeal for evangelizing will ultimately reflect your level of Christianity or Christianity at all.  Even if you are a Christian you still may, in fact, need to repent often for slipups in your behavior.  However, you will not need to live a life afraid of being condemned to Hell for sin.  Remember, it is not by your righteousness that you can enter into God’s Kingdom, it is by the righteousness of Jesus that you have been given the free gift of everlasting life.  This gives Christains the liberty of feeling free from the guilt of sin because Jesus was already convicted and found guilty of their sin charges long ago.   

      Yet with the liberty in Christ that you now possess, you still need to live with an attitude of fearful respect for your Savior, not using God’s Grace as a liberty to deliberately sin.  However, if you do, repent, turn away and fall on your knees asking for forgiveness.  Jesus already paid for your past, present and future transgressions on the Cross at Calvary.  Let it go and let God lead and direct your paths in all that you do throughout your entire life.   

     In the end, at that future trial, you will not be able to use the excuse of living your Christianity vicariously through another person, such as a Godly parent.  You will not be able to plead your case by announcing that you have merely read the Book because if you had truly listened to its contents, you would have accepted its author as your Savior and friend.  God makes the whole religious experience very personal between Himself and you.  He died alone on that cross personally for you.  He loved you so much that in death He was able to transfer your very own guilt onto Himself to carry to the grave.  He was beaten and bruised for your iniquities and could literally have called ten thousand angels to rescue Him at any time.  Yet He chose to suffer for you - to die for you.  He made it all very personal just for you. 

     Don't turn away.  Accept His gift.  It is free to all the broken and lost in sin who genuinely call upon His name asking for forgiveness of their sins.  His gift of Eternal life in His Kingdom is waiting for all who do. 

© 2013 G. R. Workman