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Hindrances to Salvation
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Luke 18:24–25
There are many reasons that people do not accept God’s free gift of salvation, but perhaps the most common of all is insistence on making our own way—trusting our works, our resources, our abilities, and our efforts rather than relying on the finished work of Christ alone. The example Jesus used was of the difficulty rich people faced in being saved. It is not wealth that keeps men from Heaven, but a reliance on that wealth rather than on God’s grace that keeps them from recognizing their need of a Saviour.
The basic prerequisite for someone to get saved is for them to first realize that they are lost. “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17). In our day this is especially prevalent with our society’s emphasis on self-esteem and making people feel good about themselves no matter what. (I read of a high school in Texas where students whose grades qualified them for the National Honor Society were not allowed to wear the stoles signifying that accomplishment so those who had not made the grades wouldn’t feel bad.)
God doesn’t grade on a curve, and nothing that we have or can do is worthy of merit in His sight. The Lord instructed the rich ruler to sell all that he had and give it away—not so that he could buy salvation, but so that his heart and what he truly loved would be exposed.
Luke 18:24–25
There are many reasons that people do not accept God’s free gift of salvation, but perhaps the most common of all is insistence on making our own way—trusting our works, our resources, our abilities, and our efforts rather than relying on the finished work of Christ alone. The example Jesus used was of the difficulty rich people faced in being saved. It is not wealth that keeps men from Heaven, but a reliance on that wealth rather than on God’s grace that keeps them from recognizing their need of a Saviour.
The basic prerequisite for someone to get saved is for them to first realize that they are lost. “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17). In our day this is especially prevalent with our society’s emphasis on self-esteem and making people feel good about themselves no matter what. (I read of a high school in Texas where students whose grades qualified them for the National Honor Society were not allowed to wear the stoles signifying that accomplishment so those who had not made the grades wouldn’t feel bad.)
God doesn’t grade on a curve, and nothing that we have or can do is worthy of merit in His sight. The Lord instructed the rich ruler to sell all that he had and give it away—not so that he could buy salvation, but so that his heart and what he truly loved would be exposed.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Effectively sharing the gospel with others requires helping them understand their lost condition so they can be saved.
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