Are You Ready Spiritually for Eternity?

Contrary to the messages being given in churches and Sunday School classes, being a Christian is more than responding to an altar call and then continuing to live life as you please. The Gospel message is more than a suggestion. It is a transforming power that changes our sinful and defective characters into the likeness of Christ's character. The Apostle Paul tells us that "it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16).

When we confess our sins and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:4). At that moment, we are justified - made right - in the sight of our holy God. We become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). As we continue in a saving relationship with Jesus, "being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1).

But the Gospel doesn't stop there. It tells us if we continue in our sins, if we return to our old lifestyle, if we continue to do the same things we did before accepting Christ as Savior, then we return to our previous condition without Christ. There are many Bible verses that support this fact. The belief in the "Once Saved, Always Saved" teaching that is taught in many churches today is a dangerous deception and a false promise.

The purpose of the Gospel is to conform our characters into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). This process is called sanctification. It is the work of the Holy Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:13,14). Sanctification is the process of making us holy. It is Christ working in us to prepare us for eternity. It is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

Sanctification is not a one time, static event. It is the work of a lifetime.