In Christ Alone

“For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.” (Romans 10:2-3 ESV)

Speaking of Israel, Paul tells us that there is a difference between knowing God and trying to find your own way to God. That is, to believe you can “work” your way to heaven. This was the Pharisees and those who practiced Judaism, but Judaism had morphed from the ideas of Judaism as written by Moses in the Torah.

Paul also told us that when anything is added to grace by faith, grace is nullified. (Romans 11:6). We see this in false religions today. The issues Paul faced, we still face today. Jesus confronted the Jews in their works righteousness. We see this in what I call the Ego Eimi (I am) confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees, which were absolute statements in John 8.

Jesus told us there are two gates, one that leads to the Father and one that leads to destruction. (Matthew 7) What we must understand is that the narrow gate is accessed individually. It is a turnstile. We are enabled to enter that gate through our faith and salvation in Christ. It is an individual's deliberate act to become a follower of Christ; the intentional act is accepting the gospel and placing one's faith in Jesus. This is contrary to the wide gate. Those outside of Christ congregate in their sin. The wide gate accommodates many at once, unlike the narrow turnstile of the narrow gate.

The other difference between the gates is their ability to be found. The road to the wide gate is easy; it is the way of sin. Naturally occurring in humans, it is easy to follow the road of sin and find that gate. However, the road to the narrow gate is hard; the life of a Christian is not easy. Only the elect will find this gate, which is why Christ tells us, “Those who find it are few.”

Paul’s writings in Romans 10 are reflected in today’s churches. If you look at many of the polls or questionnaires of different denominations, you might be surprised at what people believe and do not believe, both of which are contrary to scripture. Modern Christianity has become very man-centered, not focused on Christ.  

So, what do we do? To know we are saved is to place our faith in Christ and be aware of the spiritual change of our hearts that occurs with salvation. In giving the gospel to others, we must adhere to scripture. We are saved by grace through faith in scripture. The five solas are the pillars of salvation: faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone, in scripture alone, and all for the glory of God alone, the basis on which we are saved.

Give the gospel, it will be heard, and the elect will come to the Lord.

Grace and Peace.