GOD LOVES EVERYONE THE SAME: Church people have been taught this church “truth” from day one. Of late the Catholic pope has made that his mantra relative to the inclusion of sex deviants in his religious system. He, as well as his Protestant imitators, tell sex deviants that God made them the way they are and that He loves them just as they are. There is therefore no need to change, even if they could. We are told from day one in Sunday School that, because of Adam’s sin-transferal miracle, we are all sinners from the moment of conception. We are assured that sin is our “nature” which cannot be changed. Like eye color or height, sin is a spiritual condition over which we have no control. However, we are assured, all is well in that Jesus died so that we can follow our “nature” without suffering guilt, that no matter how many times we sin. If we repent for each sin we can get away with it again, and again, and again …. And when we die Jesus will give us one last forgiveness sweep on our way to heaven.

We are told that, in order to take advantage of the Lord’s salvation guarantee offer, we need only to complete a prescribed ritual, take Jesus as our Savior, get baptized and repent after each inevitable sin. Sinners are told to “come as you are; stay as you are.” There is no reason to change. One need only repent after each sin and it will simply disappear. Jesus, the serial sinner is told, has obeyed God for you. One need only to make Him one’s Savior, but not one’s Lord. As our Savior we can use Him; as our Lord we must obey Him. I have been told that it is impossible to obey the Lord. One ex-missionary told me that it was, “… just too much trouble to obey God.” So why try? As one t.v. preacher told his congregation: “Don’t even try to be righteous; you’ll just make yourself sick. You are nothing but a society of sinners.” His audience displayed their agreement by nodding and grinning.

With that Satan-induced statement in our minds, let us examine what Jesus said told a man who came to him seeking salvation. We find this event recorded in Mark 10:17-22. Turn there and read with me. Jesus obviously saw the man running toward him, watched him fall to his knees in front of Him and heard him ask how to qualify for eternal life. With that scene in mind, let us examine that episode in order to learn the Bible Truth about the love Jesus has for all of mankind, including that particular salvation seeker.

The Lord’s love for all people is what I call a Biblical “headline” as expressed in John 3:16,17. A “headline” is a promise from the Lord to mankind whom He loves and desires to bless. As the Holy Scriptures tell us, His love includes the promise of many present-day blessings as well as a future in paradise. However, unless we learn, believe and obey His “fine print” conditions, those headlines (promises) will not be fulfilled by their Author. Contrary to popular church opinion, His promises involve CONDITIONS THAT MUST BE MET. Those written conditions are what I call His “fine print.” Salvation is one of His promises. The question is: WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT MUST BE MET IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE PROMISE? The church proclaims that there are only two conditions: believe and repent. But what does the Lord say?

In verse 17 the salvation seeker is asking about Christ’s “fine print.” Notice that Jesus did not tell him that he needed to “only believe and repent.” Instead, He told him he had to OBEY THE TEN COMMANDMENT LAW” (INCLUDING #4). In verse 20 the seeker professed that he had obeyed ALL TEN COMMANDMENTS since childhood. Now let us carefully read verse 21: “And Jesus, beholding him (seeing him internally), LOVED HIM.” Upon hearing that he was a Law-keeper, JESUS LOOKED AT HIM FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. HE VIEWED HIM DIFFERENTLY THAN HE HAD ONLY SECONDS EARLIER.

John 3:16 tells us that Jesus already loved him just as He loved all of humanity. Why? BECAUSE HE HAD CREATED ALL OF HUMANITY. GOD LOVES HIS MOST CHERISHED CREATION–MANKIND. But the man’s obedience to His commandments brought forth from Jesus a deeper level of love. The Lord loves the most vile sinner BECAUSE HE CREATED HIM/HER. But there is another type of love available for those who OBEY THE LAW BY WHICH HE GOVERNS HIS VERY ELECT SAINTS. Read with “fine print” vision John 8:31; 14:15; 15:10/ First John 2:3-5 and 3:1-10 (note especially vs. 4).

Now notice what Jesus said to the salvation seeker who had obeyed all of the commandments: “ONE THING YOU LACK.” ONE WEAKNESS separated the man from the possibility of receiving eternal life. Jesus specified ONE CONDITION that the man had to satisfy: HE HAD TO REMOVE ONE SIN FROM HIS LIFE IN ORDER TO RECEIVE SALVATION.

Nothing has changed since that day. The Scriptures tell us that: “He is the same yesterday, today and forever.” He declares: “I am the Lord, I change not.” We are told that “In Him there is not a shadow of turning” (change). What was true for salvation seekers then is true for salvation seekers now. For proof, let us do a “fine print” study of a few of the Lord’s New Testament Truths

We will now learn about the Lord’s demand for perfection in order to receive eternal life. In First Peter 4:18 the apostle tells us that judgment is on-going in the church, and that “ONLY THE RIGHTEOUS WILL BE SAVED” AND THEY WILL BE FEW IN NUMBER. Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 25:46. This means that of the 2.4 billion professing Christians on earth today, only the Law-obeying RIGHTEOUS will be saved. How many do you know. After eleven years of preaching God’s Truth locally in person, in print and on the air, I know of only 5 people who have heeded God’s call to righteousness. Jesus confirms that Bible Truth in Matthew 7:13,14 where He warns us that few salvation seekers will obey Him and enter paradise upon His return. Many, He says, will obey Satan and enter hell. Both groups believe that they are on their way to their mansion located on streets of gold. Only a FEW believers will reach their desired destination. These are they who walk holy in this life by obeying God’s Law. In First Peter 1:15,16 we are commanded to “BE HOLY FOR YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS HOLY.” In First John 2:6 we are told that if we claim to be Christ’s spiritual brethren we must “WALK AS HE WALKED” while on earth. In Revelation 3:21 Jesus tells us that only those who OVERCOME (SATAN) AS HE OVERCAME (HIM) WILL SIT WITH HIM ON HIS THRONE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Only a few, He laments, will overcome Satan’s temptations to sin. So what about all of the trillions of people He loves?

Perhaps the most graphic statement relative to Christ’s love is found in John 15:13,14 where He has told His disciples that because of His great love for HIS FRIENDS, He would die for them. Notice that Jesus would die ONLY FOR HIS FRIENDS. And who did He identify as His friends? Looking at His disciples He said that He would die for them ONLY IF THEY WOULD : “… DO WHATSOEVER I COMMAND YOU TO DO.” His personally-chosen disciples who would take His message to the world WERE NOT GUARANTEED ETERNAL LIFE. Recall that one of them failed. What did He tell the rich man to do in order to be His friend? What does he command us to do in order to be His friends? HE COMMANDS US TO OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS–INCLUDING #4. SUNDAY SABBATH KEEPERS KNOWINGLY AND DELIBERATELY REBEL AGAINST A DIRECT COMMAND FROM GOD. THEY REFUSE TO “WALK AS JESUS WALKED.” We are told in that it was His custom to observe God’s Sabbath Day (Lk. 4:16), which He blessed, sanctified and called “… My Holy Day, the Holy of the Lord (Gen. 2:3/ Isa. 58:13).

In today’s church world, 99% of those who believe that they are Christ’s friends are failing to qualify for friendship status. In James 2:10 the apostle tells us that to break one commandment of God’s Law is to break the entire Law, which makes one a worker of iniquity–Lawlessness (Mat. 7:21-23). Ninety-nine percent of church goers break His fourth commandment every week, then spiritually slap Him on the other cheek by worshiping Satan on his sabbath the next day, all the while believing that they are worshiping the Biblical God. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER SATAN HAS OVER THE CATHOLIC/PROTESTANT RELIGIOUS SYSTEM THAT CALLS ITSELF “CHRISTIANITY.” L.J.