“If you” are two of the most powerful, profound and decisive words found in God’s Holy Bible. One’s response to those two little words, five letters in all, determine whether one obeys the Biblical God or His enemy, whether one receives God’s promised blessings or His promised curses, whether one lives for eternity or burns to ash in the Lake of Fire. Contrary to popular religious opinion, there are only two possible options–“I will” or “I will not”–and one person to make the call–the individual. The decision is involved even when the words themselves are not used. Honest students of the Bible know that every command of God, and there are many, has an unwritten “if you” connected to it. Let us examine these Biblical facts from the perspective of the only One that counts–the God of the Holy Scriptures. The key to knowing good and evil is to view all things in life through His Word which expresses His perspective. His perspective involves two words: “if you.” Either we do or we do not relative to His Scriptures. There is no gray area with the Lord. One is either right or wrong in his decision-making. Few in professing Christendom believe this, which is why few will spend eternity with Him (Mat. 7:13,14).

The “Holy Grail” of Catholicism/Protestantism is John 3:16. From early age we who have grown up in the church have been able to recite this most cherished verse. So popular is the verse that we were not told to study it by following God’s study instructions found in Isaiah 28:10-13 and 2 Timothy 2:15. As a result we did not learn that two words: “If you,” determine whether or not the verse applies to our individual relationship with the Lord. We assume that we need only believe the verse in order to be saved. As a result, billions of God-seekers never find Him because the are “… ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). The Truth is found when we obey Isaiah 28:10-13 and 2 Timothy 2:15.

The all-loving, all-knowing Author of John 3:16 has placed in the hands of human beings the key to both their present and eternal fates. He so loves His most prized creation that He has given to us the choice of life or death. In Deuteronomy 30:19 He spoke to our biological and spiritual ancestors through Moses who told them and us, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life.”  Not only has the Almighty promised to bestow great blessings upon those who choose life, but has given them detailed instructions on how to receive those blessings, placed them in a Book and made them available to any interested party.

Note in Deuteronomy 30:19 that the Lord has placed the final decision relative to eternal life and death in the hands of the individual. Beginning with Adam and Eve, life’s ultimate choice lies within man himself. Today’s seeker of salvation has an important advantage over their ancient ancestors. Today’s salvation seekers have God’s written instructions which show them, in detail, how to qualify for eternal life. Because they are encouraged not to study God’s Word on their own, very few people consult those instructions, even fewer believe them and almost no one obeys them. Instead they approach His Words as did Adam and Eve who heard both versions of the Truth, considered them, then chose the version that gave them power to decide good and evil. The religious modus operandi uses by today’s churchite is as follows. Right is what I want it to be. And if the group I am now with does not agree with me, I will find one that does. This is the formula that has produced the two-headed monster and the hundreds of lesser monsters known as “the church.” L.J.