Why do salvation seekers adamantly insist on hearing about the Lord Jesus, but adamantly refuse to hear what He said?   Sunday School children know that Jesus died to save mankind.  But neither they nor their teacher, nor their pastor can explain what must be done in order to qualify for salvation.  I recently watched a preacher supposedly change any and all interested viewers from lost, hell-bound sinners to saved, heaven-bound saints in 11 seconds.  After begging for money, another preacher assured his viewers that they could be saved on the spot if they would just repeat after him.  Can you see the 12 apostles pulling this stunt?

Let us compare the words of these religious hucksters to what Jesus said in Mark 1:14,15.  Here we find Him in Galilee “preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent therefore and believe the Gospel.”  Repent of what?  Disobeying the Law (sin–1 Jn. 3:4).  Believe what about the Gospel?  All of it.  Recall that Jesus said that we must “… live by EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD” (Mat. 4:4).  Also recall that the Apostle James said that belief (faith) is dead unless it is accompanied by works of obedience (Ch. 2).  Recall also Jesus saying that man would be judged by the words He had spoken–the entire Bible (Jn. 12:48).  Read John 12:44-50.  We must understand that the Word (Jn. 1:1-4,14) was the God of the Old Testament who heard from God and spoke what He heard to the prophets and apostles who spoke those Words to the people (2 Pet. 1:21) then recorded them.  Those Words were to be used in teaching the ways of God to the end-time church (1 Cor. 10:11).  Recall also that the New Covenant Church was founded on the teachings of “the prophets and the apostles” (Eph. 2:20).  Which brings us back to the question: why do church people not want to hear the message they spoke and wrote?

The answer is because God requires salvation seekers to BELIEVE AND OBEY what they spoke and wrote in order to receive eternal life.  Ignorance, we’ve heard, is bliss.  What we don’t know, we’ve heard, can’t hurt us.  However, in the spiritual realm those sayings do not work.  What we’ve heard in church does not line up with God’s Word, thereby creating a state of universal church ignorance.  God addressed this phenomenon, saying about His chosen people: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).  Note it: God is referring to the nation of Israel who had “the oracles (Words) of God,” which gave the Jews an advantage over the Gentiles relative to learning the ways of God (Rom. 3:2).  He was telling the biological Israelites of that day and they were being both physically and spiritually destroyed because they refuse to believe and obey His spoken, written and preserved Words.  Acts 7:38 we find the writer referring to Moses who, as head of “THE CHURCH (EKKLESIS/CONGREGATION) IN THE WILDERNESS,” was given the “LIVELY ORACLES TO GIVE UNTO US” (the New Covenant Church).  Note it: what Moses spoke to the nation of Israel was recorded to be used to instruct the modern day church, which ignores it just as did their ancient ancestors.

Notice that the “lively oracles” (Words) given to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai (the Ten Commandment Law) had to believed and obeyed in order to enter into the Promised Land.  Those same Words were preserved for us for the same reason.  The reason the church rejects most of God’s Words/Oracles is the belief that they can remain ignorant of God’s “fine print” and make it to heaven simply by believing in Jesus and His “headlines.”  For example, they accept “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, you and your house” (Acts 16:31), then refuse to accept other Scriptures that tell them what else they need to know.  The refused to hear that they will be judged by “… every Word that I (Jesus) have spoken” (Jn. 12:48).  They refuse to embrace what God’s instructions concerning how to study His Word found in Isaiah 28:9-13 where He explains that in order for Him to teach us the Biblical KNOWLEDGE we need in order to be saved we must study His Word “precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”  For emphasis, He then repeats what He had just said.  As James 2 tells us, we must do WORKS of obedience relative that knowledge in order to be saved (vss 10, 14,16,17,18,20,24,26).  James’ message is: faith without works of faith (obedience) is death.  We live by our faith (Heb. 10:38).  If our faith is dead because of lack of works/obedience, then we are dead.  No amount of religiosity changes this law.

Salvation seekers by the billions have refused to believe what God Himself says about the way we must walk in order to enter His kingdom–not heaven.  Jesus noted that few salvation seekers would enter His strait gate and walk His narrow way leading to eternal life.  Many, He said, would enter Satan’s wide gate and walk his broad way leading to DESTRUCTION.  The irony here is that the many heading for destruction believe (have KNOWLEDGE) that they are the few who are headed for heaven.  Read Bait and Switch.  Key word–Bait.  Recall the Lord saying that His people were DESTROYED for lack of (TRUE) KNOWLEDGE.

Throughout the New Testament we find people believing in Jesus Christ.  However, those same people rejected Him because of His message.  This was true for many of His early disciples.  We are told in Luke 10:1-17 that after He had sent 70 disciples out to minister in their home towns.  They later returned rejoicing that “even the devils are subject unto us.”  Later, as recorded in John chapter 6 we find Jesus speaking to some Jews about what God commanded of them.  His disciples heard what He had said.  This, they replied, was a “hard saying” which they rejected.  They left Him at that time and “walked no more with Him” (vss 60,61).  They loved the power He had given them but rejected the life they would have to live in order to retain it.

Nothing has changed.  Religious people today love the promise of eternal life with Him in paradise, but refuse to walk the walk He requires in order to enter it.  It is so much easier to remain deliberately ignorant and enter in simply through faith.  They hire preachers who tell them to “only believe” in order to receive the promised blessings.  Having supposedly nailed the Law and the teachings of the prophets to the cross, they refuse to study Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.  I will leave you with a statement found in Deuteronomy 30:19 where Moses is speaking to the nation of Israel, as well as to God’s church today.  He has just spoken to them chapter 28 which lays out in simple language God’s sowing and reaping law: “I call heaven and earth to record this day that I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH, BLESSING AND CURSING.  THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE ….”  But remember what God said about His people anciently and today: “My people perish for lack of KNOWLEDGE.”  Those who study Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 only read the first 13 and14 respectively.  Such deliberate ignorance is a spiritual wound that will not heal itself.

As Paul told Timothy: “ALL SCRIPTURE is inspired by God and good for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16), therefore we must “Study in order to be approve by God” (2 Tim. 2:15).  Study what?  ALL SCRIPTURE.  God’s approval comes only from obedience to ALL SCRIPTURE.  Religious man refuses to do so, which is why Jesus said that only a few would FIND His strait gate (true church), ENTER it and WALK his narrow (Scriptural) way leading to the Kingdom of God (Mat. 7:13,14).  The many, He warned, would simply join the church of their choice and walk its broad way leading to destruction.  L.J.