“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus…”

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

“Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”

All of these verses concerning salvation include acknowledging Jesus Christ as LORD!  The One in charge!  The One Who makes the rules!  The Boss!  The One Who tells us how to live and what to do!  The One in control!  The LORD!

How pales the mantra of the new age movement – “Jesus accepts me for who I am.”  No, He does not.

“Go and sin no more.”  Jesus said to the adultress.

“Take up thy cross and follow me.”  Jesus said to the rich young ruler.

“And men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil,”  explains John about why men reject the real Lord Jesus.

No, Jesus accepts you because of Who He is in spite of who you are!

“Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed…”

“Friendship of the world is enmity with God.”

“Love not the world.”

“Love not the things in the world.”

“Come out from among them and be ye separate.”

“Touch not the unclean thing.”

“Whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

“If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator”…don’t eat with him.

“If any man that is called a brother be covetous”…don’t eat with him.

“If any man that is called a brother be…an idolater”…don’t eat with him.

“If any man that is called a brother be…a railer (gossip)”…don’t eat with him.

“If any man that is called a brother be…a drunkard”…don’t eat with him.

(These are all passages taken from the New Testament)

The emergent church may call this legalism.  How about calling it the Bible?!  Jesus does not save us in order for us to feel good about ourselves.  He saves us in order to transform us!

“And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed!”

I fear for many who have accepted Jesus.  Not Jesus of the Bible.  Not Lord Jesus.  But another Jesus.  They use His name, but it is not LORD Jesus.  II Corinthians 11:4

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, Have we not prophesied in thy name?  And in thy name have cast out devils?  And in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:  Depart from me ye that work iniquity.”

The Bible does not teach lordship in order to attain salvation.  It does teach lordship as a product of salvation.  Legalism is a misnomer used by those who do not want to change and who do not want to acknowledge Jesus as LORD of their lives.

“Jesus accepts me how I am,” is code for “I ain’t about to change what makes me feel spiritual and comfortable.”

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Just some musings from a preacher who is about to go into the pulpit in a few hours burdened for the egocentric generation in which we live.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  – II Timothy 4:3,4