Salvation from sin
Jun P. Espina 1 min read
Updated on February 17th, 2020
C. H. Spurgeon once commented that little minds need Latin to express their shallow thoughts, more so on how to enter God’s kingdom. Unlike the artful deception of falsehood, truth needs but simple words. Its beauty and might is easily seen in its actual, rugged form. In only six common words, the apostle Paul penned one of the greatest Christian truths ever told: “I have been crucified with Christ.”
The fake Christians in the world are growing in number. One source of their growth is the introduction of man-made teachings into the various Christian denominations. Fake Christianity has been in the world since Judas Iscariot. I want to share this paper here since it is essential for the real Christians to be able to identify the marks of the fake Christians.
The real problem in this life is our great love for ourselves. As such, we tend to attribute all our laurels to no one but ourselves. God, in our natural experience, seems to be just another Grandpa in our trying times. We don’t see some big deal with Him. We don’t give God the honor and glory due Him as our Heavenly Father and Creator. Our mind and heart are all focused on ourselves, on our money, job, or our relationships. Even in our deathbed, we tend to call God only as an Emergency Assistant. We all have the great love for ourselves and less love for our God.
How is one piece of wood, the so-called Black Narazene, making both news and history every January of each year in the Philippines since Catholic “devotees” worshiped it as a miraculous idol for hundreds of years? The Black Nazarene symbolizes the ordinary Filipinos’ Catholicism and devotion to a god made of wood. “Not at all,” protested the learned academicians and intellectuals who were into the Black Nazarene worship, too. It is how deep the Black Nazarene cult has permeated into the matrix of the Filipino faith system for over 200 years.
When Christ cried out with a loud voice: “Lazarus come forth!,” the other dead Lazaruses didn’t rise–only the brother of Mary and Martha. There’s a big difference if you’re KNOWN of the Lord. People claim they know Jesus; but does Christ KNOW them? Are we experiencing Christ’s ownership of our soul?
In politics, the followers of Christ are instructed not to be rebels of the duly instituted authority but rather to pray for their leaders. Some leaders of pseudo-Christian groups went to the mountains during the period of Dictator Marcos in the Philippines and became rebels and combatants. Such wasn’t fundamental Christianity. Here is Christ’s teaching: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17).