Romans 2:5-11

This seems pretty straightforward. Going back to my earliest memories as a child, if I did what was right and listened to my parents, everything was fine. It was when I didn't do the right things that life went bad for me. Is it any different with our Heavenly Father?

Consider God's words to Cain in Genesis 4:6–7 (NLT):

““Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.””
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It really isn't that difficult to understand. We must master and subdue the sin in our lives, something made possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit, who now lives within us through the gracious gift of Christ.

Now, don't get me wrong here. We are not saved by our works, but I believe our works are evidence of whether we are truly saved. Jesus said we would recognize people by their fruit.

Those who have a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ become, in essence, new people. They are set free from the chains of sin and empowered to live righteously before God.

Are they perfect? No! But their sins have been forgiven through the gracious gift of salvation made available through Jesus Christ. They are now engaged in the ongoing process of sanctification, being transformed into His likeness until the day they are made complete in Christ when He returns.

The evidence of our salvation is not perfection, but transformation. We may stumble along the way, but we no longer have to remain enslaved to the sin that once controlled us. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome it.

However, we must be careful not to reject the very power that makes godly living possible, as Paul warned Timothy.

“They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

And consider Paul's words to Titus.

“Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.”
‭‭Titus‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As my husband says, "Don't pretend to be someone you don't intend to be."

We certainly don't want to be believers in name only, for then we would simply be fooling ourselves. There is a difference between professing to know Christ and actually living a life surrendered to Him.

Our actions reveal what is truly taking place in our hearts. We can say all the right things, attend church, participate in ministry, and even perform mighty works in His name, but none of those things can substitute for a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.

There is a reason the Lord gave us this sobering warning:

““Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Notice that these people weren't lacking in religious activity. They were prophesying, casting out demons, and performing miracles in His name. Yet Jesus declared that He never knew them. Their outward activities were no substitute for a genuine relationship with Him and a life of obedience to His Word.

What a sobering reminder that knowing about Jesus is not the same as truly knowing Him.

We are not saved by our good works, but genuine faith should produce good fruit. When we surrender our lives to Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a transforming work within us that should become increasingly evident in the way we live.

Let's make sure we are not merely professing Christ with our mouths while denying Him by the way we live. May our lives bear witness to the One we claim to follow, not because we are trying to earn our salvation, but because we have been gloriously saved and transformed by His grace.

After all, the goal isn't simply to look like a Christian. It's to become more and more like Christ.

Let's make sure we are not among those who hear Him say, "I never knew you," but rather among those who will one day hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."