by Keith Sharp
Introduction
By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward (Hebrews 11:24-26).
Moses was faced with the alternatives of suffering “affliction with the people of God” or enjoying “the passing pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25) When he made his choice, he was a mature man, forty years old, having attained the utmost in formal education possible in his age (Hebrews 11:24).
And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel (Acts 7:22-23).
He accounted “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26).
We face a parallel choice – not to leave Egypt or remain there, but to follow God’s way or remain in sin. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). Just as Moses, we should be mature enough to weigh the alternatives and act accordingly. The question is, should I be a Christian?
Reasons For
The apostle Paul summarized the rewards of being a Christian by proclaiming, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
“Blessings” are things that are for our good or benefit. “Spiritual” refers to the spirit of man, that part of man which, being in God’s image, does not die. Thus, “spiritual blessings” benefit our spirits and therefore, are not just for this life, but even for eternity.
Any mature person is willing to resist present pleasures in order to secure future happiness. Thus, these blessings are far more important to receive than all the material riches and pleasures the world can offer, for they involve the soul’s eternal destiny.
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works (Matthew 16:26-27).
What are these blessings which can only be found in Christ? In Christ we are “justified.” “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). That is, we are made right in point of law and therefore do not have to suffer the penalty for sin, spiritual death.
Also, in Him we have “peace with God” (Romans 5:1), meaning we enjoy a harmony and fellowship with our Maker.
Christians also rejoice in freedom from the guilt of sin.
“But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).
Having been born again, we are actually sons of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14). Think of it! Our Father is the Possessor of the universe!
In Christ we are “sanctified”, in other words, set apart from sin and to God, so that He will accept our service unto Him. “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
Christians are “reconciled” to God, thus., although we had been separated from Him by our sins, He has forgiven us, and we are His friends again.
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).
Those who are in Christ are “redeemed.” “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Christ paid the ransom price to buy us from slavery to Satan when He shed His blood, and as Christians we receive the benefits of that blood.
Disciples of Christ have the comfort of pouring out our hearts to God in prayer, a privilege aliens do not have. “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17). “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12).
Salvation is only in Christ. “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10).
Thus, Christians enjoy the hope of “eternal life,” for we are “in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2). This is the joyful “inheritance” of a home in Heaven.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Through Him we have fellowship with God, sharing in the blessings that come from the Father through the Son and participating together in the work God has for his people to do. “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
In Christ Jesus we possess spiritual life. “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).
How wonderfully and richly has God blessed us in His Son!
Reasons Against
Although the rewards of being a Christian are grand, many people give various reasons for remaining in the world. These reasons may be real, or they may simply be excuses, but, since we are examining all the facts, both “pro” and “con,” honesty demands we look at them. What reasons do people give for not being Christians?
My Loved Ones
Many people do not want to become Christians because their loved ones are members of some human denomination. They reason, “If I leave my parents’ church, I’ll be saying they’re going to Hell.”
Actually, your obedience to the gospel will have no direct effect upon your family for either good or evil, for each of us must bear his own guilt or innocence.
The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself (Ezekiel 18:20).
However, your obedience could indirectly lead to their salvation, if they also were to respond to the gospel as the result of your good influence.
But it is true that becoming a Christian could lead to family trouble. Your family may strongly oppose you for following Christ. But the Lord will not take second place to our families.
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘Set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:34-37).
You must decide which means the most to you, your family or the Lord. For the sake of your soul, I hope you choose Christ.
Sinful Lives
Others object, “I’m having too much fun with the sin of the world to be a Christian.” As long as you are determined to sin, don’t pretend to be a Christian. We have enough hypocrites in the church. But, remember, the road of sin is not the way of happiness, either in this life or in eternity. Even here and now, “the way of the unfaithful is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). In eternity, we will reap what we sow.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:7-8).
Furthermore, we must be always ready, for no one knows when the Lord shall return (Matthew 24:44).
Surely a mature person will choose the eternal joy of Christ over the brief pleasures of sin.
Good Morals
Some claim they don’t need to be a Christian, for, they brag, “I am a good moral person.” Cornelius, the centurion, was a very good person.
There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always…. And they said, ‘Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you’ (Acts 10:1-2, 22).
But he still needed salvation in Christ.
And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved’ (Acts 11:13-14).
That’s because he, as well as you and I, sinned. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
The only way to escape the penalty of eternal death is through Christ. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). You will not earn your way to Heaven by good morals.
Sacrifices
Some fear the sacrifices they will have to make. It is true that Christ demands our all. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’” (Matthew 16:24).
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
He won’t take second place in your life. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
If you give your life to Him, the sinful world will hate you and persecute you. The Master warned His disciples:
If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:18-19).
The apostle Paul revealed, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer
persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
If you make this commitment to give yourself to the Lord, His people will help you as a spiritual family, you will receive all the blessings in Christ, and in eternity you will receive eternal life.
So Jesus answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time–houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions–and in the age to come, eternal life (Mark 10:29-30).
Is not self-sacrifice with persecution for the short time we live here a small price to pay for
eternal life in heaven?
Can’t Live the Life
Some say, “I just can’t live the life of a Christian.” If one were to say, “I will not live the life Christ demands,” he might be speaking the truth. But don’t say, “I cannot.” God will not allow us to be faced with a temptation greater than we can bear.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
You can live the life of a Christian, if eternal life is important enough to you.
Want to Be Lost
But there is one objection to being a Christian I cannot meet. If you can honestly say, “I don’t want to go to heaven when I die. I want to spend eternity in the terror of hell rather than in the happiness of heaven,” I will simply be forced to give in, “Go ahead; stay out of Christ, and your wish will be fulfilled.”
Conclusion
If you will become a Christian, you will receive marvelous blessings now, along with persecutions, “and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:28-30). Remember, by following this course you will have done what any mature person would do, made provision for the future. If you gained the entirety of this world’s wealth but lost your soul, what would you have gained (Matthew 16:26-27)?
The facts are in. The decision is yours. Christ or the world. Eternity depends on your choice. Christians longingly plead. The angels in Heaven are watching, hoping. The Spirit invites. The Son has prepared the way. The Father waits with open arms. Will you, with the wisdom of maturity, choose life, or will you foolishly and childishly, cling to death?
“And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).
