Spiritual Suicide

We have all heard of physical suicide.

This is when a human is so depressed they decide to end the pain by taking their own life. This is a very tragic situation. But far more tragic is spiritual suicide. This is when a person willfully rejects God’s clear plan of salvation and chooses to take their own spiritual life by deciding what they believe is the way into His Kingdom.

The default mode of the human heart is to believe that my personal standard of human goodness is the standard God requires for entrance into His eternal Kingdom. Let’s play this out in real life. How many people would go to a restaurant where the menu had no prices? You want to know what you will pay at the end of the meal. In other words you want to know what the standard is.

You head off to college but not before you find out what the cost is and what the grading system is. You want to know the standard. We do this on a daily basis in sports, education, speed limits while traveling, the cost of gas and on it goes. But strangely enough, the one standard very few people even consider is the standard required to enter the Kingdom of God. Why would humanity avoid looking into the most important standard of all—what must I do to be saved? What is the standard of goodness to secure my eternal destiny?

Another big question regarding this issue is: Has God given us the standard or are we left on our own to figure it out? If we are, then we have even a bigger question: What kind of God would call Himself loving, kind, merciful, and desiring that no one would perish while leaving the world in the dark regarding our eternal salvation? What is the standard for entering the Kingdom of God?

Strange as it may seem, man’s prideful nature has decided not to consult God but set up religious systems with many hoops to jump through to appease God who ironically rejects all those hoops.

Scripture has made it quite clear as to why the Bible was written: “to make thee wise unto salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15 KJV).

But religion keeps people ignorant to salvation. Religion makes man the center of the story. His ticket into heaven is his spiritual letter sweater. And that sweater displays all the Sunday school ribbons, church attendance, giving, good deeds and a host of other self promoting endeavors.

But scripture has another view of the matter. “There is none good no not one.” There is none who seek after God not even one.” Jesus said to the rich ruler, “why do you call me good, there is none good but God.” Either Jesus isn’t good or he is God. Was Mary good? Not according to Jesus and not according to Mary when she referred to God as her Savior. You don’t need a Savior if you are good.

Religion is pride before the law while Christianity is humility before the cross.

Christianity rests on the finished work of Christ while religion rests on finishing the work of Christ.

So did the Lord leave us in the dark, or did He make us wise unto salvation by being the light of the world?