One of the great lies of liberal theology is that we are all a part of God’s family. Christianity teaches otherwise. The former teaching may seem inclusive and welcoming, while the latter seems exclusive and intolerant. No matter the labels, beliefs and opinions do not trump the Truth, which says:

    “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

One of my favorite shows in the 70’s was Norman Lear’s “All in the Family.” This was the most unlikely family. The patriarch was the irascible bigot Archie Bunker, his lovable dingbat wife Edith, their crybaby daughter Gloria, and her meathead husband Michael. Somehow this dysfunctional family was able to function in spite of itself. This family’s love for one another is what held it together.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become part of a family, one that is not nuclear in our DNA, but bonded together by the blood of Jesus Christ. Our sin has separated us from God and His family and to become part of that family, we must be adopted. Again it may be comforting to believe that all humans are children of God, but Scripture teaches otherwise:

    “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26)

I don’t know how Scripture could be any clearer than that. We become members of God’s family by being adopted, and that adoption is made possible through the blood of Jesus Christ. As any family who has adopted children, the costs are high and the cost to God the Father was His only begotten Son:

    “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

Verse 17 is included above with the world famous John 3:16 because it counters the argument that God is too loving to send anyone to hell. It is true that we have a loving Heavenly Father who proved His love for the world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, please notice the last nine words in the passage. We are not saved because God so loved the world; we can be saved because God so loved the world. You must believe in Jesus Christ for salvation.

The requirement of Jesus Christ for salvation is not some intolerance on the part of Christian theologians or closed-minded believers. It is clearly defined in Scripture, first pointed to in the Old Testament and manifested through the life of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Can this be any clearer?

    “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:4-7)

Dear friend, you many think you have figured out a different way to get to heaven, but you are standing on a belief founded on the rejection of the Holy Bible. No matter the number of liberal theologians who “evolve” in their beliefs and adjust their teachings to meet the current culture, the gospel is the gospel and it is never changing. The Bible even predicted and deals with such false teaching:

    “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8-9)

The Apostle Paul has given us no quarter in what we can believe, even though God has given us the freedom to accept or reject the truth of Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

The truth is if you have not been adopted into the family of God through the blood of Jesus Christ, then you are not all in the family.

Do not be left out…

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2014 David Jeffers

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