The Most Important Question

No changes in my physical condition; I feel good most days.  The largest tumor which is attached to my pancreas is about the size of a small potato.  I can feel its bulge on my left side.  Had the tumor continued growing inward through my pancreas instead of turning outward, I would no doubt be having more serious complications.  As it is, I’ll take each good day the Lord gives, ready for the time when there shall be no more. 

I go to Sunday School and Worship most Sundays.  David and I visited Birchman Baptist Church (where I used to serve on staff and where Jan and I married) to hear Dr. Ben Carson speak.  Andrea, Christy, Amy, and I drove down to meet Hannah, Daniel, and little Nathaniel at Homestead Heritage – a Christian farming and craft community.  I see Sara and Jonathan when we have family gatherings and I visit occasionally with Martha via Skype.  This month I’ve been studying John Piper’s latest book, What Is Saving Faith? 

According to recent PEW research, “Approximately 90% of Americans (including children) identified as Christians in the early 1990s. The study observed that number had fallen to only 64% by 2020. The number of people in the U.S. who identify as religiously unaffiliated, meanwhile, skyrocketed from 16% in 2007 to 29% in 2020, the research showed. Other religions such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, accounted for approximately 6% in 2020.” 

The decline is not a straight linear decline, but rather a curved accelerating decline, resulting in Christians becoming a minority in America in less than 20 years from now.  The 64% in 2020 likely include those who profess to be Christian but show no evidence or fruit of being Christian. Is it possible that those professing Christians who have a cavalier attitude toward their faith, or of whom Christ is at the margins of their thoughts and affections and not at the transforming center, are not truly saved? 

Matthew 7:23, tells of some pretty amazing ‘believers’ who did incredible things in the name of Jesus.  But Jesus said of them, “Depart from Me; I never knew you.”  What was lacking in those professing believers?  Why does it seem that most Americans think they will go to heaven when Jesus warns, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14).  There is no greater concern a person should have than to be certain of where he will spend eternity. 

Some questions to ponder:  The Bible says that the Devil believes in Jesus, so what is different about my belief?  Can a person be saved who believes in Jesus Christ as his Savior but does not trust and follow Him as his Lord?  Is a person saved who acknowledges Christ as a supreme treasure but has no experience of treasuring Christ as supreme?  Is there a difference between God giving us Christ so that we might have salvation vs God giving us salvation so that we might have Christ?  

These and other questions will be the topic of our family Bible Study in early November when Martha and Philip fly in from Virginia, and Hannah and Daniel come for a visit.  Genuine Christians have always been a minority.  In the years to come, they will become even fewer.  I know of no greater urgency than for one to experience daily the joy of his salvation.  Here’s a clear message on how a person can know for certain whether or not he is a child of God.  Listen to the 49 minute message, learn the text, then share it personally with a friend or loved one.  Their eternity may depend on it!