religiousness, religiosity, is your faith real and have you been saved?

Religiousness or faith?

What is the difference between religiosity and saving faith in Jesus and God? They are not the same thing

This writing is about religious people, meaning people who are involved with spiritual matters or who even are employees of the church but who in practice reject Christ, are not believers or do not understand what Christian faith means. We are talking about a system within Christianity that goes against Christ in practice and in doctrine.

Next, we will study some characteristics of such people. The idea is not to attack anyone; instead, the idea is to study this matter so that people who are lost might come to see their status before God. This way, they can know the truth and be saved, which is God’s will for us.

- (1 Tim 2:3,4) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;

4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

CANNOT SAY WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE BELIEVERS. One very common characteristic of religious people is that they are unable to say for sure whether or not they believe and have been saved. They are unable to give a direct answer because they do not have a personal relationship with God. They usually consider the question unpleasant. They may say that faith is a personal matter and that it is not in their Christian tradition to discuss it, or may give another unclear explanation.

Renowned Finnish preacher Niilo Yli-Vainio wrote about such people who want to call themselves Christians but who deny faith and assurance. They are the people who are unable to directly answer this question. The essential and most serious aspect of their condition is that they do not even seek or want assurance. If one does not want assurance, one will, naturally, not find it.

In the course of my spiritual work, I must have asked thousands of people if they were believers. An ordinary sinner admits, “Not yet.” But the convert goes round and round and does not give a direct answer to a direct question. He wants to be a Christian but he lacks the internal experience. That is why he cannot really even lie properly. He does not want to deny – or admit – that something in his innermost being says that there is no assurance of what has been talked about. (1)

Below is another quote about similar religious people. They may have humility, silence, or other features of Christian faith but still want to keep everything vague and uncertain. Paul must have been referring to such people when he wrote that there are people "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2 Tim 3:5).

But not always the reason lies in this; perhaps just as often it is in the people themselves. First of all, these people tend to object to clear definitions; they do not like clarity and certainty. Religion is comfortable when it is weak, vague and uncertain and full of forms and rituals. I am not at all surprised that Roman Catholicism attracts certain people. The weaker and more vague your religion is, the more comfortable it is. Nothing is more inconvenient than clear biblical truths that require solutions. That's why these people say, "You're too precise, you're too legalistic. I don't like this at all. I do believe in Christianity, but you are too inflexible and narrow-minded in your perceptions." (2)

Is unbelief a virtue? When a person is in a state similar to the previous one, there is also another name for it: unbelief. It means that a person considers God and his promises in Jesus Christ to be unreliable and does not believe that he can receive salvation and also assurance from God. He claims these things as a lie or does not care about them.

But it is good to understand that unbelief is evil in God's eyes. It is about man's reluctance and rebellious mind – a mind that fights against God and claims that he cannot be trusted. Such a person is opposing God, which is a sin. We look at the verses that bring this issue to the fore:

- (Hebr 3:12) Take heed, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

- (Rev 21:8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

- (Heb 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

- (1 John 5:10) He that believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself: he that believes not God has made him a liar; because he believes not the record that God gave of his Son.

- (Hebr 4:2) For to us was the gospel preached, as well as to them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

- (Rom 14:23) And he that doubts is damned if he eat, because he eats not of faith: for whatever is not of faith is sin.

- (2 Cor 13:5) Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates?

- (John 20:31) But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his name.

And what is the advice to a person, who considers unbelief to be a virtue and a great thing, and does not understand that it is a big sin?

The answer is that he should humble himself and confess his rebellious mind to God. He must understand that everyone can come to certainty and gain faith, because Jesus promised that ”he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened”. We can surely trust what Jesus said.

- (Matt 7:8) For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.

- (John 7:17) If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

- (1 Peter 5:6) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

READY IN HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. One characteristic of a religious person and a convert is that he is ready in his relationship with God. It manifests itself in the following ways:

God is in an isolated compartment in his life. It means that God is closed, as it were, in a cage, from which he can be asked for nice things, but who cannot be Lord in a person's life.

It is characteristic of this kind of dead faith that if it experiences the fear of hell and death or gets into great difficulties, it will cry out to God for help with all its might. But as soon as life returns to peaceful conditions, all is forgotten (Jer 2:27: for they have turned their back to me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.).

He remains the same. If a person has a dead faith, he can remain the same year after year: he has the same selfish life, the same character defects and sinful habits. He does not live for God and Christ in the present, but perhaps lives in his past conversion. The worst thing is that he doesn't even want change and holiness in his life. As a result, of course, God cannot influence him. He is not spiritually poor or one who thirsts for righteousness in his life (Matthew 5:3,6). He is not active in his search for God.

Instead, when a person is born again and receives a new life through Jesus Christ, a steady change for the better should be visible in his life and character. At least that is what is written in the following verses. If this does not happen, it is worth asking if we are Christians at all.

- (2 Cor 3:18) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.

- (Gal 5:22-23) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

He lacks a new mind given by God. The reason why a dead faith does not bring about a change in a person is that the person has not been saved and received a new mind from God. Change is difficult then.

Instead, true conversion involves us becoming partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and that man wants to do God's will. As a result, he begins to hate the sins he once loved the most. C.O. Rosenius wrote about the battle of the flesh and Spirit within us and about how people change in relation to the sins they used to like:

A Christian is not only a new person, but also an old one at the same time. A Christian's life is divided and torn by the constant battle between the flesh and the Spirit living in us... The most important sign of a pure mind is that you hate the sins you love the most.

Many unconverted may hate the sins they do not love. But hating that sin which I love most testifies to a new and pure mind. When the disciples were discussing who among them was the greatest, they must not have felt that they were hating their self-love. But when they thought about it, they sure hated it. In another moment Peter said: "I don't know that man." The next moment he went out and wept bitterly. (3)

He does not pray for people to be saved. He doesn't care about that because he is also indifferent to his own salvation. When Paul wrote how he was concerned about his own citizens and prayed for them, this is foreign to a religious person.

- (Rom 9:1-3) I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

- (Rom 10:1) Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

He is indifferent towards sin. One characteristic is that he is indifferent towards sin. It can also happen to a Christian if he distances himself from God and hardens himself, but it is typical of a dead faith. Such a person defends his sins, doesn't want to give them up, or he can think: God is merciful because of Christ, so it doesn't matter how we live. The following quote speaks to this:

I will never forget the shock I felt when a member of the elders of a church told me that a young couple in their church had been engaged in fornication. The young man had been called before the elders, and they had asked if the man did not know that he was sinning against God. "I knew it," was his carefree and shameless answer. "But I also knew that all I had to do was confess it to God afterwards and he would forgive me." Why would you name his attitude? In no way does it show faith or trust in God, but it is contempt for God's grace. (4)

He does not know the seriousness of his condition.

- (Rom 3:19,20) Now we know that what things soever the law said, it said to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

One characteristic of a religious person is that the law has never been allowed to make him defenseless and guilty before God. When the above verses show how the purpose of the law is to bring us to this state, it is lacking in such a person. He has never been before God's law with his whole being and does not know his sinfulness and his recalcitrant mind towards God. He can compare himself to others, but he does not understand that he is guilty before God and guilty of the greatest sin. For when the greatest commandment is to love God and neighbor above all else, then the greatest sin is not having followed this commandment. A religious person is guilty of that, just like every one of us.

The most important thing is that feeling guilty does not mean comparing yourself with others. It means coming face to face with God's law. So what is God's law? Don't kill, don't steal? “I never did it, therefore I am not a sinner.” - My friend, this is not all of God's law. So what is it? It is a two-part commandment: "The first of all the commandments is:, … And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mark 12:29-31).Forget alcoholics and their ilk, forget the crime news you read in the newspapers today. The real test is this: Do you love God with all your being? If you don't, you're a sinner. ”For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (5)

Instead, the spiritual state of such a person is characterized by complacency, false assurance and self-righteousness, and that he defends and explains away his sins, but does not want to renounce them. He has never come to know his true state, how he himself is lost, evil, sinful, separated from God and opposed to His will. For the same reason, because he is still satisfied with his condition, he does not understand that salvation must be sought from the outside, in Jesus and the promises of the Gospel. He ignores these.

The state of ours can be illustrated with the examples from true life below. They show, in an imperfect way, how noting one’s own state is connected to salvation.

• When the room is dark, you can't see cobwebs, dust or dirt. Only when the light comes can these things be perceived.

It is the same in the spiritual life. When God reveals to man his condition - the law shows sin - man becomes aware of his own condition.

• Another example is a person who finds himself shipwrecked at sea and cannot do anything to save himself. He finds that his only hope is that salvation and help come from outside. Someone has to help him.

It is the same in the spiritual life. When a person has noticed in the light of the law that he cannot save himself, that he is lost, under God's wrath and separated from him, help must come from outside. It means, of course, Jesus Christ and the gospel promises about Him.

So how do you know that a person's sense of sin is sufficient and the law has been allowed to do its job in him? Is there a limit to that?

The answer is that when a person is no longer satisfied with himself and does not find peace until he is saved in Christ, there is enough. No more is needed. If a person still gets some comfort from himself before God or satisfaction from being a little better than others, he has not actually been in the light of God's law. He has not yet seen his true bad condition and how it separates him from God. Consciousness of sin is not such that it would make a person despair of his own condition and seek salvation from outside. C.O. Rosenius wrote in his time how important it is for a person to recognize his true state:

When your awareness of sin is right, it will never be what you want it to be. Because if it were like that, then you would be comforted by something in yourself. But all such consolation must come to an end. True repentance is therefore dissatisfaction with one's own repentance. Then you feel hard, confident and spoiled. You must condemn yourself as ungodly and accursed. Only then does the blood of Christ get all the glory for your salvation.

So if you ask how much pain you must have from sin, we answer that it is not a question of any specific amount. You just need it so much that you cannot live without Christ, that you cannot find peace until you are saved in him. You don't need more, but you don't need less either.

It is a mistake to think that first one has to mourn sin for a while and then one can believe. No, just start believing in Christ and then follow him in daily repentance, and you will know sin more and more clearly. (6)

He rejects the word. A very common characteristic of a religious persons is that they reject the word of God. These kinds of persons may read the Bible a lot but when reading, they do not accept that God is such and only such as this Word proclaims. Such religious people always say the same thing: ”Yes, has God said...?” (Gen 3:1). Is Jesus really the Son of God? Is He resurrected? Can we talk about true God’s word? Will unrepentant people really end up in eternal damnation?”

There are countless such questions because these people refuse to accept the Bible as it is, and instead give their own explanations. They may only accept parts of the Bible they like such as God's love and the ethical teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, but reject teachings about damnation, etc. – even though these are also mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount and in Jesus' teachings. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explained the attitude of religious people and the way they interpret the Bible:

The second problem with such people is that they are unable to fully accept the teachings and the authority of the Bible. I believe that this is the ultimate reason. They do not consider the Bible an authority and do not, unconditionally and definitively, surrender to the Bible’s teachings. If we approached the Bible like small children, taking it at full face value and letting it talk to us, there would be no such problem. However, such people mix their own ideas with the spiritual truth. Naturally, they claim that they do accept the Bible as a whole but – this is their fatal mistake – they immediately start to edit the message. They accept some thoughts but still want to retain other thoughts and philosophies from their old lives. They mix natural thoughts with spiritual ones. They say that they love the Sermon on the Mount and Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians. They say that they believe in Christ as the Saviour but they also think that we should not go too far but keep in moderation. This is where editing the message starts. They refuse to accept the Bible as an authority both in sermons and in real life, both in teachings and in relation to the world. “Times have changed,” they say, “and life is not what it used to be. We are now living in the 21^st century.” They edit the Bible here and there to suit their ideas. The truth is, however, that the Bible is the word of God and timeless, and since it is the word of God, we must be subject to it and trust God to use His own tools in His own way. (7)

When people have a critical attitude towards the Bible as mentioned, it is closely related to deism. Deism means an ideology where the Bible as the main source of information has been rejected, and the Bible and God have been replaced by the human intellect that is considered the final judge. Deists do not believe that God has notified of Himself in His incarnation or in the Bible; instead, they replace God with human intellect that rejects all issues that feel unlikely: damnation, Heaven, miracles, virgin birth, etc. They consider it impossible that God – if He exists – could have approached men and interfered with the progress of this world. They consider the universe closed from the influence of God because God is not interested in it. They reason that this is why miracles or any other occurrences showing God’s special interest cannot occur. For such people, God is only an architect but not a God acting in history, a lover, a judge and nothing else personal.

Because of the same attitude, because the Bible is not considered God's revelation, these people face themselves in it. In their opinion, the Bible is an indication of a person's religiosity. It is not God's word, but in it religious people present their own opinions and ideas about God, God's word and spiritual life. In everything, they encounter only human thoughts and opinions about God and spiritual life, but not God as He is. The following quote brings out the same attitude very well. The author himself was under the influence of religiosity until he understood what it was all about:

I used to believe that Christianity was only a religion among the many religions of the world. Then I met Jesus. It is then that I understood that Christianity is not a religion but God in our world. Everything else was religion, people’s thoughts about God. It was all based on the sinful nature of humans, whereas Christianity was God’s own manifestation in our world, His thoughts about us and His acts on behalf of us.

Because I was overcome by religiousness, I always read the Bible in a religious manner. It was important for me that the different writers in the Bible all preached in their own time and had their own thoughts about God. They believed and hoped, thought and pondered things in their own ways and with their own ideas about the truth. Thus, the prophets of the Old Testament had their thoughts about God, Matthew his and Paul his. They were good and pious people. They were close to God and served Him. In all this, they fed my own thoughts about God.

Once converted, I saw everything in a different light: the words of prophets and apostles became the word of God. They said what God had told them to say. They had no opinions about God: what they said were the ideas about God given to them by the Spirit of God. Thus, their thoughts about God became the thoughts of God, words inspired by God, all centring on Jesus Christ. Firstly and lastly, everything was about Him. (8)

He leads others astray.

- (Ps 50:16,17) But to the wicked God said, What have you to do to declare my statutes, or that you should take my covenant in your mouth?

17 Seeing you hate instruction, and casts my words behind you.

- (Rev 3:8) I know your works: behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you have a little strength, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name.

One characteristic of religious people, then, is that they do not believe in the Scripture but consider it cheap. They reject the Word and do not seek guidance from it, but are forced to rely on other sources, such as their own understanding or gallup polls, to which they place greater value than the words of Jesus or the writings of the apostles. They consider themselves and the gallup polls to be a greater authority than the words of Jesus and the apostles. They put themselves above them and do not heed the Word.

This can be seen in their attitude towards the teachings of the Bible about judgement and damnation, and that homosexuality and other sins will lead to damnation (1 Cor 6:9,10 Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of God.) They do not take seriously the numerous warnings given to us about these matters. They reject these warnings either because they do not believe them or because they don't want to be seen as narrow-minded. This may occur and has occurred during the election of bishops, for example (in Finland). When listening to such people talk, one soon notices that many of them are not seeking guidance from the Scripture but consider themselves, their own opinions or public opinions more important. As a result, they become blind who lead the blind, as Jesus described the religious leaders of His time – leaders who annulled God’s command and words because of their traditions.

- (Matt 15:6-14) And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have you made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

7 You hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

10 And he called the multitude, and said to them, Hear, and understand:

11 Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.

12 Then came his disciples, and said to him, Know you that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up.

14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

The most serious problem – assuming that the words of Jesus and the Apostles are true – is that religious people lead others astray and into damnation. This is the inevitable consequence if these 2,000-year old teachings are true and are God’s announcement to us, but people are now teaching otherwise. Such people are responsible for their followers; they are responsible for teaching them the wrong things and thus driving them away from God and the salvation He offers. Let’s study a related quote. It is about a preacher in Hell. Are we similar teachers who do not turn people’s eyes towards God and Christ but away from them?

We stopped at yet another pit of fire and brimstone. There was a fairly large man in the pit, and I heard that he was preaching the Gospel! I didn’t ask anything anymore. I just looked at Jesus, amazed, to get an answer, because He always knew what I was thinking. And the Lord answered, “When he was on the earth, he was a preacher of Gospel.”

I wondered what such a man was doing in Hell. (...) He spread his hands as if holding a book and started to read from it, like from the Bible.

He read one writing after another, and I thought that this was good. Jesus said to the man, with great love in His voice, "Quiet. Be still.” The man immediately stopped talking and slowly turned to look at Jesus.

I saw his soul inside his bony figure. He said to Jesus, “Lord, I am preaching the truth now to all people. Now, Lord, I am prepared to go and tell everyone about this place. When I was on the earth, I did not believe in damnation – nor did I believe in Your second coming. I told people what they wanted to hear and changed the truth so that it pleased them. I made my own rules about Heaven, about right and wrong. I led many astray and caused many to abandon Your Holy Word. I caused many to abandon You.”

“But, Lord, I have changed. Please let me out, and I will do as You want.”

Jesus said to the preacher,

“Not only did you pervert God's Holy Word but you also lied that you did not know the truth. The joys of life were more important to you than the truth. I visited you myself and tried to change you, but you turned your back on me. You went your own ways and held the Devil as your lord. You knew the truth but you did not turn back to me. I was there all the time, waiting for you, calling for you. I wanted you to come back to me but you refused.

The judgement has now been given.”

There was pity in the Lord’s face.

I knew that if the man had listened to the Saviour’s call, he would not be here.

Jesus spoke again,

“You should have told the truth, and you would have turned many to faith with God’s Word. All my Words are true. You knew the way of the Cross. You knew the way of righteousness. You knew you should have spoken the truth. Yet, Satan filled your heart with lies and you turned to sin. You should have sincerely repented, instead of only partly. Now it is too late.” (9)

It is possible to be outside the gates. As stated, it is possible that we can consider ourselves Christians and saved, but be beyond the gates of salvation and heaven. Many people may have grown up with Christianity, but have never, in the light of God's law, seen their true state, become desperate about it, and therefore the meaning of Christ has remained unclear to them. Or maybe they have woken up, but have never understood the meaning of rebirth and change of mind. When Jesus and the Apostles always stressed a change of mind and that we must give our entire life to God unconditionally, such people may have never understood this. They have not understood that a person who does not repent his sins cannot inherit the kingdom of God (Luke 13, 2–5: Jesus answered, (...) but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.)

- (Rev 21:5-8) And he that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said to me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

- (Rev 22:14, 15) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever loves and makes a lie.

One of the reasons why people can consider themselves Christians, even though they are outside the gates of heaven and salvation, is the wrong kind preaching of Gospel. Many sermons today focus on God’s love – “God loves you as you are" – instead of His righteousness and holiness. People are told that God loves them (which is true, as proven by Jesus’ coming to this world) but they are not told first that He hates sin and that sin keeps us from Him. People are not told about His perfection and holiness, and that they are held accountable for what they have done unless they repent. People are led to believe that they have been saved and are loved by God without ever having stood in the light of God’s law and seen their true state. Therefore, people may consider themselves to be saved even though they are not.

To get a better idea of the matter, we look at John Bevere's vision. It shows how a person can consider himself a Christian and saved, but still be outside the gates of salvation and heaven. The reason for the condition of these people is certainly that they have never repented of their sins and wanted to change within themselves. They have not allowed God to act in their lives, or perhaps at some point they have gradually separated from Him.

I received a breathtaking spiritual vision in prayer. It changed my life and my service work. I saw a large group of people, countless of people, a group so large I had never seen such before. These people were gathered outside the gates of Heaven, waiting to be let in and hear the Master say, ”Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” (Matt 25:34). Instead, they heard Him say, ”Depart from me, you cursed.” I saw their horrible shock, anguish and horror. They actually believed they would go to Heaven because they confessed the faith and Jesus as their Lord. However, they had not understood the true meaning of sin. Even though they wanted to get to Heaven, they lacked a burning desire to be obedient to our Father’s will. (10)

TURN TO JESUS! We studied above how we can fill our lives with Christianity but still keep Jesus Christ outside of our lives. Many people may be overcome with spiritual blindness in the sense that they do not want to give up their sins, they may be hard-hearted, arrogant, complacent, or think that everything is fine even though they are actually not with God. They think they serve God and belong to Him but they are far from Him.

The verses of the Revelation describe such people well. They are not cold or hot but lukewarm, and thus it is much more difficult to reach them than fully sinful people. Sinners know that they are not with God but lukewarm people are not aware of this, and thus it is much more difficult to save them. Jesus is outside of their hearts. Are you such a person?

- (Rev 3:14-20) And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things said the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would you were cold or hot.

16 So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.

17 Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18 I counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness do not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

So that you personally will not be left outside the gates of heaven, therefore repent of your rebellious mind and turn to Jesus Christ. He said:

- (John 5:39,40) Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

40 And you will not come to me, that you might have life.

- (John 10:9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

So, if you have turned to Jesus Christ and asked Him into your life, you have eternal life and you are born again – regardless of your feelings – as the following verses show:

- (John 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

- (1 John 5:11-13) And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life.

13 These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION: Lord, Jesus, I turn to You. I confess that I have sinned against You and have not lived according to Your will. However, I want to turn away from my sins and follow You with all my heart. I also believe that my sins have been forgiven through Your atonement and I have received eternal life through You. I thank You for the salvation that You have given me. Amen.

REFERENCES:

1. Niilo Yli-Vainio: Kristitty vai käännynnäinen, p. 21

2. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Terve usko, Raamatun apu masennukseen (Spiritual Depression. Its Causes and Cure), p. 45

3. C.O. Rosenius: Tie rauhaan (Vägledning till frid), p. 71,72

4. Denis Clark: Herkkäuskoisten harharetket, p. 44

5. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Terve usko, Raamatun apu masennukseen (Spiritual Depression. Its Causes and Cure), p. 30

6. C.O. Rosenius: Tie rauhaan (Vägledning till frid), p. 62

7. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Terve usko, Raamatun apu masennukseen (Spiritual Depression. Its Causes and Cure), p. 45,46

8. Aksel Valen-Sendstad: Jäähyväiset uskonnolle (FARVEL TIL RELIGIONEN), p. 125,126

9. Mary Baxter: Jumalan ilmoitus kadotuksesta (A Divine Revelation of Hell), p. 37-39

10. John Bevere: Turvapaikka (Under Cover), p. 47,48