End of conversation.
I don't see how it could be any clearer. The words were spoken by Jesus Himself, if you're looking for even greater authority than the written word, the Bible.
And yet it seems like 75% of so-called "Christians" disagree with that statement, many even believing that there are many paths to God. I guess it depends on which God you're looking for. But the God who was born of a virgin, died for our sins, was resurrected on the third day and is coming back in power and glory to reign for eternity is the One I have reference to - Jesus Christ.
Maybe it's the 'dumbing down' of America that makes it impossible for people to understand plain English. Or, more likely, it's ignorance of the Word of God itself.
And yet we have the bulk of people who claim the name of Christian when it's beneficial, who think that if they were baptized as a baby and hit the church scene now and then, they're in like Flynn. I'm afraid they are in for an eternal surprise: "Depart from me. I never knew you."
It seems to be that if you claim to be "born again" you are ridiculed and harassed (like Jesus was) and people can't understand why you have to make such a fuss about it and embarrass all the rest of the church people. Why can't 'you people' just lay low and quit feeling like you have to always be proclaiming publicly what you believe in?
Answer: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel," another statement from Jesus Himself instructing His people.
Church leaders and laity alike enjoy using the trappings of Christianity for its social conveniences, its rites of weddings and funerals, and they like to exhibit false piety should the occasion benefit them for their associations with a church. Or, they may enjoy it as a sort of discipline to remind them to do good works -- which ALSO will not get them to heaven. But they do not want anyone to think they are 'born again.' They needn't worry. No one does.
They are not born again, and therefore their lives have not been transformed. They do not have the Holy Spirit living in their lives, and they have no personal relationship with the Redeemer of the world, the very one who died for their sin. Even non-Christians recognize the hypocrisy.
Isn't it tragically ironic that it is the very political agendas and votes of these people, for politicians who openly and shamelessly stand for all kinds of immorality and non-Christian beliefs, that has gotten this country into the sorry state it's in? And yet they still cannot see the truth, that they are disobedient and working against everything that Jesus stood for.
Is it surprising? No. It's the same problem the Jews had with God all throughout their history. They chose self and made self-serving decisions. It's the same story all over again under the new covenant God made through Jesus Christ on earth. As it says in Ecclesiastes, there's nothing new under the sun. That's why few will live eternally with Christ.
True Christians don't want anyone to miss out, and certainly not due to their own neglect of failing to tell others how Jesus has changed their lives completely. They want to share the Good News.
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16.
I rest my case.
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