Posted by
Jack on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 6:16:26 PM
He went forward at a church camp to accept the Lord as his savior. He even started going to church for a while. But then he dropped out and started to run with a different crowd. He never did go back to church. In fact, his life took a turn to the worst as he was arrested twice for drunk driving. Then he was killed in an accident while drunk. At his funeral the pastor and his friends comforted themselves by recalling his conversion at the church camp. But was he really saved?
Jesus tells this story in Matthew 22:28-31
"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard'."
"I will not," he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
"Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go.
"Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
"The first," they answered.
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Are we trusting in that initial walk down the aisle and prayer? Does that make us a disciple? Jesus commanded His disciples to "make disciples...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20
We do not earn our salvation by obedience. Rather, our effort to obey proves that our salvation was genuine.