been wondering about this fo r a long time.” A. This passage, as you will see from reading it carefully, deals with a person who has been possessed with a demon. Then the evil spirit leaves him, only to return with seven other demons to take up their abode with in him. Obviously, the man’s last estate is worse than the first. Keep in mind that this is not referring to a saved individual at all. There is no time in a Christian's spiritual history that the Bible would char acterize him as being empty, swept and garnished! This passage does give us one of Scripture’s main pic tures of the futility and worthless ness of a person who tries to reform himself. In addition, prophetically, it has a very definite application to Israel in future days. Q. Phoenix, Ariz. — “Some religious people think I am wrong because I believe everyone is good at heart. To me that means they’re religious. Am I wrong?” A. In kindness and yet firmly, yes, you are absolutely wrong! The Word of God is replete with statements re vealing the wickedness of the human heart (Jer. 17:9; Luke 19:10). Man kind is lost in sin and alienated from God. The Lord Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance. The Bible tells us, “This is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” There is also a big difference be tween being religious and being a Christian. Mankind is naturally re ligious ; he is bom that way. Religion is mankind groping blindly in the dark trying to find a ray of light. True Christianity is God, the great Light, come into the world, to reveal His love for lost humanity through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Q. Porterville, Calif. — “I was reading John 15:2 last night. I t says ‘Every branch in me that beareth not fru it he taketh away.’ Following in verse 6 it says, ‘I f a man abide not in me, he is cast fo rth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.’ Does that mean that i f you are not absolutely perfect and bear a lot of fru it like winning souls that you are automatically not a member of God’s fam ily?” A. The passage does not teach that one must be absolutely perfect. In fact, Scripture tells us we will never be perfect until we are in the pres ence of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a sense in which we have been made positionally perfect because we are in Christ. Then, there is the process where we are being made conformable unto Him little by little (Phil. 1:6). The Spirit of God who indwells us is making us more and more like the Saviour (II Cor. 3:18; I John 3:1-2). Keep in mind that anyone who is a branch of the True Vine, will bring forth fruit. This is the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22. There are three conditions for fruitfulness: cleans ing, abiding, and obedience. There are different stages of fruit-bearing. Now, there are some professing believers who are not possessing ones. God wants us to bear much fruit. Realize your relationship with Christ. Make sure that you are not on shifting sand. Have you in essence said, “Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to Thy cross I cling” ? Your life should be manifesting Christ. Let your life so shine that others may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Kindness and understanding have converted more sinners than zeal, elo quence or learning.
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