WHY GOOD PEOPLE ARE NOT SAVED
By: Richard Kirkland
Introduction:
A. The book of Acts in the New Testament is the most important book of the Bible for learning about what to do to be saved. It has been called “The Book of Conversion” because a great number of conversions to Christ are documented in its pages. Not only does it furnish a historical record of the spread of Christianity, but it also provides, in many instances, a step-by-step account of what people did in order to be saved.
B. But not every story had a happy ending. Not everyone who heard about Jesus believed in Him. Not everyone who believed in Him was willing to do those things that He commanded in order to be saved. Some people heard the truth but rejected it because their lives were evil and they were unwilling to change.
1. Felix (Acts 24:25).
2. Agrippa (acts 26:27-29).
3. We are not surprised when evil people reject the truth. The Bible teaches us that they reject the truth “because their deeds were evil.”
C. Btu we are surprised, even disappointed, when GOOD people are not saved.
1. A number of years ago, when I was just a young preacher, a fine Christian woman invited me to her house to talk to meet her husband and talk to him about becoming a Christian. She told me that he was a good husband, a fine father, and just about as good of a man as anyone would ever want to know. He and I became good friends. My family and I have spent several nights in their home and enjoyed many pleasant conversations with them. The only problem was that the was not saved. How sad! A good person, but not a saved person.
2. Over the years, this kind of situation has been presented to me time and time again. I have never understood how morally good people could reject God’s salvation and risk the eternal damnation of their souls. But they do.
D. Today, we want to identify and remove some of the excuses for good people who are not yet saved.
I. AN INADEQUATE SENSE OF SIN.
A. Most people think they are good whether they are or not.
B. The Bible convicts everyone of sin (Romans 3:23).
1. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is non who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:10-11).
2. We are sinners by commission and omission.
a. Commission. We transgress God’s law. We are workers of iniquity. Even if we haven’t committed the grosser sins (adultry, murder, drunkenness, etc.), we have sinned by lying, stealing, or having evil thoughts.
b. Omission. One of the most difficult verses — James 4:17.
C. Morality alone cannot save us. (Acts 10 — Cornelius).
D. All people must come by the way of Christ to be saved (John 14:6; 1 John 2:2).
II. PREVIOUS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
A. It is hard to change what we have always been taught.
1. People use to think that earth was flat.
2. I heard about a man in the 19th century who wanted to shut down the patent office because he thought every invention that could possibly be invented had already been invented .
3. Changes comes hard religiously (Romans 8:32).
B. Some of the most dedicated Christians came out of religious error (8 of 9 in Acts(. It is possible to be religious and yet be wrong. I believe in trying to convert even religious people to the Lord (contrary to the spirit of plualism). Jews, Moselems, Hindus, and even good people caught up on denominational error need to be taught the truth and pleaded with to leave their religious error for the truth.
C. Saul of Tarsus gave up his error (Acts 9).
1. Saul was very religious but wrong. “[C]ircumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Phil. 3:5-6).
2. He gave up the error to gain Christ. “But what things were gain to me, that I may gain Christ” (verse 7-8).
III. RELIGIOUS CONFUSION.
A. Religion can be confusing. I can offer personal examples of how confusing it can be.
1. I have studied with couples who thought they could work out religious differences. But they couldn’t. The result was failure in their personal relationship.
2. I have studied with young people and them ready to obey the gospel and be saved only to meet with irresolvable resistance when they considered the implications of their obedience.
B. Why are there so many churches? Where did they all begin? Where is the authority for them to exist?
1. There is one on almost any street corner! And the newspaper advertises their locations and assembly times and then admonishes with a headline, “Attend the church of your choice this week.”
2. Is this what Christianity is all about? Are we right to just find a church that meets our social needs or emphasizes our religious preferences or is strongly involved in areas in which we have a particular interest? Is one church really no better than another? If not, then why join any denomination and alienate ourselves from others who are just as right as we are?
3. The truth is denominationalism is an unscriptural arrangement. Read the Bible for yourself and count the number of times you ready about any other present day denominations. Or, for that matter count the number of times that similar arrangement is mentioned and not the scriptural response to it.
C. It was never God’s will that His church should be divided into competing groups, teaching conflicting doctrines and participating in varying practices.
1. When the early church was faced with division, Paul quickly corrected them (1 Corinthians 1:10).
2. We need to return to the practice of “speaking where the Bible speaks and being silent where the Bible is silent.” We must bind as matters of faith and practice only such things as are taught in the holy scriptures and refrain from the practice of all things not authorized in the scriptures.
3. This safe and good practice alone will provide the opportunity for good people who want to be saved find their way out of the maze of religious confusion and enter the straight and narrow way that leads to life.
IV. AFRAID OF FAILURE.
A. The seed of doubt is one of Satan’s favorite ploys.
1. If we look at the number of unfaithful Christians it is easy to believe we cannot succeed. But we can.
2. When we become Christians we have undergone a change which makes it possible to succeed in the Christian life.
a. “Therefore if any man is in Christ Jesus...” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
b. We have received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 5:32) 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 2:19-22), which is motivation for Christian living.
c. We have been promised that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).
d. We have the promise that no temptation will be put upon us that we cannot bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).
e. The only way we are sure to fail is if we never try at all!
V. PROCRASTINATION.
A. There is a fable about Satan sending his angels on a mission to deceive. They asked, “What shall we tell the people?” One said, “Let’s tell them that Jesus is not the Son of God.” Another said, “Let’s tell them the Bible is just a book of lies.” Another said, “Let’s tell them there is no heaven nor hell!” Finally, one suggested, “Why don’t we just tell them there is plenty of time, don’t get in a hurry!”
B. This is one of the most dangerous attitudes that we can have. We are quickly beating a path to the grave and time is not on our side. Death is no respector of persons, the young dies as well as the old. Life is uncertain at the very best.
1. David said, “Teach us to number our days, that we might apply our hearts to wisdom.”
2. Also, “there is but a step between me and death.”
3. James said, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away (James 4:4).
Conclusion:
A. What does it mean to be saved. To obey the gospel.
B. What is keeping you from obeying the gospel today?\
A. The book of Acts in the New Testament is the most important book of the Bible for learning about what to do to be saved. It has been called “The Book of Conversion” because a great number of conversions to Christ are documented in its pages. Not only does it furnish a historical record of the spread of Christianity, but it also provides, in many instances, a step-by-step account of what people did in order to be saved.
B. But not every story had a happy ending. Not everyone who heard about Jesus believed in Him. Not everyone who believed in Him was willing to do those things that He commanded in order to be saved. Some people heard the truth but rejected it because their lives were evil and they were unwilling to change.
1. Felix (Acts 24:25).
2. Agrippa (acts 26:27-29).
3. We are not surprised when evil people reject the truth. The Bible teaches us that they reject the truth “because their deeds were evil.”
C. Btu we are surprised, even disappointed, when GOOD people are not saved.
1. A number of years ago, when I was just a young preacher, a fine Christian woman invited me to her house to talk to meet her husband and talk to him about becoming a Christian. She told me that he was a good husband, a fine father, and just about as good of a man as anyone would ever want to know. He and I became good friends. My family and I have spent several nights in their home and enjoyed many pleasant conversations with them. The only problem was that the was not saved. How sad! A good person, but not a saved person.
2. Over the years, this kind of situation has been presented to me time and time again. I have never understood how morally good people could reject God’s salvation and risk the eternal damnation of their souls. But they do.
D. Today, we want to identify and remove some of the excuses for good people who are not yet saved.
I. AN INADEQUATE SENSE OF SIN.
A. Most people think they are good whether they are or not.
B. The Bible convicts everyone of sin (Romans 3:23).
1. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is non who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:10-11).
2. We are sinners by commission and omission.
a. Commission. We transgress God’s law. We are workers of iniquity. Even if we haven’t committed the grosser sins (adultry, murder, drunkenness, etc.), we have sinned by lying, stealing, or having evil thoughts.
b. Omission. One of the most difficult verses — James 4:17.
C. Morality alone cannot save us. (Acts 10 — Cornelius).
D. All people must come by the way of Christ to be saved (John 14:6; 1 John 2:2).
II. PREVIOUS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
A. It is hard to change what we have always been taught.
1. People use to think that earth was flat.
2. I heard about a man in the 19th century who wanted to shut down the patent office because he thought every invention that could possibly be invented had already been invented .
3. Changes comes hard religiously (Romans 8:32).
B. Some of the most dedicated Christians came out of religious error (8 of 9 in Acts(. It is possible to be religious and yet be wrong. I believe in trying to convert even religious people to the Lord (contrary to the spirit of plualism). Jews, Moselems, Hindus, and even good people caught up on denominational error need to be taught the truth and pleaded with to leave their religious error for the truth.
C. Saul of Tarsus gave up his error (Acts 9).
1. Saul was very religious but wrong. “[C]ircumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Phil. 3:5-6).
2. He gave up the error to gain Christ. “But what things were gain to me, that I may gain Christ” (verse 7-8).
III. RELIGIOUS CONFUSION.
A. Religion can be confusing. I can offer personal examples of how confusing it can be.
1. I have studied with couples who thought they could work out religious differences. But they couldn’t. The result was failure in their personal relationship.
2. I have studied with young people and them ready to obey the gospel and be saved only to meet with irresolvable resistance when they considered the implications of their obedience.
B. Why are there so many churches? Where did they all begin? Where is the authority for them to exist?
1. There is one on almost any street corner! And the newspaper advertises their locations and assembly times and then admonishes with a headline, “Attend the church of your choice this week.”
2. Is this what Christianity is all about? Are we right to just find a church that meets our social needs or emphasizes our religious preferences or is strongly involved in areas in which we have a particular interest? Is one church really no better than another? If not, then why join any denomination and alienate ourselves from others who are just as right as we are?
3. The truth is denominationalism is an unscriptural arrangement. Read the Bible for yourself and count the number of times you ready about any other present day denominations. Or, for that matter count the number of times that similar arrangement is mentioned and not the scriptural response to it.
C. It was never God’s will that His church should be divided into competing groups, teaching conflicting doctrines and participating in varying practices.
1. When the early church was faced with division, Paul quickly corrected them (1 Corinthians 1:10).
2. We need to return to the practice of “speaking where the Bible speaks and being silent where the Bible is silent.” We must bind as matters of faith and practice only such things as are taught in the holy scriptures and refrain from the practice of all things not authorized in the scriptures.
3. This safe and good practice alone will provide the opportunity for good people who want to be saved find their way out of the maze of religious confusion and enter the straight and narrow way that leads to life.
IV. AFRAID OF FAILURE.
A. The seed of doubt is one of Satan’s favorite ploys.
1. If we look at the number of unfaithful Christians it is easy to believe we cannot succeed. But we can.
2. When we become Christians we have undergone a change which makes it possible to succeed in the Christian life.
a. “Therefore if any man is in Christ Jesus...” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
b. We have received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 5:32) 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 2:19-22), which is motivation for Christian living.
c. We have been promised that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).
d. We have the promise that no temptation will be put upon us that we cannot bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).
e. The only way we are sure to fail is if we never try at all!
V. PROCRASTINATION.
A. There is a fable about Satan sending his angels on a mission to deceive. They asked, “What shall we tell the people?” One said, “Let’s tell them that Jesus is not the Son of God.” Another said, “Let’s tell them the Bible is just a book of lies.” Another said, “Let’s tell them there is no heaven nor hell!” Finally, one suggested, “Why don’t we just tell them there is plenty of time, don’t get in a hurry!”
B. This is one of the most dangerous attitudes that we can have. We are quickly beating a path to the grave and time is not on our side. Death is no respector of persons, the young dies as well as the old. Life is uncertain at the very best.
1. David said, “Teach us to number our days, that we might apply our hearts to wisdom.”
2. Also, “there is but a step between me and death.”
3. James said, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away (James 4:4).
Conclusion:
A. What does it mean to be saved. To obey the gospel.
B. What is keeping you from obeying the gospel today?\