Bible Reading: Romans 10:7-10
Memory verse: 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
My prayer is that you will read this and be open to what the Word says. Many Pentecostals believe that if they are in the act of sin when rapture occurs, Jesus will leave them behind because they are “unholy” at that point. This lie assumes that it is what we do that saves us. It also misunderstands the true meaning of sin. Romans 3:23 defines sin as “falling short of the glory of God”. Sin actually means falling short of God’s standards or expectations of you. The implication is that if I do not meet the high standards of God’s instructions to me, I fall short. Hmm, that is very serious. If in my thoughts I fail, then I am in trouble. What we must realize is that we are not saved by our good works or our righteousness, but by the work and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, Ephesians 2:8-9.
Did you get saved because you stopped all sin or because you believed and confessed Christ as Lord? The only way you can become “unsaved” or miss heaven is to denounce and reject the Lord Jesus. This truth does not encourage you to live in sin, but rather, to love and please God. If, on the contrary, you take it as a license to indulge in sin; you need to check if you are truly saved.
When a child of God is afraid of missing the rapture, it puts them in bondage and torment. The assurance of our salvation should come from our knowledge of God’s covenant with Jesus being eternal and not our ability to do righteous works. We should do right as a show of gratitude for Jesus, not to keep our place in heaven. Many Christians live in the constant fear of not having confessed an unknown sin, this should not be so. God wants us to be righteousness conscious, not sin conscious. The blood of Jesus is stronger than any unknown sin. Space will not allow me to keep writing, but I want to encourage you to ask God to reveal this to you. Learn to rest in the finished work of Christ, and start living in victory over sin.