Are You Deserving?

We live in a society that has promoted a ‘deserving’ mindset to extremes, and a whole lot of ‘Christians’ today have the exact same feeling about salvation. Not many would admit it openly, but the modern traditions and doctrines of Christianity say it FOR those who adhere to them. So today I would like to take a look at a list of scriptures that give us an insight into what GOD thinks about this ‘deserving’ mentality that has so many people believing that they have a locked in salvation that can’t be derailed. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is NOT WORTHY of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Mat. 10:37,38). “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:26). It sounds to me like Jesus thinks that anyone who allows family to come before him is not 'worthy’ of salvation, seeing that Jesus himself IS salvation. Next up: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be ACCOUNTED WORTHY to escape all these things that shall come to pass , and to stand before the Son of man” (Lk. 20:35). Again it sounds to me like Jesus is saying that it’s going to take a lot of serious prayer on a constant basis to make the grade and be 'worthy’ to escape what is coming on the rest of the world. And again: “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye WALK WORTHY of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph. 4:1). Why would the holy Ghost inspire the apostle Paul to say something like this to people who already had salvation wrapped up nice and neat, and stuffed into their little shopping bag? It wouldn’t, no more than it would inspire the next saying: “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye MIGHT WALK WORTHY of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9,10). “As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory” (I Thess. 2:11,12). Ditto on those passages.

“So that we ourselves glory in you in the [congregations] of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be COUNTED WORTHY of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer” (II Thess. 1:4,5). That statement sounds a whole lot like this one: “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us” (II Tim. 2:12). And that one sounds a lot like this one: “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” (Mk. 8:38). Then there’s this: “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy” (Rev. 3:4). That also sounds like the exact same statement made by the beloved apostle, in regard to salvation: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (I Jn. 3:2,3). Yes, being clothed in white, and being pure as Christ is pure are indeed the very same thing; and Jesus made it clear that there were only a “few” in the congregation in Sardis who were in that condition, and who were counted 'worthy’ in HIS eyes. That shows us who God thinks is worthy of salvation, which is to say 'deserving.’ And seeing that so many today have been conditioned to a mindset that is ‘accepting’ of pretty much everything, let’s look at what the Bible says about acceptance, and who it is that does the accepting. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, ACCEPTABLE UNTO GOD, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). And again: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men” (Rom. 14:17,18). “That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles MIGHT BE ACCEPTABLE, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:16). These sayings sound like the only thing God accepts is true holiness, which is without question pureness of heart (Mat. 5:8; Heb. 12:14).

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is ACCEPTABLE UNTO THE LORD” (Eph. 5:8-10). Not done yet: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God our Saviour” (I Tim. 2:1-3). Here’s another one: “But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home , and to requite their parents: for that is good and ACCEPTABLE BEFORE GOD” (I Tim. 5:4). And once more for good measure: “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently , this is acceptable WITH GOD” (I Pet. 2:20). So in conclusion it is evident that God does NOT think like man, and neither does he think like the 'Christians’ of today who think that THEY have “ACCEPTED JESUS as their savior,” and are deserving of eternal salvation thereby. God decides who is 'deserving’ of what, and he decides it by his own criteria, which we have seen by these consistently agreeing passages of scripture. It is Jesus who does the accepting, and he only accepts those who meet his terms, as we have also seen consistently confirmed by the scriptures here. All that is left is one more scripture, which in fact is the continuation of one of the verses quoted above in this article: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and ACCEPTABLE, and perfect, will of God” (Rom. 12:2). Don’t think like this world my friend, and don’t think like the modern traditions of Christianity which are only the mind of this world dressed up in religious clothes. That thinking is NOT acceptable to God, nor will it be found worthy, or deserving of everlasting life. Amen