“Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; when I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors; when I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!’” - Job 38:8-11
My claim is that I am a Reformed Christian, a Confessional Christian, and a Calvinist; all of which, to paraphrase the “Prince of Preachers,” Charles H. Spurgeon, are merely nicknames for Biblical Christianity. While many who claim the mantel of “evangelical Christian” couldn’t be further from the real deal. There is no such thing as liberal Christianity - such notions are heretical at best! True Christianity doesn’t seek to be inclusive, diverse, or otherwise open to everyone. True Christianity is closely defined because we may not violate the parameters set by a sovereign God!
“You lie!” You say, and scurrying to your Bibles point to Christ’s admonition that He came not to save the righteous but the lost. You are right . . . this far you may come. But your position is untenable because while Jesus did come to save sinners, He came to us, “and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” - Mark 1:15.
Yes, Christ came to save sinners - to SAVE sinners - not to accept them in their sin and let them remain there! We are all sinners, every one of us. The gift of redemption awaits us all. But how many will accept the invitation that God puts forth. He doesn’t say, “Come to me with your sins. Come to me with your pride.” For those who refuse to repent and accept Christ’s gracious gift of salvation, God says, “This far you may come (as you are), but no farther . . . .” The Bible clearly points out that there are only two ways to enter and according to Jesus Himself - “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” - Matthew 7:13-14. Christianity is not an inclusive faith; that’s why heaven has a gate!
There have been many good commentaries on the description of the narrow and the wide gates. One of the best suggests that the wide gate is wide because it allows us to bring in the baggage of our sins with us, while the narrow gate allows us to come to Christ only with ourselves, relieved of our sinful baggage. Limited atonement - Christ pays the price for our sins so He may take them upon Himself; He does not pay the price for our sins so we may keep them. If this were the case then why did He have to die to save us from our sins?
We all know how far we may go before we must stop. It’s called “conscience.” It’s why criminals flee from capture; they know they have done something wrong! We continue forward in our depravity only because we still believe we can get away with it. With ourselves? Positively! With our husbands or your wives? Perhaps. With our employers and co-workers? Maybe. But not with God. “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.” - Zephaniah 1:2-3.
May we all step back and take stock of our lives. How will we fare when God, ultimately, shuts it all down!
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