Please Stop Trying to Put People in Hell and Heaven
I hear people saying who is saved and who is not saved. The truth is, only God knows everything about everybody.
I am going two ways with this- Some people do good work, but that does not mean they are saved. While you may see others hardly doing anything; that does not mean they are not saved, even if their lifestyle is not like that of a saved person. The problem is, we are judging wrongly by peoples’ actions.
You must remember that God is the Only One who knows the heart of everyone. The Bible tells us not to judge. Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me remove the speck from your eye; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:1-5).
When judging others, consider your own actions. The Word of God says this, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). We don’t even know our own hearts, but the Almighty God does.
Be careful how you label someone; you may pull out the tares (unsaved) with the wheat (saved). So, the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? He said to them, an enemy has done this.
The servants said to him, “So you want us then to go and gather them up? But he said, no, lest you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, first gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them but gather the wheat into my barn (Matthew 13:27-30).
There is a way according to the Word of God that we can judge- If a brother or sister is living unrighteous (in sin), we can address it, hoping that they will change. If there is no change the church is told to deal with it, and put that person out, praying that the devil will beat them and bring conviction to that person.
If the person is allowed to stay in the church without having a change of heart, it can affect the church; and the sin will spread, among others. The church will be messed up! (1 Corinthians, chapter 5)
Since none of God’s children are perfect, let’s be careful. You see, God knew each of us before the foundation of the world, and He knew what we were going to do throughout our lives. Therefore, our actions do not have a thing to do with salvation, it is based on God’s love because He is LOVE!
So, who is going to heaven or hell; it is none of our business, be glad that you are going. We should always be concerned about the welfare of others, but we cannot determine their destiny.
This is what Jesus said when Peter was inquiring about John. Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, Lord, who is the one who betrays You? Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, But Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.
Betty A. Burnett ~ burnettministries.org
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