Conversion to Jesus Christ (3)

The Importance of True Conversion

Today is our third Lord's Day, our third Sunday in which we're addressing this topic, conversion to Jesus Christ. Of course it could easily be argued that this is the most important of subjects for us to consider.

How could there be a more important topic than this matter of conversion, true conversion. It's important for several reasons. First, it's an important subject because there's no greater matter to which we should give our attention than the eternal destiny of our souls.

The Lord Jesus, you know, indicated what does it profit a man if he gained the whole world but lose his own soul. It is the most important matter that we could ever give our attention to. Second, it's an important subject when we consider the great degree of ignorance among even so-called Bible believers respecting the biblical teaching regarding salvation.

And what we're going to be talking about today, some of you perhaps have never even heard, it's certainly not something that's commonly proclaimed as well as we'll point out. And yet it's very biblical and what we're going to be saying today and emphasizing is consistent with historic Protestant theology, Reformed theology as as men of God have understood the Bible, what it teaches, you know, for hundreds and hundreds of years.

It was the message of the Puritans, the message of Spurge and the message of Whitefield. And God blessed that message to the conversion of many through the revivals that God brought. And yet many Bible believers supposedly would not understand what we're saying here today and even reject what we're saying out of hand.

There's an assumption on the part of many in evangelical churches, they understand these matters but sadly and I think it's all because of the judgment of God upon us. There is much error and there is much that is superficial.

But thirdly, our study about true conversion to Jesus Christ is also very important due to the great number of professing Christians that are deluded about their own souls. This makes it so very important.

Who have apparently never experienced true conversion to Jesus Christ? The fact is the bar of what makes a Christian or constitutes a Christian has been so lowered that anybody and everybody that just somehow says I believe on Jesus is now regarded as converted.

And they're never challenged. There's just an assumption that's that's the case. They're treated as such. Even when biblical evidence should lead them into another conclusion that they are not saved. And so it's important that we're informed in the truth of these matters.

It's important for each of us personally. May the Lord forbid that any of us be self-deceived regarding our own standing before God and yet being self-deceived as a manifestation of God's righteous judgment.

He not only wonderfully opens our eyes to behold the truth but he also closes eyes. And so we need to be humble before the Lord and teachable. You know better men than I, better men and women than we have been deceived and self-deluded.

May that not happen to us but may God be merciful and may he prevent the devil from blinding us. May the Lord you know wonderfully illuminate our minds and hearts to the truth of these very important matters.

False Assurance and the Need for Diligence

Now thus far in our study we've shown why it's easy and common for people to have false assurance of salvation. The unconverted can understand the truth that is in Jesus Christ and yet not be saved. The unconverted can believe all the essential promises of the gospel even believing that they are participants and beneficiaries of those promises but in reality they are not.

They think they are. The unconverted can be greatly moved emotionally in things they that they assume are spiritual and that just affirms them in their delusion. You can't convince them otherwise that they've experienced God and encountered the Spirit, no Jesus.

Surely they're true Christians or so they think because of moving experiences they have or they've had. The unconverted can also have faith, even faith that seems to see God at work in their lives and yet they don't have saving faith.

It's an easy thing to be deceived respecting one's conversion to Jesus Christ. On the other hand it's a very difficult thing to become undeceived. It's easy to be deceived, it's very difficult to become undeceived because we were prone to presumption.

Some of us will never doubt ourselves. Now there's some of us that always doubt themselves but there are some that never doubt themselves but it's a very difficult thing to become undeceived respecting false conversion to true Christianity and so may our Lord grant us mercy and grace as we continue to work through these matters and we're going to do so for some weeks.

One of the major and very common errors regarding the Bible's teaching about obtaining salvation is that it believes it requires no effort on our part. That God only requires our faith. Why that's such a common tenet among evangelicals who could challenge that, who could even question that.

Doesn't take any effort, all you have to do is believe, believe the gospel and they would argue after all consider Ephesians 2 8 and 9 for by grace you've been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is a gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast and so they assume that works are unnecessary for salvation is by grace apart from works.

But this passage in Ephesians is not saying that our works are unnecessary rather it's a declaration that our salvation is not earned by our works that's the point it's by God's grace not your works but the very passage itself advocates the necessity of good works.

Verse 10 of course declares that for we are his workmanship you're not saved by your works it's him doing a work in you you are his work, his workmanship and you're created in Christ Jesus for or unto good works.

These good works which God prepared beforehand or ordained or decreed from eternity that we should walk in them and so God has decreed that all people who are saved by faith walk in these works and to argue therefore that it's not necessary to put forth effort or diligence or take action with regard to your salvation that somehow that's a heresy of works righteousness is not what the scriptures declare and again what we're advocating we're declaring is no different than the presentation of the Christian life as set forth by John Bunyan in the Pilgrim's Progress.

Christian needed to leave that city of destruction he needed to get to the celestial city depicting this Christian life and it was a way of difficulty with all kinds of foes and he had to fight and overcome and resist and get God's help and assistance and the help of the evangelist and all others to in order to make it successfully there was no doubt he would make it God would see to it but it required much effort on the part of Christian and that's the kind of Christian life we're talking about for salvation is ultimately received in its fullness when we enter that glorious city and we escape wrath on the day of judgment.

And that's far different than hey just believe what Jesus did and your sins are forgiven. You have eternal life and kick back and enjoy it. Pity those poor people out in the world they don't have Jesus like we do.

See how easy it is to be deluded about these matters that somehow it doesn't impact or influence the way we live. And yet this is a common understanding of the so-called gospel and evangelicalism. This is great error.

God has ordained that his people are to labor to overcome any and all obstacles in order to inherit salvation. Jesus said it's necessary to enter that narrow gate pursue that narrow way that leads unto life because there are many that take that broad way the easy way that leads to destruction.

And so discipleship to Jesus Christ is the way of salvation. Now we read the passage I've got it in your notes I believe. But we read the passage already in which the Apostle Paul sets forth his own diligence that he gave to his life so that he might benefit from the gospel.

And if you look at your notes and if you look at that passage 1st Corinthians 9 verses 15 through 27 you'll notice that I am bold and italicized some of the font for the sake of emphasis. He declared in verse 16 for necessity is laid upon me woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.

And then down in verse 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel that I might share with them in its blessings. And then he closes the the passage verse 26 I do not run aimlessly. I do not box as one beating the air.

But I discipline my body and keep it under control as after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. So we see in these highlighted words Paul's concerns for his own salvation. His personal salvation was tied up in his responsibility to proclaim the gospel.

Understand what that that is saying there. This is what God called him to do to preach the gospel. It was the path of faith the course that he was to follow throughout his life. His faith saving faith was manifest by him proclaiming the gospel wherever God sent him.

That's how he was to live out his Christian life. That's what God had called him to do. And he must do it. It was essential for him. He declared for necessity is laid upon me. It was not an option for him it was required of him.

He next declared woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. Look at that word woe what does that mean. He's not just saying that. You know I'm gonna be really disappointed and sad if I don't do it. He's talking about God's judgment woe to me.

That's an Old Testament word. Isn't it found in the prophets all over woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. And so the expression woe it's not simply Paul saying it'd be a sad or unfortunate thing if he failed to proclaim the gospel.

For him failure to proclaim the gospel would be apostasy from the faith. Even saving faith he says this isn't it. This is necessary. I'm not in it for the money. I've got more concerns. I've got concern for you.

I've got concern for myself in this to faithfully proclaim to you the gospel. And again woe is a description of God's impending judgment in which he pours out his wrath upon his enemies Paul. It sets him forth really as an Old Testament prophet that God called to warn his people of their need to escape his judgment.

And if those prophets had failed to fulfill their responsibility then God would have required of them the guilt of the blood of all those. They failed to warn those who perished. And so God would pronounce his woe upon those false prophets for their failure.

And Paul didn't want him to be as that woe unto me if I don't preach the gospel. For example we read in Ezekiel 13 one and following of God's judgment on unfaithful prophets. And the word of the Lord came to me came to Ezekiel son of man prophecy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart hear the word of the Lord.

These were false prophets. And thus says the Lord God woe to the foolish prophets. He's speaking about God's judgment upon them condemnation of them. And Paul again said woe to me if I fail to preach the gospel.

Here people who failed to warn the people with the truth of God woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing. Oh Israel your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. You've not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord.

They have envisioned futility and false divination saying thus says the Lord. But the Lord has not sent them yet. They hope that the word may be confirmed. Have you not seen a futile vision. Have you not spoken false divination.

You say the Lord says. But I have not spoken it. Basically we're telling the people that God loved them that they were not under his judgment. They failed to warn the people rightly. And so God's judgment came upon them.

And Paul says I've got to preach the gospel. Necessity is laid upon me. It's not an option. I gotta do it. Whether you pay me or not it's immaterial. I'm gonna do it woe to me if I don't preach the gospel.

This wasn't an option. Wasn't. Paul wasn't talking about you know possible losing rewards when he stands before a so-called beam a seat of Jesus. He's talking about his own soul. Here it's wrapped up in the proclamation of the gospel important matters.

He was declaring. This would be his fate if he failed to proclaim the gospel. And so in the language of 1st Corinthians 913 the Apostle declared the necessity of preaching the gospel was upon him. It brought no credit to him in proclaiming the gospel.

He would not say by doing this or earning this. But if he failed to do so he would incur the wrath of God. He would be as guilty and culpable as those false false prophets of old who failed to warn the people.

He would have abandoned the faith the pasta ties from the gospel in his failure to proclaim it faithfully. This is what he's expressing here. And really what he's doing. He's repudiating the church at Corinth.

If I give such attention to this such effort to this how can you people so be so callous and careless in your sins. Doesn't that concern you. It's had to been a rebuke to them. As we'll see in one of the comments of one of the commentators.

We then read Paul's words of verse 23 that all he did in his ministry for the sake of the gospel was with view to his own enjoyment of the promises of the gospel even his own salvation. Verse 23 reads.

I do it all for the sake of the gospel that I may share with them and its blessings. He didn't say so that you may share in the blessings with me but that I might share with you in these blessings say here the comments of John Calvin on these words to underscore that this is not just coming out of my head as the Corinthians might think with themselves that this was a peculiarity in Paul's case on the ground of his office.

He argues from the very design of it that this is common to all Christians. For when he declares that his aim had been and that he might become a partaker of the gospel he indirectly intimates that all who do not act in the same part with him are unworthy of the fellowship of the gospel.

To become a partaker of the gospel is to receive the fruit of it. In other words salvation the outcome of the gospel. Paul saw salvation is tied together with his faithful proclamation of the gospel. This is a manner in which he would show forth his faith in Christ saving faith to discharge his duty to proclaim the gospel would result in him enjoying the benefits of that gospel that is salvation with all who embrace it fully.

Here are the words of Charles Hodge the well-respected Presbyterian commentator and systematic theologian at Princeton back when Princeton was a solid school back in the early 1800s. And the italicized words are Paul's words I do all things.

And then he paraphrases my whole course of action not merely accommodating myself to the prejudice of others. In other words you know to the weak I became as weak to those outside the law what have you.

But in everything else is regulated for the promotion of the gospel. Paul lived for the gospel he did all things for it. Why that I may be a joint partaker thereof. In other words a partaker with others not with you as there is nothing to confine the statement to the Corinthians.

In other words what Hodge is saying. Paul was not saying I'm preaching this gospel so that you might enjoy the benefits along with me and others but rather that I might enjoy it with you. That's what he's saying.

To be a partaker the gospel means of course to be a partaker of the benefits the subject of redemption which it announces. It is necessary to live for the gospel in order to be a partaker of the gospel.

And that's an important statement. And that's a truism for all people. We live for the gospel. The gospel is to be at the heart of things in our thinking and our being. And if it's not then we have we have been distracted or deceived or we have never have known the Lord.

Well the Apostle concludes this section of his epistle with these words of verses 26 and 27. So I do not run aimlessly. I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control lest after preaching to others I myself be disqualified.

Here the Apostle described his self-imposed discipline to be like the athletes who had competed in the Grecian games but where they did so in order to win a foot race a perishable crown. He did so with view to attaining the prize of his salvation.

Some try and argue that his Paul's concern was that he was merely concerned about becoming disqualified to preach the gospel through his failure to be faithful to the calling to preach the gospel. But Paul has more in view than being fruitful in his ministry.

And verse 25 makes that clear. The runners in the Grecian games discipline themselves in order to receive a perishable wreath. But we an imperishable he had view to his own salvation. And again the words of Charles Hodge that are affirmed for you.

What we're saying is is right in opposition to the fruitless or objectionless fighting. Just described Paul says. I keep under my body literally I bruise my body. His antagonist was his body which he so smoked in other words so dealt with as to bring it into subjection literally to lead about as a slave.

Perhaps in reference to the custom of the victor leading about his conquered antagonists as a servant. Though this is doubtful the body as in part is in part the seat and organ of sin is used for our whole sinful nature.

Romans 8 13. It was not merely his sensual nature that Paul endeavored to bring into the subjection but all the evil propensities and passions of his heart. Lest having preached to others perhaps the Apostle means to adhere to the figure and say lest having acted the part of a herald whose office at the Grecian games was to proclaim the rules of the contest and to summon the competitors or combatants to the lists he himself should be judged unworthy of the prize.

However the word is so often used for preaching the gospel he may intend to drop the figure and say he made these strenuous exertions lest having preached the gospel to others he himself should become a reprobate one rejected.

There are preachers that will be in hell one day perhaps even good preachers. What an argument and what a reproof is this. The reckless and listless Corinthians thought that they could safely indulge themselves to the very verge of sin while this devoted Apostle considered himself as engaged in a life not life struggle life struggle for his salvation.

This same Apostle however who evidently acted on the principle that the righteous scarcely are saved and that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence at other times breaks out in the most joyful assurance of salvation and says that he was persuaded that nothing in heaven earth or hell could separate him from the love of God.

Romans 8 the one state of mind is the necessary condition of the author underscore that it is only those who are conscious of this constant and deadly struggle with sin to whom this assurance is given.

And so in the very same breath Paul says a wretched man that I am and thanks be to God who gives us the victory. It is the indolent and self indulgent Christian who is always in doubt. Now there are those who argue that from this passage in 1st Corinthians 9 the truth that the true Christian can lose his salvation.

And that's what Paul is warning the Corinthians about. And that's of course mistaken. That's wrong. This passage bears no such interpretation. It does testify that a true Christian must live as a Christian in a manner consistent with the calling of the gospel that is to repent of sin to turn to God place one's faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and then as a manifestation of that faith to purpose by God's grace to live for Jesus Christ in the furtherance of his gospel even for the expansion and development of the kingdom of God.

And if we're thinking rightly as Christians that is our life that's what we're about and we that's what we desire. That's what we want to do. That's what we want to contribute to. That's what we want to see happen.

This is what governs us. And if you're clueless about this and you have no interest in no desire about any of these matters and may the Lord awaken you you're probably in danger. You're certainly not thinking rightly.

The foot note in the Reformation study Bible confirms this idea on the last words of verse 23. Lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified in this note. And this is a study Bible of course.

General editor R .C. Sproul this statement has often been used as evidence that Christians can lose their salvation. And he's referring to that statement the last clause of the passage you know in which he talks about being disqualified lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

The witness of the New Testament and of Paul in particular is that those whom Christ has brought to himself are his forever because the life they've been given in Christ is eternal in character what God has begun he will bring to completion.

However it would be wrong to dismiss or minimize Paul's concern by suggesting that it is merely hypothetical or relates only to rewards and not salvation. See. That's how it's commonly understood. And and the Reformation study Bible is correcting that wrong understanding of this passage.

Paul was confident that absolutely nothing would be able to separate him from God's love. But he never presumed that he was saved regardless of what he did. No Christian can afford to take lightly the warnings of Scripture because these warnings are the God-appointed means by which true believers persevere to the end.

Those of faith heed these warnings as the Spirit works through them to make them will and work for his good pleasure. Amen. And so the idea of severing the need for diligence all diligence give all diligence in these matters with respect to salvation.

That is a message that I don't hear being proclaimed very frequently. And so the point is this we who profess to be Christian are to give ourselves wholly to this matter of living for Christ seeking to defeat sin in our lives and using the means of grace that God has given to us and the outcome of that kind of life.

The outcome of this devotion and diligence is glorious. This is what the Lord declared through the pen of the Apostle Peter. But also for this very reason giving all diligence. What do you give yourself to.

What do you give your heart to your life to your hours of time to your labor to take all those things and set them in second place. Give all diligence to this. This is the most important matter for you.

Add to your faith virtue virtue knowledge knowledge self-control self-control perseverance perseverance godliness godliness brotherly kindness brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For he who lacks these things is short-sighted even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. And therefore brethren be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.

For if you do these things that requires action on our part doesn't it you not passively. You don't sit back and say it passively. Trust in Jesus. And you know without putting forth any effort. No he says put forth all your effort.

And if you do these things you'll never stumble for then verse 11. For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Somebody who claims to be a Christian but is not given himself herself wholly over to the matter you got a problem.

And it's very possible you've never been converted. Now last Lord's Day we emphasize the need to use biblical tests by which we are to assess ourselves. And we of course do our attention to 2nd Corinthians 13 5.

Examine yourselves whether you'd be in the faith. Whether you're in the faith test yourselves. It's legitimate to test yourself. Or do you not realize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you.

That is unless you fail the test. Unless indeed you fail to meet the test. And of course God has given us instruction in his word on how we may discern true and false conversion. A lot of people apply wrong kinds of tests to assess themselves.

And we pointed out last week even though in external matters it's an easy for a person who has never been converted to appear like a converted person in external matters. But as we pointed out the biblical way in which we are able to distinguish true from false conversion is not seen in the observation of externals but rather not whether we can ascertain if an inward work of grace is done in the soul.

That's the point. This is how you make a determination. Ordinarily the true and false believer is not easily distinguished. But when we examine what the Holy Scriptures declare to be the true marks of saving grace in the soul then the matters become quite clear.

It's not that difficult. And so this is what we've been working through and we only addressed one last week how we may distinguish between true assurance and presumption or carnal confidence. Well let's move on.

Obedience to God's Word as Evidence of Saving Grace

In the time we have this morning and I hope to finish this this morning we want to move on to another matter. But secondly we may view our obedience to God's Word as a distinguishing evidence of true saving grace in the soul.

Obedience to God's where God's Word governs us controls us guides us. We read in first John 2. Now by this we know that we know him if we keep his commandments there clearly obedience to God's law. Obedience to God's commandments is one of the ways in which we may be assured that we've been converted.

The one who picks and chooses what he wants to do that God sets forth is really not being commanded by God. He's really being commanded by himself and his own lusts. He's willing to do some things if it's in accordance with his own desires.

But he'll say that no more not here. That is not the response of a Christian but rather there is obedience. This matter however needs to be understood rightly. Obedience to God's commandments is the evidence or the effect of knowing God not the cause of it.

Of course it may be said that there are really three different ways that we obey the commandments of God or possibly could obey the commandments of God. First there's complete and perfect obedience which of course only the Lord Jesus did while in this life.

But the saints who are in heaven now are in perfect accordance and obedience to God's will. Aren't they. A second form of obedience however is imperfect obedience. Nevertheless this is sincere obedience to God and this is the obedience of the true child of God.

None of us are fully obedient but there's a sincerity to be obedient and we're smitten in our hearts when we're not right and that becomes made aware to us. But then third there's an external obedience perhaps with some inward emotional effects.

But this obedience is that of one who has not truly been converted to Christ. This is partial obedience kind of like King Saul. This is obedience that is only when seen by others or when the person feels like you know okay that's what I want to do and so I'll go along with that.

But he's really not driven by a desire to please God. He does not obey God's commands because God is the one who's directed him. But because for some reason he momentarily and partially decided he wanted to conform his life to one or more of the commandments of God.

But the obedience of the true child of God is not like that. It's born out of love for God. And so the scriptures described the Christians obedience as faith working by love. A life characterized by obedience to God's law is expressed in his commandments is a sure indication that a person is in a state of saving grace.

This is true because only the grace of God can lead and enable a sinner to keep the law of God. We read in Romans the carnal mind and that's the unconverted mind. The carnal mind is enmity against God.

See there's a there's a hostility there toward God and God toward that carnal mind. This is an unconverted person. It is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can be. It's not possible. And so if you find a person who truly is subject to the law of God what I mean by that is all the Word of God wherever it can be understood and clearly understood.

This is this is what God would have us do. And so there is a compliance. Sometimes there's resistance sometimes there's failure for a while until he chastens us but ultimately there is a submission to it.

Well this is all due to the grace of God working in a person because a carnal person an unconverted person it's impossible for that person to be submitted to the law of God. But this implies that spiritual mind controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit is subject to the law of God.

It's impossible that the carnal mind can be but for the spiritual mind and what we mean by spiritual here is converted. It can't be otherwise. God has written his law upon their hearts hasn't he he's put a desire in us.

We want to please God and it's our frustration and torment that we fail in doing so. But it's our desire to do so. We should understand that our obedience however as true Christians is an evangelical obedience and not legal obedience.

We need to take some time to deal with this. But we're not going to do so this morning. What's the difference. Well legal obedience. This is born out of thinking that one's works are meritorious. Or it's present when obedience is rendered only out of fear of punishment.

And there are some people that will comply to the law of God in a measure simply because they're afraid of what will happen if they don't. That's a legal obedience. But an evangelical obedience on the other hand will be seen as Christians when we strive to order our lives according to God's commandments.

However when we fail in our obedience we often do fail. God pardons us for our disobedience to the covenant of grace that he has with us. But God regards our sincere obedience to his law our righteousness as pleasing in his sight.

And this is the obedience that the true Christian exhibits. An evangelical obedience. Evangelical obedience involves our striving to be obedient itself to be an act of faith in our Savior to enable us by a spirit to do the things that he commands us in his word.

And oftentimes the uninstructed Christian the young Christian in particular will sadly attempt to obey the commandments of God in his own strength. And he'll fail miserably until he discovers that he needs to look to King Jesus to give the Holy Spirit to him to enable him to do that which is commanded of him.

We obey God from the heart even though that's imperfect. The obedience of the true Christian includes conformity to the first four commandments of the Ten Commandments which prescribes our duty before God but also the second set that six commandments that respects our duty to our fellow man.

It was the Apostle John who also wrote in this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. Okay. This is how you can distinguish between true conversion and false conversion. It's what he say whoever does not practice righteousness and that's a life governed by the law of God the commandments of God.

Nor is he who does not love his brother. More will be said about that a little bit. But here you can see obedience to the law of God is one of the tests by which you can determine true and false conversion.

The one who claims that he or she believes in Jesus but is not subject to the law of God but rather is self-willed goes through life. Ordering his or her own will according to his own desires is not converted or else is in great error in confusion.

And that happens to disobedience to God's law must be an inward matter not just an outward conformity. For again unconverted people can order themselves so that they're out. There is an outward conformity to the commandments of God.

And this is what our Lord described to the Pharisees who only manifested outward conformity to God's law. Jesus said to his disciples do not think I came to destroy the law. The prophets I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

For a sure lay say to you till heaven and earth shall pass away. One jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men.

So there are a lot of people that teach. That's okay. We're under grace not law. And that certainly is a truism. But they wrongly understand that and wrongly conclude. Therefore it doesn't matter. We're not under the law.

We don't have to obey the law. You know Jesus says whoever teaches that kind of thing will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever doesn't teaches them he should be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For I say to you and here it is unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. And he's not talking about the need for imputed righteousness through faith alone.

There he's talking about the need for internal obedience. The Pharisees were only outwardly conforming to the law. And you better have a righteousness that far outstrips them. It better be more than just outward.

It better be from the heart is what Jesus is saying. And unless your obedience is from the heart you will not enter heaven is what he said. There's a need for practical righteousness wrought in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And that's why someone concluded Anthony Burgess who wrote a wonderful book on called spiritual refining the anatomy of true and false conversion. I'm finding very helpful in this. He wrote that external moral obedience unto the law of God though it be much relied upon by men yet it is no sure evidence of salvation.

There are a lot of moral people around unconverted moral people. My dad wasn't. You know he wasn't a Christian all his life he professed Christ on his deathbed thank the Lord for that. But he would claim all all his life.

He ordered his life according to the gold rule. And he did in many respects. But he was no Christian. It was an external obedience. Anthony Burgess revealed the problem with only external conformity to God's law that there in this moral obedience to all the commandments of God as defective is that it is a body without a soul a shell without a kernel a picture without life.