Are carrots really green?
Sounds like a ridiculous question, doesn't it? But if you had
been taught all your life, from the time you were an infant until
now that carrots are green, your answer to this question would
be, "Of course they are."
Imagine a society of people who believed that carrots were green.
Walk up to one of the leading citizens, a man of great knowledge
and stature in the community and ask him, "Are carrots really
green?"
"Why certainly. Don't you know anything? Carrots are most
definitely green," he would say.
You could ask all over the community and receive the same answer,
"Yes, carrots are green."
But just because everyone says it, doesn't make it so. If four
billion people tell you, "Carrots are green," that doesn't
make it so. The truth is: carrots are orange and you need to get
that straight.
Sometimes people are taught certain things about God that are
like "green carrots." They are told these things all
their life by reputable and respected people and so they believe
them. They have heard these things all their lives, and so, that's
the way it is, no matter what.
But that doesn't make it right.
It's like that with the subject of salvation, that is, whether
or not a person is going to heaven. People have received "green
carrot" stories concerning this important subject.
It seems that the question of where a person will spend eternity
(eternity is a long time) would be the most or at least one of
the most important subjects in a person's life. Yet people often
go through life, being guided by "green carrot" prophets
who tell them that they will go to heaven because:
-they belong to a certain church,
-they have been baptized,
-they have taken communion, or
-they have done a lot of work in the church.
If you believe that you are saved by any of the above-mentioned
things then you need to go to the source of truth, the Word of
God, and get your facts straight. What does the Bible and Jesus
himself have to say about the subject of salvation.
Jesus Christ himself said (It is written in red, not green, in
my Bible), "Ye must be born again." John 3:7
Some people want to make fun of the phrase "Born Again,"
but on the day of judgment they won't be laughing. It is the most
basic fact of Christianity: "Ye must be born again."
Often times I will ask people, "Are you a Christian?"
Without answering yes or no, they will tell me that they are a
member of a certain church or denomination. Rather than identifying
with Christ and the universal Body of Christ, they are identified
with a certain denomination. Sometime they are taught by "green
carrot" teachers that they are saved by identification with
that church.
The Bible, however, which has its carrots straight, so to speak,
tells a completely different story. It says that we are saved
by the "washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy
Ghost." Titus 3:5
The word regeneration comes from a Greek word palin (again),
genesis (birth). Again God is saying the same thing to
us: "You must be born again."
He didn't say, you must go through a lot of ceremonies and rituals
or you must belong to a certain church or you must be sprinkled
or you must belong to a "Christian" family. He said,
"You must be born again."
Some people think that they can get into heaven on the "group
plan." But there is no group plan with God. Every person
must surrender to God individually. Everyone must make Jesus Lord
of their life.
Being Born Again is a miracle of God in which a person's heart
is changed from darkness unto light. By God's miracle power, we
become a "new creature" in Christ. We no longer want
to live the old life. We want to walk in the new. By the power
of the Holy Spirit, we become completely new on the inside. That
is why Jesus calls this experience being born again.
A person becomes born again by believing with all their heart
in Jesus Christ and surrendering their life to Him. By an act
of faith and an act of your will you must turn your back on sin,
the old way of living and serving other things or people instead
of God. You make a conscious choice to follow God the rest of
your life. When you do that, Jesus comes into your heart and you
become a new creature. 2 Cor. 5:17
Until you do that, until you receive Jesus as Lord (supreme
ruler) of your life, you are not going to heaven.
If you have been deceived by "green carrot" prophets,
I encourage you to open the pages of your Bible and read the New
Testament. Find out what Jesus says about salvation. He wants
you to become His child. He wants you to know Him personally.
If you seek Him, you will find Him. And he said that all that
come to Him, he will not cast away.
Maybe you think, how can I come to God? I've done so much wrong
in my life. But you see, that's what is so great about the new
birth. He puts all your past behind you. He forgives all your
sin. He washes you completely clean.
Jesus is not dead. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for
our sin, but he's no longer in the grave. He's alive. Because
He lives, you can live also. Receive Him as your Lord and Savior
today.
Pray this simple prayer from your heart today:
Dear God, I know I've been a sinner. I've followed my own plan
and not Your's. But today I make a choice to receive Jesus Christ
as my Lord and Savior. I believe He died on the cross for my sins.
I believe that You raised him from the dead to give me new life.
I receive that new life by faith TODAY, in Jesus name. Amen.