By: Rev. Gerry Weesner, Maples United Methodist Church
“Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God’s law because sin is a breaking of the law. You know that Christ appeared in order to take away sins and that there is no sin in him. So everyone who lives in union with Christ does not continue to sin; but whoever continues to sin has never seen him or known him. Let no one deceive you, my children; whoever does what is right is righteous just as Christ is righteous. Whoever continues to sin belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the very beginning.” 1 John 3:4-8a (GNB)
I was once a casual Christian before God called me closer to him and then into his service. I was more in tune with worldly things than spiritual things. Why not? Everyone’s doing it! But to my shock and dismay when I became more of an avid Bible reader and student, I realized that I had been on the broad, wide road to destruction. “Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (GNB)
What is a casual Christian? A casual Christian is someone who claims to be a Christian but who doesn’t make a sincere attempt to live by God’s moral and ethical laws and commandments. Their fruit is of the Devil and not of the Spirit. God requires a decision of us. We are either for him or we are against him. No Sunday Christians, Christmas and Easter Christians, or Christians in name only will be in heaven. God will only accept committed Christians into heaven. “I know what you have; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish that you were either one or the other! But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I’m going to spit you of my mouth!” Revelation 3:15-16 (GNB)
