The sad reality of our time is that many people who call themselves Christians are not truly saved. This is not because God’s salvation is insufficient but because many fail to experience the true work of God’s conviction and repentance in their lives. They have embraced religion without understanding their true need for salvation. As a result, they remain spiritually lost while believing they are saved.
One of the main reasons why many are not truly saved is that they are never convicted by God. True salvation begins with the conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit. In John 16:8, Jesus says, “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.” Without this conviction, people cannot understand the depth of their sinfulness before a holy God. Many Christians today lack this critical experience. Instead, they may feel guilt or shame for certain actions, but they are never brought to the deep realization of their need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
Because they are not convicted by God, they never truly know why they need to be saved. Many people today see Christianity as a means to solve their earthly problems rather than as the only way to escape eternal judgment. They do not understand that salvation is about being saved from the penalty of sin, which is eternal separation from God. Romans 6:23 clearly states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Without a clear understanding of their lost condition, they cannot grasp the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
Another reason is that many seek God for the wrong reasons. Instead of seeking God out of a genuine desire for forgiveness and a relationship with Him, they come to Him for material blessings, personal success, or emotional comfort. They view God as a means to an end, rather than as their Creator and Savior. This mindset reflects the warning in James 4:3: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Such people may join churches and engage in religious activities, but their hearts remain far from God.
Many of today’s Christians also listen to preachers who are not sent by God. These preachers often preach messages that appeal to the desires of the flesh rather than addressing the need for repentance and holiness. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul warns, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” When people listen to such preachers, they are not led to salvation but to a false sense of security in their religiosity.
As a result, many remain unrepentant and spiritually dead in their sins and trespasses. True salvation requires repentance — a turning away from sin and a surrender to God’s will. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” However, without conviction and true teaching, repentance is absent. These individuals continue living in sin while outwardly participating in religious activities.
Despite their spiritual condition, many of these people are very active in church and religious programs. They sing in choirs, attend services, give offerings, and even serve in leadership roles. Yet their hearts remain unchanged, and they are deceived into thinking that their activities make them right with God. Jesus warned about this deception in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
True salvation comes only when a person is convicted by the Holy Spirit, repents of their sins, and places their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Anything less is a deception that leads to spiritual death.
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