Upon
seeing this chart, I asked my self the question: Which of these
categories is the most difficult? It seems obvious to me that the
author of this chart thinks “Obedient until death” because of the
size of the font attributed to the category. And, at first glance I
agreed with that observation. But, is it really?
Well,
if one measures difficulty by
the measuring stick of time,
I suppose it is. But, if a persons environment has made it difficult
to accept any of the other categories,
then isn’t the
hardest category really specific
to the person?
In
all fairness, I
though it would
be
appropriate to read the Scriptures before making up one’s mind, so
here
are the Scriptures listed in the chart...
Hear
Acts
3 ( World English
Bible )
22
For Moses indeed said to the fathers, ‘The Lord God will raise up a
prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen
to him in all things whatever he says to you.
John
12 ( WEB )
48
"He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one
who judges him. The word that I spoke, the same will judge him in the
last day. "
Romans
10 ( WEB )
17
So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Believe
Romans
10 ( WEB )
9
that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved.
10
For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Acts
8 ( YLT ) note:
The WEB and ASV omit this verse
37
And Philip said, `If thou dost believe out of all the heart, it is
lawful;' and he answering said, `I believe Jesus Christ to be the Son
of God;'
John
3 ( WEB )
16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal
life. "
Mark
16 ( WEB )
16
"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who
disbelieves will be condemned. "
Ephesians
2 ( WEB )
8
for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God,
John
8 ( WEB )
24
"I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for
unless you believe that I am" * "he, you will die in your
sins.” "
Repent
Acts
3 ( WEB )
19
“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted
out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of
the Lord,
Luke
13 ( WEB
)
3
"I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in
the same way. "
Confess
Romans
10 ( WEB )
9
that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved.
10
For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Matthew
10 ( WEB )
32
"Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also
confess before my Father who is in heaven. "
33
"But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before
my Father who is in heaven."
Baptism
1
Corinthians 12 ( WEB )
13
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or
Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one
Spirit.
Ephesians
5 ( WEB )
25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly,
and gave himself up for it;
26
that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water
with the word,
Romans
6 ( WEB )
3
Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
4
We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just
like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
so we also might walk in newness of life.
Acts
2 ( WEB )
41
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were
added that day about three thousand souls.
47
praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to
the assembly day by day those who were being saved.
Acts
22 ( WEB )
16
Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins,
calling on the name of the Lord.’
1
Corinthians 6 ( WEB )
11
Such were some of you, but you were washed. But you were sanctified.
But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the
Spirit of our God.
Galatians
3 ( WEB )
27
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Acts
2 ( WEB )
38
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Mark
16 ( WEB )
16
"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who
disbelieves will be condemned. "
Titus
3 ( WEB )
5
not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according
to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing by the Holy Spirit,
1
Peter 3 ( WEB )
21
This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you—not the putting
away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience
toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Obedient
unto Death
Revelation
2 ( WEB )
10
"Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer.
Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you
may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful
to death, and I will give you the crown of life. "
Matthew
24 ( WEB )
13
"But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved. "
Hebrews
5 ( WEB )
9
Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the
author of eternal salvation,
Matthew
7 ( WEB )
21
"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into
the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven. "
Romans
6 ( WEB )
16
Don’t you know that to whom you present yourselves as servants to
obedience, his servants you are whom you obey; whether of sin to
death, or of obedience to righteousness?
17
But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you
became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you
were delivered.
After
reading all these verses, have you made up your mind? My
most difficult
concept and it is not among all these quotations and
categories.
For me, it is not about
the “doing”, but rather the person. The
most difficult part of Christianity for me was at the very beginning
of what I call my pre-spiritual life. Before I even heard about Jesus
and what he did for me, I had to realize that there was a God and
that he cared for me. My observations of the heavens taught me how
much the
creator of everything cared for what he had made, because of the
sheer complexity of his
work.
Certainly, such a creator would care
for me as well. When I heard about Jesus, I loved him because he
loved me enough to die for me. One member of my childhood family
really did love me enough to sacrifice for me, but not one of them
were willing to die for me.
If
you really, truly, love Jesus- then that love will overcome any
obstacle! Categories become irrelevant!
Believe
this, for it is true!
If
you really, truly, love Jesus- then that love will overcome any
obstacle! Categories become irrelevant!
Believe
this, for it is true!
