One time, a friend asked me if my parents were saved. I understood what he meant — whether their names were on the church books, whether they were church members. Yet he himself was proud, arrogant, unloving, and uncaring.
I am a church member, but I was proud. I told him this and explained that having your name on the church books does not help at all if you do not sound and look like Jesus. Eternal salvation does not depend on having your name on the books. Here are five reasons why having your name on the church books will not save you.
1. I Am a Church Member, But I Am a Legalist
I am a church member, but I am a legalist. To some people, it may seem that once their name is in the church books, they will be saved. No — this is not true. It is not like having your name reserved on the next flight, with your seat guaranteed. Your seat for heaven is not reserved. You should put your name on the list through baptism and by joining the true church, but this does not guarantee anything.
My name is written in the church book — will I be in heaven? I do not understand why people think that having their name in the church is enough. It is a good step, as Jesus said we need to leave Babylon, the Revelation 17 church, and enter the bride, the remnant church, the Revelation 12 church.
Eternal salvation starts by believing in Jesus. If we are baptized, then we are on our way, but it is still not a guarantee. People misunderstand the Bible verses that say:
Acts 16:31 — Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.
Mark 16:16 — He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.
This means that your first step toward heaven is to believe and be baptized. The Bible never says this is a sure guarantee of getting into heaven.
I am a church member — will I go to heaven? The Bible says that unless you believe and are baptized, you shall not get to heaven. But it does not say that you will never fall after that, or that you will not become more evil, selfish, and proud, and thus be refused entrance into heaven. To go to heaven, you need to be like Jesus — humble, kind, loving, sincere, honest.
Entering heaven depends on who you are, as it says in Revelation 3:5 — To him that overcomes.
Overcomes what? Sin. Revelation 21:8 — But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
How many people believe in Jesus and were baptized, yet are idolaters, liars, whoremongers, proud, arrogant, and selfish? Many. Will they enter heaven? Never. God cannot trust them there.
Jesus is returning for a church which He might present to Himself — a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without blemish.
This is the condition for eternal salvation — sanctification, not simply “I am a church member, my name is written in the book.” This has no power with God. Yet your first step is to be written in the books of the true church. Believing otherwise is a legalistic way of thinking, and legalists are not saved — they are still trusting in themselves rather than in God’s power.
2. I Am a Church Member Who Sounds Like the World
I am a church member, but I sound like the world — will I have eternal salvation? No. When the apostles spoke, people knew they were Christians by their sanctified speech — not only the words they said, but the way they spoke.
They were gentle, kind, humble, sincere, honest. Here too, we see someone who says, “I am a church member, my name is written, and I shall be in heaven,” yet they are aggressive, proud, uncaring toward others, and constantly judging others — believing they will still be in heaven. That person is deceiving themselves.
Galatians 6:3 — For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
How many people deceive themselves? Why? Because they judge themselves according to this world and not according to God. Someone can consider themselves great in this world, while God sees them as the weakest person.
I am a church member, but if you are harsh, proud, selfish, and unloving, know that no one will speak like this in heaven. Jesus was known for His love. If you bear the name of Jesus but are as aggressive as Satan, your dwelling place shall be eternal destruction. It is plain and clear from the Bible.
3. I Am a Church Member Who Is Selfish
How many Christians are selfish? Quite a few — yet they are never removed from their position, because most Christians measure evil according to what society calls evil. Most Christians do not follow God; they follow this world.
You can be selfish, proud, and unloving in this world, but the Bible is clear: no selfish, proud, or unloving person will enter heaven. “I am a church member, recorded by the deacon, and I will enter heaven and have eternal salvation.” Well, maybe not — because you can fall. You need to:
- Be sanctified
- Accept all truth Jesus sends you
- Remove your legalism through righteousness by faith
And understand: you cannot do anything without Jesus and without His righteousness by faith. When the disciples sought to find out who was greatest among them, Jesus said:
Matthew 18:3 — Except you be converted and become like little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Hebrews 12:14 — And holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord.
4. I Am a Church Member Who Is Unloving
I do not care about others. I go to church, I have good friends there, and I am sometimes even asked to preach. I am a church member — will I enter heaven? In your present condition, no, you will never enter heaven. Because the main point of the Bible teaches us to:
Love God.
Love others.
Unless you receive power from God called righteousness by faith and are converted, you cannot be an uncaring, unloving person and think you will be in heaven. You are deceiving yourself. The main point of the Bible is: love one another.
Eternal salvation is only for those who love — those who care, those who are not apathetic, those who lend a hand, those who exercise their love gifts, those who take time for others, those who consider not only their own needs but the needs of others.
If you say, “I am a church member,” this will not mean anything to God in the judgment. You can even help the poor and help the sick all day long — if you do this without love, or because of selfish motives, to be seen, to build a good reputation, or for other selfish reasons, you will definitely burn in hell and become ashes.
5. I Am a Church Member Who Is Proud
I am a church member, recorded in the books, and my pastor baptized me — but I am proud. Will I enter heaven? I believe you will definitely not enter heaven, and your church membership does not count for much, because many pastors do not recognize the evils named in the Bible and only see what society counts as evil.
Eternal salvation is only for the humble. Every time there is a proud person in the Bible, they are wicked. In fact, the words “proud” and “wicked” appear together many times in the Bible — they are almost synonymous. A proud person is always a wicked person. Satan fell because of pride. A proud person is a son of Satan. Many sons of Satan are church members.
When Jesus returns and the millennium ends, and they are raised from their thousand years in the grave, they will find out that their church membership was only a piece of paper without any power to save them — because their character resembled Satan more than Jesus.
They will tear up those church membership papers, and there will be millions of them burning when Jesus sends fire and consumes sinners along with their membership — for those who did not sanctify their hearts to become like Jesus. When Jesus returns, it will be too late.
Revelation 20:9 — And fire came down from heaven, and devoured them.
Eternal salvation must start by believing in Jesus, being baptized, joining the true church, and having your name in the church. The deception lies in thinking that piece of paper means anything as a guarantee. It does not.
Many people will burn to ashes in hell trusting in pieces of paper — such as scientific diplomas or doctorate degrees. These may mean something in this world, but they do not mean much to God, as most scientists teach lies.
Why not ask Jesus to give you His righteousness by faith?
Repeat: Father God, forgive my sins. Give me Your righteousness by faith. Help me to follow You until Jesus comes. Provide for all my needs, in the name of Jesus. Amen. BLOG HOME