Want to discourage a new believer who is just born into the family of God through faith in Christ?

Here's an almost fail-safe scriptural assault weapon which is so good at shaking the shaky and feeding the fears of the newly found lambs.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21)

This scripture was first spoken by Jesus to people who thought they could get into Heaven by their own religious profession and their good works. (Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?')

Such thinking completely ignores Christ's sacrifice on the cross which fully pays for all our sins.These people Jesus is addressing in this scripture were the precursors of the Lordship Salvation preachers.

Notice they fully meet the requirements preached by the Lordship Salvation teachers. They had many works and they acknowledged Jesus as Lord.

Yet Jesus said to them, "Depart from Me, you who work iniquity, I never knew you."

We learn from this preview of the judgment given by Jesus, that these people were not Christians who "lost their salvation" since He states plainly "I NEVER knew you."

And He calls them "workers of iniquity", since their parading of their own works as grounds for salvation simply means they are teaching others to do the same....trust in their own efforts for salvation, while ignoring the cross of Christ.

This type of preaching makes them Antichrist in spirit since only faith in the blood of Jesus can bring salvation. The Bible states this truth many, many times, yet self-sufficient people continue to ignore it.

Do you know someone who just got born-again through faith in Jesus? There are many comforting verses which will build up such a persons faith, calm their hearts and provide an eternal assurance which will engender further appropriation of the truth of Christ and His power.

Please gently help them grow strong in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will never abandon them and indeed, who lives in them now and forever, through the Spirit. Spiritual maturity in the Christian life is not instantaneous. It comes about by eating the right spiritual food, instruction in thinking God's thoughts after Him and exercising, in the form of helping others.

Here's what Jesus quoted about Himself and His ministry to those weak in faith. It's from Isaiah and shows His awareness of the weakest faith in a true believer.

Matthew 12:20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.

Weak faith can grow...the candle can blaze into full flame and the bruised soul can be healed by the touch of the Master's hand. Let's not quench the spirit in a new believer by insisting on a maturity presently beyond them...lets help them grow into it to the glory of God.