MAN’S MAJOR MISCALCULATION
"There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12 (Repeated identically in Proverbs 16:25).
Miscalculations are a normal experience in everyday life. They can vary from just nuisances to very serious consequences. A little too much salt in the soup might be an excusable miscalculation whereas the failure to properly calculate the speed of an approaching vehicle at an intersection could well be highly consequential. In the matter of a person’s salvation, to miscalculate what is essential to be saved can have a devastating and eternal consequence. Let’s consider some of the spiritual miscalculations that many people are making today.
I. There are many false doctrines abroad in the world today. Jesus warned His disciples: "For false christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect." Matthew 24:24
Satan, the great deceiver, is our archenemy. He has crafted many false doctrines and religions to entice mankind away from the worship of the true and living God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Beware for at times the counterfeit looks more attractive than the real article.
Ephesians 4:14 instructs us on the need for mature thinking so that we are not "carried about by every wind of doctrine".
II Some of the ways that seem right to a man but can be deadly:
Good works are the fruit of salvation…not the way of salvation. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." Ephesians 2:8-10.
The conscience of the lost person: The conscience of the natural man is the product of his education and environment and varies accordingly. Not every man dare "let his conscience be his guide!"
We need to take heed to what Paul wrote: "However not all men have this knowledge…and their conscience being weak is defiled." I Corinthians 8:7.
Sincerity is a vital ingredient in salvation but not the only ingredient. A person can be sincere in believing something to be true when it is not. Our sincerity must be based on the truth…. not error!
Church membership alone is no substitute for being born again! "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2:47. The order is: salvation first…then church membership.
III. The way that leads to eternal life: The new birth experience: "Jesus unto him: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3.
Obtained only through Jesus: "Jesus saith unto him: I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6.
