Saving Faith or Self-Deception?

SCRIPTURE:  “Moreover brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” 1 Corinthians 15:1, 2

Did you see that last statement of the apostle Paul’s in verse 2?  I have often thought that the worst kind of deception is that which we tell ourselves.  Many people profess that they are saved.  They  base their belief on having walked a church aisle, shaken the preacher’s hand, following that up with baptism.  Maybe their claim of salvation rests on their “P.K.” status—they’re a preacher’s kid.  Worse still, many believe their own “press”; they place great confidence in their reputation or think of themselves as a truly “nice” person.  They regularly give money to the poor and a host of other worthy causes.

As commendable as all these traits are, their possessors may yet find themselves on the receiving end of our Lord’s words found in Matthew 7:22, ---‘I never KNEW you:  DEPART from Me, you who act wickedly.’  [Talk about the telling link between our habitual conduct/ attitudes and our confession of knowing Him]!
 
 If we really know Jesus and are known by Him, we’ve been forewarned to make sure that our righteousness exceeds that of the very religious Pharisees—of both biblical and modern times. We must not forget the scriptural warning that” knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Let us avoid the devastating sin of self-deception and, instead,  aim to walk worthy of the calling with which we’ve been called. Let us wholeheartedly embrace what Christ describes as a “saving faith!”
 
PRAYER:  Dear Father, please grant us a willingness to repent of the dangerous self-deception of merely  “going through the motions,” or “playing church.”  Convict, where necessary, of the need to pursue a true and vital personal relationship with You.  Thank You, in Christ’s name; amen!
By Sis. Denise Diggs