You Can Count On Jesus

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED” (Romans 10:11).   I have heard some preachers on the radio say, “a person who is ashamed of Jesus is not saved.”  This is heresy my friend—Don’t you believe that garbage for one moment.  Romans 10:11 is a quote from the Old Testament,  “...he that believeth SHALL NOT MAKE HASTE” (Isaiah 28:16).   In other words, whosoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior will not be disappointed.  Jesus will NOT let us down.  We will not have to run in shame or hide at the day of judgment, Jesus will make good on His promise to us.  Jesus said what He meant and meant what He said, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).   What a blessed promise from God!!!
So many people have foolishly misunderstood Romans 10:11.  Just because a person is ashamed of Jesus does not mean they are not a Believer.  Was not Peter ashamed when he denied Christ three times and cursed the name of Jesus?  Were not all the disciples scared when they forsook Christ while he was being scourged and crucified?  Was not Joseph of Arimathaea a secret Believer?, “And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38).   He feared for his life.  Yes, they were all afraid and ashamed.  They didn’t dare tell anyone who they were for fear of being crucified themselves.  People who fear embarrassment, harassment or rejection by their co-workers, family and friends usually are reluctant to bring up the name of Jesus.  It is the same type of fear as the disciples dealt with.  However, does this mean they were not saved?  Of course not—they were still saved.  Peter didn’t lose his salvation when he cursed and denied Christ, he simply lost his inner peace.  Later Peter bitterly wept and asked God to forgive his foolishness.  Of course, he was instantly forgiven.  God knows that we are only human, “For HE KNOWETH OUR FRAME; HE REMEMBERETH THAT WE ARE DUST” (Psalm 103:14).  What a wonderful truth!!!  God never forgets that I am made of the dust of the earth, He is patient and longsuffering.  He knows me better than I could possibly ever know myself.  How foolish it would be for me or anyone else not to trust God wholeheartedly.  If God is longsuffering with the unsaved, how much more is He patient with His own?—very much so.  
Do you see my friend?  We are not able to live perfect as long as we dwell in this earthly tent (body).  We will always be at war with the sinful flesh.  Every Believer has three prime enemies: Satan, the world and the flesh.  We can only defeat these enemies in the power of God’s Holy Spirit.  We must pray and ask God to keep us from temptations.  But when we do fall, we must understand that we are only human beings incapable of being perfect.  The key is to identify our weaknesses and focus our Bible study and prayer in those areas.  On the contrary, this certainly does not give us a license to sin.  We are to strive to be perfect while realistically realizing that we will never be able to achieve perfection in this life.  Someone put it this way, “Do your best and put the rest into God’s hands.”  Surely, it is a sin for us to disobey the leading of the Holy Spirit; however, we are sinners and will falter at times.  This is the great dilemma of the Believer’s life, “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do” (Romans 7:19).  These were the words of the mighty Apostle Paul, the great defender of the faith.  He doesn’t sound too much in control does he?  He says he’s prone to do the opposite of what he wants to do.  Sound familiar?  If you’re a Believer it should.  Listen to Paul again in Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”  Paul doesn’t sound too confident does he?  Compare this to the health, wealth and prosperity preachers that have infected our TV and radio channels everywhere.  Paul asks the question, “who shall deliver me?”  The Apostle Paul answers his own question in Romans 7:25, “I thank God THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”  This is a life-long battle and only Jesus can deliver us from our self.  Jesus said, “...the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).  We must not forget this.  
In conclusion, it is silly for anyone to say that a person is not truly saved simply because they may sin or deny the Lord at a particular moment or time in their life.  We all go through the valleys of life.  This does not make it right but it surely does not mean where not saved either.  Salvation is of God, not man.  We don’t obtain salvation by works and we don’t keep it by works.  I made a decision to trust Christ as Savior when I was just in grade School.  I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and He did.  I have been saved ever since.  Though I am far from perfect, I know that Jesus will NOT let me down because I am trusting upon Him.