WILL HONESTY SAVE??

     Once again, I express my sincere appreciation for your tuning us
in this morning and being a part of our radio audience. I hope and
pray that each one who listens is seriously considering the things
which are being said from week to week. We have stated this so much,
but how important it is that each one of us realize that one day we
shall all stand before the Judgment Bar of Heaven and render an
accounting for all that we are doing day by day. Also, we shall be
judged by the Words spoken by our Lord and His inspired Apostles. We
read in Revelation 20:12, "And I saw the dead, the great and the
small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another
book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged
out of the things which were written in the books, according to their
works." I shall be there. You shall be there. How important and
serious it is that we make preparation to meet our God in Judgment. If
I were dealing with politics, economics, the weather, or any one of a
hundred other subjects, it would matter little whether you were
listening or not. But the truth of the matter is, we are dealing with
our eternal destiny, and it behooves us all to realize the importance
of these times spent together in the study of the Word of God.
     Often I hear expressed in the world today that as long as a
person is honest and sincere they shall be saved.  I am persuaded that
many in the world believe this. They think just so a person is honest,
it makes no difference what he or she believes or does, the Lord will
save them. But is this so?? Will honesty save a soul? Surely, I am not
suggesting that one can be dishonest and be saved. But, the question
is, Is being honest and sincere all that is needful for a person to be
right in God's sight?
     In answer to this question, I present unto you a number of
examples in the Word of God, asking in each case, Was their honesty
enough? Did their honesty bring about their salvation?
     Our first passage is Romans 10:1-3, "Brethren, my heart's desire
and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved. For I
bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to
knowledge. For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to
establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the
righteousness of  God." Paul here in this passage is discussing the
Jews during his day. These Jews were very zealous, but their zeal was
not according to knowledge. They thought that they were right in God's
sight. They no doubt were honest, but Paul offers a prayer for them
that they might be saved. Can a person be zealous, yet be lost?
Evidently so. They had a zeal for God. But, their zeal was not
according to knowledge. It was not in harmony with the revealed Word
of God.
     Today, people are much like this. Many are not willing to submit
to the authority of God's Word. They are often very honest. Most are
very sincere. But, they simply have not allowed the Word of God to be
their guiding principle in this life. They have come up with their own
desires, their own will. And they shall have the same problem of
pleasing the Lord as did those Jews who, though zealous, would not
submit to the righteousness of God.  The Psalmist tells us that the
commandments of God are righteousness. Thus, one not submitting to the
righteousness of God is simply refusing to obey the commands of God.
     In 2 Samuel 6, we read of an incident where the Ark of the
Covenant was being brought back to Jerusalem. It had been captured by
the enemies of God's people, but was being returned to Jerusalem. They
placed the Ark upon a new cart and began the journey home. In the
6th verse we read, "Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and
took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of Jehovah was
kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and
there he died by the ark of God." Do you not believe that this man,
Uzzah, was very honest and sincere when he attempted to keep the ark
of the covenant from falling upon the ground? Who would want to see
the ark fall upon the ground, and perhaps be broken or damaged? That
seems like such a noble deed. And yet, the Lord smote him and he died.
Why did he die? Because Jehovah had warned them not to touch the ark.
That warning if found in Numbers 4:15. As is usually the case, one sin
leads to another. The first mistake that they had made was putting the
ark on a cart. They had been commanded to use staves or poles to carry
the ark. But as is usually the case, man seeks to improve upon the
Lord's way of doing things; so, rather than carry the ark on the
shoulders of four men, they made this new cart and put it thereon.
When the oxen stumbled, and it seemed as if the Ark was about to
tumble off onto the ground, Uzzah sought to keep it from falling. And
he fell dead upon the spot. Why??? Was not Uzzah honest? Was he not
sincere? No doubt. But he broke a commandment of the Lord. And when
one breaks God's commandments, they must suffer the consequences, no
matter how honest or sincere they may be.
     The same thing is so today. It matters not how honest and sincere
a person may be, if one disobeys the commandments of the Lord, they
shall face the consequences in the judgment. Mankind cannot disobey
God and escape His wrath.
     In Acts 3:17, we read, "And now, brethren, I know that in
ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers." To what does Peter have
reference when he accused the Jews of doing something in ignorance? He
had just accused them of crucifying the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The
Jews had called upon the Romans to kill Christ, and so they did. Here
Peter states that they did it in ignorance. They thought they were
doing the will of Jehovah. Where they honest? No doubt, because Peter
said they did it in ignorance. They honestly thought Jesus to be an
impostor, a blasphemer. They were wrong. He indeed was and is the Son
of God; God in the flesh. So, the Jews called for his death and Peter
states that they did so in ignorance. Yet, their honesty and sincerity
did not excuse them of being guilty of crucifying the Son of God.
     So it is today. There are those who would reject Christ, all the
while being very honest and sincere in their beliefs. But, being
honest does not excuse one from the consequences of their deeds. We
will not be able to say in the Judgment, "But, Lord I was very honest
in what I was doing."
     In Acts 23:1, we read a statement from the apostle Paul,
"Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this
day." Paul states that all that he had done in his past live was done
in good conscience. Yet, when we first read of this man, what was he
doing? He was putting Christians in prison and consenting to their
deaths. We read of this in Acts chapters 7 and 8. He was persecuting
those who believed in Christ, even participating in the stoning of
Stephen. Was he honest? He said his conscience was clear. Did having a
good conscience excuse him from the sin of killing God's children? No,
a thousand times, No!! Though forgiven by the Lord, Paul's memories of
those vile deeds haunted him the rest of his life. You can read of
this in his first letter to Timothy, chapter 1, verses 12-14.  Paul
became a very faithful servant of Christ Jesus, but when we first see
him he is a blasphemer and a persecutor, though honest and sincere, in
good conscience, yet wrong.
     And so today. People may be honest and sincere in what they are
doing. But, unless that which they are doing can be found in the Book
of God, they are wrong. Do you have book, chapter, and verse for all
that you do in religion?
     In Acts 10, we read of a man by name Cornelius. He is identified
as a "devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave
much alms to the people, and prayed to God always" (verse 2). Here was
a devout man, one who worshipped God, one who feared God, one who
prayed to God always. Was he a saved person. No, because the angel
told him to "Send to Joppa and fetch Simon, whose surname is Peter;
who shall speak unto thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved, thou and
all thy house" (Acts 11:13,14).  No doubt the majority of people today
would look upon the man and say, "There is a saved man. Just look at
him. He is devout, he worships God, he fears God, he prays to God, he
gives much money to those in need, surely he is a saved man." But
heaven's message is that he was a lost person and he needed to hear
the message of salvation taught by the apostle Peter. This man was not
pleasing unto Jehovah, even though honest and sincere in what he was
doing.
     Once again, this illustrates the fact that a person might be a
very good person, a very honest person, a very devout person; yet, not
be right in God's eyes. You see, honesty is not the criteria whereby
the Lord judges mankind. Must we be honest. Indeed we must. We are not
suggesting that a person can be dishonest and still please the Lord.
But, honesty alone or by itself will not save.  It takes an honest
heart. But it also takes an obedient heart. One that will do the
commandments of the Lord.
     I am now reading from Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy
name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity." Reading through verse 23. You would think if a person
cried out Lord, Lord, he or she would be all right. But the Lord and
Savior said not so. You must do the will of My Father. You must obey
the commandments of Jehovah. Honesty and sincerity, though necessary,
are not sufficient unto one's salvation.
     One might ask, "What then will save?" Paul answered that question
in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek." You, my friend, must hear and obey the
gospel of Christ Jesus. The Good news of salvation. To those who
cried out, "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37), Peter responded, "Repent
ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto
the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit." And you too, my friend, must do exactly what those people did
if you would be saved from sins. Jesus had charged the apostles in
Mark 16:15, 16, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned." And that is exactly what
Peter told those who had cried out, "What shall we do?"  It is the
same instruction which must be obeyed today. Must we be honest? Indeed
we must. But one's honest will cause him or her to turn from sins,
that's repentance, and be baptized for (unto) the remission of sins.
What is then given? The gift that the Holy Spirit bestows, salvation
from past sins with the hope of heaven when this life is over.
     James tells us, "receive with meekness the implanted word, which
is able to save your souls" (James 1:21).  Would you be saved? If so,
you must respond to that Word, the gospel, God's power to save.

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