Hmmm... I hesitate to even write the title of the book at the head of this blog. Why? Because it's a myth! The subtitle of this book is "The Myth of the Modern Message." For anyone familiar with the writings and/or teachings of Ray Comfort, his book will be a review. If you've never heard of Ray Comfort, your eyes may indeed be opened by this book.
Comfort teaches that when sharing Christ with others, we can't just tell them that Jesus loves them. Rather, they need to heart the bad news. They must see themselves as who they really are - sinners who will one day stand guilty before God. Sinners who deserve to spend an eternity of torment in Hell. Until they realize this truth, they will never be ready for the good news of God's grace.
To accomplish this, Comfort turns to the Law. He constantly takes people through some of the Ten Commandments. I mean, who hasn't told a lie? That makes a person a liar. Who hasn't stolen something, regardless of how big it was or the value of it? That makes a person a thief? Rare is the person who has not lusted after another individual. But according to Jesus, when you look at a person lustfully, it's the same as committing adultery. So, in the eyes of God, someone who "merely" lusts is an adulterer. (Matthew 5:27-28) The person who has used the name of God as a swear word is guilty of blasphemy.
So, the Law is vital in showing people that they are indeed guilty before God. Comfort bases his teaching on countless Bible verses. One of which is Galatians 3:24. It says, "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." The law was what brought people to Christ 2000 years ago, and the law is what will continue to bring people to Christ today.
Multitudes of people profess to be Christian, but their hearts are far from Him. They turned to Christ to find out what His wonderful plan was for them. They didn't repent. They didn't agree with Him that they deserve eternal torment in Hell. They didn't believe that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the only way to forgiveness and Heaven. They didn't flee to Jesus because they were fleeing the wrath that is yet to come. They don't realize that to sin against man-- to tell a lie, to steal, to have an affair-- isn't a sin against another human. It's a sin against a holy, a perfect, a righteous God!
According to Comfort, these people believe they are going to Heaven because they "prayed a prayer" a long time ago. But Jesus doesn't want a prayer prayed a long time ago. He wants your heart, broken from the weight of its sin. He wants your life. Are you ready to confess your sins against Him? Are you ready to submit yourself to His authority in your life? Are you ready to forsake all else in order to follow after Him?
Unfortunately, too many people profess to be saved but lack those necessary steps. Are you one of them?
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