All In
All In
By Dennis Huebshman
There’s a term that every gambler will recognize, and that is “All In”. When one is playing poker, or other card games, and they believe they hold a hand that no one else at the table can beat, they push all their chips, money, or whatever to the center of the table, and declare they are “all in”. They are betting everything they have that they hold the winning hand. Personally, I stay away from such activity as I’ve never been a good card player. (any emphasis mine)
For a Christian (true Believer), that phrase means something else altogether. Romans 10:9; “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” This applies to every soul on this earth as given in Romans 10:12, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all; bestowing His riches on all who call on Him.” And finally, verse 13; “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is the sure-bet winning hand.
For all who will not confess their sins and ask Jesus to forgive them and be their Savior, they are holding a losing hand that will put them in the Lake of Fire forever. (Revelation 20:11-15) There are many people today who are trading their future “all in”, for the so-called pleasures of this earth. They are gambling that the Bible is not the true word of God, and their god – satan – will somehow rescue them in the end. Satan cares about no one but himself, and his main goal is to steal as many souls as he can from Jesus. He is a master of deception, and sadly, more will follow him than those who will receive and accept Jesus. (Matthew 7:13-14)
By not receiving and accepting Jesus as Lord, the deck is stacked against them. A couple of verses from our Father’s “Love Letter” to us; John 14:6, “Jesus said to him (Thomas), I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
There are false prophets (pastors, preachers, priests or whatever) that are leaving out details of our sinful nature in their “teachings”. They neglect to tell their parishioners about Romans 3:23; “for all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God”. And the verse that tells of the cost of that is Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Even when a person has Jesus in their hearts, as long as we are still on this earth, we will slip and sin. God knows this and has left us a means to stay righteous in His eyes. 1 John 1:8-10, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves (God is not deceived), and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar (not real smart) and His word is not in us.”
The ultimate “All In” was what Jesus did for all of us at Calvary. He came down to this earth as a human; suffered a death He did not deserve in order to prepare a pathway for all of us, that we could never ever be worthy of.
As is, we are still not worthy, but through His shed blood, we can be purified in the eyes of God. As stated, Jesus knew more would reject Him than accept Him, but as John 10:14-16 states, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own, and My own know Me; (15) just as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father; and I lay My life down for the sheep. (16) And I have other sheep (all gentiles) that are not of this fold (Jews). I must bring them also and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock and one Shepherd.”
God gives us a promise in Romans 8:1-4; “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (2) For the law of the Spirit of Life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (3) For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (as a human) and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, (4) in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Consider John 3:17-18, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world; but in order that the world might be saved through Him. (18) Whoever believes in Him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” To continue this thought, we go to 1 John 5:12; “Whoever has the Son, (has received and accepted Jesus) has life; whoever does not have the Son of God, does not have life.”
God gives us every chance He can to help us as He does not want anyone to be condemned and separated from Him forever. 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness; but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” The time will come when the Father says “Enough”, and Jesus will come and call all true believers up to meet Him in the air in the Rapture.
Jesus fulfilled His part by willingly giving Himself as our perfect and sinless sacrifice. No one forced Him as given in John 10:18, “No one takes it (His Life) from me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down; and I have authority to take is up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”
If someone laid their life down for us; died a very cruel death in our place; was in a grave for 3 days; and then rose again to proclaim victory over all sin and death; would we not want to follow that person? Second part to that, if that person were rejected by anyone, would this not require the nonbeliever to be separated from the “Gift Giver”?
That’s the whole plan of being “All In”. Either we receive and accept the gift given to us by our Lord and Savior, and therefore have all eternity to spend with Him in paradise; or, we do not accept Him and spend eternity in Hell with satan and all his demons and followers. There is no other option available.
Before you listen to anyone who talks about the “many ways” to heaven, the truth is there is only one way. Our free will choice is Jesus or Hell. We are free to decide, each person, for ourselves. God will not force anyone to call on His Son; and satan will do everything in his power to pull you away.
To gamble with your eternal soul at stake would be the biggest mistake ever. Go for the “Sure Thing”. Remember, “Jesus Paid It All, All To Him I Owe”. He’s waiting for your call, and is ready to receive you as a part of His “flock” right now. We are not guaranteed another day here, and now would be a wonderful time to have your sin debt “paid in full”
Shalom! Peace in the Name of Jesus!