“The safest place to be is in God’s will.”
I’ve heard this statement for years – first from well-meaning youth group teachers, and recently floating around Facebook and Pinterest. It always gets a rise out of me. While it’s a nice sentiment, I wholeheartedly disagree. It is a lie.
I see how this can be confusing with so many multi-millionaire pastors who have their own jets and wear designer clothes. (This infuriates me to no end.)
When we are truly in God’s will, we will be asked to give until we have nothing left. To love until it hurts. To completely empty ourselves. To give up our safety and security.
American Christianity sells the gospel of safety and prosperity. It professes that if you love God enough, pay your tithes, go to church on Sundays, and send your kids to church camp every summer, that you’ll be happy, healthy, and prosperous. Middle-class values have somehow become central to the Gospel of Christ, yet they have no place there.
Being in God’s will is not safe. It should wreck our comfortable little world.
Jim Elliot was in God’s will. He lost his life.
Safe to say that Jesus was smack dab in the middle of God’s will; he was hated and executed, betrayed by his closest friends. To be a Christian is to be like Christ. He did not live a comfortable life.
We feel loved and protected — happiest — when we’re safe and warm in our houses with our families. We reap the benefits of the American Dream and view it as God’s ultimate blessing.
I’m not saying that if you have a wonderful life, full of safety and happiness, you’re not in God’s will. That’s not my intent. Having nice things and a savings account doesn’t make us unholy, but we must be careful not to be duped into believing that those are guaranteed by God.
What about Christians in heavily persecuted parts of the world? When practicing their faith, they are in harms way. They’ve chosen to give up safety and security for the sake of being in God’s will.
Living in the reckless raging fury of God’s love is not a safe bet. Do not be deceived by comfort and the freedoms we so often take for granted.
Waiting Passionately 
THE PRICE OF TRADITIONA tradition that could cost you your salvation is the one that states that “for”(eis in Greek) in Acts 2:38 should have been translated, “because of.”Let us compare “for” (eis) found in Acts 2:38 and Matthew 26:28.New American Standard Bible: Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.New American Standard Bible: Matthew 26:28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.Jesus did not shed His blood because the people already had their sins forgiven. Jesus shed His blood for (in order to) the remission of sins.Those three thousand on the Day of Pentecost were not baptized in water because their sins were already forgiven. They were baptized for (in order to) the remission of their sins.WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE THAT “EIS” SHOULD HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED “BECAUSE OF” INSTEAD OF “FOR”?How did the following translations translate “eis” in Acts 2:38?NEW KING JAMES VERSION: Acts 2:38 ……for the remission of sins..NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE: Acts 2:38…for the forgiveness of your sins…ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION: Acts 2:38…for the forgiveness of your sins….AMERICAN KING JAMES VERSION: Acts 2:38…for the remission of sins…KING JAMES BIBLE: Acts 2:38….for the remission of sins…THE BETTER VERSION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT by Chester Estes: Acts 2:38…in order to the remission of your sins…THE AMPLIFIED NEW TESTAMENT: …Acts 2:38…for the forgiveness of and release from your sins….THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN ENGLISH by J.B. Phillips: Acts 2:38….so that you may have your sins forgiven….NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION: Acts 2:38…for the forgiveness of your sins…..NEW LIVING TRANSLATION: Acts 2:38….for the forgiveness of your sins….INTERNATIONAL STANDARD VERSION: Acts 2:38…for the forgiveness of your sins…ARAMAIC BIBLE IN PLAIN ENGLISH: Acts 2:38…for release from sin…AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION: Acts 2:38…unto the remission of your sins…DARBY BIBLE TRANSLATION: Acts 2:38…for remission of sins….ENGLISH REVISED VERSION: Acts 2:38 ……unto the the remission of your sins….WEBSTER'S BIBLE TRANSLATION: Acts 2:38…for the remission of sins….WEYMOUTH NEW TESTAMENT: Acts 2:38 …with a view to the remission of your sins…WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE: Acts 2:38…for the forgiveness of sins….YOUNG'S LITERAL TRANSLATION: Acts 2:38…to the remission of sins…THE THOMPSON CHAIN-REFERENCE BIBLE (NIV): Acts 2:38…so that your sins may be forgiven…There is no translation of the Bible that translates “eis” in Act 2:38 as “BECAUSE OF” NOR DOES “EIS” IN ACTS 2:38 MEAN “BECAUSE OF”.If 'eis” in Acts 2:38 meant “because of”, it would have been translated as such.The shed blood of Jesus is the reason we receive forgiveness from sins. We contact that blood after faith John 3:16-repentance Acts 2:38-confession Romans 10:9-10 and water baptism Acts 2:38. Water baptism is the point of contact. Water baptism is the last act of a sinner, it not the first act of a Christian.THE PRICE OF TRADITION IS TOO HIGH IF IT PREVENTS YOU FROM ACCEPTING THE TRUTH! YOU ARE INVITED TO FOLLOW MY BLOG. http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com
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