"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." —Mark 10:15
In Mark 10:15 Jesus makes a remarkable
statement. He says that unless people receive the Kingdom of God “as a
little child,” they won't go to Heaven. Jesus didn't mean that an adult
couldn't be saved; He simply meant that unless we humble ourselves as little
children do, we will die in our sinful pride that blinds us.
In Matthew 18:1-4 Jesus clarifies this truth...
"Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." —Matthew 18:3-4
Here we plainly see what Jesus meant when He
spoke of becoming “as a little child.” Jesus meant that we ought to HUMBLE
OUR SELVES before God. The sinful world is saturated with worldly pride,
stubbornness and fleshly lust (1st John 2:15-17). They want nothing to do
with the holy God of the Bible. It is man's love for sin that prevents him
from coming to the Savior, Jesus Christ, to be saved (John 3:20; 5:40).
Woe Unto the Rich
No wonder Jesus said in Mark 10:23, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” 1st Timothy 6:10 warns that the love of money is the root of all evil. The most wicked and vile sinners in the world are those who lust after money. This is why millions of Americans flock to “Sin City” Las Vegas in an attempt to make money gambling. America is one of the greediest nations on earth and, sadly, most of its citizens are going to burn in Hell. America is a spoiled wealthy nation where people who eat daily, have a place to live and have enough money to buy beer and cigarettes complain that they're poor. The average America doesn't know what poor means.
In Matthew 11:11 Jesus said...
“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” —Matthew 11:11
This is interesting. In Matthew 11:11 Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest born amongst women; yet in Matthew 18:4 Jesus said that even the least of God's children are greater than John the Baptist in the Kingdom of God. The world is filled today with superstar celebrities and famous wealthy people; but they have sold their souls to the Devil and will hopelessly die in their sins... “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
The United States, Europe, Australia, Canada
and other wealthy nations are apostate today. They have forgotten the God of
the Bible in their sinful pride. They are
stiffnecked, ungrateful and
stubborn. I hear so many people nowadays arrogantly criticizing and mocking
God's Word, as if they actually know what they're talking about. It's
hypocritical how some people will trash the entire Bible because they can't
find enough “proof” to satisfy their hardened heart; yet they blindly and
unquestioningly accept the unproven, speculative and comical theory of
Evolution.
As a Little Child
Jesus said that we must receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, which means humbling ourselves enough to OBEY the Gospel, i.e., the Good News, of Jesus Christ crucified and risen. We are guilty sinners, deserving of Hellfire (Romans 3:19-23; 6:23; Revelation 20:11-15); but thanks be to God for His Son Jesus Christ Who shed His blood for our sins so we could be forgiven and saved... “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
To those who refuse to humble themselves as a little child to be saved, the Bible warns... “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.”
The fastest way to Hell is to act like an adult who has to figure everything out and have proof of everything. Any child knows exactly what Romans 1:20 is saying, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Any child can see that there's a God, a divine Creator. Psalm 19:1-3 proclaim... “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”
If we'll all be honest in our hearts, then we'll have to agree that there is a God, and He's a good God who's provided wonderfully for the needs of mankind. Only an idiot could study the Bible and the manner in which It came into man's possession and then not believe that it's God's inspired Word. If we'll push away our sinful pride, then the truth will be abundantly obvious. A child doesn't have to figure everything out to believe it. Children are very honest and humble. Children don't require God to prove anything to them to believe. Adults on the other hand, because of love for sin and a rebellious attitude towards diving moral Authority, continually place God on trial. But you know what, they'll be the ultimate losers; not God. God is faithful... “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2nd Peter 3:9).
The bottom line is that everyone has a choice to make, i.e., to receive or reject Jesus as the Christ. Jesus came to earth as the Godhead incarnate (Colossians 2:9), Who came to pay for our sins with His own literal precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19). Only by humbling oneself as a child to trust upon Jesus as the Christ (i.e., Savior) can anyone be saved. It is a matter of trust, i.e., faith... “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
