No Earls In Heaven

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world . . . having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself.

Ephesians 1:4-5

Warwick Castle sits in the center of England, northwest of London. The first Earl of Warwick, Henry de Newburgh, occupied the castle from 1088 to 1119, and the current earl, Guy Greville, was born in 1957. Mr. Greville received the title Earl of Warwick after more than nine hundred years of careful succession.

The English are famous for their lords, earls, and barons and the idea of nobility as a birthright. That might work in the United Kingdom, but it doesn’t work in the Kingdom of God: spiritual legitimacy is a personal decision, not a birthright. People aren’t saved because their parents or grandparents were saved. In fact, Jesus told a parable about five foolish virgins who failed to provide oil for their lamps. When they sought to borrow oil from others, they were refused. Oil represents the Holy Spirit, who is given to individuals only by God. Are you resting in a spiritual pedigree or in your own personal relationship with Jesus?

Regardless of who your parents are or were, you are not a Christian until you are adopted by God the Father.

The tragedy of my life is that although I’ve led thousands of people to Jesus Christ, my own sons are not saved.

BILLY SUNDAY