CLAY CENTER — A Florida teenager made national news giving experts a lot to talk about. Matthew Scheidt, 18, was arrested by authorities after an impersonation stunt. He wormed his way into being a Physician’s Assistant at a local hospital. He had an ID badge, had the right clothes and was even trusted by a doctor to do CPR on a patient.  Matthew said and did all the right things, so folks gave him a pass in spite of some inner suspicions.  
In this column I’m talking about religious professors who are just like the fake P.A. They are religious people who say and do all the right things so well that genuine believers give them a pass despite having silent questions about the sincerity of their profession.
Jesus once said that many religious professors will stand before Him on their day of reckoning and plead for mercy saying, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” (Matthew 7:22). Yet they will be utterly shocked to hear Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).
The saddest part is they believe they deserve heaven because of all the religious things they have done. By inference they look upon Jesus as heaven’s door man, where He is supposed to just open the door and let them in because they earned it.    
In a way they are guilty of blasphemy to the highest degree. In essence they are saying, “Jesus did not need to come to suffer, die, and rise again for me. He did it for the other folks. You know, those who are not good enough.”
Jesus said “. . . unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). This is not something we do ourselves; it is only something God can do. We must become a new person from the inside out. If we do, our sins are forgiven and we are redeemed, justified, and sanctified by God’s power.
Has all that happened to you? It does when you become born again, not by your efforts, but by the power of God. Turn from being religious and commit your whole life to Christ. Call upon God in a spirit of humility and become a new person. May Jesus be your hope for today.

Clint Decker is president and evangelist with Great Awakenings Inc. Contact him at cdecker@greatawakenings.org or 785-632-5063.