Two things that many people in this world are confused about the most are what they must do to be saved and what they must do to be lost. Many assume that they have to do nothing, or at least very little, to be saved and that on the other hand they must commit atrocities of unparalleled proportions in order to be lost.
“Hell is reserved for the worst of the worst after all. Only the worst people in history will be sent there. Hitler? Absolutely. Stalin? Sure. Osama bin Laden? Without a doubt. But only because these men were mass murderers. They did things that were so bad so as to warrant eternal death.”
Most believe that as long as they abstain from doing anything too bad that they can avoid an eternity of torment. It may not matter that they don’t go to church (or “do religion”), that they occasionally curse, that they have a drink every now and then, and that they’re on their second or third marriage (or more) with no scriptural justification. They just need to avoid making a big mistake, don’t do anything terrible, and they’ll be just fine.
But did you know that you don’t have to do anything to be lost. You don’t have to cheat on your spouse. You don’t have to commit crime on a mass level. You don’t have to beat your children. Sure all of these things are sins and left untouched will condemn a soul just as quickly as any other sin. However, there are sins of commission (doing things meant to be left undone) and there are sins of omission (leaving undone things meant to be done).
In other words there are some things that you can do that will cause you to be lost. But in the long run you don’t have to do anything to be lost. Ignore the essential commands of God; reject His call for obedience, forget about church altogether. The haunting words of Matthew 25:45 will echo in the ears of countless souls throughout eternity – “Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” It wasn’t because of anything in particular that they did. But it was about everything they didn’t do!
Yes, God is concerned with what we do (see Matthew 25:40). He wants us to do right. But God is also concerned with what we don’t do. His commandments reflect the greatest good that could be accomplished in our lives. Our acceptance of His commands reflects the genuine heart of a servant. So while it is not true that you don’t have to do anything to be saved it is true that you don’t have to do anything to be lost!