… That Christ came to the world as an advocate for us and that He came to reconcile us back
to God the father?
John 3:16 NLT
says – “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so
that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life”.
In order to benefit from
Christ’s promise of redemption, you have to accomplish the first simple step
documented in Romans 10:9-10 NLT – “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with
God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved”. Once you successfully
do this sincerely by the help of the Holy Spirit of God, you are on your way to
joining the body of Christ here on earth. In verse 13 ofRomans 10 NLT,
it further states - “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”. This is a sure promise if you allow Christ to be Lord
over your entire life. However, He can only be a savior if you allow Him to be
Lord. A life that is not submitted to Christ cannot be in Christ. This is a relatively
simple concept. Yet, it is one that is quite difficult for many to understand.
In John 14:1 NLT, Jesus tells his
disciples, “Don’t
let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me”. The salvation
Christ offers is very real. It is confirmed in John 1:12 NLT – “… to all who believed him and
accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God”.
Once you
have accepted Christ as your savior, the next important step is to begin to live
out the new life that Christ purchased for you with His precious blood at Calvary.
You are now a new person according to 2
Corinthians 5:16-17 NLT – “So we have stopped evaluating others from a
human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point
of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has
become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”.
This new
life is described as a gift from God
and it comes with a task of reconciling people to Him. Through our lives (including
our conversations), we can win many people back to God as they begin to see the
difference Christ has made in us. We start to become more like him.
One
important aspect of this new life as followers of Christ is attending to the needs
of others (1 Timothy 6:7). We can honor
Christ through our selfless service to humanity. That is one of the reasons why
God allows us to remain on earth. Our intervention helps to dull the impact of
suffering, poverty, loss, pain, hopelessness and general malaise. Ephesians 2:20 NKJV – says “For we are
His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them”. To do this, we need the help of Holy
Spirit as He helps us navigate the path that will lead us back to being like God
once the key to the door has been handed to us. Without Him, it will be
impossible to find the way because the life of a Christian, like life in
general is full of obstacles. Certainly, it is clear that no natural man can be
good without God (Matthew 19:17).
To
clarify, a natural person is
self-directed, ruled by natural instincts and desires. The things of God make
no sense to this person and “self” is always in charge. This leads to self-centered
motivations and decisions. There will be a lot of discord and frustrations in
such a life. A spiritual person on
the other hand is directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. This life
is surrendered to Christ – to be lord and savior. He/She appraises situations selflessly
and through the mind of God with Christ as the head, yielding constantly to Him
and thereby in harmony with Gods plan. There is a marked difference between
these two types of people. In 1
Corinthians 3:1-3 NLT – Paul says to the Corinthians “Dear brothers and
sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual
people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you
were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid
food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t
ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of
one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled
by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?”.
It is
this distinction that makes it necessary for us to seek a definite path to God.
Fortunately, Christ has made that possible for us through His death and His resurrection.
In John 15:5 NLT He says - “Yes, I am the vine; you are the
branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For
apart from me you can do nothing”. Therefore, it is in Christ (by the Holy
Spirit) that we can become who God wants us to be. A spirit filled life has
certain striking attributes that cannot be missed because they reflect the
nature of God. Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
lists what the spiritual life will produce - “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our
lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There
is no law against these things!”. If your life is constantly defined by these
characteristics, you are on a relatively solid path to be with Christ for
eternity.
Keep in mind that the desired
transformation does not occur overnight. Once a person has realized the essence
of living by the Holy Spirit, he/she immediately begins a progressive movement
towards critical mass. The key is to endure to the end by cultivating a strong
relationship with Christ. Walking in the Spirit requires faith in God. That is
– an unshaken trust in God and in His promises. As you get better at this, your
life will become filled with the demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit and
you will become more conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18). Also, your study of the Bible
will be more meaningful, and your ability to witness for Christ will be
energized (Acts 1:8). Finally, you
will experience Gods power to resist temptation and sin as well as become
equipped for spiritual conflict (Philippians
4:13, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 2:15-17, 1 Peter 5:7-9).
Remember, the degree of
your surrender determines the level of your transformation. This is not just about
doing “works” or serving in the church. It is about character and making
the things that matter to God your business. It is about “living” the spirit
filled life, not about much activity that has no substance. Each person has to decide
who will rule his/her life. Your choice to make Christ your lord and savior –
no matter what, must be made deliberately and serious so that it can be well
grounded. I agree, too many of us struggle and fall. However, there is a place
of growth and progress. I too know that place all too well. I am writing to you
with the same burdens and concerns you have. Particularly about how well I am
doing in this race to the Kingdom – because it is a personal race and each
person must work out their own salvation.
In the end, if we can
totally yield, we will be able to minister to fellow human beings and be the
hand of God extended to others here on earth. You can do this in your ministry,
vocation, relationships, church, on the way-side like the Samaritan – you can
do this practically anywhere. God is counting on us to bring many to the
knowledge of His son Jesus Christ through the fruit of the Spirit evident in
your life. How will they hear, if the message has not been given to them?
Today is the day to answer
the call in Mark 16:15 NLT – “And then he told them, “Go into all the world
and preach the Good News to everyone”. This is the main reason we have been called
into God’s kingdom. We didn’t choose God; He chose us and predetermined us from
the beginning. Do not miss your purpose; it is firmly embedded in God. His word
can find a good soil in your heart if you surrender to Him.
Jesus said to his disciple
Peter in Matthew 16:15-16 NKJV – “He said to them, But who do you say that I
am? Simon Peter answered and said, you are the Christ,
the Son of the living God”.
