“For
by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it
is the gift of God,” - Ephesians 2:8
Why do so many people miss
the opportunity to receive God’s free gift of Salvation (Romans 5:15)? There are as many rationales to
answer this question, as there are individuals who decline His invitation.
Pride will keep a person from the humility needed to call out to God. The idea
of having to sacrifice their desires scares many away. Having someone else in
control of their life causes many people to shrink in horror. Letting someone
else known their deepest, darkest secrets is daunting to others.
Another explanation may be
that Jesus did not present Himself in a very popular humanistic light from His
birth all the way to His death. Just think about it! He was born in a stable,
worked as a carpenter, never owned a home, never married and never conceived
any children. How can He relate to the majority of people on earth, and how can
we relate to Him?
He only had twelve good
friends in the whole world. Even his siblings failed to believe in Him until
after His resurrection. He was not handsome to look at (Isaiah 53:2). To the
disappointment of those who looked for a King, He was born as a pauper and he
died a common death between two thieves.
Jesus had a solid purpose
for all of this, however. He needed no reputation, He proved that He could
relate to the vilest of human sufferings, and He gave us an example of how to
live by taking on the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:7). He went around for three years
doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because of
the Spirit of God dwelling in Him (Acts
10:38). This same Spirit dwells within us as well, because of the price Jesus
paid for our salvation and because He became righteousness for us (Romans 10:3-4).
Most people today want to
make their own mark on the world. The self-made man is touted as having special
abilities and influence that we all respect. The entrepreneur is lauded for his
creativity and drive. Even someone who inherits his/her fortune, and manages to
administrate it wisely, is credited with success.
Human nature tends to
believe that we have to earn what we receive. We have heard the saying, “There
is no free lunch;” therefore, we look with suspicion on anyone who comes around
offering us something for nothing. The thought of Jesus trading us His right
standing with God in exchange for our sins makes no human sense at all.
To admit that we are orphans
in need of adoption is humiliating. It is a bit far fetched to believe that
another human being, who died on a cross in a particular point in history at
the height of the Roman occupation of Israel, is truly the Savior of the world.
Unbelievers insist that there has to be a gimmick hidden somewhere in the
offer. They maintain that there has to be more to it than meets the eye.
I encourage them to “read
the fine print” located in the Bible, and to see if they can discover any verse
that proves we are trying to deceive them. Then I point out to them that even
nature points the glory of God out to everyone (Romans 1: 20) and it reveals
that everything has a creator (Psalm 19:1-6).
God
does not condemn anyone. We actually condemn ourselves by our unbelief, but God
sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we are able to inherit
eternal life (John 3: 16-18). This starts the moment we repent of our sins and
believe that we need Jesus for our salvation. God's part is to save us (Isaiah 43:11). Our only part is to believe
(Acts 16:31).
Once acquired, this salvation is eternal. Just
as man cannot go back into his mother's womb, neither can a believer go back
into an unregenerate spiritual state (John 3:1-7).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, please open the
hearts of all of those that we come in contact with throughout the day. Open
their eyes to see and their ears to hear the truth of Your Gospel message.
Enable us to put aside our ego and to speak with conviction in the power of the
Holy Spirit the exact words that they need to hear in order to be convinced of
their need for You in their life.
Thought for the Day:
God
designed salvation so that no one can take credit for earning it. - Ephesians
2: 8-9
