I had lunch today with a friend of mine, and the topic was how God goes about saving people.  To be sure the details of God’s work differ from person to person, but there are some truths that have been ignored in modern Christianity.  In a popular appeal to the masses, salvation has been extended out to the world as “a decision for Christ”.  There’s just one problem, we’re all sinners.  We’re not simply sinners by volition through the things we choose, but we are sinners by our very nature – at enmity with God.  Therefore, as Romans 3:10-12 says about us ALL – “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  Now by nature, I by can form an argument support it on various issues, even persuading people to my opinion.   However, I do not possess, nor does anyone possess the ability to convince someone of their need and the implicit worth of Jesus Christ as their Savior.  My encouragement as a Christian, is that Jesus doesn’t call us to try to “convince” people at all.  Have you noticed that in the Bible?  Jesus never pleads with people to be reconciled to Him.  Why then do we?

In Luke 19:10 Jesus proclaims – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Mark 2:17 – “And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ who was prophesized of in Isaiah as “”The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord;make his paths straight.'”  How was John the Baptist preparing people for Christ?  Acts 13:24 – “Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.”  John came to expose people’s hearts to themselves so that they would see their need for a savior and repent of their sin – to realize just how LOST they were.

Salvation is for sinners – those who see their sin, realize they have no hope, and turn to Christ in faith in repentance.

Numbers 21:4-9 – “From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”

The people of Israel above were dying.  Do you think they considered it a “choice” whether they would look to the bronze serpent, raised up, and live?  NO, of course not.  Every single one of them who realized they were dying, look on with faith.  So too saving faith is for those who are dying, who have no hope apart from Christ.  They realize they have nothing else, their sin has broken them to nothingness.  Our Lord Jesus Christ, in mercy meets those people there, and they are raised up with Him to new life.  My question for us all is how do you view your faith in Christ.  Is He all you have?  Do you see your obedience to Him as a matter of life or death?  If that is too much to take in, let me ask you this – how can you put your faith in a savior, yet not realize your need for that savior every moment of every day?  Jesus didn’t come to change the behavior of people, He came to ransom the hearts of those broken over their sin, the poor in spirit.  May our understanding of our depravity, and God’s Holiness grow, that our dependence on Him, and affection for Him would increase into eternity.

Grace and Peace,
Adam