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Salvation
Because
of Jesus I can see what I am and accept what I am, a sinner*. (I don't have to
pretend I'm better than I am to earn the praise and love of others.) I can accept what I am because I know He
loves me as I am. I have nothing to hide. He sees all my faults and still loves me.
The acid test for any theology
is this: Is the God presented one that can be loved, heart, soul, mind
and strength? If the thoughtful, honest answer is 'Not really', then we
need to look elsewhere or deeper (Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy).
I know Jesus loves me because He died for me. He has promised that one day I will see Him with
my eyes, touch Him with my hands and be fulfilled forever. His kindness humbles me
without humiliating me.
Because Jesus loves me He wants to make me brave, honest and kind. He wants to make me like Himself. Jesus is changing me; I am beginning to love what is good. My feelings are intense and yet I am at peace; I am beginning to care without being anxious. My heart is full. I find pleasure in giving pleasure to God. He is making me alive. In time He will make me the kind of person who would rather die than lie; starve rather than steal. The world is a wonderful place because I know that no one can take Him from me. He calms me with His love and gives insight to my mind.
No wonder Paul wrote, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." (Gal 5:1)
Speaker: Os Guinness. (For more about the importance of truth see parts 1 & 2 of Nietzsche v. Jesus; The Genius of Jesus and motives)
A man or woman is not truly free until he or she is brave, kind and honest etc. (Note: The more like Christ I become the more of an individual I will become. When two people are becoming like Christ they are growing alike in character but different in personality. That is what will make heaven so interesting. Only when we are like Christ will we truly enjoy our differences.) Because God loves us He will make us like Jesus. He knows that we can never be truly free until we are like Him. My confidence is in God's perfect unending love for me and that He will finish what He has begun. God does not change.
But
following Jesus is not always easy. In fact, many sincere people have become frustrated and disillusioned when trying to live the Christian life because of misconceptions about what it entails. We often think we are trying to obey Jesus but we are actually trying to do that which is impossible. Jesus never asks us to do the impossible. (The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard cleared up a lot of mistaken beliefs for me. Particularly chapters 5 to 10. God does not want us to be confused and frustrated. Jesus said there would be false teachers who would mislead and confuse Christians. Don't be one of them.)
Footnote
Perhaps you think that calling myself a sinner is a bit harsh. I, like everyone else, have turned my back on God. I didn't really believe He was good and that is why I doubted Him. That is what sin is, it is turning ones back on God. The real sin is in our hearts; our actions merely reflect what we think and feel toward God.
Many resent being told that humans are
bad. The truth of the matter is that from birth we are all capable of good and
bad. We
all do good things and we all do bad things.[1] The good we do is made possible because of God. But if we turn our backs on Him even the good things we do are looked upon as filthy rags by God. (If someone you love turns their back on you how do you feel? That is why even our good works are disgusting to God if we ignore Him.)
Even if doing good things could save us, they won't save us on the day of judgement. From a purely legal perspective, we know
that those who break the law deserve to be punished. (As noted, this breaking of the law is merely a reflection of what's in our hearts.)
If I break the law by stealing a car, go to court and am found guilty (because
the evidence is obvious) will telling the judge I've done good things
help me? Will asking the judge to forgive me help? No, not at all. If the judge just forgave me or let me off because of the good things I
have done he would not be a good judge. Only a corrupt judge can be bribed and only a bad judge ignores the law. A good judge makes sure that those who
have broken the law are punished. God is a good judge. He will judge us
by his perfect standard.
You might be wondering, "What is God's perfect standard?" Have you ever told a lie? (Be honest.) If so you are a liar. Have you ever stolen? If so you are a thief. (By the way, not working hard for your employer is theft; it is taking his or her money when you don't deserve it. And downloading things illegally is also theft. If you were selling a program would you want people to download illegal copies?) Have you ever looked at a woman lustfully? Jesus said, "that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt 5:28). (Note: this is different to sexual attraction, which is normal. What Jesus was talking about is looking at a woman and thinking about her in away which excites sexual desire.) So according to the Bible you are guilty and I am guilty. This is very serious because God says that the sexually immoral and all liars will be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 21:8). So what hope do we have? Who can stand before God with a clean conscience? Are you ready for eternity?
Fortunately, God loves you. He loved you even when you ignored Him and disobeyed His
laws (Rom 5:7,8). You can't
earn God's love. It is His free gift to us. Because God loves us He became a
man and died for us. The innocent died for the guilty. God commands all of us to turn from our sins and follow
Jesus. If you do this He will forgive you for the things you have done.
Jesus will never ask you to go against your conscience. Read
the Bible and do what Jesus says.
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