Not Us!!!

Romans 10:10-13 - For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

I know I write a lot about our salvation not coming from what we as humans perceive as good works. Again, the Bible says our works are as filthy rags (this cannot be disputed; God never lies). We cannot do good enough things, be good enough people to please God. The only thing we can do is call on the name of the Lord for this salvation. It is a choice we make, on our own. Many churches don’t teach this. I can’t say why other than possibly a difference in the understanding of the term born again. And because we are a works-based society; always have been. But our working to achieve this salvation makes the work of Christ nothing. Nothing. 

I’d never heard this in the Lutheran Church. I may have been under the idea that because I was baptized as an infant I was in good hands. I do believe some may have a devotion to God and the Lord without knowing what born again is. Only God knows our hearts and motives. It can also be a desire of these people to seek God and live for Him. It isn’t just pastors or priests. And I’m certain not all pastors or priests are born again. We are not to be ashamed of what we believe and be letting others know about the power of God, how He has changed us, not we who have attempted to change ourselves. 

I read this recently. It emphasizes my point(s) that it is not about our goodness or works: Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell—it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes. (Oswald Chambers)

Redemption. It only comes when one chooses to call on the name of the Lord to be saved. Have you actually called out to Him? Have you repented of your sins, whatever they are, either great or small? If one says they have not sinned or not sinned as gravely as another, they lie. No one is righteous without Jesus Christ. Still the hardest thing to explain is this receiving. It comes from the heart, not the head. It’s humbling oneself before God. It comes with our seeking to do this...or sometimes, in our attempt to drive Him away (like me). Our pastor suggested last week that the Bible says we are to seek Him and sometimes we do, but God is seeking us also! Are you resisting? No good will come of that.

And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. (Acts 16:30-31)  I questioned this scripture for a time. It almost sounds like if one receives Christ the entire family, because of that one’s salvation, will be saved. Salvation is an individual commitment. It’s between you and the Lord. You can’t skip into relationship through someone else. You must make the choice.

God is always available to listen; He’s never too busy. The Bible shows the love of God for those who love Him. He is merciful. He pours out His grace on the humble and repentant. There is a heaven and hell and there is a narrow road to heaven and a wide road to destruction. The narrow road is less traveled. It is harder; it is less acceptable to others. The wide road is the way of society's standards, which these days are extremely lax. (And just because you don't adhere to their standards doesn't make you better than them.) No one is righteous!

Let the power of God change you. Ask for Him to show Himself to you. If this born again, redemption thing doesn’t sit well with you, consider opening yourself to learning His truth. I had to do it. I survived. I didn’t want to; I rejected God for as long as I could. Then He turned me around in a heartbeat. It’s a glorious thing to be touched so personally by God. Really, it is.

John 3:3 - Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”