He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Jn. 1:10-11
Jesus Christ fashioned our world, flung the stars out across the heavens, and spoke every speck of dust into existence. Yet when He came two thousand years ago, He was unrecognized and rejected by the very world He had created and graciously sustained for thousands of years. The One who rightfully deserves every allegiance and crown to be laid at his feet had meager welcome during his time on earth. A few shepherds, some Galilean peasants, one or two half-hearted leaders; no home, no money, few possessions. Even the tomb that He was laid in when He died was not his own.
His treatment by his own people was a sad story of pre-occupation and rejection. The Bible had clearly foretold hundreds of years before that God himself would come as the Messiah and bring salvation (Isa. 7:14, 9:6, Mic. 5:2). At least they should have been expecting him – but no. They were fixated on the temporal issues of the day and expected that the Messiah’s interests be aligned with their own – especially gaining liberty from Roman rule. In their pre-occupation with worldly affairs, they rejected the One who promised to make them free from the inside out.
Though all people innately long to be free, true freedom is elusive. It is not found in political solutions, or even church creeds. It is found only in the person and character of Jesus Christ. Free societies and nations can only exist in proportion to the degree of good character that their membership possesses. The outer essence of freedom is enabled by, and in a sense will naturally flow from, the character of a group. Character is a matter of the heart of mankind – that is, of the inclinations of one’s soul. Without a spotless character, you cannot be truly free apart from Jesus Christ. One may be free on the outside, but not truly free inside.
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (Jn. 8:36)
The seat of a man’s actions is his heart. It is the birthplace of action. It has been wisely said that if you want to know a man’s thoughts, listen to him talk; but if you want to know his heart, watch his actions. Whenever we see bad actions on the part of others, we can look at the actions of “those other people” and flatter ourselves that “it wasn’t us, we aren’t evil“. Yet, that is hubris. Their actions were merely the working out of their hearts. On what rational basis are we to believe that our hearts are any better than theirs? Although actions may be lacking, there is a deep-down inclination or ability that remains there for all of us, none-the-less. That inclination is a character flaw, even if it is repressed. It could be described as the tendency or ability to do evil.
The way out of this quagmire is only by Jesus Christ. This is what it means to be saved – not only to be saved from toxic effects of a sin nature but also to have a beautiful restored relationship with God.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born , not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (Jn. 1:12-13)
I appreciate these last verses very much because they tell me that I am not a Christian because my mother or father was one (not of blood). Nor am I a Christian because I am naturally a good person (not of the will of the flesh). It is not keeping commandments or striving to be good (not of the will of man) that makes me a Christian. We are Christians because, through knowing Jesus Christ, we have been adopted (born-again) as sons and daughters of the Eternal King.
Those who receive him (turn from their sins and serve him, believing his word) become his sons and daughters. This is true salvation. The power that He gives us is from himself: a new heart and a new spotless nature that can respond to him and enter into a living relationship with him. It is akin to being invited over for dinner. We can know our Creator and are known by him. That’s an amazing opportunity!
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. – Jn. 17:3
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me. (Rev. 3:20)
Jesus answered and said unto him [Nicodemus], “Truly, truly, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Jn. 3:3)
Receiving Jesus Christ for who He claims to be and trusting in the goodness of God, is a gift, given freely by God to all who come to him regardless of who they are. God is not a respecter of persons. He can, and has, saved what society tends to think of as the worst sorts of people. He has also let many cold and self-righteous perish in their self-sufficiency and unbelief.
Count the cost. The Bible clearly teaches that we must give up our self-pride. We must surrender to him – it need not be perfect but we must surrender our will for his will in the matter. We must repent of our sins and rebellion against him. Our definitions of right and wrong must be exchanged for his. Repentance is not merely a change of thought but also a change of moral compass.
Mankind is saved by faith (aka. belief). Making God the Lord of your life will not save you if He is not also, by faith, Lord in your heart. True belief is belief such that you will desire to make him Lord of your life. A true repentance and belief will be evidenced by a continued turning away from the particular idols of our heart and seek to serve the living God in spirit and in truth. Where there is no transforming life – no growth – there is no vitality and no salvation.
If you repent while calling upon God in faith, He has promised that he will save you:
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Rom. 10:13)
When you come humbly in faith in Jesus Christ and repentance, God will adopt you and make you his son or daughter! This was all made possible by Jesus’ death on a cross. He experienced and bore the full measure of God’s judgement against sin in place of God’s children so that they would not be condemned with the rest of the mankind. I don’t understand it fully – I doubt I ever will, but I understand enough from the Bible to know that when Jesus said “It’s finished” and He rose later from the dead, that the full provision of salvation was complete. Our salvation was purchased, not by ourselves but by the vicarious life and death of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is knocking on the door of our hearts. He desires us to know him in spirit and in truth (ie. reality), not in superficial religion or dead tomes of unmoored theology but as He truly is – the all-powerful and good, sovereign Creator and Redeemer. He’s coming today to dine! Is your table set for him?
O, taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him.
Psalm 34:8
* The Invitation by Jan Luyken, cira late 1700’s, Etching from the Bower Bible
