The most crucial decision

This is a decision most Christians have heard about, but it seems that very few actually make it. It looks like something good to preach about, but difficult to practice. But this idea is no good if we don't choose to follow through. Every part of Christian life starts with a choice we make, and then there is a time to follow up in the direction of perfecting its practice. Just because we are not going to become perfect, it should not stop us from going in that direction. In fact, if we are not walking in this direction, it shows that we have not entered into a proper relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The free and gracious salvation God offers us is about delivering us from the guilt and power of sin and giving us the opportunity to become like Jesus in the way He lived (2Pe.1:3,4). When Adam and Eve sinned against God, it was they making a decision to come away from submission to and dependence on God to a self-dependent, self-sufficient way of life. They thought becoming like God was to be independent like Him. They did not remember at that time that He was their Creator, everything they had was from Him, and that they were nothing and could not do anything apart from Him. That choice was the essence of sin.

Jesus came and showed Himself to us as the Door as well as the Way, leading back to God. Salvation comes when we get back to God. For this, we must receive forgiveness for our sins which we have already committed, and turn back from our life of independence and come back under God, submitting to His ways and depending on Him for all of our life. Jesus gave us the example (Jn.5:19;8:16;12:49;18:11). How Jesus lived with the Father was summarised in this phrase, "Not My will, but Yours be done" (Lk.22:42).

When we come to Jesus, the most important decision we have to make is to give up our old, sinful way of life, doing whatever we liked, and to choose to live in submission to God. If we understand who God is, who we are before Him, how we have been living for ourselves apart from Him, and what the consequences will be if we continued that way, we would be utterly foolish if we did not make that decision. But when we understand what God has done, going through the sacrifice of His Son in order to offer salvation free to us, our natural response will be to choose gladly to receive His mercy and submit ourselves entirely to Him (2Co.5:14,15).

This is the clear Good News from the whole of the Bible. But sadly, many preachers have tried to make it simple and easy for people by telling them that all we have to do to receive salvation is to believe. This appears to be an exponentiation of grace by which all credit is given to God. Certainly all credit goes to God for offering us salvation which we do not deserve at all. But we can receive this free gift only if we want it, and we choose it. That implies that we forsake our old, foolish ways and come back to God through Jesus as our Saviour and Lord.