2012-02-24
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, we looked at “Rejecting Sin-Salvation on God’s terms.” There should be sufficient motivation by now, with the understanding we now have of the value of an on-going covenant relationship with God, for us to be willing to accept His terms in the matter of our salvation. From this author’s point of view, there simply isn’t a reason to hold back from trusting the Lord or engaging actively in such an intimate relationship which impacts every facet of our lives. God is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. Frankly, we are tremendously blessed that His motivations are always pure and that He loves us more than we can ever imagine-even to the point of having sacrificed His only begotten Son, so that we could be saved [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25].
Today, we are being called to examine the decision to conversion portion of our journey toward spiritual maturity. This is the true-Christ connection, i.e. where we become aware of the power of the Holy Spirit leading us to true faith and commitment to our covenant relationship with God. When we are justified, as Abraham was in GN 15: 6, we are declared “innocent,” by God. This happens for us when we come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ [RO 4: 3; GA 3: 6]. We might ask a question: what about infants who are baptized and are too young to declare faith in Christ for themselves? I had a tough struggle with the idea of infant baptism for quite awhile, when I first joined a Presbyterian church back in the late seventies. Then, it was explained to me, that the parents and godparents were declaring their willingness to take responsibility for this newly accepted child [meaning adopted into the family of God], until he or she was old enough to decide for himself. This speaks volumes for the importance of making a connection between infant [or child] baptism and that child’s first Communion. Adults, like myself, who come to the waters of baptism grown are indeed able to be declaring willingness to believe in the Lord Jesus for themselves. [I was baptized at the age of 25 by total immersion, which is why I hadn’t dealt with the issue of infant baptism before that]. Our present congregation has a fabulous program for preparing its young people for first Communion. It’s an educational program that begins in the sixth grade and continues for three years through grade 9. Having had the chance of listening to these young people speak about their personal faith, I realize they are more mature than I ever was at their age in matters of faith. When they attend their first Communion, they understand what it means and are really ready to be making this decision/commitment.
To be baptized is to be identified with or united with “walking unto death, uniting ourselves to Jesus Christ in the bond of covenant;” to respond to the Covenant of Grace. And as this is described, it leads to receiving forgiveness of sin and being freed from its slavery. RO 6: 6-7, “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” Anyone who has ever listened carefully to the baptism service knows a series of vows are taken before God, whether being baptized as an adult and taking them for oneself or having parents and godparents take them for us, because we are too young to do this for ourselves. 1 JN 1: 9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness.” As with any vow we take with God, it’s a vow unto death, a vow of great importance. That’s the reason all this preparation beforehand is so important for us. It’s a commitment, but not one to evoke terror. Some of the most stable, productive, and happy people in the world are those with active/dynamic faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are teenagers who know enough to say “no” to the temptation to become sexually active before marriage; they are the ninth-graders who have thought through whether or not they truly believe in the Lord Jesus before taking first Communion; they are the parents and godparents who know they are taking a vow of great importance when an infant or young child is baptized; they are the blessed ones who have been brought up in a loving home where Christ is at the center of the rearing they have received. And then, there are the rest of us, those of us not able to be reared in loving Christian homes. We too must travel the road from decision to conversion.
The road for an individual to come from decision to conversion isn’t always easy-it certainly wasn’t for me-but it leads to so many blessings that it’s a road definitely worth taking. As for me, I think the Lord always wanted me to follow the path I am taking, but He waited quite a while until I was ready to know just how crucial to my happiness that getting to know He is here for me really is- just as He is for all who will come to Him. How about you? Take some time to consider your own path, because whether or not you are born to and reared in a Christian family, you must travel the path from decision to conversion to Christ for yourself.
PRAYER: O Lord, no one person’s path is more important than another’s in coming to true faith in You. But there must be eventual understanding of what a covenant relationship is and what is means to one’s life. We must hear Your word first [1 COR 15: 1-3; RO 10: 17]. Then we can use the ability You have given us to consider it and how it impacts our lives. You alone have the supernatural ability “to transform us by the renewal of our mind” [RO 12: 2], something You are quite willing to do for us. However, for this to happen we must be interested in making changes in our lives and willing to listen to what You have to say to us. We must admit that we are sinners and will be considered so until the day You should choose to glorify us, i.e. bring us back to Your side in heaven. This takes honesty and openness on our parts. We then, must confess our acceptance and belief of Jesus Christ as our personal Savior (Messiah]) [RO 10: 9-10]. At the time we make this first confession of faith, we may not be mature in our faith, but You know our potential and are always there to help us work toward fulfilling it. When we confess true faith in Your Son, You cause Him to walk beside us, even carry us if necessary, on the road from making the decision to accept Him and making our acceptance an integral part of all facets of our lives. You set our minds on the Holy Spirit. RO 8: 1-5, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so, He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteousness requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance wit the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” We thank and praise You, O Father, for Your kindness and love shown to us. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: In the course of moving on toward the result of taking the path from decision to conversion, I will share a portion of my own story. Then the Holy Spirit directs me to discuss the result of taking that path from decision to conversion in theological terms. Admittedly, it’s hard to write about my pre-faith in Christ days, because they were painful and filled with feelings of hopelessness. That’s really how it is when one doesn’t have faith in the Lord. Amazingly, the Lord was always there, never leaving me and always working to bring me to where I could genuinely profess faith in His Son. But until I was 25, I was unaware of it. That’s a rather unusual thing for a person raised in traditional Judaism to be able to say, but it’s true. The religion of my parents and first husband was not reaching me for God. I had no understanding of Him, only of what Jewish custom and tradition required of me. The difference between pre-faith in Christ life and life in Christ is night and day. That is a pressing reason why we can know of His love, feel it, and be encouraged through our trials by it. ZEPH 3: 17, “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior, He will take delight in you with gladness; with His love, He will calm all fears. He will rejoice over with joyful songs.” We, who have true faith, are blessed beyond our ability to fully understand. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15