By: Rev. Larry D. Ellis
There are as many answers given to this question, as there are grains
of sand under the ocean. A Calvinist might say that you could do
nothing. It is all at the hands of God. A member of the "Church of
Christ" might say you must be baptized by complete immersion under
water. A Baptist would likely say we are saved by our faith in Christ. A
Methodist might say be a good person and attend church. An Episcopalian
might say you must be confirmed by the Bishop or at least baptized by a
priest. A faithful Roman Catholic might say you need to go through
confirmation or pray certain prayer forms or at least receive communion.
A television evangelist might say, send him money and he will pray for
you and send you a prayer cloth that will bestow certain spiritual
graces upon you. A charismatic might say to have the full gospel in your
life you need to pray in tongues. A little child might say attend Sunday
school. A hospital chaplain might say, accept the love of God that is
extended to you. There are plenty of persons who would say that you
should strive to be a good person and that when you die, God will weigh
the good you did against the bad that you do and then make a decision as
to whether you deserve to be with him or will be eternally separated
from him. The inference here is that our eternal relationship with God
is predicated upon whether we do enough good things to please God.
We are not made a Christian by our parents, our school or our
culture. We do not become a Christian by attending church any more than
we become a car by sleeping in the garage. Being a Christian is an
intentional condition. The issue that I have with most of these answers
is that there is no magical formula that one can apply and thereby
become a Christian. However, the scriptures give us some very clear
guidance as to how to move from being a non-Christian to a Christian.
First of all, God desires that each and every one of us come into a
personal relationship with him. He is our creator and loves us, just as
we love our own children. I believe that from within a mother's womb God
destines us to become a unique creation of humanity. As an infant we are
dependent upon God's grace to protect us, just as we are dependent upon
the love and grace that our earthly parents bestow upon us. It is only
normal that we respond back to those who love us so unselfishly. There
is a point in our youth growth process where God looks for each of us
individually to take the responsibility for our own relationship with
God. This may take many different forms. However, fundamentally we are
to acknowledge that we are not capable of living a life of innate
goodness apart from God. We are told in holy scripture "For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him would not parish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his
Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved. He that believith on him is not condemned; but he that
believith not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God. " - John 3:16-18. We are
challenged in I John 1:9 that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." Romans 6:23 also says, "The wages is sin is death; but
the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace we are saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man
should boast." I believe that it is our own autonomy from God that
separates us from intimacy with him, just as the same autonomy in our
relationships pulls us away from closeness with one another. It is our
turning to and accepting his gift that reconciles us with God. It is
never possible to be "good enough" to earn God's love. It is a gift to
us, not based on our merit, but His goodness and mercy.
God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not dispensing their grace
through any one group of Christians or religious organization. He does
use individual person who know God personally as well as some religious
organizations some of the time - but never exclusively. When God moves
in our hearts and draws us close to Him, our sole response needs to be
to accept his love and his gift of eternal life with him. We cannot earn
it; we can only accept it. I recall that when our daughter was ready to
make this commitment, the words that came to my mind were that "You need
to decide to make Jesus the boss of your life." With a dear friend as an
adult the question that he pondered was, "Was there anything that you
are unwilling to give up, in order to have a personal relationship with
God?" There were obstacles and for him repentance was to turn away from
those things and toward God to receive his love.
For some this point of commitment can be documented with a specific
date and time. For others it is just as formative, but has been a
process starting with their baptism as an infant and being raised within
the love of a Christian family, but no less culminating in the same
acceptance of the work of God, not the work of our own selves. In any
event our being a Christian is not based on what we do or even exactly
what we believe in our heads, but instead it is rooted in a nurturing
relationship that we have with our Heavenly father and creator. He is
the initiator in our relationship and we are the responder to his love.
As a start on this pilgrimage many persons pray a prayer such as:
"Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I sin and that I fall short of being
what you have designed me to be. I thank you for sending your Son,
Jesus, to die on the cross for me and suffer for my sins. I ask you to
come into my heart and I accept your gift of eternal life. Thank you for
loving me so very much. Amen."
Please understand, it is not saying this prayer that make the
difference, it is sincerely and without reservations acknowledging in
our hearts what is expressed in this prayer. Arriving at this point of
discernment is only the beginning of our new life as a Christian. We
have the rest of our life, a day, month or even decades to grow into
consciousness of ourselves and God's goodness. God has called us to also
be a part of the Christian community in some form, even with all its
dysfunction. I encourage you to move ahead in discovering what this new
personal relationship with the creator of our universe can mean in your
life. May this growth process continue throughout all our lives!