We Can/We Can’t Come To God Just As We Are
"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily" (Luke 9:23). "Then Jesus…said to him,…Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor…and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." (Mark 10:21).
A man, who was talking with a Radio Bible Class counselor, a Christian but hadn’t accepted Christ because he just couldn’t get his life cleaned up. A gangster who had the idea that the words to the hymn "Just as I Am" meant that he could accept Jesus and become a "Christian gangster." Both of these perspectives are widely held. But which one is right?
We Can Come To God Just As We Are.
1. A tax collector, a member of an occupational group notorious for dishonesty, expressed sorrow for his sin when he went to the temple. In response to his humble petition, he went home with God’s approval before he ever changed his life (Luke 18:13-14).
2. The thief on the cross-had no chance to clean up his life. He simply acknowledged his need of forgiveness and said, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42).
3. Paul’s statement that forgiveness is granted to the person "who does not work but believes" (Romans 4:5) indicates that we can come just as we are—without trying to make ourselves worthy.
We Can’t Come To God Just As We Are.
1. Jesus told the rich young ruler, "Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor,…take up they cross, and follow Me" (Mark 10:21).
2. The Pharisee who prayed in a proud and self-sufficient spirit left the house of God unjustified and unaccepted (Luke 18:14).
3. Jesus said that to follow Him a person had to "deny himself," "take up his cross daily," and "hate" his loved ones (Luke 9:23; 14:26).
Explanation:
The fact that we can come to God just as we are can be seen in the tax collector in Christ’s parable. This man showed an awareness of his sin and need for God’s pardon. God forgave him before he changed his way of life. The criminal who came to Christ while dying on a cross beside the Lord Jesus was accepted, even though he never had a chance to do any good works. Paul, who affirmed salvation by grace through faith alone in Ephesians 2:8,9, declared that a person "does not work" (make no effort to earn his salvation or change his lifestyle) when he "believes on Him who justifies the ungodly" (Romans 4:5). The ungodly is justified by faith before he becomes a godly person.
The Pharisee in Luke 18 went home unjustified because he did not come to God with repentance and faith. He mistakenly thought his good deeds could save him. Moreover, our Lord’s demands expressed in the passages like Mark 10:21, Luke 9:23, and 14:26 should be seen as expressing His expectation that those who come to Him for salvation will also follow Him in discipleship just as surely as we expect thunder after a flash of lighting.
We come to Jesus just as we are and He receives us. But the Lord expects us to do what normally follows salvation-to follow Him in discipleship. This requires changes in our behavior and attitudes.
Resolution:
Yes, God accepts us just as we are when we come to Him in true humility and genuine sorrow for sin. But God doesn’t accept us just as we are when we come to Him in pride and self-sufficiency.
Application:
*If we see our sins as making us deserving of hell, if we desire deliverance form both the penalty and power of sin, and if we believe that Jesus paid the price for our sin, we are saved and can be assured of it.
*The fact that our good works have nothing to do with saving us should make us humble and lead us to praise God for His marvelous grace.
*We who have been saved should take Christ’s demands for discipleship seriously and try to acknowledge His lordship in all areas of our lives.
Granny’s Teachings�?/STRONG>
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