“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new» (2 Corinthians 5:17).
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ACCEPT CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOR? Let’s start by saying what it doesn’t mean, as illustrated by A. W. Tozer. Tozer says that on one occasion there was a group of preachers in a hotel restaurant talking about what it means to accept Christ. In the midst of the conversation one of the preachers said that bringing a person to Christ was the easiest thing in the world, and offered to give a demonstration.
When the waiter approached their table, the preacher asked for a minute of his time. Then he asked the waiter if he was a Christian. When the young man replied that he was not, the preacher asked if he would like to be. When the waiter replied that he hadn’t thought much about it, what does the preacher tell him?
«All you have to do is accept Christ into your heart,» he says.
«Well . . .Then . . . I guess so,» the waiter replies.
At the end of the conversation, the preacher gives thanks because the young man has accepted Christ, and asks God to bless him «in his new life.»‘
Did this young man really accept Christ? Did he understand what the precious blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, means for the forgiveness of sins? Did he show any sign of remorse for the sins that crucified the innocent Son of God? Any sign of conversion? Of course not! As Tozer himself writes, accepting Christ means establishing with Him «a saving relationship that is both revolutionary, complete, and exclusive. »
Revolutionary, because it implies not only an improvement, but a total transformation of life. Complete, because no aspect of the individual’s life is left out of the process of change. Exclusive, because love for Christ ceases to be an interest among many others, to become the dominant motive in the life of the Christian. Isn’t this what todays text says? «Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.»
«It is not enough to believe about Christ; we must believe in Him. The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him as a personal Saviour; which appropriates His merits to ourselves. . . . Saving faith is a transaction by which those who receive Christ join themselves in covenant relation with God. «—The Desire of Ages, ch. 36, p. 347; emphasis in the original.
Holy Spirit, please make a complete transformation in my heart.
Sanctify my tastes, my motives, my ambitions so they can be in harmony with Your will; and may my love for Christ not be one among many, but the supreme love of my life.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
