I once accepted a wrapped gift, but I could not unwrap it and fully enjoy it immediately. This made me sad, but curious. I kind of knew the contents, but wanted to find out more about it. But for some time, I got frustrated and just left the gift in my room while I continued my own way. And yet this mysterious gift kept catching the corner of my eye. I realised there was writings about it and people talked about it. So, I started reading about it and talking about it. The more I learned about it the more excited I got to open it. I found out that I could talk to the gift’s creator about it and at some point, I got to peak under the paper wrapping. What I saw was so awesome, I started telling others about it and how it changed my life and that they should accept one as well. Today, I’m frustrated as I know I’m sitting with something incredible and yet I cannot fully utilise it.
This paradoxical nightmare has been on my back for some time now. This conflicting sense of sitting with something greater than I can fathom, has consumed me to the extent that I honestly believe, maybe to outsiders, that accepting Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord looks like insanity. Why paradoxical, why not flat out insane? I believe that deep down, at the core of every human being, we are conscious that we were created for something way different than the gift we have tragically opened – the gift of death. We know there is better.
While asking God to anoint me with His wisdom to untangle this nightmarish paradox, I was reminded of a theory that has crossed my enquiring mind as an avid student at university, ironically when I was attempting to understand the human mind and psyche. The theory was presented by the physicist, Erwin Schrödinger. He tried to explain the paradoxical occurrence in quantum mechanics, where two quantum states could be added together to generate a completely new separate quantum state. Yes, that part flew past my head like a Boeing at cruising altitude. But the experiment with which he tried to explain this theory was well known. What if one put a cat in a box and give it a delayed poison (must have been before animal rights). If one cannot see the cat in the box, for that moment the cat can be both alive or dead, which is a different state from being actually dead or actually alive. Please work with me here? Only until one open the box, then one will be able to find out what the actual state of the cat is.
Accepting Jesus as our Saviour presents a gift to us, eternal life. Jesus’ means of salvation is giving us eternal life, freely. And yet we are still bound by the effects of sin and death while we are in our bodies also new creatures, in Jesus Christ. Does this sound like the poisoned cat in the closed box? We are both completely saved and desperately in need of continuous saving. This dilemma I had to accept. I will need saving till the day we are stripped of all the material wrappings, on the day of final judgement.
If salvation is the wrapped gift, sanctification is opening the gift and enjoying using the gift for the sake of the Maker.
Some time ago I was rudely reminded that we cannot only accept Jesus as Saviour and live our lives as we like, we need to accept Him as Lord as well.
Many will say Lord, Lord – but it will be asked of me, have I done the will of the Father, Matt 7:21. I have found and truly believe that the true test of salvation is in a continually transformed live, humbled before Jesus Christ as Lord. Ask yourself, is all of my heart and mind, all of my soul and all of my strength (spirit, soul and body) submitted in love to the Lord, to His ways.
In my heart I now try to fuse the fact that Jesus Christ came to save the world AND established His Kingdom, of which I am privileged to be a part of. I have a duty within this new state, as part of God’s family.
For everybody who believes in the Son, receives eternal life.
Pure poetry is weaved in this stunning sentence. Read it again. Make it your own. “When I believe in the Son of God, I am saved and have eternal life”. The Son of God replaced my failure with His perfect sacrifice, on my behalf. That which was lost in sin has been restored – past tense. From death to life through the One who died and rose for all who believe. Through one act of disobedience many has died, BUT through One selfless act of love many has been brought to life. The Son shouts out loud, “IT IS COMPLETE”. Sin has been swallowed; death arrested. Salvation have been completed.
Believing in the Son brings freedom. Freedom to follow Him. And yet, sometimes we live oblivious to what was paid for our freedom. As if we have anything to give or do to establish our salvation, or is it that we would rather operate in our own kingdom on our own terms. Yes, even though we are saved for the Kingdom of God, we still have freedom to choose to follow our own desires and conceptions of right and wrong. Don’t be mistaken, in this world we are still part of the fallen effect that was and is brought about by our sin. We can still operate in the flesh for our own sake. Our sin still has consequences while we are on this side of the box, even though we can freely present it to Jesus to receive mercy and grace.
For everybody who does not obey Jesus, as Lord and Master, pay a deadly prize.
The poetry is still sweet, maybe sour-sweet. But the command is clear. The call is crystal. God has never been clearer when he said ‘you shall surely die’. Follow His instruction and you will live, don’t and death will be the outcome – spiritual death.
This knowledge needs to grasp beyond our own efforts to reunited us with our Maker. We still pay with death and illness when we sin on earth, even in our new state. BUT (big but) we must continue to believe and live in the salvation that Jesus acquired. He reached out into our sinful nature and raised it up to its former holy status. A hidden mystery (maybe in a closed box), that has been revealed in the completed work of Jesus Christ. Now we have the ability to live free from sin. Free because He has taken the wrath of sin upon himself, for us – all our sin on Him, on our behalf. He removed it and dealt with it, once and for all, IF you believe in Him who inaugurated this beautiful truth. The One who showed the way to an eternal life. If we believe Him, unconditionally. If we accept Jesus’ gracious love, His pure righteousness, His complete mercy, we do receive life. A gift. The gift is already ours; it is firmly placed in front of us, it is so free it wants to jump into our laps and give us a kiss and a hug. The Father wants to take off our old rags and replace it with beautiful white clothes. Do I still want to follow my own way and experience the effect of the poison? If we have to continue the analogy of Mr Schrödinger, we can believe that Jesus Christ took the poison on our behalf and if you open the box, you will find we are alive.
For Jesus Christ is both Saviour AND Lord. Never forget both is true. And you will be able to see this in your own life by the ongoing transformation of your complete being into the example of Jesus Christ.
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” John 3:36 (ESV)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (ESV)
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 (ESV)
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