WE DETERMINE IF CHRISTIANITY BECOMES DEFINED AS EITHER RELGION OR RELATIONSHIP. THE DEFINING FACTOR OF WHAT CHRISTIANITY BECOMES IS BASED SOLELY ON WHERE WE DECIDE TO PUT JESUS IN OUR LIFE.
SO, JUST HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN? WHAT CRITERIA WOULD YOU SAY NEEDS TO BE MET IN ORDER TO RIGHTFULLY IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS A CHRISTIAN?
SOME WOULD SAY IT IS BEING A GOOD PERSON AND DOING GOOD THINGS. OTHERS MIGHT ARGUE THAT THERE ARE STRICT RITUALS YOU MUST FIRST ACCOMPLISH IN THE CHURCH SUCH AS BEING CONFIRMED AND THEN BAPTIZED.
I WONDER IF NICODEMUS PONDERED THE SAME THOUGHTS CONCERNING HIS OWN SALVATION. NICODEMUS THOUGHT THAT SALVATION MEANT PERFORMING CERTAIN RELIGIOUS EXERCISES AND HOLDING TO PARTICULAR RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS. I THINK IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT JESUS CHANGED HIS PERSPECTIVE.
THE DEFINING MOMENT IS WHEN WE REALIZE THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT WE CAN DO ON OUR OWN TO MAKE OURSELVES A CHRISTIAN. THE MOMENT COMES WHEN WE ACCEPT WHAT JESUS HAS ALREADY DONE FOR US TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN.
NICODEMUS LEARNED THAT A CHANGE TAKES PLACE IN THE HEART, MIND AND SOUL WHEN JESUS ENTERS IN A PERSON’S LIFE. HE ALSO REALIZED THAT EVERYTHING BECOMES NEW. NOT JUST SOME THINGS, BUT ALL THINGS.
AFTER ALL, BECOMING A CHRISTIAN IS A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE! AS 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 SAYS, “THIS MEANS THAT ANYONE WHO BELONGS TO CHRIST HAS BECOME A NEW PERSON. THE OLD LIFE IS GONE; A NEW LIFE HAS BEGUN!”
THIS “CHANGING PROCESS” OR “BECOMING NEW” IS THE PROCESS OF SALVATION. THIS IS WHY JESUS STATED VERY PLAINLY TO NICODEMUS IN JOHN 3:3, THAT “I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, UNLESS YOU ARE BORN AGAIN, YOU CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”
SO, LET’S TALK ABOUT SALVATION, WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN, AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF BEING A CHRISTIAN, WHICH IS LEAVING EVIDENCE AS A WITNESS.
AS IT HAS BEEN SO ELOQUENTLY STATED: IF YOU WERE PUT ON TRIAL BECAUSE YOU WERE BEING ACCUSED OF BEING A CHRISTIAN WOULD THERE BE ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO CONVICT YOU OR WOULD THE JUDGE HAVE TO DISMISS THE CASE DUE TO LACK OF EVIDENCE?
WE MUST SHOW EVIDENCE OF OUR FAITH AND BEAR FRUIT THAT WE ARE WHO WE SAY WE ARE: CHRISTIANS. ARE WE TRULY EXHIBITING THE “SIGNS OF LIFE” OF BEING A CHRISTIAN? IF WE HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN, THERE SHOULD BE SIGNS OF THAT NEW BIRTH AND EVIDENCE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS PRESENT IN US.
AS I HAVE SAID MANY TIMES BEFORE: THERE CAN BE NO CLAIM TO THE NAME “CHRISTIAN” AND THERE CAN BE NO SPIRITUAL JOURNEY WITHOUT A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS CHRIST.
YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. YOU MUST HAVE JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR. PERIOD! A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS MUST BE PRESENT AND EVIDENT IN YOUR LIFE.”
I STAND AMAZED AT HOW MANY PEOPLE, UNFORTUNATELY, STILL DO NOT GRASP THAT CONCEPT. JESUS IS THE WAY OF SALVATION. JOHN 14:6, “JESUS SAID TO HIM, ‘I AM THE WAY, AND THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.’”
I WILL SAY IT AGAIN: JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY FOR OUR SALVATION! EPHESIANS 2:8-9, STATES “FOR IT IS BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED, THROUGH FAITH—AND THIS NOT FROM YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD— NOT BY WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST.”
ONLY JESUS CAN GIVE US ETERNAL LIFE. ANYTHING WE TRY TO DO TO EARN OR SECURE OUR WAY INTO HEAVEN IS FUTILE. ROMANS 3:23, “FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.” NICODEMUS SAW THIS VERY CLEARLY THAT NIGHT.
JESUS WAS TEACHING HIM THAT HOLDING TO HIS TRADITIONS, THE LAW, HIS RITUALS AND RELIGIOUS ACTIONS WERE NOT GOING TO GET HIM ANY CLOSER TO HEAVEN WITHOUT FIRST KNOWING JESUS PERSONALLY AS THE SAVIOR OF HIS LIFE.
ACTS 4:12, “THERE IS SALVATION IN NO ONE ELSE, FOR THERE IS NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MORALS BY WHICH WE MUST BE SAVED.”
THE TIME MUST COME WHERE WE CONFESS THAT WITHOUT JESUS, WE ARE HOPELESSLY LOST DUE TO OUR SINFUL CONDITION THAT SEPARATES US FROM GOD. SO, IF WE ARE GOING TO BE SPIRITUALLY SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN PEOPLE, THEN WE MUST FIRST SETTLE IT ONCE AND FOR ALL: AM I TRULY SAVED? HAVE I BEEN BORN AGAIN AND ACCEPTED CHRIST AS MY SAVIOR?
ROMANS 10:13, “FOR ‘EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.” HAVE YOU HONESTLY CALLED UPON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TO SAVE YOU?
IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO AND, LIKE NICODEMUS, HAVE BEEN COUNTING ON YOUR FAITHFUL CHURCH ATTENDANCE, BAPTISM, CHURCH CONFIRMATION OR ADHERANCE TO RELGIOUS RITUALS THEN COME TO JESUS TODAY AND FIND TRUE SALVATION.
DON’T SETTLE FOR ANTHING LESS. WITHOUT JESUS, ALL OUR WORKS COMBINED ARE NEVER, EVER, “GOOD ENOUGH” TO BE ABLE TO “GO TO HEAVEN” NOR WILL THEY EVER BE WORTHY ENOUGH FOR US TO BE ABLE TO RIGHTFULLY CLAIM THE NAME “CHRISTIAN.”
GOD LOVES US SO MUCH AND DOES NOT WANT ANY ONE OF US TO PERISH WITHOUT HIM. MATTHEW 18:14, JESUS CLEARLY STATES THAT “IT IS NOT MY HEAVENLY FATHER’S WILL THAT EVEN ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES SHOULD PERISH.”
GOD WANTS YOU RESTORED, REDEEMED, AND FORGIVEN. GOD WANTS YOU TO ENTER INTO A PERSONAL, LOVING INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. HE HAS PROVIDED A WAY FOR YOU TO EXPERIENCE THIS RELATIONSHIP AND HIS SALVATION. IT IS NOT HIS DESIRE FOR YOU TO DIE LOST IN YOUR SINFUL CONDITION.
THIS IS WHY JOHN 3:16 IS SO POWERFUL. LISTEN AGAIN TO WHAT IT SAYS: “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.”
I WILL CONCLUDE BY SAYING IT ONE MORE TIME: THERE CAN BE NO SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OR RIGHTFUL CLAIM TO CHRISTIANITY WITHOUT FIRST HAVING A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR.
LET US LEAVE HERE TODAY KNOWING ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY HAS BEEN SECURED IN JESUS CHRIST. KNOW FOR SURE THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN THE NECESSARY STEPS TO RIGHT YOUR RELATIONHIP WITH GOD.
GO FORTH KNOWING FOR SURE THAT YOU HAVE CALLED UPON THE LORD AND HAVE RECEIVED GOD’S ASSURANCE OF YOUR SALVATION. KNOW FOR SURE!
