I have heard it said that when we come to the point of decision, where we know that we need salvation, that it is like our arms are completely full, and that we cannot accept salvation until we release the things we are carrying. This puts the emphasis of obtaining salvation on the seeker, not on Christ.
I think a Biblical perspective of the human condition at this point is more like someone coming to Jesus, and they are completely bound in spiritual chains. (Jesus said in John 8:34, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.") The chains cover them from head to foot with many locks binding them. Shall we tell that soul to drop his chains if he wants salvation? What a frustrating dilemma for a seeker! Will Jesus say, "I will freely give you eternal life if you ask for it. Just drop your chains first." That is not what he said to the woman at the well.
In John 4:10, Jesus says, ""If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman He was talking to was a Samaritan, and all Samaritans were despised by the Jews. So by talking to her, Jesus was making a statement that He didn't think she was a dog. But even among the Samaritans, this woman was an outcast because she was living with a man to whom she wasn't married. That is why she was found alone by Jesus at high noon (around the sixth hour). Everyone else got there earlier when it was cool. It is true Jesus addressed her most urgent sin condition. He asked her to go get her husband and bring him to Jesus. She rightly said she didn't have one, and in her words Jesus told her all that she ever did. But He never put a requirement for her to change in order to receive salvation.
I think a Biblical perspective of the human condition at this point is more like someone coming to Jesus, and they are completely bound in spiritual chains. (Jesus said in John 8:34, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.") The chains cover them from head to foot with many locks binding them. Shall we tell that soul to drop his chains if he wants salvation? What a frustrating dilemma for a seeker! Will Jesus say, "I will freely give you eternal life if you ask for it. Just drop your chains first." That is not what he said to the woman at the well.
In John 4:10, Jesus says, ""If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman He was talking to was a Samaritan, and all Samaritans were despised by the Jews. So by talking to her, Jesus was making a statement that He didn't think she was a dog. But even among the Samaritans, this woman was an outcast because she was living with a man to whom she wasn't married. That is why she was found alone by Jesus at high noon (around the sixth hour). Everyone else got there earlier when it was cool. It is true Jesus addressed her most urgent sin condition. He asked her to go get her husband and bring him to Jesus. She rightly said she didn't have one, and in her words Jesus told her all that she ever did. But He never put a requirement for her to change in order to receive salvation.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are appreciated. Please keep all comments clean and respectful. Thank you!