The Hardest Step In The Plan Of Salvation

Neal Pollard

The Lord teaches with great clarity what a person must do to receive the benefits of His grace.  Repeatedly, the New Testament makes clear that belief in essential for being made right (Rom. 10:10a), to come to God (Heb. 11:6), and to be saved (Ac. 16:31).  Yet, faith or belief is not possible without the Word first being taught (Rom. 10:13-14, 17).  One must be accurately taught, and an honest heart will be open to God’s conditions.  We cannot begrudge God for setting conditions for us to receive what all of us needs but what none of us deserves nor what any of us can earn.

The New Testament reveals conditions other than faith. The Bible ties repentance to forgiveness of sins (Ac. 2:38; 5:31), life (Ac. 11:18), faith (Ac. 20:21), salvation (2 Cor. 7:10), and not perishing (2 Pe. 3:9).  These are all inescapably essential.  Further, Scripture shows a connection between confessing faith with Christ and salvation (Rom. 10:10).  The Ethiopian eunuch gives us an example of this (Ac. 8:37).  Added to these conditions is one other, clearly revealed condition strangely disputed by much of Christendom.  Baptism is inseparably tied to the following: forgiveness of sins (Ac. 2:38), sins being washed away (Ac. 22:16), being in Christ (Gal. 3:27), being in the “one body” (1 Cor. 12:13), the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and newness of life (Rom. 6:1-4), and salvation (1 Pe. 3:21).

Despite the unfathomable controversy in the religious world over the role of baptism in salvation, it is not, in my estimation, the hardest “step” in God’s saving plan.  While getting people to hear is hard, getting them to believer is harder, and getting them to submit to baptism is harder still, could anything be more difficult than repentance?  Repentance literally means to “change one’s mind” and “feel remorse, be converted” (BDAG, 640). Friberg and Miller add that its strict meaning is to “perceive afterward, with the implication of being too late to avoid consequences” with “a religious and ethical change in the way one thinks about acts” (260).

What a wrestling match!  It’s difficult to change our minds, which implies admission of wrong.  When we see only too late that we are sinners lost in sin, to both feel sorrow and resolve to make it right requires exceptional humility and tenderheartedness.  To change our ways, to turn away from sin and to God, is exceptionally difficult.  Repentance is involved in receiving salvation, but it is necessary for one after receiving it.  It is a lifelong process, requiring honesty, self-examination, self-denial, and sacrifice.  Yet, however difficult it is, in view of what God is offering it is worth the strain and effort!  How true are E.M. Bartlett’s words: “Just a little while to stay here, just a little while to wait, just a little while to labor in the path that’s always straight. Just a little more of trouble in this low and sinful state, then we’ll enter Heaven’s portals, sweeping through the pearly gates.”

Neal Pollard
The Lord teaches with great clarity what a person must do to receive the benefits of His grace.  Repeatedly, the New Testament makes clear that belief in essential for being made right (Rom. 10:10a), to come to God (Heb. 11:6), and to be saved (Ac. 16:31).  Yet, faith or belief is not possible without the Word first being taught (Rom. 10:13-14, 17).  One must be accurately taught, and an honest heart will be open to God’s conditions.  We cannot begrudge God for setting conditions for us to receive what all of us needs but what none of us deserves nor what any of us can earn.
The New Testament reveals conditions other than faith. The Bible ties repentance to forgiveness of sins (Ac. 2:38; 5:31), life (Ac. 11:18), faith (Ac. 20:21), salvation (2 Cor. 7:10), and not perishing (2 Pe. 3:9).  These are all inescapably essential.  Further, Scripture shows a connection between confessing faith with Christ and salvation (Rom. 10:10).  The Ethiopian eunuch gives us an example of this (Ac. 8:37).  Added to these conditions is one other, clearly revealed condition strangely disputed by much of Christendom.  Baptism is inseparably tied to the following: forgiveness of sins (Ac. 2:38), sins being washed away (Ac. 22:16), being in Christ (Gal. 3:27), being in the “one body” (1 Cor. 12:13), the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and newness of life (Rom. 6:1-4), and salvation (1 Pe. 3:21).
Despite the unfathomable controversy in the religious world over the role of baptism in salvation, it is not, in my estimation, the hardest “step” in God’s saving plan.  While getting people to hear is hard, getting them to believer is harder, and getting them to submit to baptism is harder still, could anything be more difficult than repentance?  Repentance literally means to “change one’s mind” and “feel remorse, be converted” (BDAG, 640). Friberg and Miller add that its strict meaning is to “perceive afterward, with the implication of being too late to avoid consequences” with “a religious and ethical change in the way one thinks about acts” (260).
What a wrestling match!  It’s difficult to change our minds, which implies admission of wrong.  When we see only too late that we are sinners lost in sin, to both feel sorrow and resolve to make it right requires exceptional humility and tenderheartedness.  To change our ways, to turn away from sin and to God, is exceptionally difficult.  Repentance is involved in receiving salvation, but it is necessary for one after receiving it.  It is a lifelong process, requiring honesty, self-examination, self-denial, and sacrifice.  Yet, however difficult it is, in view of what God is offering it is worth the strain and effort!  How true are E.M. Bartlett’s words: “Just a little while to stay here, just a little while to wait, just a little while to labor in the path that’s always straight. Just a little more of trouble in this low and sinful state, then we’ll enter Heaven’s portals, sweeping through the pearly gates.”

Worry: Wasted Energy

Neal Pollard

I have concluded that worry is wasted energy.  Taking Gary to register for his fall classes last Thursday, we left at a time when Houston was experiencing a series of severe thunderstorms.  Our 5:50 AM flight from Denver to Houston left the ground closer to eight o’clock.  That meant that our hour connection time had long since evaporated and United was good enough to book us seats on the next flight to Mobile, Alabama.  Since it’s approximate 84 miles between each gate at Houston, it took us a while to get over to the gate for our connecting flight.  When we got there, the Customer Service desk was about 84 miles long!  Gary and I pitied them as we walked to B84, only to find out our new flight was canceled.  That kicked off over two hours of phone time with United’s Customer helpline.  Bad weather caused massive delays, cancellations, and out of place planes and crews.  We needed to get Gary to College Bound and the clock seemed to be sprinting.  We checked everything–Pensacola, Fort Walton Beach, Atlanta, Birmingham, Huntsville, Jackson, Meridian, Gulfport, and Montgomery (our final destination).  Nothing was there!  We were on award tickets, which further complicated what seats were available.  I have not always been patient in such circumstances, but I strove to handle each phone call or face to face with service or gate agents with a smile and sympathy.  When it seemed we’d have to take up residence in Houston, a sweet lady at B17 (which is approximately 484 miles from B84) found two seats on our original connection flight.  It had been sitting at the gate all this time (over at A12; you can do the math).  So, with just three hours of delay, Gary and I boarded the plane and even got much better seats.  I was able to visit with a religious man reeling from a recent, unwanted divorce and Gary was able to talk about the church to a “really pretty” young woman.  Everything with the weekend worked out just fine (I will tell you later about the nearly three hour delay while the ground crew changed a tire on the connection back to Denver).

What’s the point of this meandering musing?  What would worry have done in this case?  Gotten us to our destination faster?  Resolved the situation at all?  Yet, too often, these kinds of stressful situations bring out our worst.  We lose our temper.  We rail at others, and usually our victims are as powerless as we are.  We blow out our Christian lights.  I pray that I have been sufficiently reminded of the futility of worry for the next time an opportunity arises.  Instead, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).  Jesus calls worry futile (cf. Lk. 12:25; Mt. 6:25-34).  Let us trust that He knows best!

Kindness, But Not So Random

Neal Pollard

Bennet Cerf tells the story of something he witnessed on a bus ride somewhere in the south.  ”In one seat a wispy old man sat holding a bunch of fresh flowers. Across the aisle was a young girl whose eyes came back again and again to the man’s flowers. The time came for the old man to get off. Impulsively he thrust the flowers into the girl’s lap. “I can see you love the flowers,” he explained, “and I think my wife would like for you to have them. I’ll tell her I gave them to
you.” The girl accepted the flowers, then watched the old man get off the bus and walk through the gate of a small cemetery.”

Have you ever done a “random act of kindness”?  Or, have you been the recipient of someone else’s kindness?  Maybe someone bought your meal at a restaurant, paid you an unsolicited, unexpected compliment, or helped you with your luggage or packages.  These acts can be the fuel that lift your spirits so high.

May I suggest that kindness is not as random as it is a deliberate practice.  The specific impulse of the moment might be without much forethought, but kindness is born of a generous, unselfish heart that is conditioned by love and occasioned by opportunity.  The fact is that much more kindness is needed in our selfish world.  Instead of waiting for others to lead the way, we need to initiate words and deeds of kindness wherever we are whenever we can.  Few things can show Christ to people better than kindness.  Paul urges, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted…” (Eph. 4:32).  God’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, “but kind to all” (2 Tim. 2:24).  Somebody out there is a potential recipient of your unexpected kindness!  Why not perpetrate a not-so-random act of kindness!

Carrying The Sky On Your Shoulders

Greek Mythology has always been interesting to me.  Even though these characters are fictional, one that always stands out is Atlas.  Atlas is known best for being punished by Zeus to stand on the earth and to carry the sky and heavens on his shoulders (Wikipedia).  What an enormous burden Atlas was forced to bear.

It’s funny how easy it is to relate to Atlas at times.  When problems pile up, it feels like we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders.  We become so bogged down with worries about money, health, family, and life.  We lose jobs, possessions, and worst of all, people close to us.  On top of all of this, we deal with our spirituality and wrestling with the question, “What will happen when I die?”  At times life becomes so burdensome that it seems overwhelming.

Certainly this feeling is not new to our generation.  This is why the words of Scripture are so appealing.  1 Peter 5:7 says to “cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

Bringing God into our lives is a breath of fresh air and a weight lifted off our shoulders.  God never promised that life would be problem free, but He does tell us that He is willing to help.  The problem is that we get stubborn and try to bear the load alone.  We might be able to bear some of the stress and worry of life, but we cannot carry the weight of sin and walk with God at the same time. 

God is offering to share the burden with us.  He wants to help with the worries and stresses of life (Matthew 6:25-34), but more importantly, He wants to take care of our burden of sin (Acts 2:37-41; 1 Peter 3:21; 2 Peter 3:9; Matthew 11:28-30).  We can’t bear this load for long.  Let’s bring God deeper into our lives and let Him help with our burdens.

Major Miscommunication

 

A photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a forest fire.  The photographer tried several times but the smoke was just too thick.  So, he asked his boss to hire a plane so he could take aerial photos.  Arrangements were made and the photographer was told to go to the local airport where a small plane would be waiting for him.  When he arrived, a plane was sitting on the runway warming up the engines.  The photographer ran over to the plane, jumped in with his equipment and yelled over to the pilot, “Alright, let’s go!”

The pilot revved up the engine and soon the plane soared into the air.  The photographer told the pilot to head north towards the mountains.  When they arrived at the forest fire, the photographer said, “Fly as low as you can over the fire and make three or four level passes.”  “Why would you want me to do something dangerous like that?” asked the pilot.  The photographer responded, "Because I'm going to take pictures.  I'm a photographer and photographers take pictures!"  After a pause the pilot looked over with a horrified look and said, "You mean you're not the flight instructor?" (SermonIllustrations.com).

This is what one might call “a major miscommunication.”  This entire fiasco could have been avoided if either person had communicated at the beginning.  Everyone has been guilty of miscommunication at one point or another.  Whether it is not saying enough, saying too much, or having the wrong words come out.  Good communication is vital in all relationships, even our relationship with the Lord.

Philippians 2 is a great section of Scripture.  Here we can learn some great lessons about proper communication:

• Encouragement, love, fellowship, affection, and compassion are essential for unity (vs. 1-2).  None of this is possible if these aspects do not show up in our speech.
• Don’t be selfish or conceited, but be humble by putting other above yourself (vs. 3-4).  Often miscommunication and hurt feelings come when our words reflect selfishness.  However, if our words are helpful then good will be the result.  This is how Jesus lived His life (vs. 5-11).
• Don’t grumble and dispute (vs. 14).  This only causes problems and negative feelings.  Avoiding this type of speech will make us blameless and stand out among our culture (vs. 15).

Sometimes miscommunications are unavoidable.  However, if our speech is full of encouragement, love, and other positive qualities instead of selfishness and complaints, we will avoid many forms of miscommunication.  But above all else, we will bring glory to God with our words.  Let’s take these lessons from Philippians 2 to heart and speak as God wants us to speak.  As 1 Peter 4:11 states, “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen.”