Unlimited SalvationSample

“The Open, Empty Hand” In Jesus’ parable of the Lost Sheep, the shepherd doesn’t say to the one lost sheep, “If you partially find your way home, I will do the rest and come to pick you up.” Some people believe this about salvation: that if they put in their part, say 5% righteousness, then Jesus will supply the remaining 95%. How deceptive this kind of thinking is! In Christian terminology, we talk about “coming to Jesus,” and similar expressions. While these expressions do have a basis in the teachings of the Bible (John 6:35–40), they can be understood only in terms of our total acceptance of Christ’s total salvation, understanding that it is Christ who has provided a full and perfect atonement at Calvary. To “come to Jesus” is to turn in repentant helplessness to him alone, for even faith itself is a gift from God (Hebrews 12:2). Consider the teachings of Jesus. The lost lamb could not start to find its way home. The man wounded on the road to Jericho could do nothing for himself. The paralysed man by the pool of Bethesda could not take a step towards the water. The lost coin could do nothing to find itself. So, what are we to do? God is calling everyone to repentance; he is calling everyone home. When we, with the open, empty hand of faith, receive the gift; in that very gift is all that we need for this life and for eternity. Think for a moment about how you talk about your conversion? Is it, “When I found Christ...” or “When I found the truth...” or expressions like that? Do you ever think in terms of “When Christ found me”? Do you need to change the way you share your story with others, in order to give the glory to Jesus? – Eliezer Gonzalez