Today, about 3 hours into my eight and half hour shift at the 4-H lemmonade booth, I was able to take a small half hour break. During this time Sarah and I decieded to walk through the barns and see the exibits that I had not yet seen. With still a little time remaining till my break was up, we went to the commercial barns (where they have all sorts of booths and such for different oranizations and commanies). There was one booth where a man stopped us and asked us if we we sure we were going to heaven.
Sarah and I: Oh, yes! I am going to go to heaven.
Man: How can you be certain?
Sarah and I (again said together): Because Jusus died on the cross for my sins.
Man: have you asked him into your heart?
Me: No! I don't need to!
Man: Yes you do! See I have a verse here "Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
Sarah: but we have been born of water and the spirit!
Me: We have been baptized!
Man: No, to be born of water is when you were born as a baby. To be born of the spirit you much ask Jesus to enter your heart.
(now it is nescesary to note that throughout this whole conversation the man has a sneer on his face that has gradually become more obvious)
Me: But I can't ask Jesus into my heart!
Man: Yes.....
Me: No! I couldn't, cause I have no power to come to Jesus or beleive in him, but thank God, Jesus died on the cross for my sins and has given me the Holy Spirit and made me his own through baptism...
Man: No! You have to accept Jesus
Sarah: But we are already born of water and the spirit!
Man: NO! You must ask Jesus into your heart!
(this went on a while longer, but the man didn't back up anthing he said, and just kept repeating the same thing over and over again)
Rolling his eyes and looking at us as if we were idiots,the man turned his back to us and walked away.
Why was he so keen of destroying our confidence in our baptism? Why was he not, as a fellow Christian, rejoicing in the forgivness of Christ? I really don't understand.
1 comment:
Well done, girls. You made the good confession of the faith, and that is not a fruitless or inconsequential thing. You pointed to Christ and His work, and you rejoiced in His good gifts and Spirit.
People fall into this trap of insisting on some contribution of their own (asking Jesus into the heart, accepting what He gives, or however it is phrased), because it answers the impossible question, "Why are some people saved, but not others?" The trouble is that any answer to that question is going to get it wrong on one side or the other, whether by assigning to God the fault of damnation (double predestination) or by crediting to man (in part) the cause of salvation (decisions for Jesus).
Sadly, the man you were talking to doesn't realize that, not only is he getting it all wrong, but his repeated admonitions were nothing but law, law, law, which could not have saved you even if he was getting it right. Telling you what you must do in order to be saved is simply putting you back upon yourself, instead of into Christ Jesus. I'm proud of the way that you girls responded with the Gospel, and I pray that, in some way, he will have heard it.
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