They say that salvation is free, but it costs everything you've got. Salvation is free but not cheap; so-called cheap grace justifies the sin, not the sinner. It costs to be saved, but more not to be. We must be willing and open to the idea of saying goodbye to our past and it's ties, friendships, idols, and commitments and turn over everything to Christ. We make a clean break with our old life and old nature and venture ahead in a leap of faith with Christ in charge of our life and at the helm. It's a clean cleavage from our past and an ever new beginning. Christ doesn't put a new suit on the man, but a new man in the suit. Behold, all things become new! Christianity is not turning over a new leaf, making a New Year's resolution, or making an AA pledge, it's becoming a new person from the inside out.
Our lives are salt and light to the world and we are here to bear testimony of what Christ did for us. But most people love their lives too much to leave them and cling to idols, which are anything that takes the place of God. But we didn't want to be born the first time either! We came into the world crying and throwing a fit or tantrum thinking it was worse, but not realizing it was for our good. People don't like commitment either no matter the choice. Marriage takes a leap of faith too! Christ is infinitely more trustworthy than any spouse.
The real reason many people reject Christ is that they love their sin too much and don't want to leave a life of sin or even living in sin. They don't have an intellectual problem with believing, masked in smokescreens, but have a moral problem--they don't want to change their way of life and stop living in sin. People cannot imagine a life without their sin and don't realize that the only abundant and fulfilling life is in Christ doing His will (cf. John 10:10). That's the safest place to be!
That's why we give a testimony of how much Jesus has done for us, not how we turned around our lives and got our act together! No one can argue your personal story of salvation: "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!" (cf. Psalm 107:2). The fact is that we come to Christ, as we are, warts, blemishes, and flaws in all and He makes us into His image; i.e., we will not stay that way, though the change doesn't happen all at once, it's a process; that's why we're called a work in progress!
God owns us and we belong to Him as His own and we are never asked to give up anything in the sacrifice, that Christ didn't suffer or give up, without reward and abundant recompense--our crosses pale in comparison. Reality 101 is that we enroll in the school of suffering to complete Christ's sufferings in the body and bring Him glory from our adversities. It is an honor to suffer for the sake of the Name. The principle is, "No cross, no crown!" In glory, all the suffering we bore will be worth it and rewarded. Soli Deo Gloria!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.