Have You Rejected Christ?

"Sin is the refusal of the love of others." (Karl Menninger, M.D.). 

We like to think of ourselves in the best light:  We like to look down on those who are ignorant and going astray and don't see the light.  But we have nothing to brag about that God didn't give us and He is the One who made us different. "Who makes you to differ?"   We once rejected Christ and were in the same boat, without hope, and without God in the world like the rest!  It has been documented that the average Christian has rejected Christ an average of 7.6 times before coming to a saving knowledge and faith in Christ.  God's grace is inexhaustible and gives us a second chance.  And this proves that rejecting Christ is not unforgivable and not the unforgivable sin.  At one time we were in the same boat of rebellion from God.

We are no better than the unbeliever who doesn't know Christ, neither wiser, more loving, nor more intelligent.  It was by grace that we came to know Christ, not our own doing.   We are not saved by feeling (that would be emotionalism), nor by knowledge (that would be Gnosticism or intellectualism), nor by obeying the rules (that would be legalism).  We cannot be saved by mysticism or having a backchannel with God that others don't either!  We all must approach the throne of grace on the same ground and position of unworthiness and humility.

We all tend to condemn the fickle crowd that demanded Christ's crucifixion, but we would've done the same thing had our hopes been shattered like that (from the triumphal entry to the repugnant trial unbecoming the King).  But it can be assumed that many of these souls became penitent upon the hearing of the gospel at Pentecost and were among the 3,000 saved.  Peter committed a heinous sin by denying Christ so vociferously and even to the point of using profanity and sacrificing his personal dignity and heritage, but he was restored to fellowship afterward by an understanding Savior who knew that Peter really loved Him and only his faith had failed.  NB:   What made Peter different from Judas was his love for the Lord and his contrition and willingness to believe he could be forgiven.

The lesson to be learned is that we shouldn't be surprised if we are rejected for preaching the gospel or being a witness to me--they will not accept us either!  This is what carrying the cross is about--what difference being a Christian meant and what we had to endure because of it.  If we realized how many times we rejected Christ we would be all the more patient with others and give them a break.  This is because some sow, some, water, and some reap, but only God gives the growth of the seed planted which is the Word of God. Just bear in mind, that they are not rejecting us, but Christ whom we represent as ambassadors in His cause.

The bottom line is that we are no better than anyone else and shouldn't despise or look down on anyone but only pray that God opens the door of faith leading to a knowledge of the truth and open their eyes!        Soli Deo Gloria!

Anatomy Of Rejecting Christ

There is no such thing or category of Christian known as a disobedient believer, though Christians can disobey they are chastened of the Lord if they belong to Him.  John 3:36 in the ESV and NASB correlates unbelief with disobedience.  Hebrews 3:18-19 also equates the two--they were not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief (disobedience).   Heb. 5:9 says God grants salvation to all who obey.  We must obey the gospel!  The Fourth Commandment to honor our parents is the first commandment to respect authority and show obedience in the Lord, so as not to harden our hearts.  "They were disobedient to the Word."  There is a curse on anyone who despises or rejects the Word of the LORD--we must always regard God's Word with respect and honor.

What the problem with most evangelists is that they fail to get the people lost before they try to save them.   Christ came to seek and to save that which is lost, and not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  In order to be saved, one must realize how bad he is to God's standards; one doesn't really know just how bad he is till he has tried to be good--that's the paradox!  (i.e., the alcoholic doesn't realize his addiction and problem till he's tried to quit).  We need prepared soil to sow the seed of the Word of God.  Another problem in the church is that they don't present the gospel clear enough to be rejected!   We have become so seeker-sensitive that people feel right at home without even giving testimony or showing themselves disciples--there is to be a certain sense of acceptability, but privilege comes with membership, not mere attendance.  The order of faith is believing, belonging, and then becoming.

What takes place in the "hardened" heart (Rom. 11:7) of the unbeliever who rejects what light God has given him?  We are only responsible for the light given to us; however, no one has an excuse and we are all culpable and held accountable before God's justice.  If we are sincere there is an expectation of more light that Christ, the light, will reflect on us.  The unbeliever walks in darkness and doesn't come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed (cf. John 3:19).  The problem with the blinded Pharisees is that they witnessed the miracles of Jesus, and "would not" not "could not" believe.  The didn't believe it because they didn't want to believe.  No miracle can make a believer out of a skeptic, there has to be the will to believe.  It is not an intellectual thing (they feign intellectual problems), but a moral dilemma.

The heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart.  Sincerity is not everything, though God requires sincerity and looks for "sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5) and not perfect faith (unfeigned faith)--it isn't the amount but the direction and the object of the faith that is important.  You can have a lot of faith in the wrong direction and be sincerely wrong.  God opens the heart of the prepared heart like that of Lydia's in Acts 16:14.  Faith is granted according to Philippians 1:29 as well as repentance in Acts 11:18. Faith is our act but God's work.  We are incurably addicted to doing something for our salvation (they asked Jesus:  "What shall we do, to do the works of God? This is the work of God, to believe in Him..." in John 5:28.)

Salvation is not by works lest we are able to boast (Eph. 2:8-9); hence, faith cannot be a meritorious work as Rome believes!  It is the gift of God according to 2 Pet. 1:1 where it says we "received a faith."  Rom. 12:3 says that we are responsible for the faith we have "received."  We are no more virtuous nor meritorious that we can boast or brag before God; Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory in Latin).

The unbeliever doesn't believe the gospel because his heart is not right--the soil is not good and the seed cannot grow.  He doesn't understand the gospel and is really rejecting something he doesn't fathom--"Who has known the mind of the Lord?"  It is only by grace that we come to perceive the gospel message that God has once and for all settled the sin problem by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ on our behalf as a substitute.  The natural man cannot accept the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness unto him (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14).

The unbeliever starts out doubting and questioning, then he won't listen or pay attention ("To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams," says 1 Sam. 15:22), and becomes hardened and hostile and finally he sees Christ as the enemy of himself and society (the enemy of God is also the enemy of the state).  He closes his mind because to arrive at the truth you have to admit you could be wrong and be open to all possibilities--and they have made up their minds and don't want to be confused with the facts!  Christ doesn't ask an unreasonable faith, but only one going in the direction of the preponderance of the evidence leads.  You can believe without having all your questions answered because it takes faith and only faith pleases God--however, it takes more faith to deny Christ and the gospel than to accept it ("I don't have enough faith to be an atheist," says Norman Geisler, renowned theologian), due to all the proof cited by former atheists and skeptics who have examined the evidence and have become believers against their own wills.

You need an open mind, a willing spirit, and a needy heart to arrive at the truth: Jesus said, "If any man wills to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself," says John 7:17.   God doesn't force anyone to believe and the system is rigged such that anyone can willingly reject Christ and find a reason to do so.  We don't believe despite the evidence, because there is adequate evidence for anyone who is looking for it.  There is more evidence in the affirmative and more questions for the skeptic to answer than the believer would have to answer.

The surprising thing is that it is forgivable to reject Christ, through our hearts become hardened.  The average believer has heard the gospel 7.6 times before actually accepting it.  The unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and attributing the miracles of Jesus to the devil's doing.  It is deliberate and a state of impenitence is the result, and if you are afraid you have done it, it means you haven't. The good news is that the gospel is for as many as the Lord our God shall call (Acts 2:39) and all whom the Lord calls shall be justified, sanctified, and glorified!  [This is the inner call of God on the soul which is efficacious and not the outward or general call of the gospel message given by the Christian to the world at large.]  Soli Deo Gloria!