Our souls cannot climb out of the mire of sin because they are dead. Salvation comes not to those who cry out, "Show me the way to heaven," but to those who cry, "Take me there for I cannot."
Lest we see the sinner's prayer as mere technique, we must remember that Christ raises the dead that they might walk. We do not mumble the magic words and then wait to die. Christianity is about spiritual growth as well. It is about work, the hard work of sanctification. Regeneration is monergistic, God's work alone. Sanctification, the process by which we are made holy, is synergistic, God's work with us.
God's part is easy for Him. He needs no shortcuts because He never tires. We, though, must ever fight the temptation to seek the shortcut. No technique will make us holy. No technique of the Devil's, though, can stop the process of Christ making us into His image. Those whom He calls He sanctifies.
Our sanctification requires the Spirit of God and, because He has so ordered His world, sanctification requires the disciplined and repeated use of the means of grace. Five minutes a day of Bible study smells like technique. Arid, it is sure to fail. We must immerse ourselves in the Word of God. Then, as Jesus promised, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. Then we will be His disciples (John 8:31-32).
Coram Deo: Living in the Presence of God
Remember, God is at work in you. He never tires. Give thanks for the process that is underway.
For Further Study
John 8:31-32: "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'"
John 8:36: "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
Psalm 40:2: "He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps."
© R.C. Sproul. All rights reserved.
2 comments:
I really like this. We need to immerse ourselves, hard work of sanctification, and so on. Are we paying lip service or are we truly devoted. Granted this is a marathon, but as you train for those, you get stronger and stronger and your endurance grows. The parallel for spiritual training means as our wolk grows, we should be learning more and be able to immerse ourselves longer. I suspect for most of us, the opposite is true meaning we don't devote much time to our spirtual training at all. We get little snipits and thats about it. I have said it a thousand times, if we started treating our spiritual education/traiing like a big presentation at work or the spiritual olympics, I for sure would be in a much differernt place in my walk and I suspect my relationship with my spouse and kids and likely everyone. Something to chew on.
Blessings,
cas
I REALLY like this. The writer gets to the HEART of the matter with our day to day relationship with the creator. Very humbling.
CAS, I do agree with your point about the urgency of our devotion...
Just prayed that each one of you reading the blog will communicate with God today in a way of IMMERSION.
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