Enter Through the Door of Christ:
For those of us seeking to become right with God, we can look back to the Old Testament book of Isaiah, where God is pleading with His children:
“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’” (Isaiah 1:18)
God understands that,
“all have sinned.”[1]
He wants us to understand our need for salvation from sin. Look at the opening words to our text:
“Come now.”
What other option do we have?
Jesus Christ Said I Am the Door:
In the New Covenant, Jesus proclaimed:
“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
Jesus himself never sinned, yet he allowed himself to be tortured and killed as a blood-atonement for mankind. He willingly went through all that suffering for our redemption.[2] If we choose not to come through the door of Christ into the saving grace of God, we will remain in sin in a legal sense, bearing the weight of our own transgressions on the day of judgment.
Without Christ,
“it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)
There is no work we can do to bring salvation to ourselves, other than accept Jesus Christ as savior. Jesus paid the price of our salvation when he was put to death on the cross. God may expect more from us after we have been weaned from the milk[3] of His Word and when we are ready for stronger meat. However, the seed[4] must first be conceived; we must be born again before we can grow.[5] A simple prayer is all that is necessary for us to obtain a clear conscience before God and have Jesus Christ’s righteousness imputed to us. With one prayer, we can step through the door of Christ into eternal life:
Pray the Salvation Prayer:
For those of us who are not sure that we have salvation, kneel at the cross, repent from your sins and pray this simple prayer:
“Jesus, you gave your life to redeem me. My sins were laid upon you. You were crucified for my iniquity! I accept and receive your sacrifice. I claim salvation in the name of Jesus Christ.”
When we pray this salvation prayer, we step into the new covenant[6] in Christ’s blood. That gives us certain promises. One of these promises is that our sins will be removed as far from us as the east is from the west,[7] never to be mentioned again! Our transgressions (in a legal sense) were placed upon Jesus at the time of his death.
“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Romans 4:8)
Have faith in this promise.
In The Book of Revelation, Jesus said,
“I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus said,
“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:6–7)
Once we are redeemed through Christ’s atonement, we are sanctified; that is, we are set apart as a clean vessel fit for use in God’s house. As we seek the heart and mind of Christ, we become enlightened. We see the world in a new light. We have understanding that far surpasses the wicked; we possess true wisdom.
The Beginning of Knowledge:
The fear of divine judgment[8] is the beginning of our journey. Then, as we progress in our relationship with Jesus, the love of God fills our hearts. Perfect love drives out fear.[9] If we fall into sin, we simply pray and ask God for grace. We pick ourselves up, turn ourselves around, and appropriate the grace (unmerited favor) we have found in Jesus Christ. The more trouble we have in our walk, the more grace God has to cover our transgressions. God knows that we are in a fallen state. Nevertheless, He is asking us to mature spiritually and put away the deeds of the flesh.
Praying and confessing our shortcomings eases a troubled mind. It clears the path for an honest and open fellowship with Jesus. A wise individual entering into a relationship with a spouse does not tear down their house with lack of trust and deceit; neither should the Christian with Christ. Everything we need to walk righteously with God has been provided; if any man sins, we have a
“… mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
For more information on this subject:
■ The Mortgage Of The Earth To Satan — Rich Kelsey
■ The Man Christ Jesus — Rich Kelsey
Endnotes:
[1] Romans 3:23 NIV
[2] “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7 NIV)
[3] “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.” (1 Corinthians 3:2 NIV)
[4] If we have sown spiritual seed among you …” (1 Corinthians 9:11 NIV)
[5] “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6 NIV)
[6] “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete.” (Hebrews 8:13 NIV)
[7] Psalms 103:12 NIV
[8] 2 Corinthians 5:10–11 NIV
[9] 1 John 4:18 NIV