As if set in some "house of mirrors," the true process of Christian Redemption has now become hidden among a vast array of twisted, alternative images.
One
Simple Question
However, one simple question still brings
us to the true process. And, the answer
to this question also entirely determines the tone and quality of our
relationship with God. And, it defines
the priority and direction of both our material and our Spiritual life. And, it is the first determinant as to
whether or not our heart will ever be truly attuned to God’s heart. And, this profoundly simple question, which
resides at the very center of true redemption is simply this, “Do
you want to be new?”
This is a very different question
from, “Do you want to be saved?” Or, “Do
you want God to rescue you from a difficult circumstance?” It is different from, “Do you want to go to
Heaven?” All of these are important
questions and they represent good reasons for responding to Christ. But this question takes us to the very essence
of God’s ultimate redemptive intent in Christ – the renewal of our core person.
If one is not really interested in
wholeheartedly embracing a personal transformation in Christ, then indeed, our
heart will never become truly attuned to God’s.
Nor does the destiny of our soul lie in God’s Heaven. Think these conclusions are exaggerated and
too harsh? They are not.
Jesus said that one must be “born gain.” And, again, as we’ve already
seen, the apostle, Paul, spoke of the believer becoming “A new creation in Christ.” So, the problem here is not an exaggeration of
the importance of the believer’s transformation. The real problem is the amplified lies of the
non-responsible, antichrist based, bogus gospel which dominates our times.
The real problem is that the modern Protestant/
Evangelical Church has widely embraced this giant heresy which gives up on the
human potential, dismantles the import of God’s moral principles, and paints
the believer as hopelessly degenerate.
The real problem is this devilish, “forgiveness
only” gospel which has no substantial view of a here-and-now renewal for the believer.
In point of fact, God never intended
forgiveness to become an end in itself.
Forgiveness is really but a beginning place for our journey toward
newness and heart-oneness with Him. Thus,
God's very purpose driven redemptive plan necessarily takes us on beyond that beginning
place of the forgiveness furnished by the Cross of Christ. Ultimately, true redemption takes us to that consummate
event of the New Testament which flows out of the Resurrection and the reality
of a Living Savior. It takes us to our
personal Spiritual merger with Christ.
And through this pinnacle, stand-alone,
redemptive event, which follows our embrace of the Lordship of Christ, we are
integrated into his living character essence.
And through this integration, comes the thorough refreshment of our own heart,
as we experience the impact of the value system of Christ in our core person.
Thus, Jesus would pray this prayer
for all of His disciples: He said, “…that they all may be one, as you, Father, are
in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us.” And so, the true Gospel brings us to God’s
true redemptive intention – our heart-oneness with Him through a shared value
system.
And, this very strategic change in
man’s nature, changes everything. It brings a true newness to who we
are. And, with that newness comes a durable
and surpassing peace with God as we now share a heart likeness with Him.
Thus, the directional flow of the
true Gospel is well defined. It is
simply this constant growth toward heart-oneness with the divine heart. But this final result never happens unless that
very foundational question, “Do I want to be new?” is first truthfully answered
in the positive.
And, this defining question is
never entirely answered with mere words.
But, it must also be answered by the pressing reality of a driving
desire within.
So, from the very first, it all
comes to this: “Do I want to be new?”
And, if our answer is a desperate,
“Yes!” then we will easily recognize the worthlessness of the barely
vested, minimally invasive, forgiveness-only emptiness offered by the
antichrist gospel of non-responsibility.
And, we will just as easily sense the inestimable worth of the authentic,
all-in, truly transformative, Christ-empowered redemption which is the genuine New
Testament prescription.
So, it is true. In this late hour of redemptive history, we,
are, indeed, faced with a very deceptive choice. On the one hand, we are confronted with a
well-masked lie proposing an easy, do-nothing redemption, but which, in truth, leads
only to Hell, itself. And, on the other
hand, stands the more challenging, but life transforming authentic Gospel - the
Gospel which not only saves our soul but entirely renews our core person to
bring us fully back into a true heart embrace with our Creator.
