"Have You Found the Real Jesus Whose Salvation is Free?"
By Melinda Fish
I've recently been reading a book from Bill's seminary days, HERE I STAND, by Roland Bainton. It is the go-to book on the life of Martin Luther. Wow! Talk about a "poker chip pusher"who risked his life to preach the grace of God. In the 1500's, Martin had been a young monk who found himself almost crazy (his own words) in a quest to find forgiveness of sins. Being a very devout Catholic and a sincere seeker, he explored every avenue the Roman Catholic Church prescribed, but never could find the joy and peace of eternal salvation. His confessions would last for six hours as he would try in vain to uncover the hidden motives behind every act, afraid that a failure to discover his sins would condemn him to hell.(Don't you know the priests would see him coming and say, "It's your turn!--I had him yesterday!") Finally, one priest actually said, "Martin, why don't you go out and do something worthy of confession!"
After three years of struggle, a mentor sent him to teach the Bible at the University of Wittenberg, Germany. As he began to study the scriptures, he saw in them the real God who loved him, a loving Father who was eager to forgive. His quest to find forgiveness had led him through repeated lengthy confessions, cruel acts of penance, the purchase of indulgences and the viewing of relics to insure that his soul would one day spring from purgatory after his death. His view of God had become so distorted through trying to approach Him this way that he struggled with resentment and hatred toward Him.
Listen as he describes the moment he found eternal salvation while reading the book of Romans:
"... I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the “justice of God” had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven!"
If you haven't had that sort of experience with God, you must. It's called the new birth, and it is available to you as a free gift. Just receive it!
But what happens afterward? Have you noticed that "religion" tries to creep back in to substitute for His grace? You say no, but how then do we become captive to our own rituals such as fasting, pressure to prove our devotion by leading more and more people to Christ, holding prayer meetings 24/7, tithing and climbing the ladder of success at church? The other night I was flipping through the channels and saw a snatch of a "Christian" telethon. If someone contributed a financial gift to the television ministry, they were guaranteed that a blessing wasn't far behind. Another host promised that a prophecy would follow any financial gift that exceeded a certain amount. They assured donors that God was taking note of each financial gift to the telethon and would "reward" the person with "the desires of (his/her) heart." I couldn't help comparing this to Luther's quarrel with the papal indulgence, a decree which guaranteed a supplicant reducing their time in purgatory for a monetary contribution. St. Peter's in Rome was actually funded by the revenues from papal indulgences.
The Catholics don't have anything on us, though. We have our own fund-raising methods. I wondered when we would break out the Charismatic relics: the gold dust, the jewels and the feathers, which had supposedly appeared in services where certain evangelists were invited to speak. And don't forget the healings and prophecies your donation will buy. For a nice contribution you may even purchase the Lord's undivided attention on the matter of a loved one's salvation. I shudder to think what Martin Luther would say if he had seen the telethon and what goes on in some pulpits today. Worse yet, what would Jesus say as we attach our price tags to His sacrifice?
Are you being seduced from the "simplicity and purity" of devotion to Christ? If you feel the need to place your faith in your donations to "Christian " ministries and admiring Charismatic relics, fake signs and wonders, religion is snapping at your heels! It's ok to stop, turn around and embrace the simple, pure and free grace of God. If it doesn't sound like grace is free anymore where you are, you need to go home to Jesus. He paid the price for your sins and shortcomings and His love is not for sale!
