Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Is it really up to you?

I was reading the webpages from Zumbro Community Church http://www.zumbrocc.com/salvation.html on the subject of salvation. The front-page banner link to this page was labeled Directions to Heaven. Here is what it says:

Eternal life in heaven is a free gift... You must trust Christ alone as your only way to heaven. The moment you do, He extends eternal life as a free gift and you are His forever.

Does that really sound like a free gift? It sounds like I must do something for it. Now, for sure there is no waiting for the delivery. I can be assured in satisfaction of Microwave Generation needs that I have instant delivery but that is after I do my part.

My part is further developed later in the article where it says:

You can settle the matter right now. You don't have to get on your knees or pray out loud. You probably won't have a so called religious experience or feel anything at all. But if you earnestly in faith say the following prayer, God will save you for eternity.

That certainly settles it. It is about me and what I do. What should I do if I am not sure if my prayer was earnest enough? How earnest must it be? What if I think I was earnest but I was actually deceiving myself? Wow, it seems like a lot depends upon me.

This congregation, which simply points to the Bible as their doctrine, won't find the answers to these questions there. Nor will they find the prayer they cite in the Bible.

What you do find in the Bible is an account of what Christ did. You find His living of a perfect life and a perfectly innocent sacrifice of Himself on the cross. You find Him rising again. These are all works accomplished for you. In reality, your sins are already forgiven and you have the gift of eternal life. You don't need to DO anything for it. It is yours.