He Could Have, But He Didn't

It was Christ’s life in a motto - “He could have, but He didn’t.” If Christ’s life were a book, then this would be the title.

Our first glimpse of Him is in a manger, laid there by His parents and adored there by the shepherds. Why is He even there in the first place? What is the reason that He would depart from the splendors of heaven and become a human being? What would cause Him to humble Himself to such a degree? We get a clue from John’s account of the gospel, where it is written, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world.” Before I conclude the verse, I am amazed. Christ did not come to condemn! The remarkable truth here is that He could have, but He didn't! Instead of condemning the world, which He had the power, right, and ability to do, He chose rather to come to this fallen world to save it.

During His public ministry, Christ was one day teaching in the temple. Standing in the middle of the room so that all present could hear clearly, suddenly, Christ was interrupted. The door abruptly opened. In walked a few men with a woman, whom they drug through the temple. Her heels literally drug the ground. Finally, in front of Christ and the vast audience, the men stood her up. One of the men, speaking for the others and against the woman, laid out his case to Christ. “This woman,” he said, “was caught in the act of adultery. Moses said that people such as this should be stoned. But,” the man temptingly asked, “what do you say?” At first, Christ did not respond. He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then, He stood to answer the question. In a paraphrase, Christ said, “What a splendid idea! You who are without sin - cast the first stone.” There are two remarkable details at this point in the story. First, no one picked up a stone. But secondly, and probably more impressive than the first detail, there was someone there who was without sin. And He didn’t cast a stone. Make no mistake about it. He could have, but He didn't.

When it was only hours until Christ is to die for the sins of the world, He was with some of His disciples in one of His favorite places to get away from it all. He was in the garden of Gethsemane. Suddenly, a band of soldiers showed up with Judas, one of Christ’s own apostles, among them. Judas told the authorities that the man whom he kisses is the man guilty of insurrection. Judas walked up to Jesus, kissed the door to heaven, and then hours later, went to hell. The soldiers present then made a move to arrest Jesus. When this move was made, the disciples began to fight the soldiers. Jesus did not participate in it, nor did He approve of it. During the altercation, Peter swung the sword toward one of the soldiers whose name is Malchus, cutting off his right ear. Jesus simply healed the young man’s ear. Then, turning to Peter, Jesus rebuked Peter, commanding him to put up his sword. But wasn’t Peter’s motive pure? After all, wasn’t Jesus innocent? Of course, but Jesus was not about to fight. He then said to his disciples, “Do you not know that I could presently call on my Father, and He would give me twelve legions of angels to fight for Me?” He could have, but He didn't.

Jesus was then escorted from the garden to the house of Caiaphas. There, He was mocked. He was clothed with a purple robe. After all, “He is a king,” they said. “Every king needs a crown,” they announced, placing the crown of thorns upon His head, the blood flowing down His face as the crown is pressed into His skull. They bowed before Him, proclaiming, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Then, He was blindfolded. One of the soldiers, with the palm of his hand, smote Christ so as to “knock the taste out of His mouth,” as they say. Christ staggered from the blow. As He regained His balance, He heard the order, “You’re a prophet, are You? Then tell us the name of the one who smote You.” Do you think Christ had the ability to comply with such a command? Of course He did. He could have told them all of their names. He could have, but He didn't.

From there, He was taken before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. When questioned, Christ offered no answers. This astounded Pilate. “Don’t you know,” Pilate asked, “that I have the power to crucify you, and the power to release you?” Still, Christ did not answer. This amazed Pilate because, deep down, Pilate had no doubt that Jesus Christ, the man from Nazareth, was innocent. And Pilate knew that every innocent man is capable of self defense. But Christ made no effort to defend Himself. He could have, but He didn't.

Then, we see Christ upon the old, rugged cross. The passers-by began to taunt Him. “If You are the Son of God,” they said, “then come down from the cross, and we will believe You!” Another one then chuckled and said, “He saved others, but He can’t save Himself!” Save Himself? He could have, but He didn't.

Why all of this restraint of power? Over and over in the life of Christ, we see that He could have, but He didn't. Why didn’t He exercise all of His power? For two reasons, primarily. First, as Dr. Fred B. Craddock put it, “The character of God is not just power; but the restraint of power.” By restraining His power, He was showing us the character of God the Father. Secondly, had He exercised His power and came down from the cross, I would still be in my sin. It was love for fallen humanity that kept Christ from exercising all of His power.

Do you want to be Christ-like? Don’t do everything you have the power to do. Restrain yourself. When God does it, it’s called mercy. When we do it, it’s called temperance. It is a fruit of the Spirit. It is one of the best, and one of the most Christ-exalting ways to show the world the love of God.

The Most Quoted Promise in the Bible

The Bible is full of promises. There are literally hundreds of promises in the word of God. Personally, I have stood on the promises of God. Repeatedly, I have taken God at His word. Faithfully, God has always fulfilled His promises.

There is one Biblical promise that seems to be quoted more than the others. On numerous occasions, I have heard preachers stand behind a pulpit and repeat it. Christians have stood up in the midst of a congregation to quote it. It is not likely that this particular promise is greater than any other. In my opinion, some preachers quote it as they begin the church service because they do not have anything else to say. Despite the motive of the one speaking the promise, it is a promise of God nonetheless. I am sure you have heard it quoted, and multiple times if you have been a Christian any length of time at all. Somewhere in your Christian walk, you have heard someone say, “I’m glad Jesus said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

There it is – the most quoted promise in the entirety of the scriptures (at least, in some of the circles in which I have been involved). The promise is found in Hebrews 13:5.

Two Prominent Messages in Christ’s Earthly Ministry

In the days when Jesus Christ walked the shores of Galilee, there were two messages that were constantly interwoven throughout the gospels. The first message was from Christ to His disciples. Christ continually told His disciples, “I’ve got to go.” Of course, He had to go to Calvary to suffer and die for the sins of mankind. The second message found throughout the gospels was the response of the disciples to Christ. When Christ spoke of His death, His disciples always replied, “Don’t go!”

In Matthew 16, Jesus spoke to His disciples, saying that He must be rejected of the scribes and elders of Jerusalem and be crucified. “I’ve got to go,” He says. Peter responded, “Far be it from Thee!” In other words, “Don’t go!”

In one instance, we find “the woman who was a sinner,” with her hands around the ankles of our Lord, as she washes the Lord’s feet with her tears and dries them with her hair. There’s something about her grip on the Savior’s feet that says, “Don’t go!” But He must go. He must be separated from the disciples to lay down His life for lost mankind.

In his account of the gospel, Luke tells us constantly that Christ’s face was “set” toward Jerusalem. What’s in Jerusalem? A cross. With His face set, His spirit firm, and His will determined, the Lord says, “I’ve got to go.”

Then came the day when Christ’s death upon the cross ceased to be a prophecy and became a fulfillment. He left His disciples for Calvary. The disciples would have loved to be able to claim the promise we claim so often, that their Lord would never leave nor forsake them. But the Lord left His disciples for Calvary.

Three days following the crucifixion of Christ, Christ is raised from the dead. On that resurrection day, Mary Magdalene is among those who found the tomb to be empty. When the others headed for the city, she remained in the garden where the empty tomb was. Weeping with her head in her hands, she earnestly believes that someone had taken away the body of her Lord. Suddenly, she sees a man. Since the man was evidently the gardener, Mary requested concerning Jesus, “Please tell me where you have laid Him.” Then, the “gardener,” who was none other than Jesus Christ Himself, said to her, “Mary.” Upon hearing the Lord speak her own name, Mary recognized Him. Mary must have fallen upon her knees, taking hold of the Saviour. But Jesus stopped her. “Touch me not,” He said. The word, “touch” here can mean more than just a simple touch. It can mean, “to hold on to; to cling to.” But again, Jesus says, “Don’t hold on to me.” In other words, “I’ve got to go.” Where is He going now? Since He has been resurrected, Christ must now go to the Father. He did not want Mary to get too attached. He is about to depart again. This is a good place to insert that the doctrine of the ascension of Christ is an underrated doctrine in the Bible. The entire discourse of John 14-16 centers around it. The arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost depends on it. “If I go not away,” Christ said, “the Comforter will not come.”

Notice what Christ says to Mary. “Touch me not; do not hold on to me.” What does He go on to say? He says, “For I am not yet ascended.” That is where is going – to the Father.

The Ascension

Then, forty days after His resurrection, the day comes for Christ to go to the Father. Christ gathered with His disciples on the Mount of Olives. In Matthew’s version of the Great Commission, Christ gives His disciples His last words before His ascension. First, He instructs them to “teach all nations.” Secondly, He commissions them to “baptize them.” And third, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” I can’t help but chuckle when I read Matthew’s account of the Great Commission. Jesus says to His disciples, “I am with you always.” Then, what does He do? He ascends. He leaves. He says, “I’ll never leave you.” Then He leaves!

But when He goes, He takes His place at the right hand of the Father. It is there that Jesus prayed for the Father to send the Holy Spirit to dwell with His disciples forever. This may be a news flash to you, but you do not have the Holy Spirit because you prayed; you have the Holy Spirit because He prayed. Christ said, “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter” (John 14:16). Of course, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. Wherever the Holy Spirit is, Christ is. When Christ prayed for the Father to give us the Holy Spirit, the Lord assured us that He would abide with us forever (John 14:16).

Throughout the gospels, mankind begged Christ, “Don’t leave us!” But He had to go. Now that the Holy Spirit has been given, I know that Christ will be with me through the trials of life, through tears and toils, and even to chilly Jordan – death itself. He will never leave me nor forsake me!

Crucified with Christ - Part 2

Up to this point, it is been brought out, hopefully clearly, that those who are saved are not striving to be crucified with Christ; WE ARE crucified with Christ. Sadly, I hear so often individuals testifying that they wish to have their flesh crucified every day! How tragic that many are attempting to accomplish daily what Christ accomplished once for all! In the previous post, I examined a few scriptures that are commonly used by those who wish to have their flesh crucified daily. In every scripture that they use, the Bible plainly states that the believer’s crucifixion of the “old man” is not something done daily; it is rather something done when Christ died! Our crucifixion of our “old man” is WITH CHRIST. This means that we died when Christ died. At this time, I would like to examine one more passage used by these people.

Take up your Cross Daily

Luke 9:23 – “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

If the reader is one who advocates this “crucified daily” doctrine, I can hear him now. “See there,” he says, pointing to the above verse. “Let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Yes, I believe that believers should take up their cross daily and follow Christ. But notice – this scripture does not command me to be crucified daily; it rather commands me to take up my cross daily. What is meant by the phrase, “Take up his cross daily”? Jesus defines this phrase for us in the previous verse. Let us look at the verse preceding our verse of study:

Luke 9:22 – “Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.”

In this verse, Christ tells us plainly what His cross is. Christ’s cross is defined clearly. He would be slain, and He would rise again on the third day. Then, He admonishes His disciples to likewise take up a cross for themselves. Somehow, however, when many speak of the cross of the believer, they want to be “crucified every day,” and they wish to stop there! Christ’s cross did not end with His death upon the cross. Look at Luke 9:22 again – “Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and BE RAISED THE THIRD DAY.” Christ was not just crucified; He was also buried! Christ was not just buried; He was raised from the dead! He was not just raised from the dead; He LIVED upon the earth for forty days! He did not just live upon the earth for forty days; He ascended to the Father and He lives forevermore!

After Jesus tells His disciples that He would bear a cross, be slain, and be raised again, He then commands them to take up their cross daily. What is the meaning of “Take up thy cross daily”?

Every day, I need to realize that when Christ died, my old man died, as clearly shown in the following verses:

Galatians 2:20 – “I AM CRUCIFIED with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 5:24 – “And they that are Christ’s HAVE CRUCIFIED the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Galatians 6:14 – “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world IS CRUCIFIED unto me, and I unto the world.”

Colossians 3:3 – “For ye ARE DEAD, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Romans 8:10 – “And if Christ be in you, the body IS DEAD because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

“Taking up my cross” does not just mean realizing that I died with Christ, when Christ died, but it also is composed of realizing that when Christ was buried, I was buried with Him:

Romans 6:4 – “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death…”

Colossians 2:12 – “Buried with him in baptism…”

The meaning of the phrase, “Taking up my cross” is not limited to merely understanding that I died when Christ died; or that I was buried when Christ was buried; but it also includes the understanding that when Christ rose from the dead, I rose with Him!

Romans 6:4 – “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Colossians 2:12 – “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”

Colossians 3:1 – “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

The meaning of the phrase, “Taking up my cross” does not even stop with my “new man” being resurrected when Christ rose. Christ ascended into heaven, and is set down at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 12:2); and every believer ascended with Christ when Christ ascended, and we are, as far as God Almighty is concerned, set with Christ in heavenly places:

Ephesians 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”

Ephesians 2:4-6 – “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

This phrase, “Taking up thy cross” does not even stop with believers ascending with Christ into heavenly places. Now that Christ has ascended, He lives forevermore, never to die again! We, who are saved by the grace of God, have been given eternal, or everlasting life NOW! Just as Christ ascended to live forevermore, believers have ascended with him into heavenly places to live forevermore.

John 14:19 – “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.”

Romans 5:10 – “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

This phrase, “Taking up thy cross” does not end with the believer being crucified every day. Rather, it is fulfilled when we daily identify with Christ – realizing that we died when Christ died; that we were buried when Christ was buried; that we rose when Christ rose; that we ascended when Christ ascended; and because Christ lives forevermore, we live forevermore! Yes, I want to live as though my “old man” is dead, and should certainly do so. However, I do not want to stop there! I want my “new man” to live! I have heard people say (sincerely yet erroneously) that “Christ died so I could live.” That’s not entirely right. In reality, Christ died so that my “old man” could die. He rose again so that I could live! Jesus said, “Because I live, ye shall live also!” Listen to me very carefully. The “new man” living in newness of life is every bit as much part of “taking up your cross” as the “old man” being crucified. Don’t stop with the crucifixion of the “old man!” And don’t try to crucify the “old man” every day; the Bible couldn’t be plainer – your “old man” died when Christ died!

I hear people say (again, sincerely yet erroneously), “I want to live the crucified life.” NOT ME! I don’t wish to live a “crucified life.” When Christ died, my “old man” died a crucified death. Now, I wish to live a resurrected life! I want my “new man” to LIVE! It is God’s will for us to LIVE! Paul states in Philippians 1:21, “For me to LIVE is Christ and to die is gain!” Jesus stated in John 10:10, “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Christ rose so we could live! And His resurrection is part of the way of the cross.

A Look at Romans 6

The best definition of the phrase, “Take up thy cross” is found in the sixth chapter of Romans. In this chapter, Paul gives three steps to victory over sin. To have victory, there is first, something we must KNOW; second, there is something we must RECKON; and third, there is something we must YIELD. First, there is something we must know:

Romans 6:6 – “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

“Knowing this,” Paul says, “that our old man IS CRUCIFIED with Him!” The first step to gaining victory in our lives is knowing that the crucifixion of our “old man” was WITH CHRIST – it took place when Christ died.

I am not trying to be critical, but I am trying to be honest. Out of all the individuals who are trying to crucify their flesh every day, I have never met one of them who have victory. I have never met one of them who are confident in Christ’s work. They are, for the most part, living in torment. They constantly live in fear that maybe they are not “crucified enough.” The only way I can’t be ‘crucified enough’ is if Christ wasn’t crucified enough, because my “old man” was crucified with Him! Those who KNOW THIS live in deeper depth of victory than those who do not KNOW THIS!

Second, there is something we must reckon:

Romans 6:11 – “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

“Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,” Paul says. Noah Webster defines “reckon” this way: “To count; to number; that is, to tell the particulars.” I know that I died when Christ died, but simply knowing it won’t give me victory. I must reckon my life to be that way. I must live outwardly what I know inwardly. This is reckoning! And notice what it is exactly we are to reckon – “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, BUT ALIVE UNTO GOD!” The crowd who tries to crucify their flesh daily is not big on being “alive unto God!” Don’t just count, or reckon, your “old man” dead, but count your “new man” alive unto God!

Third, there is something we must yield:

Romans 6:13 – “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

The third and most important step to victory is YIELDING. Allow me to look briefly at two verses at which I have already examined:

Colossians 3:5 – “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

In this verse, as I previously pointed out, the “members” we are to destroy are SINS. Fornication, uncleanness, and so forth.

Romans 8:13 – “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

In this verse, similar to the previous verse, we see that it is, not the body to be mortified, but rather the DEEDS of the body.

I humbly ask the reader to follow me just for a brief moment. The reader may ask, “If our ‘old man’ died when Christ died, then why are we still tempted to sin?” The answer is very simple. Though my “old man” is dead, sin is yet alive! Sin does not die! For this reason, we must mortify our members which are upon the earth, which are the sins he goes on to mention. Because sin does not die, we mortify the deeds of the body.

Every time you are tempted to sin, you have two choices. You can either reckon yourself dead to sin, and alive to God, yielding yourself as instruments of righteousness; or else you can yield yourself to the sin, as instruments of unrighteousness. When you KNOW that your “old man” died when Christ died; and you RECKON yourself dead to sin and alive to God; and you yield yourself to God, mortifying the deeds of the body; then you will live! You will then live the abundant, resurrected life!

This is the meaning of Christ’s words, “…take up thy cross, and follow me!”

Conclusion

The scriptures are clear – the crucifixion of my “old man” is WITH CHRIST. This means that I died when Christ died. Because my crucifixion is with Christ, there is only one possible way I can be crucified every day, and that is if Christ is crucified every day. Now, I ask the reader, especially if the reader is of the opinion that we must crucify our flesh every day, “Will Christ be crucified every day?” “Is Christ supposed to be crucified every day?” If you are a Catholic, then you would answer “yes” to these questions. The Bible, however, answers “NO” to these questions. The Bible plainly declares that Christ will only die once for sins:

Romans 6:9, 10 – “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, HE DIED UNTO SIN ONCE: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.”

Hebrews 10:10 – “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

The Bible further declares that it is a blasphemous thought to suggest that Christ will die more than once:

Hebrews 6:4-6 – “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened…If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

Clearly, Jesus Christ will never die for sin but once. The Bible, just as plainly, teaches that the crucifixion of our “old man” is with Christ. The only way that I would be willing to be “crucified” every day is if Christ will be crucified every day. I am only willing to be crucified WITH CHRIST, and Christ most certainly will NOT be crucified ever again. Neither will I. My “old man” died when Christ died.

Crucified with Christ - Part 1

For those who read this post, it is necessary to understand two facts: first, it is not my goal to offend the reader; and second, it is not my goal NOT to offend the reader.  Exclusively and without exception, it is my objective to declare the truths of God’s word.  Knowing this, I ask the reader to read the post in its entirety, especially before contacting me regarding its contents. 

Today I deal with a common misconception found in many churches.  Provided that you have been an attendee of a conservative church for any length of time, you have undoubtedly heard this line before: “We need to crucify our flesh.”  Or, perhaps you have heard it this way: “Every day, we need to keep our old man buried.”  I have heard this one: “I want to live a crucified life.”  Phrases such as these are commonplace in many churches; yet these are NOT biblical phrases.  While they sound pious, these expressions often originate from those who of the mindset that the Christian life is hard; that if we make it heaven, we’ll arrive but barely.  Those who preach this teaching usually define this phrase, “crucifying our flesh,” to mean “making ourselves miserable; denying ourselves of any pleasure; self-deprivation.”  However, when the Bible speaks of believers being “crucified,” or “dead to sin,” the scriptures are dealing with our “old man,” or the individual we used to be prior to obtaining salvation.

Recently, I sent a text message to a friend of mine.  Though I do not remember its exact wording, it went something like this: “I will not be crucifying my flesh today.”  I went on to explain my reasoning.  This friend texted me back, stating why he would be crucifying his flesh that day.  Assuming that the reader will be patient with me, I wish to give reasons from the word of God why I will not be crucifying my flesh today.  If you are of the mindset that we need to crucify our flesh every day, I hope you will at least give me your attention.  While you may not agree with me, I only ask that you will hear me out.  To begin, I wish to examine a few passages of scripture often used by this crowd who desires to crucify their flesh daily.

Passages in Galatians

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 5:24 – “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Galatians 6:14 – “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

I encourage the reader to read the above verses two or three times each.  Read them slowly.  Read them honestly.  Read them without regards to any opinion of your own.  If this is done, the reader will be forced to admit that there is a mood of finality to the believer’s crucifixion.  Yes, I believe that every believer should be crucified.  I believe that my “old man” should be crucified.  When I say, “old man,” I am referring to the individual I was before I was converted.  The above verses, however, do not teach that I should be crucified; the above verses teach that I am crucified!  Look at them again (italics mine, for emphasis):

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ.”

Galatians 5:24 – “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts.”

Galatians 6:14 – “…the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

Yes, I believe that those who are saved should be dead to the world, and dead to sin.  But I believe more than that – those who are saved are crucified with Christ.  If you are saved, you are dead to sin and the world.  Listen to me very carefully.  I am not trying to be crucified with Christ – I am crucified with Christ!  I am not striving to be dead to sin; I am dead to sin!  There is a sense of finality to these verses.  Paul did not say, “I am trying to be crucified with Christ”; Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ.”  Paul did not say, “They that are Christ’s should strive to crucify the flesh”; he plainly says, “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh.”  Paul does not declare, “The world should be crucified unto me”; he says rather, “The world is crucified unto me.”  Can’t you see the finality of our crucifixion with Christ?  The Christian life is not a daily attempt to crucify the individual you used to be; the Christian life is rather living out a realization that the individual you used to be IS DEAD!  I am not trying to do away with the man I used to be; the “old man” is already done away with!  He is gone!  He has been crucified!

When Was my “Old Man” Crucified?

“If your ‘old man’ has already been crucified,” you may ask, “then WHEN were you crucified?”  Let us examine our text again for the answer (again, italics mine, for emphasis):

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ.” 

The answer is plain as day.  Paul plainly states, “I am crucified with Christ.”  My “old man” died when Christ died.  When Christ was crucified, I was crucified.  The man I used to be was executed on a cross on Calvary’s hill over 2,000 years ago.  Once the reader understands this, the fog lifts!  What a great joy it was when I finally understood that what I was trying to do daily – i.e. crucify my flesh – was already completely finished 2,000 years ago!  When reading the remainder of this post, keep in mind that the Bible plainly teaches that believers have already been crucified, and that crucifixion is with Christ.  Don’t forget it – we died when Christ died. 

Mortify Your Members!

Colossians 3:5 – “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Here is yet another verse used by those who wish to crucify their flesh every day.  Understanding that the word, “mortify” means “to kill,” we have here a command to kill our members which are upon the earth. 

Look carefully at this verse.  “Mortify your members,” it declares.  Then, the verse defines the members we are to destroy.  It is not our flesh that we are to destroy; it is a collection of various sins that we are to destroy.  Whatever causes us to be tempted while living in this flesh – destroy it!  If it is a temptation to you, get away from it.  Listen to me very carefully.  If you wish to use Colossians 3:5 to preach that we need to crucify our flesh daily, that’s your business.  But if you’re going to do so, you need to back up two verses and do something with Colossians 3:3.

Colossians 3:3 – “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Before Paul tells us to mortify our members, he just as plainly tells us this – “Ye are dead!”  He does not say, “Ye are striving to be dead”; he says, “Ye are dead!”  I do not need to destroy my “old man” today; my “old man” was destroyed upon an old, rugged cross.

Mortifying the Deeds of the Body

Romans 8:13 – “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

Here is another verse used to show that we need to crucify our flesh daily.  This verse, however does not teach us to mortify the body, or the flesh; it rather teaches us to mortify the deeds of the body.  As we just saw in Colossians, we will be tempted to sin.  These sins need to be destroyed!  It is not our flesh, or our “old man” that needs to be destroyed, for our “old man” has already been destroyed!  In the chapter we are currently discussing, Romans 8, look at what Paul states just three verses prior to our verse of study:

Romans 8:10 – “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

Did you catch that?  Three verses before Paul teaches us to mortify the deeds of the body, he states, “If Christ be in you, the body IS DEAD!”  When did our “old man” die?  When Christ died!  Paul teaches this again very plainly!  If you are going to use Romans 8:13 to prove that we need to crucify our flesh, then be honest with the word of God and use Romans 8:10 with it – “If Christ be in you, the body IS DEAD!” 

I Die Daily

I Corinthians 15:31 – “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

Another verse popularly used to promote the daily death of the believer is before us.  I hear it said often, “Paul said, ‘I die daily.’”  Yes, he did.  But Paul is not speaking here of dying out to self, or dying out to sin.  This entire chapter, I Corinthians 15, is dealing with the doctrine of the resurrection.  Paul is teaching the Corinthians the chief importance of believing that we will one day be resurrected.  When Paul says, “I die daily,” he is teaching us that he counts himself as dead every day!  He places himself in jeopardy continually for the purpose of propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Why does he do so?  Because he knows that death is not final!  There is a coming resurrection, and Paul will be resurrected.  His statement, “I die daily,” refers to his willingness to place his life in jeopardy on a daily basis.  You say, “Where did you get that?”  I say, “I got it out of the Bible.”  If you’ll look at the verse again, reading the surrounding verses with it, you will find that Paul is telling the Corinthians that he jeopardizes his life continually, and he wouldn’t do it if the dead rise not:

I Corinthians 15:30-32 – “And WHY STAND WE IN JEOPARDY every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, IF THE DEAD RISE NOT? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.”

So, to say that Paul’s statement, “I die daily,” is referring to “dying out to sin,” or “dying out to self,” is to take the scripture grossly out of context.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Is Salvation Difficult?

II Corinthians 11:3 – “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Introduction

In my previous post, I examined by the word of God the unscriptural teaching of “tarrying” for salvation. It would benefit the reader to read that article (“Tarrying” for Salvation) before reading this one.

Those who believe that a person is saved only after begging, crying, and spending a great deal time praying usually have an overall mindset concerning salvation that salvation is very difficult to obtain. As a matter of fact, they describe salvation in such a way that they seem to imply that, short of a miracle, salvation is impossible to gain. To these people, being saved is no big deal. It doesn’t mean much, probably because those who have been saved probably will not be able to maintain their salvation. If you hear them tell it, those who have salvation at this moment will probably not be saved in the end anyway.

People with this mindset love to emphasize how hard it is to be saved. It is, without a doubt, a source of pride for them. Salvation, in their mind, is so difficult to obtain and nearly impossible to maintain; but they, dear friend, are among the choice few who have held out through the difficulties of salvation, and they are “still saved.” You can hear the bragging in their voices as they remind you that So-and-so could not hold on to this difficult salvation; this preacher and that one lost their salvation in the overwhelming difficulties that accompany salvation; but alas! They have held on! They have, where others have fallen, stood true in spite of the difficulties that have brought down their brethren. “Not just anybody is going to heaven,” they say. But keep listening. Not everyone is going to heaven, BUT THEY ARE! Oh how superior they are to others!

Those who believe that salvation is extremely difficult to attain almost always believe in a salvation that is gained by works. Oh, they say they don’t believe in such; but the reason that salvation is so difficult to either attain or maintain is because the works necessary to maintain it are so exhaustive. “Salvation is not by works,” they assure us, “but if you do not tilt your head at a certain angle and hold your mouth a certain way, you’re going to hell!” Salvation is not by works, they claim, but if your prayer life does not measure up to their standard, you will lose your salvation. Salvation is not by works, they affirm, but if you do not “fast twice in the week,” (Luke 18:12) like they do, then you will forfeit your salvation. So it is plain to see that those who believe that the way of salvation is difficult often believe in a works-based salvation.

But is salvation difficult to obtain? The clear, concise answer is no. Is salvation difficult to find? In our world of many religions, sects, and creeds, yes! But once the Biblical way of salvation is found, it is not difficult to obtain. Is the way of salvation preceded by obstacles that present difficulties to the seeker? Yes! That is precisely why there are lost people who, after hearing the simple gospel, yet remain lost. Every saved individual overcame obstacles to be saved; but salvation itself is not the obstacle! While there are difficulties that hinder people from coming to Christ, Christ is not the difficulty! I believe that an elementary study of scripture will prove these statements to be true.

A Look at Our Text

The text marking the beginning of this post, II Corinthians 11:3, states, first, that being “in Christ” is simple; and second, that the removal from this simplicity is defined as “corruption.” It is not commendable to make the matter of salvation complicated; it is utter corruption to do so.

In the verse following our text, II Corinthians 11:4, Paul refers to those who complicate the gospel as “preaching another Jesus,” “receiving another spirit,” and “receiving another gospel.” The Jesus of a complicated gospel is not the Jesus of the Bible.

Though the Bible is plain that there is simplicity in Christ, those who promote the “complicated gospel” have scriptures that they use. Let us examine a few of them.

Strait is the Gate and Narrow is the Way

The first passage used to promote a complicated gospel is found in the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 7:13-14 – “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Notice first, in verse 13, the word “many.” Speaking of the broad way that leads to destruction, “MANY there be which go in thereat.” Notice then in verse 14 the word “few.” Speaking of the narrow way that leads to life, “FEW there be that find it.”

The primary message of Christ’s exposition of the two roads is to show how many are on the broad way in contrast to how few are on the narrow way. Notice again the last words of verse 13, which speak of the broad way – “Many there be which go in thereat.” Here, a question is raised. Why do so many walk the broad way? In the next verse, Jesus answers that question clearly – “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life.” The way that leads to life is strait and narrow.

Now, please stay with me. The word “strait” in the King James Bible is not synonymous with the modern word “straight.” The modern word “straight” means “not curved” or “level.” The Greek word translated “strait” in the King James Bible means “narrow, from obstacles standing close about.” Noah Webster defines “strait” as “narrow; close.” He further defines “strait” as “difficult; distressful.”

So, there it is. The gate that opens the way of life is said to be “strait,” defined by Webster as “difficult.” Listen to me carefully. Jesus plainly teaches here that there is difficulty associated with the gate that opens the way to eternal life. But where does the difficulty lie? Is the gate said to be “strait,” or difficult, because the way that leads to life is a hard road? That’s not what Christ said. Christ says nothing in these verses about the narrow way being a hard way to walk. Show me where Christ stated that the narrow way is difficult to walk. It is not there. That’s not what Christ said, yet that is what people teach.

Look again at the last words of verse 14 – “Few be there that find it.” Did you get that? Jesus, speaking of the strait gate and narrow way, is not talking about that way being hard to walk, but rather hard to find. There is great difficulty in the “strait” gate and narrow way; but that difficulty lies in finding it, not walking  in it. Once this is understood, there is no contradiction with Paul’s words in II Corinthians 11, when he speaks of the simplicity that is in Christ.

How true I have found Christ’s words! The strait gate is hard to find! Many of you reading this have had no difficulty finding the strait gate, but you were raised around the strait gate. But I have dealt with lost people who expressed a desire to be saved. The Jehovah’s Witnesses told them that the way to the gate was their way. The oneness movement pointed them another direction to the strait gate. The Methodists assured them that the way to eternal life was yet another direction. The Christian Science movement, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Church of Christ, and a myriad of other movements insist that their creeds point to the strait gate. Yes, there is a great difficulty associated with the gate that the opens the way of life. The difficulty lies in finding the way, not walking  in it.

Strive to Enter In

In Luke’s gospel, Christ spoke similar words to those words written by Matthew.

Luke 13:24 – “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

This is a very popular verse used by those who believe in a difficult salvation. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus spoke of both a strait gate and a narrow way. Here, in Luke’s gospel, Jesus speaks nothing about the narrow way. He speaks only of the strait gate.

Look at the opening words of this verse. Christ says, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate.” Just like Matthew’s gospel, we have the word “strait” describing the gate. We see again that there is difficulty associated with the gate that opens the way of life. In Matthew’s gospel, we saw that the difficulty associated with the gate lies with finding the gate – “Few be there that find it.” Here, in Luke’s gospel, Christ does not emphasize that the gate is hard to find. But there is a difficulty associated with the gate. Christ even enforces the difficulty associated with the gate by commanding his hearers to strive to enter in. Webster defines “strive” as “to make efforts; to use exertions; to endeavor with earnestness; to labor hard.” But please notice that we are not told to strive because the way of salvation is hard; as a matter of fact, the “way” is not even mentioned in Luke’s gospel. So, if you conclude from this verse that the way of salvation is hard, there is something about this passage you are not understanding.

Is there difficulty associated with the gate? Yes. It is called the “strait” gate. If we get to the gate, we will do so by striving. In this verse, Jesus is dealing with one of the greatest difficulties presented to the sinner – the difficulty of procrastination. When a sinner hears the gospel, his greatest temptation is not to resist the gospel; but rather to put it off. “Don’t reject the Lord,” the devil tells him. “Just don’t respond today.” This temptation should be resisted with every fiber of the sinner’s being. The sinner should strive against this great temptation. Hell is full of people who meant to be saved someday, but they did not strive against the temptation and now they are lost eternally. Though they seek to enter in, they shall not be able.

How do I know that this is the difficulty to which Christ is referring? Let’s look at our verse once more. “Strive to enter in at the strait gate,” Christ says. Why strive? “For many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” This arouses a question in the heart of the careful reader. When will people seek to enter in, and find themselves unable to do so? Christ answers that question clearly in the next verse:

Luke 13:25 – “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are.”

When will people seek to enter in and not be able? “When the master of the house shuts the door and you stand without and knock.” There is a great difficulty associated with the gate. But the gate itself is not the difficulty. Salvation is not the difficulty. Procrastination is the difficulty. And if it is not striven against at all costs, the sinner will soon find that the gate that he delayed to enter will be shut forever.

Salvation, like Paul said in II Corinthians 11, is simple. The act of putting off salvation is a great difficulty and a great temptation that must be resisted. Failure to overcome this difficulty has landed many souls in a burning hell. The gate is open now, but not always. That’s the difficulty. Salvation is not the difficulty; salvation is the solution to the difficulty.

The Righteous Are Scarcely Saved

Perhaps the scripture that is misused the most to prove that salvation is difficult is found in I Peter 4:

I Peter 4:18 – “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

This verse is often misused by, in the first place, changing the word “scarcely” to “barely.” Those who believe that salvation is difficult often quote this verse by saying, “Salvation is so hard to attain that if the righteous are saved, they will barely be saved.” This is a gross mutilation of a blessed verse. James Strong defines the Greek word translated “scarcely” as “with difficulty.” Noah Webster defines the word “scarcely” as “hardly; with difficulty.” Both men define this word to mean “with difficulty.”

This verse does not mean that salvation is so complicated and hard to obtain that those who live perfect in every way will just “barely” obtain it. Then what does this verse mean?

First, we have seen that the word “scarcely” means “with difficulty.” So, look again at the first part of this verse – “If the righteous scarcely be saved,” or we could say, “If the righteous be saved with difficulty.” Those who are righteous are saved with difficulty. Everyone who is saved has been saved with difficulty. Keep this in mind; I will come back to it later.

Now, let us examine the latter part of the verse. We have the question, “Where shall the ungodly appear?” Peter is speaking of the Day of Judgment. How do we know? The verse prior to this one makes it clear. In I Peter 4:17 – “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” Peter is talking about the end of those who do not obey the gospel. Their end is the lake of fire, into which they will be cast at the final judgment.

At the Great White Throne Judgment, the lost will try to negotiate with God, but it will be of no avail (Matthew 7:22). In the midst of the negotiations, the lost will no doubt use their difficulties – whatever obstacles hindered them from being saved – as excuses. We see this in Luke 14, where Jesus tells of a man who made a supper. The man began to invite people to the supper. One by one, those invited began to make excuse. One said that he could not come because he bought a piece of land and had to go see it. Another said that he had just purchased five yoke of oxen, and needed to go prove them. Another said that he had married a wife, and therefore could not come. Notice very carefully – there was no difficulty with the supper itself. There was no difficulty with the invitation to the supper. The difficulties lied in the events in the lives of those men who received the invitation. The men who were invited used their difficulties as excuses. The piece of land became the hindrance. The oxen became the obstacle. The newlywed wife became the difficulty. The supper was not the difficulty! Salvation is not the difficulty! The invitation to salvation is not the difficulty. However, some people use difficulties of life as excuses for not being saved. When lost people stand before God, will these excuses be valid?

Perhaps you can envision the scene of the final judgment. A man stands before God. He is lost, but tries to assure the Lord that, had he been raised in a Christian home, he would have been saved. Will that excuse hold up? Absolutely not! A witness will rise up, and say, “Lord, I wasn’t raised in a Christian home either, but I was saved!” And the excuse will be thrown out.

You see, the righteous are “scarcely saved.” The righteous are saved “with difficulty.” Everyone who is saved had difficulties to overcome. You say that the reason you’re not saved is because you had to bury one of your babies? There are some people who had to bury their children, and yet they are saved. You say that the reason you are not saved is because you’ve had a hard life? A hard life is a difficulty for sure, but there are saved people who were saved in spite of the difficulty of having a hard life. To put it as gently as possible, these difficulties are not valid excuses for rejecting salvation. Everyone who has been saved could have used some difficulty as an excuse to remain lost. But they didn’t. They overcame those difficulties. They strove to enter in at the strait gate. They overcame their difficulties and were saved.

That’s the meaning of the verse – “If the righteous scarcely be saved,” – and the righteous truly are saved with difficulty – “where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” – where shall the lost, who try to use their difficulties as excuses, appear? Since every saved person overcame difficulties to be saved, every difficulty that the lost man tries to use as an excuse on Judgment Day will be overthrown on that fateful day.

This verse is not about salvation being difficult. It is about lost people using their difficulties as excuses. They’ll have no excuse, because righteous people were saved having to overcome the very same difficulties. No wonder John said in I John 5:5, “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?” The believer is an overcomer because he overcame difficulties to be saved!

“Tarrying” for Salvation

A Brief Discourse on an Unscriptural Concept

If you believe that within every edifice that has a steeple pointed toward heaven is a minister who knows how to tell a sinner how to be saved, then you are badly mistaken. It is a shameful truth that if a lost sinner were to diligently search for the Biblical plan of salvation, he would stand a better chance of finding it in the janitor’s closet on the second floor of a county courthouse in Montana than in most churches. Dr. Monroe Parker told about a man with whom he dealt. The man told Dr. Parker that he had been going to different churches trying to understand God.

“How’s it coming?” asked Dr. Parker.

“I can’t understand preachers, let alone God,” the man responded.

And that’s the way it is. If you don’t know how to be saved, there is a good chance that going to church will only complicate matters. Let me insert here that there are churches that preach the unadulterated truth regarding salvation. There are preachers who understand clearly from the scriptures how to be saved. These churches and these ministers are becoming scarcer in this age of spiritual apostasy, but thank God they are out there.

Among the many theories concerning salvation is the concept of “tarrying” for salvation. Let us discuss this unscriptural concept.

To understand this concept, let me use an illustration. Suppose a lost individual enters a church, and at the appropriate time goes to the front for salvation. Upon asking what he needs to do to be saved, the pastor instructs him to simply kneel down and pray until he feels that God has answered his prayer, granting him salvation.

Often, lost people who are given this advice spend much time “tarrying,” or “trying” to be saved, often by praying for an extended period of time. I have heard people testify that they spent several hours praying to be saved. Others have testified to “tarrying” for days in their attempt to be saved. Some still yet have testified of “tarrying” for weeks or months trying to be saved. Although this is the experience of some, this is not what the Bible teaches regarding salvation. Now, if we are discussing children of God praying until the answer comes, then please understand that I believe in that kind of “tarrying.” In Luke 11, Jesus instructed His disciples to, like the man who needed bread, ask until the answer comes! If we are discussing Christians “tarrying” for power to win souls, then I believe in that kind of “tarrying.” Jesus instructed His disciples to “tarry” in Jerusalem until they were “endued with power from on high!” But no sinner in the Bible was ever commanded to “tarry” for salvation.

We must always understand that it is the word of God, not the experience of individuals, that determines whether or not a teaching is scripturally correct. Using the word of God alone for our source of authority on this matter, I shall give four points regarding the unscriptural concept of “tarrying” for salvation. First, I will demonstrate that there is no command in the Bible for anyone to “tarry” in order to be saved. Second, I will confirm that there is no example in the Bible of any sinner who “tarried” for salvation. Third, I will explain that proponents of this concept often have a wrong understanding of salvation. Last, I will show that the concept is as illogical as it is unscriptural.

The Bible Does Not Command Anyone to “Tarry” to Be Saved

He who requires the penitent to “tarry” to be saved did not get such a requisite from scripture. Absolutely nowhere in the Bible is anyone told to tarry that they might be saved.

Make no mistake about it – the Bible is clear regarding how to be saved. The Bible gives very specific instructions on this matter. These clear instructions become so muddied because so many religious leaders simply cannot fathom that salvation is as simple as the Bible portrays it. The Bible repeatedly states that salvation is attained by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the testimony of Jesus Christ (John 1:12; John 3:15; John 3:16; John 3:18; John 5:24; John 6:28-29; John 6:35; John 6:40; John 6:47; John 8:24; John 11:25-26; John 12:44-46); of John the Baptist (John 3:36); of John the apostle (John 20:31; I John 5:1); of Peter (Acts 10:43); of Paul (Acts 13:39; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 1:16; Romans 3:22; Romans 3:26; Romans 10:9-13; I Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 3:22; I Timothy 4:10) and of the Hebrew writer (Hebrews 4:3; Hebrews 10:39; Hebrews 11:6). Anyone who teaches that an individual needs to anything other than “believe on Jesus Christ” to be saved is contradicting every scripture listed above.

Many believe that salvation is attained by believing on Christ, but what does it mean to believe? Some insist that truly believing is obeying the commandments of the Bible. But, is that the case? It cannot be, for the Bible states that no commandment of the law of God is capable of giving life (Galatians 3:21). Keeping laws and commandments is what the Bible calls “works of the law,” and by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (Galatians 2:16). So, what does it mean to believe on Jesus Christ? Romans 3:22, Romans 4:5, Galatians 2:16, and Galatians 3:22 associate “believing” with faith. Ephesians 1:12-13 associates salvation with trusting. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is therefore “placing your faith in” or “trusting” Jesus Christ to save you. A person is saved by the grace of God when they realize that they cannot save themselves, and they consequently place their faith in Jesus Christ, trusting Him alone to save them. They are not trusting baptism; they are not trusting sacraments; they are not trusting church attendance or church membership; they are not trusting their belief that they have “quit sinning”; they are trusting Christ and Him alone for salvation. The split second that a person believes on Jesus Christ, they are saved. The only Bible mandate for salvation is believing on Christ. There is no Biblical command to “tarry” for salvation.

The Bible Provides No Example of Anyone “Tarrying” to Be Saved

Not only is there no Biblical command for anyone to “tarry” to be saved, but there is also no example of anyone in the Bible who “tarried” for salvation. If salvation were attained by the seeker kneeling and spending hours praying to be saved, it would make sense that we would have at least one example of this in the Bible. However, although the Bible provides examples of lost people being saved, not one of those examples includes an individual who “tarried”; not one of those examples includes an individual who spent hours, days, weeks, or months praying for salvation. The concept of “tarrying” for salvation is completely foreign to the scriptures. There is neither command for it nor example of it in the Bible.

Since there are some examples of lost people finding salvation in the Bible, let us look closely at a few of them.

THE PUBLICAN

In Luke 18:10-14, Jesus tells about two men who went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee; a religious man. The other was a publican; a tax collector. The Pharisee prayed a prayer about how thankful he was to be holy. He offered thanks to God for “not being as other men are.” As he prayed, he reminded God of how he fasted twice a week, gave tithes regularly, and even thanked God that he was not like the publican who knelt nearby.

Then the publican prayed. Jesus said that this tax collector would not even as much as look up to heaven. He simply smote his breast and said seven simple words – “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” After praying these seven simple words, Jesus remarked that this man – this sinful publican who prayed only seven words – went home justified rather than the other. The publican was justified before God after praying seven words.

ZACCHÆUS

In Luke 19, we are told about Zacchæus. Zacchæus was another tax collector – a tax collector who wanted to see Jesus but was too short to look over the crowd. He therefore climbed into a sycamore tree that he might catch a glimpse of Jesus as He passed by. Jesus saw Zacchæus and said, “Today I must abide at thy house.” Jesus then went with Zacchæus to his home.

After arriving at the home of Zacchæus, Zacchæus uttered one sentence to the Lord. This sentence was slightly longer than seven words, but it was still just one sentence that took less than ten seconds to say. Zacchæus said, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8).

Upon hearing these twenty-nine words, Jesus said, “This day is salvation come to this house” (Luke 19:9). There was no tarrying whatsoever. In a short moment of time, Zacchæus was a recipient of salvation.

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

When Jesus was crucified, He was crucified between two thieves who were also crucified. The two thieves mocked our Lord. However, at a certain point, one of the thieves had a change of heart. He turned to the Lord and spoke nine words to the Lord. He said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” After speaking nine words to the Lord, the Lord answered, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

PAUL THE APOSTLE

Perhaps the most remarkable conversion to Christianity in history was that of the apostle Paul. Paul, whose name was Saul at the time of his conversion, was on his way to Damascus. Suddenly, he saw a light brighter than the noonday sun. He then heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” Saul, trembling, said, “Who art Thou, Lord?” Jesus answered, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” Then, Saul prayed eight words. He said, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” That’s it. There was no tarrying. There was no long season of prayer. At that moment, before he was baptized; before he was filled with the Holy Ghost; Saul of Tarsus was saved by the grace of God.

Quite some time ago, I was preaching at a church when, after church, a woman came to me. I had preached regarding the simplicity of salvation. She simply could not believe that salvation could be attained in a short amount of time.

“You make it sound like a person can be saved in just five minutes!” she said.

Upon hearing these words, I apologized to her. “I did not mean to make it sound like a person could be saved in just five minutes,” I told her. She looked puzzled. “You misunderstood me,” I said. “A person can be saved in a split second!”

If you believe in “tarrying” to be saved, or praying a long time to be saved, then the burden of proof is on you. I have shown clearly that the Bible nowhere commands “tarrying” for salvation. I have shown just as clearly that there are no examples of anyone praying for a long length of time for salvation. On the contrary, I have given four clear, Biblical examples of people who prayed very short prayers and were justified by God’s grace as a result.

A Wrong Understanding of Salvation Produces this Concept

Having clearly shown that “tarrying” for salvation is neither commanded nor exemplified in the scriptures, I will now prove that, many times, this teaching stems from an incorrect understanding of salvation.

I have shown that man attains salvation by faith (Ephesians 2:8), but how does God save? How can God be just, and at the same time, justify sinners? Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), how can God save me, one who has sinned, from the penalty of sin? The truth concerning these questions is that God did not merely forgive me when I was saved. Let me say it another way. When I was saved, God did not just “write my sins off.” God did not look down on me when I prayed to be saved and say, “You sinned, but since I am nice, I will forget about your sins and simply forgive you.” God, because He is just, saw to it that the penalty of my sins was paid. The wages of sin is death, and death for my sins had to be executed.

That’s where the blood of Jesus comes in. The sins of the whole world were laid upon Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:6). Christ died for the sins of the whole world (I John 2:2). While the blood of Christ is available for the salvation of all men, all men will not be saved.

In Galatians 5:3, the Old Testament law is referred to as a “debt,” and those who are under it are called “debtors.” God’s law is a debt that God demands to be paid. No man has ever paid that debt (John 7:19). But Jesus Christ, when in the flesh, fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17). The word “fulfill” is a term relating to debt, as in “fulfilling one’s obligations.” Christ fulfilled the law in its entirety. He never broke one commandment of His Father. He never sinned in word, thought, or deed. But, prior to going to the cross, the sins of the world were laid upon Christ. He, who never sinned, had the sin of the whole world laid upon Him. He then paid the wages of sin – death – upon an old, rugged cross, fulfilling even the death penalty of the law. Although Christ paid the penalty of sin for the whole world, the whole world will not be saved. God set up salvation so that Christ’s righteousness is only imputed to those who believe (Romans 4:23-24). Basically, if you do not trust Christ’s payment for your sin, then you will be responsible for it yourself. But payment for sin must be made. God does not save people by overlooking their sins. He saves people because they trust Christ’s payment on the cross as the means by which they are saved (Romans 4:25).

Once I understand that I am saved solely because of Christ’s work upon the cross, the length of my prayer becomes irrelevant. Those who believe in “tarrying” for salvation often see salvation as simply forgiveness. They see salvation as God just forgetting about their sins and forgiving them. The problem, they think, is that they just need to convince God to forgive them. And if they beg long enough, maybe God will have mercy. If they shed enough tears, maybe God will be convinced that they mean business. But this is a thoroughly incorrect understanding of salvation. God saves no one because they convinced Him to do so with their tears. No one has ever been saved by begging God to do so. No one has ever been saved by convincing God that they meant business about changing his or her lifestyle. God does not save because of man’s sincerity; God saves because of Christ’s blood that He shed upon the cross. Once this is understood, “tarrying” is not necessary.

The Concept Is As Illogical As It Is Unscriptural

I would like to speak personally to the advocates of “tarrying” for salvation in this final point. I want to show you how illogical your belief is. I want to begin by asking you some questions. If a person comes to God in prayer, and asks God to save them because of Christ’s work on the cross, why wouldn’t God save them? Is God playing games? What do you think happens in heaven when someone asks God to save them? Do you think God just stands there waiting for them to pray for at least a certain length of time? Do you think that God sends Gabriel down to check the puddle of tears to see how many tears have been shed before He saves the individual? Do you not see how silly this concept really is? If the phrase, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” does not mean “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,” then what does it mean?

We have already discussed the story of Zacchæus. After Zacchæus prayed a short prayer, Jesus said, “This day is salvation come to this house.” In the very next verse, Luke 19:10, Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost.” Did you get that? Christ is not playing games. Will He really save Zacchæus after Zacchæus prays a short prayer? Of course He will – THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HE CAME TO DO! Why wouldn’t He? Will Christ really save Saul of Tarsus after Saul prays only eight words? Absolutely! THE SON OF MAN CAME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE THAT WHICH IS LOST! To believe that Christ will not save an individual immediately upon believing is unscriptural, but it is even more illogical. It makes no sense to believe that Christ came to save them that believe, but for some reason won’t save someone immediately upon their believing on Christ.

Conclusion

This doctrine of “tarrying” for salvation, like all false doctrines, is a dangerous teaching. For one thing, this concept encourages people to seek for a feeling. That’s why they “tarry” to be saved. If you ask a person who is “tarrying” to be saved what he is waiting for, he will tell you that he is waiting until he knows for sure that he is saved. How will he know for sure that God has saved him? He will tell you that he will know for sure when he “feels” confident that God saved him. This is very dangerous. To start with, feelings are deceptive.

I can give you a list of people who I know personally who “tarried” for salvation – every year at youth camp. Every year they would go to youth camp, go to the altar, and pray for a great length of time to be saved. Often, salvation that is obtained by “tarrying” does not prove to be salvation at all.

In the ministry, I have had the privilege of winning souls to Christ. I have won some souls to Christ in church as a result of preaching. Others I have won as a result of one-on-one confrontation, outside the church. It has been my experience that, in nearly every instance, those who simply trusted Christ to save them (Ephesians 1:13), believing simply the written record (I John 5:10-11), were the ones who enjoyed a great assurance of salvation, served God with gladness, became soul winners, and lived the Christian life with stability and consistency. On the other hand, those who “tarried” until they reached a certain emotional experience enjoyed great joy – as long as the emotions were running high. But, as a rule, those who are saved by “tarrying” do not consistently work for God, do not have constant joy, win no souls for Christ, and prove to be very unstable. The concept of “tarrying” for salvation provides no results that I want in my life.

There is much more that could be said, but the point is adequately proven.

Simple Truths Regarding Salvation

1. Man is lost because of his sin. Sin is the transgression, or breaking, of God’s law (I John 3:4). Even before a person commits a sin on his own, every person is a sinner from the time of his birth (Psalm 58:3). Although all have sinned (Romans 3:23), you did not become a sinner when you sinned; you became a sinner when Adam (the first created man) sinned (Romans 5:19).
2. Man, on his own and at his best, is completely lost and unable to save himself. His best works, the sum of all his righteousnesses, are as filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). Man, without having to do anything, is by nature a child of God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
3. Because of his lost condition, man is on his way to a literal, burning, eternal hell. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and the Bible teaches that the lake of fire is called the second death (Revelation 20:14).
4. Because man is completely incapable of saving himself, man must depend upon an outside source to save him. Consequently, God, in his love for mankind (John 3:16), provided a plan to save mankind from the penalty, practice, and presence of sin. We call this plan “salvation.”
5. God’s loving act of providing salvation for mankind is called grace. Man has broken God’s laws, and the penalty of death and hell is just and fair. God could have provided no salvation whatsoever for mankind, and His righteousness would not have been diminished in the least. However, God provided salvation for mankind. When God provided a plan of salvation, every lost individual was “without strength,” or “unable to save himself” (Romans 5:6); every lost individual was a sinner (Romans 5:8); and every lost individual was an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). Hence, man did absolutely nothing to earn salvation. The only thing we earned as lost individuals was a place in hell. When God devised a plan to save man, this plan was not provided because of what man had done; it was provided rather in spite of what man had done. Grace, defined as “the unmerited, or unearned favor of God toward man,” was shown to mankind when God presented a salvation plan to fallen man.
6. God’s plan of salvation is in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. In order to save man, God sent His only begotten Son into the world (John 3:16-17). Jesus Christ lived as a man, yet he lived without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He never broke a single law of God. Christ never sinned in word, in thought, or in deed. This point is of absolute importance. If Jesus Christ were to save mankind from sin, it was necessary that Christ have no sin whatsoever. And though he was tempted in all points as we are, yet he was proven to be absolutely sinless.
7. Because Jesus Christ, as a man, never committed a single sin, God the Father laid upon Jesus every sin you and I ever committed or ever will commit (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus then paid the penalty of sin, which is death. Jesus died a horrific death upon an old, rugged cross. At the moment of His death, Christ declared “It is finished,” indicating that the penalty of our sins had been completely paid in full (John 19:30). It was very important that Christ be sinless upon the earth. Had Christ committed any sin of His own, He would not have been able to pay for my sins; He would have rather died for His own sins. But since He had no sins of His own for which to die, He could rightfully die for my sins and yours. And He did just that. Christ’s death is sufficient to save the whole world from sin. Absolutely nothing else needs to be done to pay for our sins. To prove that Christ's death was indeed a sacrifice that was holy, without blemish, and accepted by the Father, God the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Romans 1:3).
8. Although God showed grace by sending His Son to save us from sin, and although the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to save the entire world (I John 2:2), not everyone will be saved. This is because God’s salvation is not “by grace alone.” In other words, just because God showed grace to you by sending Jesus to die for your sins does not mean that you are saved. Titus 2:11 tells us that God’s grace that brings salvation has appeared to everyone. But everyone will not be saved. Even though Christ died on the cross, some men are yet lost (II Corinthians 4:3). If salvation were “by grace alone,” then the whole world would be saved because God’s grace appeared to whole world when Christ died for all (II Corinthians 5:14-15).
9. The salvation that God provided is “by grace,” but it is also “through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). “By grace” speaks of what God did when He sent Jesus to die upon the cross. But you are not saved until you place your faith in Jesus Christ to save you. When you realize that you are hopelessly and helplessly lost, and you understand that Christ’s death upon the cross is completely sufficient to pay for your every sin, you must then place your faith in Christ and in Him alone to save you. Jesus repeatedly stated and the scriptures continually declare that all you must do to have everlasting life is to “believe” on Jesus Christ (John 1:12; John 3:14-18; John 3:36; John 5:24; John 6:28-29; John 6:35; John 6:40; John 6:47; John 7:38; John 8:24; John 11:25-26; John 12:44-46; John 20:31; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:39; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 1:16; Romans 3:21-22; Romans 10:9-13; I Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 3:22; I Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 10:39; I John 3:23; I John 5:1; I John 5:4-5). When the Bible says to “believe” on Him, it is not talking about believing in God’s existence, or even believing that Jesus died on the cross. “Believing on Jesus Christ” means that your faith is in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:25). You trust nothing and no one except Jesus Christ to save you.
10. To have your faith in Christ means that your faith is in absolutely nothing else outside of Christ to save you. If you think you are saved because you have been baptized, then your faith is in baptism, not in Christ, and consequently, you are lost. If you believe you are saved because you have spoken in tongues, then your faith is not in Christ. If you are trusting sacraments to save you, then you are not believing on Jesus Christ. If you think you are saved because you keep certain standards of dress or standards of separation, then your faith is not in Christ. When Jesus said “No man cometh to the Father but by me” (John 14:6), that’s exactly what He meant.
11. The salvation that God provided is not only “by grace” and “through faith,” but it is also completely “apart from works” (Romans 3:20-21; Romans 4:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). There is not a single work you can do to save yourself, and there is not a single work you can do that will keep you saved. Many admit that salvation is by grace, through faith, and apart from works initially, but “in order to keep your salvation,” they claim, “you must do this, do that, or do the other…” Romans 11:6, however, completely contradicts this. According to Romans 11:6, if a man is saved by grace, then his salvation is no more of works. And if a man is saved by works, then his salvation is no more of grace. You are not granted the privilege to claim to be saved by grace, and then demand certain works to be done to keep your salvation. You are saved either by grace and completely apart from works, or else you are saved by works and completely apart from grace. You cannot mix grace and works into salvation.
12. The act of believing on Jesus Christ for salvation is not a work of the man doing the believing; it is rather the work of God (John 6:29). God has given to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Thus, the faith to believe on Jesus Christ is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).
13. Through prayer, a lost man desiring to be saved may express to God that his faith is in Christ. Romans 10:13 states, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Please note that a person’s prayer does not save him; he places his faith in Christ, and Christ saves him. If a man is not fully trusting Christ for salvation, then he may pray all day long, and yet be lost. There is no “sinner’s prayer” recorded in the Bible. There are no certain words to say. You simply must express to the Lord in some way that all of your faith is in Christ and Christ alone. The thief who died upon a cross beside our Lord’s cross said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom.” The Lord promised him, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43). A tax collector simply prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” And the Bible said he went home justified (Luke 18:13-14). Saul of Tarsus simply prayed, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” He was saved immediately (Acts 9:6). Salvation is not wrapped in certain words; it is rather received by faith. When you simply express to the Lord in prayer that you are trusting Him completely to save you, placing yourself only at His mercy, He will save you the very instant you believe on Him.