We finished up our salvation discussion last night by talking through the question of why doesn't everyone believe in Jesus. After all, over the past 3 weeks we have laid out a very simple but profound argument for not only our position as sinners, but also what God has done for us by extended grace through His son so that, by faith, we can be redeemed. So why don't people just accept that and become followers of Christ?
We started by listing different reasons that people might not believe. The kids were very thorough with their responses. Maybe they practice another religion or none at all. Perhaps they don't understand that they even need a savior or something bad happened in their life and they blame God and refuse Him. And some people just reject Jesus for no other reason than they are their own god and want to do what they want. All of these are valid excuses, but obviously not something that anyone can use in an argument with a holy God. Again, all have sinned and all earn death and separation. The fact that He offers any of us salvation is amazing.
We started in John 1. We talked through the first thirteen verses as we see John explain some very fundamental things about our faith. The first is that Jesus is equal to God which is equal to the Word. And so Jesus has existed since before time. While his physical presence was on earth 2000 years ago, he has always been. And he had an equal part in creation, which we usually attribute to God the Father. So he came to the earth and people that he created, and even though there was tons of prophetic evidence to support that he was the Messiah, he was rejected by most. He was the light in the darkness but the darkness didn't want him.
John also mentions John the Baptist, who came to proclaim that the Messiah was coming. I used the illustration with the kids that if it was night time and pitch black outside, except for one light shining far off on the horizon, we wouldn't be able to tell what the light was. It could be a street light, house light, headlight, lantern or any number of other light sources. So we would need one of two things: either to go to the light to see what it was or have someone who has been to the light to come be a witness. John the Baptist's role was to tell what the light was before it showed up. But even once Jesus arrived, people still refused to accept that he was the Messiah.
I told the kids that part of the reason that Jesus was rejected was because the Israelites had something else in mind. I asked them what kind of a person they would envision when they heard the word "savior". They did a great job of thinking through the list: Tall, handsome, strong, wealthy, maybe a king or prince, well educated and a warrior. They were expecting something along the lines of Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan who would come in and set up a powerful kingdom on earth. They were expecting someone to come kick Rome out of the picture and make them the world power. Instead... they got a carpenter kid born in a barn. They rejected him because what they were expecting and what God had planned didn't line up. But God had much bigger goals with the Messiah than a temporary kingdom on a temporary rock.
If the people who were looking for him - who got to see him and witness his miracles and everything else - still rejected him, why would people who just read about him in a book believe? It's definitely a good point and another reason why not everyone follows something that we all accept. And the most incredible part is that become a Christian isn't hard. We looked at Romans 10:6-13. Paul's instructions here are simple. Say it with your mouth and believe it in your heart. There are no hoops to jump through, no balancing scale of goodness to maintain, no level of enlightenment to obtain - just admitting and believing. And it is for everyone. Paul ends by saying that anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved.
So, if that's all there is, why doesn't everyone do it? I don't know. I don't know why most people do what they do, especially me. But as I closed with the kids last night, I told them that we have to understand our role in that process, too. As followers, part of what we are supposed to be doing is shining that light. I told them that the best way to think about it is like being a mirror. We should be a reflection of Jesus to others. And by doing so, we shine light into the darkness. For the most part we'll be ignored or even despised. However, for those that are drawn to the light, we become witnesses to what God has done. The second part to that is that once we attract them with the light, we need to be able to share with them the good news. Our witness and the relationships we have with both God and others takes Jesus out of the book as a character and makes him a real-life savior. That's what the past 4 weeks have been about. We all need reminders and refreshers of how we can verbalize our faith and tell someone how they can receive eternal life. It is part of what we are called to as followers. And while not all will receive, we can be certain that it won't be from our lack of shining.
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