QUESTION IN MY GUEST BOOK: “I have a son who believes he has to “give up” and “change” his life before he comes to Jesus. How can we assure him he comes to the Cross of Jesus just as he is?”

ANSWER: “ I have heard these hopeless words before, many times. They are sincere for the heart that speaks them forth truly believes this is what they must do to inherit eternal life. And too often, they are spoken with a woeful resignation that though they are willing to change, the change always seems elusive and beyond their ability. Somewhere along the line, someone filled them with misguided counsel and told them they had to clean up their act if they wanted to get into Heaven. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth as was beautifully demonstrated by the Savior Himself.

We need only to look at the compassion of Jesus who offered living waters to the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob. This was the same Jesus who forgave the woman taken in adultery and was about to be stoned to death. It was the same Jesus who forgave the thief on the cross beside Him. All that the thief had asked was “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Given the circumstances, it was sufficient!

In one brief moment, this thief had heard Jesus offer up a prayerful plea to His Father to forgive those who crucified him, “for they don’t know what they do,” and in that moment he knew in his heart that Jesus was the Son of God. “Lord, remember me…” Powerful words! There was no time for counsel, no time to change his ways, no time to join a church or be baptized. He was dying just as the Savior was dying. Before the day was finished, they would both be facing eternity and, unlike the Savior beside him, he was facing it riddled with sin.

“Lord, remember me…” A mere three words of sorrowful regret, a confession of the heart and soul that those standing by could not discern. While the other thief mocked and scorned the Savior, wanting to be delivered from the death of his flesh, the thief on the right was seeing eternity and the wretchedness of his own soul. All he could hope for was a little mercy from the One who forgave his own accusers.

Jesus did not hesitate before answering. He did not question him, counsel him, pray with him, or ask him to prove himself. The thief on the right had admonished the thief on the left, “Have you no fear of God?” and “You and I deserve our punishment but this man has done nothing wrong,” had in essence been a confession of his own unworthiness. And, in the same breath, in the same sentence, he had shown compassion for the scourged Son of God that hung between them.

Then he turned toward the weary thorn-crowned figure and said, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He had called him “Lord” and, in essence, these few words had said, “I believe” (Luke 23:42). The Word of God tells us that one cannot say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. The moment the thief believed, the truth was confirmed within him. Humbled by the revelation, knowing his own rebellious past and the hopelessness of his situation, all he could ask was, “Lord, remember me…”

Being the Son of God, being God incarnate, Jesus knows the hearts of all men, and immediately, he responded, “This day you shall be with me in Paradise.”

A man cannot save his own soul. He cannot change his ways by his own efforts alone. We are all born with a sin nature that is our mortal inheritance from the fall of Adam. But we have a greater inheritance that is of the spirit and, like the thief at Calvary, all we have to do is believe, reach out and receive. Our salvation is a gift, purchased by Jesus Christ who paid the full price on an old rugged cross. The same forgiveness and redemption extended to the thief, indeed to all that were there that day who would hear and believe, is available to all today that will come in the same humility and confession, “I know my unworthiness but I am helpless to change. Help me Lord.”

I have been so thankful for this story, and that the thief had the guts to speak up and speak out. Against all tradition and doctrine, knowing he was facing death and the God of his fathers, the confession of his deeds and the cry of his soul was poured out for all to hear and even there, though suffering on a cruel cross, Jesus embraced a repentant soul.

Acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord, asking in his own way for mercy, and receiving it, is a testimony of the faithfulness of God to receive any and all that will come, even in the last hour of their day. This thief had become a laborer who came to the vineyard and worked only the last hour of his day as he testified before the crowd gathered there that this Jesus they looked upon and rejected, was Christ the Lord. He would receive the wages of life…

Three days later, Jesus would rise from the grave and forty days later he would ascend to the Father where He would sit down at the right hand of the Father as our Great High Priest. Ten days after that Pentecost fell on the 120 gathered in Jerusalem and the church was born of the Holy Spirit who came to live in every believer of every generation that would follow…

Being Born Again is a divine cleansing of our own spirit when it is renewed and made alive by the gentle sweeping arrival of the Holy Spirit when he comes to dwell within. At that moment we know we have been born again, forgiven of all sins, all the past, all the mean and ugly things we have done and that we have been given a new slate with a new beginning. The weight of our guilt is lifted and we feel lighter, more alive, filled with a change we cannot describe. Whatever our immediate reaction, whether with tears or joy or both, it will be one of praise as thanksgiving to the Savior flows from our lips…

When it happens for you, you must tell someone immediately what Jesus has done for you. The more you share the experience with others, the stronger your faith will become. You will need to be baptized. I realize the thief on the cross could not be baptized, patients who are converted and saved just hours prior to death cannot be baptized, neither does a soldier in a foxhole have opportunity to be baptized, but Jesus, who is Lord, commanded it be done when at all possible.

If you are searching, let me caution you that joining a church and being baptized will not save you. One is first saved and then he is baptized. If the church you are in is more anxious to sign you up as a member, taking your name, address, and other pertinent data, than they are in counseling, praying the sinner’s prayer with you and rejoicing with you, then you are in the wrong church. Don’t join a church that just wants your name on their rolls – join a church that gets excited over your salvation and rejoices with you.

Being saved is a personal experience with Jesus Christ. It is so personal it can happen anytime, anywhere, whether you are alone, in the company of two people or ten thousand. It happens when you say “yes” to the Holy Spirit who tugs at your heart. Regardless of where you are at that moment, it is just you and the Lord. He says, “Will you come to me?” and you say, “Yes, I will.” As you step out in faith, the Spirit covers you, fills you and overwhelms you and you will know it is real by the cleansing that takes place on the inside. But that cleansing is only the beginning. Now, those changes that were so difficult for you to accomplish alone, will begin to take place, one at a time, over a period of time.

You see, when you are saved you experience the cleansing and renewal of your eternal spirit, and as you study the Word of God and grow in the Spirit, you will become even more “cleaned up” on the inside. Old jealousies, angers, resentments and even hurts will begin to fade away and be replaced by God’s kind of love, God’s kind of compassion, genuine kindness, etc. And, as you begin to change on the inside, the outside will begin to change also. Some of the things you used to enjoy are no longer important. You may not realize when it happened, but one day you will realize your priorities are different, and your feelings and ideas about certain things are not the same anymore.

This is the cleansing process that begins in the spirit, moves to the heart and the mind and then to the flesh. Your ways have changed, and you have cleaned up your act, but you have no idea when you did it or how. You just know you didn’t do it alone or at any particular time. It was the work of the Holy Spirit and your walk with Jesus that made you into a new creature. It was that born again moment of Spirit resurrecting spirit that made you the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus.

And all those things you thought you had to give up before you could come to Jesus are suddenly no longer an issue. You didn’t give these things up because you felt you had to, you gave them up because they were no longer exciting or interesting. They don’t bring you pleasure any longer, they are like square pegs trying to fit into round holes. They make you uncomfortable. And as time goes by you will wonder how you could have ever been so stupid…

Men have struggled for centuries trying to change their old natures, drop old habits, change thought patterns and put down tempers, intolerances and impatience. And the more they struggle, the worse they become. One can drop a habit or two, or discipline himself to count to ten before yelling, one can even strive to be a good neighbor, but again, this is all of the flesh, and the flesh is the enemy that wars against the soul. The more we strive with the flesh, the more unrest and anger permeates our soul.

We are mortal. Our flesh has no intention of obeying our will. We may have good intentions and really try, but the flesh will never surrender to an unredeemed spirit for an unredeemed spirit has no real power over the flesh. Sooner or later the flesh will die and be buried, but the immortal soul, unredeemed, ignored and shuffled to the back burner will then suffer through all eternity. That immortal soul will have total remembrance of rejected opportunities and the mournful cry “too late, too late” will be the awful cry of hopelessness…

One must come to Jesus just as he is. With all the faults, the sins, the wickedness, the anger, hate and frustrations he can lay claim to. Bring all the past to the cross, lay all these things at Jesus’ feet and confess them all. You see, they were nailed to the cross 2,000 years ago but you have to acknowledge that, you must go to the cross and say, “I helped to hang you on that Cross, Jesus, with my own sins I drove those nails into your hands and your feet, I put that crown of thorns on your head and I caused you to suffer the punishment I deserve. Please forgive me Lord Jesus, forgive me…

There is no other way to be saved except through Jesus Christ. You can never give up enough, you can never change enough, your good works will only be as filthy rags for you are tainted with the sin of Adam and nothing can wash that away but the blood of Jesus. Come just as you are, nothing hidden, for all is exposed to the eyes of the Father anyway. He knows you better than you know your self. He knows every thought, every deed, every word and every secret. Be completely honest and up front with Him, confess everything you know to be wrong in your life and in your attitude. Admit you can do nothing to change any of it. You need His forgiveness and His help. You need to be saved. Then give it all to Him and leave it at the cross.

All you have to give up at this moment is your pride, your fear, and your doubts. All you have to change is your mind, your course and your life. All it takes is the will to say “Yes, Lord,” and you will never be the same…”

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