Strange Marriage
The wedding was over. Joe
and his new bride were alone. As the car pulled away, the bride said, "Take
me home."
"HOME?" Joe exclaimed. "But we haven't started the honeymoon
yet!"
"Joe," she said, "I'm glad we're married. We belong to each other
and I can use your name as mine, but I want to go back to my old apartment.
Now that we're married, I'll try to see you once a week. But as far as living
with you is concerned, nothing doing. I'm going back to my old occupation, friends,
and pastimes. Oh, yes, I do love you! I've accepted you as my husband, haven't
I? I belong to you forever. But I refuse to let you interfere with my life.
Of course, if I am sick or need money, I'll call you at once because, after
all, you're my husband. In the meantime, thank you for loving me and being my
husband, but keep your hands off my life!"
What do you think of this "marriage?" Yet there are so many who call
themselves Christians whose attitude toward Jesus is exactly the same as this
bride's attitude toward her husband. They say, "Lord, I have confessed
you as Savior. I've been baptized. Thank you for saving me. Now leave me alone!
I am going back to my old way of life. I'll expect you to help me if I need
it since you are my Savior. But as far as living with you is concerned, nothing
doing. Of course, when I die I want to come and share the home you are preparing.
But I hope that will not be for a long time."
In Romans 7 we see what is involved in becoming a true Christian. Paul, using
marriage as an illustration, says that in becoming a Christian you are joined
to Christ who died for your sins and rose again in triumph from the tomb. The
implied inquiry is, "Will you take Jesus to be your Savior and Lord for
eternity?" becoming a Christian one's response is, "I will" At
the precise moment you come forth from the waters of baptism you are "married
to another, even to him who is raised from the dead." (Rom. 7:4)
. . . .Author unknown
The story above is fictional, but speaks a very strong
message. When one does not commit their life and everything they have to Jesus,
they are in effect doing the same thing. When they despise Jesus so much that
they choose not to live with Him, Jesus has no choice but to turn away from
that person. Many people claim to know Him, but by their deeds, they deny Him
(Titus 1:16). To deny Jesus is to tell God that you do not want His offer that
can provide salvation for you and everyone else whom God has invited to His
great feast. We must realize that everyone is invited, yet most will reject
the offer that God offers. To be more specific, most will reject the conditions
that God tells us are required in order to receive the salvation that Jesus
died to make possible.
Many, like in our story, act this very way. They do not want Jesus around telling
them how to live, but at the same time, they want the assurance that salvation
is theirs. Of course, there are teachers out there in the world who will teach
whatever message the hearers want to hear. Paul said that they would not endure
sound doctrine in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.
Jesus said that if we confess Him, He will confess us before God; yet if we
deny Him, Jesus will deny us.
Speaking of a marriage arrangement, what would you think of a husband that on
occasion would not come home and spend weeks at a time out doing all sorts of
things with other women, then one day come in for lunch and ask "what is
for lunch?" What would you think of a woman who would dismiss his absence
and prepare a lunch as always? I am sure that most of us would expect the woman
to inquire about his whereabouts and activities. What if he did it again? Could
we consider him a faithful husband? Certainly not! But at the same time, people
skip the assemblies of the church, and play with the world, and then sometime
later walk in as if nothing was wrong, and expect to be treated as a faithful
member in good standing with God.
If we can see this, should we not examine ourselves to see if we are faithful
(2 Corinthians 13:5) enough?
By Carey Scott
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