Simply because you believe in one (thing, concept, person) doesn’t necessarily translate into believing in the next association. Nothing is ever ‘automatic’, at least, I don’t find this to be the case. For me believing in and accepting that there is a God was a given. He was ‘introduced’ to me when I was a young child and my belief really didn’t change, though I’m not sure my understanding grew significantly.
However, once there was the realization that there is a need for salvation, you have to acknowledge who and what Jesus was and continues to be. Simple? Not easy for me. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed about Jesus, I was embarrassed in front of Him. How could I possibly square who and what He did with who and what I was? No, I wasn’t all that ‘bad’ – perhaps it would have been easier if I was. I just wasn’t all that ‘good’ either and later discovered that I never could have been ‘good enough’ on my own. But that really didn’t help either. What to do about Jesus? Not acceptance as an issue, the ‘now what’ part.
It is my belief that you just don’t say that you accept Jesus as Lord and that’s it – words. I believe acceptance demands more – actions as well as words. I believe it is impossible to ignore Jesus – His life and His words and actions. I think that we are required to build a relationship; because Jesus is never ‘out there’, he has always been ‘here and now’. The fascinating discovery for me was that He never intrudes, He always is available but it is always our choice to develop a relationship.
Salvation is impossible without Jesus (Acts 4:12) and in acknowledging this, it’s not possible for Him to be distant from us. Romans 8:29 tells us that Jesus is the first born among many brethren. Galatians 4:6 and Romans 8:15,16 teaches us that we are adopted and are children of God (v.17) and joint heirs with Jesus. With all this information you can’t just dismiss Jesus or put Him safely on a shelf. There are countless other scriptures indicating His involvement with us. Among other acts, He is our intercessor (Hebrews 7:25) so He is concerned about who we are becoming.
What to do? Accept your unworthiness – yes, but don’t stop there. Develop a relationship with Him – He’s waiting for you. When you made Jesus your Lord, your acceptance of Jesus and who and what He did provided you with an acceptance by God because you were made the righteousness in Him (2 Corinthians 7:17-21). And you were invited into His work. You must be strong and resolute and walk in what Jesus has prepared for you… even if you were the only one.
