You Received Christ As What?

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1: 12

By teaching that the way to salvation is solely by accepting Christ, Christians are often accused of being simplistic. I don’t blame those who say that. To the uninitiated, salvation does seem to look as easy as receiving a FedEx package.

But this erroneous notion of a no-strings-attached kind of receiving spawned other unbiblical beliefs. Like a personalized approach to salvation, for example. If you listen closely to Christian conversations, you’ll find that many people seem to think that as long as they have a “personal relationship” with God, they’re fine. The problem is that the definition for “personal” is different for every person.

What they really mean to say is that they have tailored Christ into their own needs. Some want God to be a provider, an emotional anchor, a magician, a shoulder to cry on, a source of positive vibe. But never as LORD.

Contemporary theologian John Piper articulated it eloquently when he asked, “You accepted Christ as what, exactly?”

Good point. Very good point. Because honestly, you can accept Christ and ignore Him afterwards. Like Martha, the busy house keeper. But what good is it if He is not Lord and Master of your life? Paul’s letter to the Colossians gives us a hint what real accepting means:

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must CONTINUE TO FOLLOW HIM . [Colossians 2: 6, emphasis mine]