THE PROPOSAL AND ACCEPTANCE: GETTING TO KNOW YOU
I take You to be my Savior and Lord…
Before most weddings there is an intention stated – a proposal where the plan or goals for the future are discussed and understood. Usually two people have spent some time getting to know one another.
Let’s look at who Jesus is so we can seriously consider God’s proposal to us.
The first chapter of the book of John tells us Jesus is Creator, He is eternal, He is the true Light, He became flesh and dwelt among us, He is the only begotten Son of God, grace and truth are realized through Him, Jesus is Lord, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, He is our Teacher, the Messiah, the King of Israel, the Son of Man. (John 1:1-51)
This list is just from one chapter out of one book in the entire Bible!
Consider. When you have an important decision to make, what do you do? What are the steps you take to try to make a good decision?
My husband and I reach most major decisions painfully slow. We gather information and we ask lots of questions. When we’ve purchased vehicles, we’ve searched reports and look at ratings; when our children each went to college, we visited the universities and asked about the percentage of students who graduated and the background of professors teaching. We’ve searched the internet for statements of beliefs when helping our children find a church in their college towns.
Think about medical treatments for a moment. Most of us wouldn’t consider going to a doctor who didn’t have the right credentials. And then, if there is a serious problem, we get a second opinion to be sure we have all the correct information.
Keep in mind the tremendous information, or credentials, listed from the Bible about who Jesus is and let us also look at what He did.
Jesus voluntarily gave His life for ours. Let that truth sink in for a moment. Did you ask Jesus to give His life for you so you could live? On what merit would you deserve such a gift? John 10:14-15, says “I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
Jesus is perfect yet accepted punishment for our sin so that we might have eternal life. Jesus, our Creator, the Son of God, our Lord, Teacher, Messiah and King, humbled Himself to death on a cross because He loves us that much, more than we will ever be able to comprehend.
Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
When we begin to appreciate even just a portion of the information written down for us in the Bible about who Christ is and what He did, it’s truly baffling to think He would even know our name let alone offer us anything. But God does have a serious proposal for us and it is important that we understand His plan, the Gospel.
The Bible says God wants to take us for Himself, He prefers us above all other creation. He has made a deliberate decision that we are the most suitable to live eternally with Him. In 2 Thessalonians 2:13, it says “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”
How can that be? It’s like winning the lottery without even playing it! I’m sure we cannot fully comprehend all the implications of His love for us and how He chose us. But, we do have enough information to make an appropriate decision.
God’s word explains that heaven is a free gift and is not earned or deserved. We are sinners and there is a penalty owed for our transgressions that we are unable to pay. Before you think to yourself, “I’m not that bad”, or “I haven’t committed any grievous sin, remember all it takes is one sin to be blemished. Even an unkind thought causes us to miss the mark of perfection. God loves us but because He is perfect He cannot look upon our sin – our relationship has been severed. There’s a chasm between us that we are unable to cross. We need to be saved!! We need a Savior to make things right. So, God sent His Perfect Son, Jesus, to be our perfect sacrifice.
Consider. Gods Son. Jesus. Perfect in all ways. Given to us. To die sacrificially on a cross. In Jesus’ death, the payment for our sin and the sin of the entire world was fully covered. The chasm separating us from God has been bridged in Jesus’s death and resurrection.
Traditional wedding vows begin with the words, “I take you”. Since the essential plan of salvation and the choosing of it originates from God and is completed in His Son, we’ll change the word take to confess. To confess means we acknowledge and agree with certain information. This is the first step in our relationship with Christ.
I confess you, Jesus Christ, to be my Savior and Lord …
Romans 10:9-10 says, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; 10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Our acceptance of the gift of salvation is a public declaration that what God says is true. He says we are sinful – we wholeheartedly agree. He says we need His Son to save us – we say Amen! We then accept His plan and enter into a covenant with Him.
However, we are not forced into this agreement. It’s available to each of us but must be accepted not only with an understanding of our mind but most important with our heart – recognizing the need we have for the Savior, Jesus Christ.
The action of accepting God’s proposal is available only through His grace. He opens our eyes to the truth and allows us to respond favorably. Our response is accompanied by a sincere desire to worship and follow God. John 10:27 says “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
I have three brothers, two older and one four years younger. I remember sitting with my younger brother in the kitchen after everyone else was finished with dinner. He was much more interested in the things going on around him than he was in eating. While my Mom would be washing the dishes, I would try all kinds of things to get my brother to finish his dinner. I’m sure some of you can relate to this with stories of your own. Have you ever played airplane with a spoonful of food? How about choo-choo? “Here comes the train, open the tunnel”! Quite a bit of effort went into persuading my little brother to eat so he would grow up healthy and strong.
Think about getting your dog or cat to swallow a pill. We used to have a Bassett hound, not real smart but really cute! TO get her to take medication, my husband would shove a tablet into the back of her throat, hold her mouth closed and quickly blow in her face. No matter how many times this happened, she was surprised and she would swallow!
Our son’s dog, Pooh Bear, would take medication only if it was disguised and wrapped in a piece of baloney. The only way to get Squirt, my daughter’s cat, to swallow a pill was by forcing your finger half way down her throat while trying to hold on to her. We didn’t think to ourselves, “Gee, I think I’ll give the dog or cat a pill today, this will be fun!” Yet, we were willing to take these actions because we knew our pets needed it.
God loves us and knows what we need. So He took extreme measures to save us for Himself. He knows what is best for us and desires each of us to escape the judgment of hell we deserve. He has given us the remedy. But, unlike the coercing used to get my brother to eat or give the animals medication, God won’t force us to accept His plan. His gift of salvation is the only thing that will keep us from spiritual death and eternal condemnation but He won’t make us receive His gift. He won’t shove it down our throat like a pill we need or disguise it as something else. Through His grace we must freely accept what He offers. God doesn’t play games with us.
God has offered to us His plan of redemption through Jesus. We need to respond. Each individual reading this has either accepted or rejected Christ. There is no middle road. You may be thinking this isn’t the right time or perhaps it’s something to consider at a later date. But, at one point, either now or in the future, you will have to make a choice. Just as we can’t drive down a road for very long without eventually making a decision to turn right or left, we are unable to ignore Christ’s prop0sal forever.
Often a beautiful ring is given upon the acceptance of a wedding proposal. It symbolizes a promise for the future and is proudly worn for everyone to see. God gives to us the gift of His Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus. The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ promise to us for the future we have with Him. 2 Corinthians 1:22 says that God “sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge”. What we need to do is place our hands in His outstretched arms and receive the gift He offers.
What usually follows the acceptance of a proposal? Great excitement! You can’t wait to tell everyone all the details! My husband asked me to marry him late in the evening and I remember calling my family and a few close friends at two in the morning to share the news! When we are truly excited about something and believe strongly in something or someone, we have a hard time being quiet! More than twenty-five years ago, the church I attend was quite a bit smaller and the music was a bit less formal. We used to sing a song called, “Shake a Friend’s Hand”. Depending on who was leading music, the words would be replaced by different actions, basically meant to give us time to greet one another. So we would not only shake a friend’s hand but also pat a friend’s back and even sometimes squeeze a friend’s knee. It was always fun and a great way to start a service. The Sunday after I was engaged, a good friend was leading music and began with this song. After a few of the usual verses, he said the words, “check a friend’s ring”. Of course we were all excited to share the news!
When we understand the gift we’ve been given in Christ, there is nothing we would rather discuss with those around us. We are compelled to speak about His love.
When I was eighteen years old, I worked in a physician’s office. I remember a young woman in her early twenties who answered the phones. I was very uncomfortable around her. It’s not because she wasn’t nice, she was probably the most thoughtful, honest and kind employee in the office. But almost every time we had a conversation it would center on God, her church and her involvement at her church, inviting us to attend. She even invited me to go to a Bible study with her! I remember thinking to myself she was like one of those evangelist people I had heard about who would knock on your door and try to talk to you about the Bible. Can you imagine?!!
I was not very welcoming towards her friendship and regrettably, I don’t even recall her name. But, if I was able, I would thank her for trying to share with me what was so important. Regardless of the reception she received from those around her, she was unable to NOT talk of her commitment to Christ. God bless her heart for living out the Gospel. Oh, and by the way, about those evangelist people who try to talk about the Gospel, I’ve knocked on a few doors myself since then!! Doesn’t God have a wonderful sense of humor?!
If you have accepted the proposal of eternal life Christ has offered, get excited!! Speak boldly of what God has done in your life! It will remind you of the amazing gift you have received and it will encourage others to remember their commitment also.
If you have never acknowledged your need for a Savior, there is no time like now. Simply confess your sin and accept Jesus’ death on the cross for you. Let God know you desire to follow Him in obedience. Tell Him you recognize your need to be saved from a sinful, selfish world that has no hope for the future. Then, let those around you rejoice with you in your commitment to Christ. And… get excited because your life will forever be changed!
Just as a wedding proposal points us towards that special day when two people are united, Christ’s proposal to us, once accepted, shifts our focus from things of this earth toward the riches of heaven. We have a future full of promise and certainty!
