Accepting Christ Means Rejecting All Else

[stephen]

"The notion that we enter the Christian life by an act of acceptance is true, but that is not all the truth. There is much more to it than that. Christianity involves an acceptance and a repudiation, an affirmation and a denial. And this not only at the moment of conversion but continually thereafter day by day in all the battle of life till the great conflict is over and the Christian is home from the wars.

To live a life wholly positive is, fortunately, impossible. Were any man able to do such a thing it could be only for a moment. Living positively would be like inhaling continuously without exhaling. Aside from its being impossible, it would be fatal. Exhalation is as necessary to life as inhalation.

To accept Christ it is necessary that we reject whatever is contrary to Him. This is a fact often overlooked by eager evangelists bent on getting results. Like the salesman who talks up the good points of his product and conceals its disadvantages, the badly informed soulwinner stresses the positive side of things at the expense of the negative."

--A.W. Tozer

 

[HoneyBare]

Thanx for sharing that, Stephen. It was so true. Most Christians are just living their lives for themselves. They have no concept of the great things that await them if they could just keep growing in that grace. The awesomeness of living the life God has for them will always be just within reach, but they will never reach it until they truely surrender to Christ as Lord of their lives.

 

[farouk]

Good quote from A W Tozer.

Some forms of so called evangelism are like marketing ploys rather than a call to repentance.

 

[LeanaJo]

I totally agree! You put Jesus into your lifestyle, you are living a better life. Your past will be forgotten and forgiven.

 

[RJ]

"The notion that we enter the Christian life by an act of acceptance is true, but that is not all the truth. There is much more to it than that. Christianity involves an acceptance and a repudiation, an affirmation and a denial. And this not only at the moment of conversion but continually thereafter day by day in all the battle of life till the great conflict is over and the Christian is home from the wars.

To live a life wholly positive is, fortunately, impossible. Were any man able to do such a thing it could be only for a moment. Living positively would be like inhaling continuously without exhaling. Aside from its being impossible, it would be fatal. Exhalation is as necessary to life as inhalation.

To accept Christ it is necessary that we reject whatever is contrary to Him. This is a fact often overlooked by eager evangelists bent on getting results. Like the salesman who talks up the good points of his product and conceals its disadvantages, the badly informed soulwinner stresses the positive side of things at the expense of the negative."

--A.W. Tozer

To accept Christ it is necessary that we reject whatever is contrary to Him.
the badly informed soulwinner stresses the positive side of things at the expense of the negative.

Your words above are so true and something that I try to emphasis in my own faith walk.
The two truths that you mention:

• Christ is the Creator and anything outside His perfect will and nature are contrary to Him, seperates us from Him and is sinful.
• Without sufficient thought or preparation, anything that we, soul winners, stress, or have a thought in, and that can have an eventual negative outcome, is not of God.

One small example:
13When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-15


I know of only one negative outcome that is from God:

The only sin attributal to man's 'Spirtual Death" is the sin of unbelief in the Grace that saves him!

 

[spirit1st]

When we accept Christ Jesus ! We have given ourselves to HIm 100% !Giving HIm His proper place as Lord and master of our lives!

We have agreed to be led and taught by the Spirit of truth and to hear Him and obey Him!

We want His will in our lives and those we encounter in life .

2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

We NOW belong to HIm and want HIS PERFECT WILL!
As i know HE has a perfect will and permissive will!