“I will become a Christian once I get my life together.”
I have heard this phrase too many times to count while talking to people about Jesus. People believe that they need to clean up to become a Christian.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the thing that qualified someone to become a Christian is their filth. Jesus did not say, “I came to affirm the moral.” Or “I came to congratulate the righteous.” Never! Give Jesus the mic and hear him clearly:
“And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”” (Mark 2:17, ESV)
Jesus said this as he ate with sinners (Lk. 2:15-17). He pursued them with the gospel. Paul wore this gospel badge when he said that he was the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Go ahead and line up all the sinners, Paul said, and you will find me at the head of the line. Everyone who is truly in Christ knows that he was once alienated from God, hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds (Col. 1:21).
What Comes First? The Cleansing or the Pleasing?
So many people get this backwards because it is so rarely communicated.
Here is the truth: in order to be pleasing to God we must be cleansed.
What so many hear and believe is this: In order to be cleansed I need to be pleasing to God.
Do you see how deadly this is?
In the latter example who is depended upon?
“In order to be cleansed I need to be pleasing to God.”
I depend on myself. And when will this ever happen? Never.
However, consider the former statement, who is depended upon?
“In order to be pleasing to God we must be cleansed.”
We are looking for help outside of us. We know that we are hopeless within.
Law and Gospel Work
This is what the Law does, it causes us to look in and see, with despair, our own sin. We need to be cleansed. But, we cannot cleanse ourselves because, we are sinners.
Then in flies the gospel declaring to us, “Look not within, but look outside of you! Look unto Christ! His blood is a cleansing blood! He can make you pure!”
If we get the Law / Gospel twisted here then we are fumbling the ball. Worse, we are changing religions! We must be sure that we are clear on this truth, we must be cleansed in order to be pleasing to God. It is always this order and never anything else. We must be cleansed and the cleansing comes from Christ, and from Christ alone!
This’ll preach.
