How many times have you heard a person come forward to make their good confession at the end of the service, and you hear them say, "I accept Him as my personal savior?"
What does this imply? Is this mentioned in the scriptures?
What ever happened to people saying, "I accept Him as my Lord and Savior?"
I am afraid that in our society we are taught early on that we live in a "me" society. Our culture is all about selfie.
It troubles me a bit that people want a personal savior. I am afraid that some may think that by having this special relationship that they will come to think that Jesus "understands" them and their circumstances and will have a compassion on them because of their relationship. In believing this, they are bringing Jesus down to their level of humanity, instead of growing up in grace, being faithfully obedient through trying times, and having a godly sorrow within themselves when they fail.
They use their personal relationship to justify behavior instead of repentance and being obedient to their "Lord" and savior. Really, who wouldn't want a loving friend rather than a Lord?
Now, please don't misunderstand me, I definitely believe that each of us, Christians, must have a relationship with God. We do need to talk to Him (prayer) and listen to Him (meditate) and be committed to Him. That is a relationship. However it is not personal. I am not special (favored) by God because my prayer life is better than someone else's. and just because you can quote the Bible backwards and forwards, you aren't loved better by Him. No, scripture teaches us that God has no favorites. “For God shows no partiality.” Romans 2:11 and Acts 10:34 “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,”
God loves everyone. EVERYONE! Even those that do not love Him back.
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 ESV
When we become children of God we begin to grow in Grace and Knowledge. We grow up into Him by learning to trust more fully and by doing our best to continue on with the work that Christ, then the apostles started. Jesus prayed to God for us, you and me, when He said,
“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
John 17:22-23 ESV
Jesus wants us to be unified, but not just with Him. He wants unity with all believers. We are all one in Him. It is never and was never meant to be an individual journey. We are saved into a body, The Body, of Christ. It is one of the very first things God does for a new convert, He adds them to the church, the body. “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:41, 47 NASB
If God wanted "a personal relationship" why would He add us into the body (church?)
It's because we need each other. We are meant to be side by side, working together, each doing our part, functioning as a body, with Jesus as Head. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV
Let's work toward unity. Let's build each other. Let's love each other instead of trying to do it on our own. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
1 John 4:11 ESV
Let's have a relationship with God. Let's have a relationship with Jesus. Let's have a relationship with each other. Let's' have the kind of relationship that Jesus prayed for, that we are all ONE.
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