Conversion
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
John 3:16
STORY
We have come to associate the hymn Just As I Am with the revival meetings held by Billy Graham. In those massive stadiums where tens of thousands have gathered, as the hymn was being sung, we watched the parade of people descending down flights of stadium stairs, crossing a football field to the alter before Graham’s pulpit. There, as they knelt, they were meet by counsellors who prayed over them, either to receive Christ or to be renewed in the Holy Spirit. This hymn became very prominent starting with Graham’s crusades in the late 1940s, was actually written in 1836.
Charlotte Elliott was born in Clapham, England, in 1789. She lived a carefree life as a young adult. In addition to being a portrait artist, she was a writer of humorous verse. This all changed when her health began to fail rapidly, and soon left her as an invalid and bedridden for the rest of her life. In 1822 the noted Swiss evangelist Dr. Caesar Malan visited Elliott in her home. During his spiritual counsel the good doctor shared this truth, “You must come just as you are, a sinner, to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.”
Every year, until her death at the age of 82, Elliott celebrated the day she met with Malan as her spiritual birthday. Fourteen years after Malan counselled her, still remembering the words of truth spoken to her, Charlotte Elliott wrote the hymn Just As I Am.
The first stanza reads:
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
DEVOTION
John 3:16 is probably the most often quoted verse in the Bible. This, of course, is because it is the most succinct statement of our need to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior in order to be forgiven of our sins and find eternity in heaven. Though, what would be more powerful than just quoting this verse is to place it in the life of the person to whom it was first said.
Jesus spoke these words to Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee. There only about 6,000 Pharisees in Israel, so it was a very small group of individuals. This was a group of educated men who were very self-righteous. These men considered themselves as the ultimate authority to interpret the scriptures and the only Jews who perfectly lived in obedience to the laws set down in the Pentateuch. It for this reason that Nicodemus only came to Jesus at night, in the cover of darkness.
Nicodemus was aware of the salvation message of Jesus and desired to learn more. Because of his position in society and concerned about peer pressure, he came to the rabbi in the shadow of night. At first he did not understand the meaning of the words of Jesus that you must be “born again.” The message was clarified that it did not mean a physical rebirth but a spiritual rebirth. Nicodemus left contemplating his conversation with Jesus. We will never know if Nicodemus was ever converted or just being wise when he defended Jesus in the Sanhedrin, and was just being philanthropic when he provided the burial place for Jesus. We can suppose by his behavior that he did accept Jesus as his Savior, though he never publicly acknowledged it. I even question if Nicodemus ever spoke privately about his relationship with Jesus for fear of being discovered as a Christian. We only know for certain that his encounter with Jesus had a significant impact on his life.
Point to Ponder
> Do you only come to Jesus under the cover of darkness because you are concerned of what others might think of you?
o For me: I have never hidden that I have come to Jesus, though I hide in the shadows as I am not as outspoken as I should be.
> Do you understand the meaning of conversion?
o For me: Knowing Jesus as my Savior is more than an intellectual pursuit for it has the inner feeling of assurance that I am saved and that my ultimate destiny is heaven.
> Name three sins that you must be saved from?
o For me: 1) I often have judgmental thoughts towards others, even if those thoughts are never expressed verbally. 2) I am culturally prejudice. I accept people of a different culture, ethnic group, race, and religion, though I am unable to accept their life style, dress, hair style, tattoos, piercings, etc. This would probably mean that I am not as accepting as I think that I am. 3) I can be theologically self-righteous, thinking I am superior in my progressive approach to the scriptures that my more conservative brethren are.
> Was it hard to name three sins from which you must be saved?
o For me: Yes, as it required a lot of self-reflection because my self-righteous thoughts clouded my true understanding of my sinful nature.
> Do you know that you are saved?
o For me: I know it intellectually but it is often hard for head knowledge to become heart knowledge. At times I can still doubt. At times I still fear being accountable for my sins. I know that I am a good person, but I also know that my behavior has hurt many other individuals.
Please share other Points to Ponder so I can update my list
Please share your thoughts with me – if you desire I will publish them for others to read anonymously or first name only or your entire name as you choose