Have You Really Come To Christ?

Dr. Jay Worth Allen

All the excellencies, both Divine and human, are found in the Lord Jesus, yet fallen mankind sees in Him no beauty. No desire. No need. They may be instructed in “the doctrine of Christ,” they may believe all that the Bible affirms of Him, they may speak His name, profess to be resting on His finished work, sing His praises, yet their hearts may be far from Him. The things of this world have the first place in their affections. The gratifying of self is their dominant concern. Their life is not surrendered to Him. He is too Holy to suit their love of sin; His claims too exacting to suit their selfish hearts; His terms of discipleship too severe to suit their fleshly ways. They will not yield to His Lordship. Until God performs a miracle of grace upon their hearts, they cannot, nor will not, Come to Christ.

“Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28) contains a gracious invitation, made by the compassionate Savior to a particular class of sinners. Notice, the “all” is qualified by the words, which immediately follow. This declaration is clearly defined to those who “labor” and are “heavy laden.” It does not apply to the vast majority of light-headed, pleasure-seeking fellows, who have no regard for God’s glory and no concern for their eternal welfare. No, the word for such creatures is, “Rejoice . . . and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know you, that for all these things God will bring you to judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9). But to those who have “labored,” who are “heavy laden” with their utter inability to meet His requirements, who long to be delivered from the power of sin, Christ says, “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.”

“No man can come to Me, except the Father which has sent Me draw him” (John 6:44), tells us that Coming to Christ is not an easy matter, as many imagine. The incarnate Son of God declares that such an act is utterly impossible to a fallen and depraved creature unless His Divine power is brought to bear upon that creature. Coming to Christ is far different from coming forward and taking an evangelist’s hand, signing a Decision card, joining a Church, or any of the “many inventions” of man (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Before any one can or will Come to Christ their heart must be supernaturally changed, their stubborn will must be supernaturally broken.

“All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37) is unpalatable to the carnal mind, yet it is precious to the child of God. It is the blessed truth of unconditional election, the discriminating grace of God. It speaks of a favored people whom the Father gives to His Son. It declares that every one of that blessed company shall Come to Christ. The effects of their sinful birth in Adam, the power of indwelling sin, the efforts of Satan, the deceptive delusions of blind preachers, will not be able to hinder them. When God’s appointed hour comes, each of His elect is delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His dear Son. No matter how unworthy and vile we are, no matter how long the catalogue of our sins, He will by no means despise or fail to welcome us, and under no circumstance will He ever cast us off.

“If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26,27) makes known the terms on which Christ is willing to receive sinners. His uncompromising claims of His holiness are set out. He must be crowned Lord of all, or He will not be Lord at all. All that pertains to “the flesh” - a loved one or self - has to be hated. And with that, we must “bear” the badge of Christian discipleship, our “cross,” our self-denial - self-sacrifice ruling our heart.

“To whom coming, as unto a living Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious” (1 Peter 2:4) tells us to continue as we began. We are to Come to Christ not once, but frequently, daily. He is the only One who can minister to our needs, and to Him we must constantly turn for the supply. In our emptiness, we must draw from His “fullness” (John 1:16). In our weakness, we must turn to him for strength. In our ignorance we must turn to Him for wisdom. In our sin, we must seek His cleansing. All we need for time and eternity is stored up in Him: refreshment when we are weary (Isaiah 40:31), healing when we are sick (Exodus 15:26), comfort when we are sad (1 Peter 5:7), deliverance when we are tempted (Hebrews 2:18).

“Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come to God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25) assures us of the eternal security of those who do Come. Christ saves “to the uttermost,” forever. He is not of one mind today and another tomorrow. No, He is “the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). None whose name is indelibly stamped on the heart of our great High Priest can ever perish.

“This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ” (Acts 17:3). Have you really come to Him?

Have You Really Come To Christ?
Published: 10 August 2011 on Freed In Christ! blogsite.
Published: 28 July 2011 in FAITH Column of The County Journal.

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