Beyond Common Sense

The prayer of salvation is as simple as the words ‘I do’ spoken on your wedding day. Those two simple words are spoken in response to the reciting of the traditional wedding vows:

“I, ___, take you, ___, for my lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part.”

Simple, right? I remember witnessing a Christian wedding where the bride’s eyes flared when her husband of just a few minutes smashed the wedding cake in her face, and rightly so! Barbaric tradition! The old sayings, “Actions speak louder than words,” or “Easier said than done” can be applied to both the wedding vows and the prayer of salvation.

The prayer of salvation only comes after a person has understood their need for a Savior. The realization, that sin is in the heart and will keep us from heaven, is coupled with the other understanding: hell is real, and we cry out to our Savior for help and deliverance. If the decision is made flippantly or without understanding, when the going gets tough we quit. We are ridiculed for standing for right—going to church regularly, tithing, getting scripturally baptized, leaving a non-biblical church—and we forsake our words because they were just that: merely words.

It’s no wonder that God uses the marriage relationship as a prototype of His relationship with His church. Marriage is filled with blessings and trials, joys and sorrows, victories and defeats; and all this has to happen while being intrinsically involved with another person!  You both carry the ball to the finish line—together!

Jesus says,

“I, Jesus, take you, dear child  for my lawful child/bride, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, and death is only the beginning!”

Can we make the same vow?

 “I, ___, take you, Jesus, for my lawful Lord/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, knowing that death will only bring us face to face!”

Do I work to keep my marriage working? ABSOLUTELY YES!! Do I work to keep my salvation? ABSOLUTELY NO! I work for Jesus because of all He’s done for me!

This Christmas, take another look at your walk and talk. Does it reflect what is in your heart? If the answer is “yes,” then you have your assurance of salvation! In the Old Testament tabernacle, the Shekinah glory hovered over the Holy of Holies, showing God’s presence. Now, we are the tabernacle or temple of God. The Shine on the inside WILL come out!

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:12-14