The Opened Sight
THE
OPENED SIGHT
“I now send you, to
open their eyes . . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . .” (Acts
26:17-18).
T
|
his
verse is the greatest example of the true essence of the message of a disciple
of Jesus Christ in all of the New Testament.
God’s
first sovereign work of grace is summed up in the words, “. . . that they may
receive forgiveness of sins . . . .” When a person fails in his personal
Christian life, it is usually because he has never received anything. The only sign that a person is saved is that he
has received something from Jesus Christ. Our job as workers for God is to open
people’s eyes so that they may turn themselves from darkness to light. But that
is not salvation; it is conversion—only the effort of an awakened human being.
I do not think it is too broad a statement to say that the majority of so-called
Christians are like this. Their eyes are open, but they have received nothing.
Conversion is not regeneration. This is a neglected fact in our preaching
today. When a person is born again, he knows that it is because he has received
something as a gift from Almighty God and not because of his own decision. People
may make vows and promises, and may be determined to follow through, but none
of this is salvation. Salvation means that we are brought to the place where we
are able to receive something from God on the authority of Jesus Christ, namely
forgiveness of sins.
This is followed by God’s second
mighty work of grace: “. . . and inheritance among those who are sanctified . .
. .” In sanctification, the one who has been born again deliberately gives up
his right to himself to Jesus Christ, and identifies himself entirely with God’s
ministry to others.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
MY
UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST
OSWALD
CHAMBERS
Edited by James Reimann
Comments