Pastor Dave's Corner-February 2012
By Pastor Dave Banfield | January 30, 2012
The Right Starting Place
At the end of 2011 I read a book titled “Move”. It focuses on helping people grow strong in their faith. One of the most important things that we can do to develop a strong faith is to understand and embrace the core beliefs of Christianity. Over the next few months we will review these core beliefs as we work together to grow in our walk with Jesus. At the top of the list of core beliefs is salvation by grace alone. This is really the starting place for a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
This past October Mankato hosted the Mankato Marathon. The starting line was at MSU and the finish line was at the Civic Center. Those who participated in the race had to be at MSU by 9:00AM. You did not have the option to start downtown and run the other direction. If you wanted to compete you had to be at the right starting line.
In our world today we are told that there are many spiritual starting lines. It doesn’t matter which one you pick because they are all headed in the same direction. You can choose to follow one of the “tradition” spiritual paths, you can choose one of the new hybrid paths, or you can just design your own. We are encouraged to pick the starting line that seems the most comfortable to us.
The Bible makes it very clear that there is only one true spiritual starting line. That is through faith in Christ alone. When Thomas asked Jesus how the disciples were to find their way to the Father’s house, Jesus replied with these words. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NIV)
Throughout human history people have been trying to find their way to God. People have devised many different spiritual pathways to try to bridge the gap between them and God. All of those efforts to connect with God have proven inadequate. No matter how hard we try to connect with God by our own efforts we will always come up short. Paul made it very clear that we just don’t have what it takes. …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 (NIV). Think of it this way. You are standing on one side of the Grand Canyon and you need to get to the other side. You are on your own to build a bridge across the wide gap. No matter how hard you try you will continually fail. Our personal resources are inadequate to bridge the gap between us and God.
Not only are our efforts not enough, our resources are sub-par. Our very best doesn’t even come close to meeting God’s standards. Isaiah put it in graphic terms for us. All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) We are like children coloring a picture with crayons and dirty hands. The paper is smudged. Our lines are thick and uneven. We take our picture to the National Art Gallery and ask to have it displayed. We wouldn’t get past the front door.
The good news is that we can stop trying to impress God. God has invited us into a relationship with Him. Instead of earning God’s favor He has offered it to us freely. The real starting place for a genuine relationship with God is abandoning our efforts and accepting His offer. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) God has opened the door not through our efforts but by His grace. By placing our faith in Jesus we are welcomed into God’s family. There is nothing more we need to do or can do. Our part is to joyfully receive the gift that God has offered to us. The way of salvation is open to all who will come to the right starting line. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13 (NIV)
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