Jan
25
2010
What does it mean to “accept Jesus”?
“You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9
You and I are not integrated, unified, whole persons. Our hearts are multi-divided. There is a board room in every heart. Big table. Leather chairs. Coffee. Bottled water. Whiteboard. A committee sits around the table. There is the social self, the private self, the work self, the sexual self, the recreational self, the religious self, and others. The committee is arguing and debating and voting. Constantly agitated and upset. Rarely can they come to a unanimous, wholehearted decision. We tell ourselves we’re this way because we’re so busy with so many responsibilities. The truth is, we’re just divided, unfocused, hesitant, unfree.
That kind of person can “accept Jesus” in either of two ways. One way is to invite him onto the committee. Give him a vote too. But then he becomes just one more complication. The other way to “accept Jesus” is to say to him, “My life isn’t working. Please come in and fire my committee, every last one of them. I hand myself over to you. Please run my whole life for me.” That is not complication; that is salvation.
“Accepting Jesus” is not just adding Jesus. It is also subtracting the idols.
35 Comments
Ray,
#1 – Thank you for this blog. It is very edifying.
#2 – This post should be developed into a book! Great post!
First of all, I love the simplicity of this blog. I don’t always have time to read long explanations of biblical truths, but this is great (I seem to write really long ones…but you inspire me to keep it short!). Secondly, I love this. I know way too many Christians that just use Jesus when it is convenient. Then they wonder why their life is a mess. They can’t understand why something happens because they do not understand God. They don’t open up their Bibles nor do they pray. They look for a quick fix instead of looking to the real thing. This is my prayer this year “Jesus, run my whole life”. My way stinks. His way is perfect. Great stuff. My third comment is I love all the art prints on this page. I homeschool and we teach art so I’m always drawn to these biblical paintings. They are truly wonderful. Thanks for sharing
I’m so grateful for this reminder of what turning from idols looks like – it’s what happened for salvation and yet in order serve this true and living God, I need to continually choose to hand myself over to him…in order for my heart to be truly free and undivided.
[...] conclusion: That kind of person [read the entire post for context] can “accept Jesus” in either of two ways. One way is to invite him onto [...]
Ray, I’m blessed by you and your ministry. Thank you so very much for this post. May the Lord grant me grace to continue to topple any idols vying for my heart’s affection.
I agree for the most part. I feel like our Heavenly Father gave us unique personalities and talents and abilities. These different “selves” that God has blessed us with shouldn’t be discarded, but should each embrace God’s will, as the Savior embraced God’s will. When our whole self becomes one with Christ and His will as Christ became one with the Father and His will, then can He (our Savior) use those unique talents and qualities that He gave us in the first place to better magnify His work on the earth.
“It is by grace that we are saved, after all that we can do.”
[...] Ray Ortlund: “You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9 [...]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Brad Evangelista, Yancey Arrington, John Starke, Andrew Shansky, John Domingo and others. John Domingo said: There's a board room in every heart. 1 way "2 accept Jesus" is 2 invite him onto the committee. Give him a vote. Or… http://trunc.it/4wczo [...]
[...] Read the whole article at Ray’s blog. [...]
Ray,
I loved that post! Thanks for the simpicity and humility.. challenges me everyday by reading your blog… keep it up brother
Honest inquiry (I randomly stumbled onto this blog):
So if I understand this correctly, what you’re essentially saying is, stop listening to every piece of yourself that has been created and has come out of your own experiences and evolution and life, and replace those voices and views with some single perspective derived from… what?… the values and ideas your church has instilled in you?
What makes you despise yourself so much that you would be so willing to forget or ignore everything you are/have become, and defer yourself to someone else’s ideal?
As a secondary question, do you not see how open to manipulation this makes you?
Thanks, Dan.
As for question one, it’s complex. While it is true that God created the me that I am and has shaped my experience of life along the way, it is also true that I have corrupted that God-created me — so much so, that I am beyond self-remedy. Moreover, a wise church does not instill ideals in anyone; a wise church displays the One who gives life back to people who have failed their ideals.
Question two. I despise myself because I am despicable.
Question three, I do not believe that turning to the living Christ in total vulnerability is a dangerous act. Even if we avoid the manipulations swirling around us, what assurance do we have that we cannot be self-deceived?
Thanks again for your interaction. If you’re in the Nashville area, let’s have coffee sometime.
Dan,
I just finished listening to a sermon delivered by Dr Ortlund based upon “the board room.” I believe it was delivered either last Sunday (Jan 24th) or the Sunday before. You (and a whole lot of other folks) would benefit greatly by hearing this sermon. Here’s why:
Using “the board room” as an introduction, Dr Ortlund goes on to address a very serious and one of the most piercing questions of our day: “If Christianity is so great, why isn’t it working for everyone?” (my paraphrase) The sermon speaks to both the Christian and the non-Christian.
I have personally met each and every one of those ‘board members’ and as I approach my 70th birthday, I can say without hesitation that not one of them has brought love, joy, peace or contentment into my life. On the contrary, each and every one of them has brought strife, misery, sorrow, grief, pain and a feeling of complete and utter emptiness.
I was delighted to see that Dr Ortlund characterizes himself as ‘despicable.’ I, too, am despicable. Perhaps G.K. Chesterton said it best in one of the shortest ‘Letters to the Editor’ ever written: “Dear Sir, In response to your article, ‘What’s Wrong With the World’… I am.”
Unless your life is already full of love, joy, peace and contentment, I would advise you to buy a ticket to Nashville and take Dr Ortlund up on his offer. Even though I have never met him, I am sure you would see a man uniquely blessed with the love of God and he would no doubt share with you a message that would change your life forever.
I will be praying that you will make that trip!
Best wishes, Dan!
Gary Sullivan
P.S. That sermon will most likely be posted soon on this website: http://www.immanuelnashville.com/
Hi Gary,
If you post the sermon, I will listen to it (if you could leave a comment here when you post it so that I’m informed when it happens, that would be great!).
Nobody’s life is completely full of love, joy, peace and contentment… though I tell you, if I could afford to go to Nashville to meet Dr. Ortlund, I would. Nashville itself has a wonderful history I would love to explore in person. Maybe one day
Greetings Dan!
I am delighted that you are willing to listen to that sermon. I am just a new visitor to the website so I do not know exactly how long it takes for them to post a sermon. I noted that they do have Jan 3rd’s sermon posted; however, that is the newest one as of a few minutes ago. Nonetheless, my daughter attends Dr Ortlund’s church and she brought me the CD on Sunday. I will either find out when the sermon will be posted, or, I will, somehow, someway, get it up somewhere so you can give a listen.
I think it will speak to your heart; I know that it surely spoke to mine and I have been a Christian for 40 years.
Yes, you are entirely correct that no one’s life is completely full of love, joy, peace and contentment…that’s for sure! However, in my life’s experience, I have chased a lot of things and I discovered that only Jesus Christ can bring TRUE love, joy, peace and contentment. My continuing prayer will be that you, too, will know and be able to share that experience.
Take care, Dan!
Gary
Dan,
I also stumbled upon this blog, and while I do believe in Jesus Christ and His ability to “save” us, I don’t completely agree with this blogger’s point of view, as I am not a “typical Christian.” Anyway, I think that what you may be misunderstanding is that Jesus is in-fact real and His Spirit does in-fact influence us and help us to become better if we have faith in Him.
I’m not attempting to convince you, but there ARE truths out there that are very skewed based on many misinterpretations of the bible. The facts are facts. They are true. The difficulty is knowing what the truth really is. The only way to know the truth is to (1) Have faith in God (hard to do, because this requires believing without seeing) and then (2) Asking him with faith what the truth is. This can be as easy as simply desiring to believe. Let that desire work in you, and soon your faith can be strengthened. Faith WILL one day become perfect knowledge.
You may see this as manipulation, but I see it as humility and opening one’s-self to be enlightened and influenced in a good, perfect, Godly way.
My $.02
jemron: I disagree with you that Jesus is in-fact real, and also that his spirit influences us. What you call his spirit, I call the idea of him as described and repeated by individuals in history – though maybe this is a question of semantics. Furthermore, to me, your insistence that “The only way to know the truth is to have faith in god” implies that faith and truth are interchangable. Truth does not come from faith. Believe comes from faith. And belief and truth are not always the same thing (in fact, I might argue that they rarely correlate).
Ray: Your comment about how “a wise church displays the One….” is exactly what I am saying. A wise church (or any church really), in crafting/deciding upon their display, makes decisions about how it is to be presented. Those decisions ultimately shape your understanding and beliefs about who and/or what God ultimately is (maybe not wholly, as personal experience plays into it as well, but certainly to a large degree). Your personal understanding and interpretation are guided (in a sense) but the information and ideas that your church (and family and friends and community) exposes you to.
Regarding manipulation and deception, your question of “what assurance do we have that we cannot be self-deceived?” is a moot-point in today’s world… what we know about psychology and, more important, neurology tells as that we can in-fact be self-deceived. We do it regularly. And, in a capitalist society where countless number of people and corporations want (or perhaps Need) us to buy things, we are continually being deceived or manipulated. This is a reality of the society in which we live.
Anyway, I’m not really trying to make a point here. I just wanted to probe your thoughts. Thanks for the replies
Dan
PS. I’m sure I would enjoy taking you up on that coffee but I am nowhere near Tennessee.
sorry, a few edits:
BELIEF comes from faith*
guided BY the information*
…Shows how much I proof-read before posting
[...] can read his entire post here [...]
[...] What does it mean to “accept Jesus”? Ray Ortlund [...]
[...] Christ is Deeper Still, Thanks [...]
Pastor, thanks a lot for this reminder. True, without getting rid of something there is no point in inclusion as we still be the same…
[...] What does it mean to “accept Jesus”? – Ray Ortlund’s Blog [...]
So instead of listening to your committee evaluating choices by reason, you should play a coup on your reason and listen to the rules governed by someone I’ve never seen. (Yes I do believe some hippy-like people in the zero-ies believed in him, however in this time and place it’s just stupid)
Have you guys ever read ALL the rules which are in the bible?
Half of them are nice, half of them are bad. Beating your wife for one. Of course no-one in his right mind beats his wife and the verses referring to this are considered legacy and are abstracted when the church leader makes it’s rounds through the big book. But what good is a book if you let it govern your life but you only read the parts which are socially accepted and reasonable? You effectively made a new religion by leaving parts out you don’t like. So I followed modern day christianity to the extreme, and left out all it’s parts. I found it much more appealing to think by reason, and I really like it’s derivatives which are in the form of nice norms and values (these include not killing and stealing). YEE ! everybody happy and no more church time
[...] (although, it won’t hurt); I say it because I love God and want to know Him better. I read Ray Ortlund’s blog the other day. I think what he said is really good in regards to accepting Jesus. I hope you [...]
[...] Subtracting Idols “Accepting Jesus” is not just adding Jesus. It is also subtracting the idols. What does it mean to “accept Jesus”? by Ray [...]
[...] accepting Jesus I don’t really know how to quote a blog appropriately, but this is a beautiful and very challenging description of accepting Jesus straight from a Ray Ortlund blog on The Gospel Coalition [...]
[...] Jesus” is not just adding Jesus. It is also subtracting the idols. Ray Ortlund Comments [...]
Colin Smith at The Orchard (in Chicago, previously Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church) did a sermon series exploring the metaphor of the boardroom a few years ago. He had six members of the board: mind, heart, will, imagination, memory, and conscience. Psalm 115:1-8 was the root text, while many others were explored as each board member was investigated each week. His recommendation was to make Christ the CHAIRMAN of the board – bringing the other members into order and helping them work together toward a new and better purpose – the purpose for which they were made: knowing and glorifying God.
Sermons can be found online at unlockingthebible.org.
I had a dream lastnight and in it there was a boy named ray 9 it was so crazy that I woke up and googled ray 9 and this blog popped up.what does it mean 2 accept jesus!could this be a sign.
This video speaks pointedly about decisions made by fellow believers, versus those made by a simple prompting. I think this will clarify it for Dan and everyone else in regard to living and respponding day to day as a Christian.
Regeneration v. The Idolatry of Decisional “Evangelism” (Paul Washer)
Posted on May 15, 2010 by Jeremy
See and hear video on-line at:
http://grammateus.wordpress.com/2010/05/15/regeneration-v-the-idolatry-of-decisional-evangelism-paul-washer/
Thanks for posting this Pete.
I tried to watch it, though I have to admit it was too difficult. From the beginning, the speaker speaks too fast to follow for someone like me who does not have the context or get the references. I also have a hard time interpreting the anecdotes and quotes.
Anyway, it was nice to come back here again and re-read the blog post as well as the comments. I am encouraged to have further discussions about faith in general as it is always controversial yet exciting to talk about.
Best Regards,
Dan
His last line is the best, IMO: ” ‘Accepting Jesus’ is not just adding Jesus. It is also subtracting the idols.”
I have concerns, though, about the way he describes what keeps us from “accepting” Jesus. He makes man’s nature look not so sinful, as though our reason for not accepting Christ is that we are “just divided, unfocused, hesitant, unfree.” Why didn’t he just tell it like it is?–man rejects Christ because he is a rebel at heart. Over and over again Scripture makes that as plain as day: In spite of his knowledge of the truth and what God expects, man deliberately, consciously refuses to come to the light because his deeds are evil (John 3). It has nothing to do with inner turmoil. Maybe that’s not what the author meant, but if not he should have chosen his words better, IMO.
Thanks, Jeremy. We are in agreement. But when I call us “unfree,” I may be saying something more than you are saying. Yes, we are rebels at heart, as you say. But “unfree” means we are rebels at heart and can’t do anything about that. Our inner turmoil is what alerts us to our unfreedom, evidence of our bondage to rebellion.