Articles
Willing to Receive It
God’s word challenges us on many levels: A truth may clash with our reason; a command may be emotionally difficult to implement; our conscience regarding it may estrange us from someone we love. It is not always easy to embrace God’s will.
As Jesus enlightened the crowds on John’s ministry, He said, “And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Mt 11:14). He does not mean to say their belief validates John, for he is the prophesied Elijah whether they accept it or not. But if they wish to benefit from the ramifications of that truth, they must first acknowledge and submit to it.
Unfortunately, the majority of the Jewish aristocracy chose to reject the heavenly mission of John, and consequently they missed out on all the further blessings associated with it (Jn 5:33-35; Mt 21:23-27; Mt 8:12; 21:43-44).
While it is always advantageous to conform to both propositional and practical truths, there is an active agent seeking to dissuade us from doing so. He is our adversary, the devil, and he uses our pride and selfishness against us to resist what God directs. Here are a few areas where this can happen:
The fate of loved ones. A very powerful impediment to truth is the realization that our parents, grandparents or other loved ones acted or believed contrary to it. Family ties run deep, and it is not easy to admit they are living or have already died in error. This can immediately turn minds away from what Scripture says (reason) to fearing its implications (emotion). True belief will eventually work through the emotion and, in spite of the sorrow truth may produce, acquiesce to the sovereignty of our Lord.
While Scripture does speak clearly at times concerning the fate of those who die in an unrepentant state (i.e., 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Mt 7:21-23; etc.), God reserves the right to make eternal assessments of the souls of His creatures, a right He has conferred upon His Son (Ac 17:31; Rom 2:16). The reason? Only He is capable to see into the depths of man’s heart, to judge motive, intent and purity. These truths stand independent of the particular fate of one’s loved ones, and we should not feel badgered into trying to exonerate God (or the loved one) in this matter.
While it is true that no saved person will be in heaven with all his loved ones, and while it is true that a lost soul would want his/her living loved one to fully accept God’s truth, these musings will probably not persuade someone weak in faith and wracked with anxiety. Each individual has to work through these highly emotional reactions through their own love for the truth and respect for the sovereignty of God.
What I might lose. No doubt, living God’s way cuts us off from many worldly pursuits and pleasures. If the gospel is true, I will lose “my” Sundays, some business contacts and prospects, the praise and prestige of unbelievers, booze, betting and blasphemy. But if we regret the loss of such things, it shows that we have not yet understood. Our old man must be put to death (Rom 6:6) because his ungodly actions and affections were killing our soul. The longer we live in sin, the more intertwined with it our lives become. Repentance is hard and often complicated, but the willingness to renounce “the hidden things of shame” (2 Cor 4:2) manifests true conversion to the Lord and rejection of unrighteousness.
I was wrong. Everyone who becomes a disciple of Christ (disciple = learner) must accept being wrong about a lot of things. This is especially hard for the zealot whose ego depends on being right. Paul’s case is particularly insightful. It would be difficult to find one more studious, zealous and dedicated – and more wrong – than he. He staked his career and the lives and welfare of others on the correctness of his convictions. Few in history have made such a 180 degree turn, but “immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God … and confounded the Jews … proving that this Jesus is the Christ” (Ac 9:20, 22). We can be simultaneously conscientious and wrong (Ac 23:1; 24:16; 1 Tim 1:13), but the truly honest will change when enlightened.
Anthony Flew, a prominent 20th century atheist, renounced his unbelief late in life. What made him “willing to receive” the truth of God’s existence? Flew: “It is simply inconceivable that any material matrix … can generate agents who think and act … A force field does not plan or think. So … the world of living, conscious, thinking beings has to originate in a living Source, a Mind” (The Big Book of Christian Apologetics 177).
The mind closed to the truth can become receptive if it is humble. Like Flew, it may take some longer to get there than others, but God’s truth is a great persuader.
