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Are you a foolish virgin?


 
 

 

 

 

 

 



Take hold of eternal life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 






 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus is the way,
 the truth, and the life

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5 –

"Turning to God and being saved takes a long time"

 

 

 

 

One of the converts’ basic ideas is that turning to God and being saved takes a long time and that one must grow into it. They do not believe in quick conversions and may deem them foolish, thinking that they themselves are humble when denying the possibility. They may think that it is completely impossible for a man to receive grace, salvation, and eternal life in a split second – without any merits.

   The well-known preacher D.L. Moody wrote about this. He writes of a convert who did not believe in quick conversions. Mainly because of this, Moody spoke about this issue in that town: 

 

People speak about conversion. What is conversion? The best way to find out is to turn to the Bible. Many people do not want to believe in quick conversions. But as we can die in a split second, could we not also receive eternal life in a split second?

   When Sankey and I were in Europe, there was a man who in a few places rose to resist the dangerous doctrines we were said to preach – one of them being quick conversions. The man explained that conversion is something that requires time and growing into. My dear reader, do you know what I do when someone resists what I preach? I take out my Bible and look at what it says. And if I see that I am right, I preach even more vehemently. In the above-mentioned town, I preached about quick conversions more than in any other town I had ever preached in. I would very much wanted to know how much time Jesus spent on the conversion of Zaccheus, how long on the wife whom he met at the well in Sychar, how long on the wife in the temple who had been caught committing adultery, how long on the wife who oiled his feet and wiped them with her hair. Did she not leave with these words of the Savior ringing in her ears, "Go in peace?"

   No one could predict that Zaccheus would turn to God when he had climbed the sycamore tree, and yet he had turned to God when he came down from the tree. The conversion must have then taken place as he was coming down the tree. Wasn’t that a quick conversion? "But," someone may say, "that was because Christ himself was there.” My friend, people turned to God much quicker after Jesus had gone to Heaven than when He was on Earth. Peter preached, and three thousand turned to God in one day. Another time, Peter and John healed a man in the portico of a temple at 3 p.m., after which they went to preach into the temple. By the evening, the congregation had increased by five thousand who had turned to God, and all of them were Jews. Was this not also a very quick conversion? (14)

 

So, if we want to know whether the conversion takes a long or a short time, it is best to check the Bible. The Bible teaches us that in biblical times, conversions were quick and happened in a split second. Let's study this in the light of the next verses: 

 

 - (Luke 7:50) And he said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace.

 

- (Luke 19:2-9) And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

3  And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

4  And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

5  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at your house.

6  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

7  And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

8  And Zacchaeus stood, and said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

9  And Jesus said to him, This day is salvation come to this house, as much as he also is a son of Abraham.

 

- (Acts 2:41, 47) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added to them about three thousand souls.

47  Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

 

- (Acts 4:4) However, many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

 

- (Acts 9:32-35) And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelled at Lydda.

33  And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy.

34  And Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ makes you whole: arise, and make your bed. And he arose immediately.

35  And all that dwelled at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.

 

- (Acts 11:20-21) And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spoke to the Grecians, preaching the LORD Jesus.

21  And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned to the Lord.

 

- (Acts 16:25-34) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises to God: and the prisoners heard them.

26  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

27  And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

28  But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm: for we are all here.

29  Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

30  And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house.

32  And they spoke to him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

33  And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

34  And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

 

- (1 Thess 1:9) For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

 

Where DOES convertS’ view of THE impossibility of quick conversions come from?

 

As we search for the reason why converts generally do not believe in quick conversions, we can see that it might they do not believe the grace of God can be received in a split second. The usual way of thinking is that we must do something to earn our salvation and that nothing comes simply through grace. They think that we need to do good deeds, and need time in which to do them, in order to earn salvation, which makes quick conversions quite impossible.

   Since converts establish their own righteousness through a long process and do not understand that salvation is a gift, they obviously cannot believe in quick conversions. A change in converts’ way of thinking can only take place when they understand that salvation is a gift, and stop trying to justify themselves. This important point is underlined in the next verses: 

 

 - (Rom 10:3) For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.

 

- (Rom 3:24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

 

Oswald J. Smith described receiving salvation as a gift. He wrote that the gift is always received in an instant. One moment you do not have the gift and the very next you do: 

 

How could it be otherwise? Assume that I offer you a gift. In that moment you do not yet have the gift, but in the very next moment, you do. The gift must move from my hand to yours in a second. Eternal life is a gift. There is a moment when you do not have it, and then there is the next moment when you have it. There must be a specific moment when you receive it. No other way is possible. We do not know of a single case in which conversion was gradual. Eternal life is always received instantly.

   When did it happen to you? Where did it take place? Has there been a moment in your life when you stepped forward, knelt at the altar, talked to a pastoral care worker? Have you received Jesus Christ as your Savior? How did it take place? Perhaps you do not know the exact moment or hour, but do you know that it has happened? Are you sure that you have experienced this? If so, let me once again say that it happened in one moment. (15)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jari Iivanainen




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