Preface: The following post is only two weeks old....and was posted under the title....A Personal Relationship With Jesus Christ....question mark. I referenced the movie The Blind Side in it....and in the latest news on the controversy a lawyer for the 'adopting' family said that the word 'adopted' was only used...."colloquially." Well there is the problem....not only with the charitable and loving family and the young football star....but in the whole of evangelicalism today....only it is a mirror image of the controversy....where we evangelicals use the phrase 'born again'.....colloquially....not knowing or caring of the legality of the matter! Thus maybe half of evangelicals in America today....(my estimate).....will find out at the judgment that they were never legally adopted! How many evangelicals are there in America today? Well it depends on the definition used but I can accept the one figure that Pew put out of 62 million. That sounds about right....and if my opinion is anywhere near valid....then about 30 million Americans today would be....born again.....or to use another word colloquially....'saved'....which would be about ten percent of Americans....(and I think that would be a very generous estimate!). Folks....an America that is ten percent Christian....is not a Christian nation! The highly political element today in evangelicalism might want to reconsider not only their political goals....and God's protection....but make sure of their own salvation....which is what we all are to do anyway!
I've had this happen two times in the past two weeks....in normal conversations with Christian friends....they used the terminology....'personal relationship with Jesus Christ'....in that one must have that 'relationship' with Jesus Christ to be saved. Both times I must have had a pained expression on my face. The second time I quickly mentioned that one must be....born again.
This description of what a Christian is....prevalent among evangelicals for the past forty years....and maybe longer if Billy Graham used the phrase in his early years of ministry.....this description in retrospect has done far more harm than good.
There were essentially two Billy Grahams....the early years and the later years. He became much more serious in the last few decades....so much so that it was commented upon....and he himself....in one of his last books....wondered if he had early in his ministry presented a gospel that was not as demanding as it should have been.
I have witnessed something like this many times over the years....and I cringe every time....some minister.....usually on television....tells of some revival that he led.....maybe in Africa or even here in America.....and he will tell of the thousands....even tens of thousands that were saved.....and he has the film to prove it. It is all absolute nonsense. It is said that William Carey....the Father of Modern Missions....ministered in India for seven years before he saw his first convert!
Michael Oher....of the film The Blind Side....has been in the news a lot lately. The issue is....was he adopted or wasn't he? If he wasn't....then it was a relationship that he had with this helpful and loving family. If he was adopted....then he is part of that family.
So today.....in evangelicalism....if one has a 'personal relationship' with Jesus Christ....it doesn't necessarily mean anything. The new heart has to be given! The eyes have to be opened! The adoption must be finalized! I cannot recommend too strongly to you that you listen to sermons.....from either preachers of the past....or preachers today who preach like preachers of the past....on being born again. Even if you have been a church going professing Christian for twenty years....go back and make sure of your faith!
My specific recommendation would be simply to Google either Spurgeon or R. C. Sproul or John Piper or John MacArthur....and add to it....born again....or what is being born again! Only one of the sermons that I listed in the post below this titled....A Month Of Sundays....has the words born again in it....'John Piper, Why Do We Need To Be Born Again....Part One....but every single sermon listed is based upon our regeneration unto salvation! If you start listening to these sermons....there will be no holding you back....should the Lord will it....in glorifying our Lord and Savior and coming King....Jesus Christ!
