The Discriminating Factor in My Life

When I became a Christian, that is, when I gave my life over to Christ Jesus as my Savior and Lord, my attitude towards the Bible changed drastically.  What was once an ancient history book of myths became a lively, vibrant, powerful revelation of God.  I read the Word as if I found a jug of water in the desert; I became obsessed.

This obsession led to a diet of Scripture and prayer which forced me to a major turning point, an unmissable fork in my life's road.  As I read the Scriptures and I began to see more and more of God in Christ, this grace and love spoke to me in my core and convicted me with a choice.

I had to make a serious decision that would have certain ramifications for my life: I was either going to trust God and to trust His revelatory Word which is the Bible or I wouldn't.  There was no middle ground here.  If God actually did speak to mankind through the Bible and through His Son Jesus, either this would be the foundation of my life or I would force myself to ignore it.

It became clear after reading the Scriptures that I couldn't ignore it: God had revealed Himself to mankind and this mattered to my life.  There was no escaping the reality that God's Word, because of its nature it forced me to address it with sobriety and seriousness.  At the final analysis, I determined to make the Bible the foundation for my life.

This could seem like a nice Christian sentiment or a platitude of dogmatism, however, making the decision to live in submission to Holy Writ has ramifications.  Not only would every category of thought and life need to be dramatically transformed by the revelation of Scripture but, and this is where it hits the road, I had to submit to the Word of God especially when I did not want to.

What I knew about the Bible was that it does not discriminate: all people are made in the image of God and have turned away from Him in sin, no amount of effort will overcome that sin, and, ultimately, only God can save from sin because only He sees it as it truly is.  This all points to the cross of Christ, where God took on Himself the sin of the world and showed grace and love.  But this love is not cheap and is not free; it demands my very life.

Now, every decision, every thought, and every element of my whole life must be held captive in submission to Christ.  And there is no middle ground; this submission is exclusive, it's discriminating.  But I know, as I have known from the moment I repented and turned to God in faith, that God has made me for Him and I would not be complete if I neglected this truth.