Barriers are a part of life.
Some are formidable and man-made, like the 5,500-mile-long Great Wall of
China that took 2,000 years to complete.
The wall was constructed to keep out invading hordes from the north, and
for the most part, it worked. Other
barriers are a product of nature, like the swollen rivers many of our ancestors
had to cross as they pushed west to settle this country. While still other barriers are cultural
constructs, like being from “the wrong side of the tracks”. I always wondered who decided which side of
the tracks was the “right side”? But we
all understand where the term comes from and that the barrier it creates is
just as challenging as any of the others mentioned.
Humans are amazing in their quest to overcome whatever
barrier stands in their way. The Great
Wall didn’t keep out ALL the invaders, our families forded rivers and built bridges,
and those of us from the “wrong side of the tracks” found a way to cross over
and find success. Yet one barrier
couldn’t be overcome without divine help.
Each of us is born into this life already in bondage to sin, the natural
result of which is death. (See Romans 6)
The soul and body we possess at birth is tainted by the sin
nature that fills each of us – most religious groups call that “original sin”. The idea of being born into the kingdom of
sin is on David’s mind as he penned this Psalm:
For
I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against You (God), You only, have I sinned, and
done this evil in
Your sight…5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin my mother conceived me.
Psalm 51:3-5
Yet Paul reminds us that:
…Christ
Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death… Romans 8:2
Being born into and living in the kingdom of sin and death is an inescapable
truth of the human experience. Staying
there forever, though, is a personal choice, akin to sitting on the river
bank and wishing to be on the other side, but doing nothing to build the bridge
to get there. And if crossing the line
from death to life depended only on you, you would be forever condemned to
remain where you are. But Jesus came to
make a way for us. HE is the
bridge-builder who makes the crossing from death to life possible.
Very
truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent Me has
eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. John 5:24
All of us begin life below the line. Jesus invites us to live life ABOVE the
line. That’s what the Good News is all
about. When we accept the invitation
that Jesus extends, we step from life that is the “best we can do” into an
existence that will last for eternity.
Kingdom life is what Jesus offers all of us. Life above the line – life lived to the fullest
extent (John 10:10) – life that doesn’t have to wait for “someday” to
experience the joys of the Kingdom of God.
Who gets to pass from death to life across the bridge that
Jesus built? Anyone may. Only those with a heart to know God can. And while there are no magic words
that allow you to pass from death to life, the following will get you there if
you mean them with all your heart:
“Lord Jesus, I
understand that sin has control of me, and I have been OK with that up to
now. But I want more. I want to know You and know more about Your
love for me. I know Jesus died because
of MY sin and I’m sorry. But I know He
died so I could be forgiven, so I ask you now for that forgiveness. I want to live life as you intended. I want
Jesus to be the Lord of my life, now and forever. I believe your promises and ask you to allow
me to pass from death to life at this very moment. I pray this now in the powerful name of
Jesus. Amen”
If you prayed those words for the first time and meant them
in your heart, I can assure you that you’ve crossed the line. Welcome to the Kingdom of Life! We’ll have lots of time to get to know one
another. Bless you!
Jacob
