Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About -- ACCEPTED

ACCEPTED

For most, if not all people, one of the main objectives that one has in life is to be accepted. From our classmates in school to our involvement in clubs, sports or other organizations, people want to be accepted by those with whom they associate. But, in all of these situations, there is a period of trial or time in which one has to, in some way, prove him or herself acceptable.

In sports, it is necessary to train and practise in order to be accepted as a team member and then only if one is considered good enough to make the team. In education, one has to study and become proficient enough to pass the exams and then be accepted to graduate and progress on to the next level. At a job or profession, one has to work to maintain their skills and abilities to retain their job or to climb the ladder to the next level and, at present, it is often more and more of a struggle to do. Almost everything requires a degree of endurance, effort, time, and struggle to obtain acceptance in whatever one is involved in.

For the most part religion is no different. In times past, it was often necessary to make sacrifice to a god and to make payment to a temple to be accepted by the deity involved. Even at present many religions require one to do tasks and deeds so that the apparent way to God is also determined by works and activities. It might be duties of memberships in churches or temples, or ritualistic prayers, activities, or givings as requested by the leader of the organization involved.

Being accepted, then, involves some sort of work or activity on one’s part in order to satisfy the requirement of whatever body or organization one is attempting to join. It seems to be a universal necessity for one to be accepted anywhere.

But there is at least one exception. In Christianity acceptance is based upon a relationship and not on your works or deeds. And that relationship is based on both love and faith; faith that Christ put Himself in your place and paid for your past, present and future sins and the love that ensues from being aware of that fact.

But God demonstrates His own love towards us, 

in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

(Romans 5:8)

Therefore, our relationship is based on our faith that He did this for us because our own activities are woefully inadequate in making us acceptable to God.

There is none righteous, no, not one… 

(Romans 3:10)

But we are all like an unclean thing,

And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;

We all fade like a leaf,

And our iniquities…

Have taken us away. 

(Isaiah 64:6)

And for that reason our relationship with God cannot be achieved by our works

For by grace you have been saved through faith,

 and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God 

(Ephesians 2:8)

It is not by works that we have a relationship with God but it is because we have a relationship with God that we undertake works. There is a vast difference between the two. Not everyone can do the same as another but we can all have faith, true faith, which enables us to do what we can.

For we are His workmanship, created…for good works… 

(Ephesians 2:10)

…faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 

(James 2:17)

…a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 

(James 2:24)

So a person’s relationship with God really extends from his faith in what Christ did for us, true faith and acceptance of His sacrifice on our behalf, and not on anything we ourselves do. What we do comes about because of that relationship and all of this makes us truly accepted by God.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 

(Romans 8:14)

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

(Galatians 3:26)

Being accepted by God is something we should all look forward to and the hope of being accepted by God is something we should always be thinking about.