But Does Jesus Accept You?

Many in the wider religious world today talk of “accepting Jesus.” This act embodies what they did in order to “get saved” and what they urge others to do as well. Though methods may differ (altar call, sinner’s prayer, etc.), the end goal is for an individual “to make a personal decision to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.” I have a problem with this. More to the point, God’s Word has a problem with this. You can make the decision to accept Jesus, but does Jesus accept you?

When a man decides that something is lawful for him, that does not mean that God must call it righteousness. When a man labels an action as appropriate worship, that does not mean God views it as pleasing. And when a man calls Jesus his Lord, that does not mean he is a faithful follower. Any attempt to “take Christ, but not Christ’s teaching” will fail (2 Jn 9). Jesus preached to the crowds saying, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven…” (Matt 7:21-23). To put it another way, not everyone who accepts Jesus will be accepted by Him.

Let me be clear on this point. Jesus wants to accept everyone. His life was given as a sacrifice for all (Rom 6:10; 2 Cor 5:14-15; 1 Jn 2:1-2). God’s desire is for all to repent and not perish (1 Tim 2:3-4; 2 Pet 3:9). However, Jesus will never accept what God’s Word has declared unacceptable! The real question is not whether I will accept the Lord, but whether the Lord will accept me. So, what must one do to be acceptable to the Lord?

God, in His infinite wisdom and care, has provided what we need. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross makes it all possible. The gift of God is life through Jesus (John 10:10; Rom 6:23), evidenced by Christ’s resurrection (1 Cor 15:20; 2 Cor 4:14). This is the grace which brings salvation (Tit 2:11), but don’t miss the fact that grace teaches (Tit 2:12). In order to benefit from the gift of grace, you must obey the teaching of grace. We must show our love by laboring, endeavoring to be well pleasing to God through our obedient service (John 14:15; Acts 10:34-35; 2 Cor 5:8-10). At judgment, those who did not obey the gospel are punished (2 Thess 1:6-10). Like those in Matthew 7, they are unacceptable due to their refusal to obey the Father’s will. They work iniquity and rebel against the Lord’s authority. We must reject man’s wisdom and look to God’s Word to know how to please Him (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:3).

We are taught in the Bible that one can only be acceptable by being “in Christ,” where all spiritual blessings are found (Eph 1:1-6). We put on Christ at the point of baptism (Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27). We could pair with this Peter’s answer to the question asked at Pentecost (Acts 2:37-38). We also read how it is impossible to please God without faith and that faith must be evidenced by actions of obedience (Heb 11:6; Jam 2:14-20).

Our God requires more than an empty profession of “Lord, Lord.” Let us strive to live faithfully and be truly acceptable to the Lord Jesus!