Persuasion

“Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.  If we are ‘out of our mind,’ as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (II Corinthians 5:11-21 NIV)

The question for the Church has always been, how do we best persuade people to follow Jesus?  And the answers have varied over the years. Popular when I was growing up was to scare people with thoughts of eternal condemnation and death.  “Turn or burn,” we use to call it.  There was also a heavy emphasis on the “end times,” again seeking to persuade people through fear of a final judgment.  

Shaming was also a popular tool back then.  “Come as you are” was not a concept most churches operated on.  To be accepted, you were expected to dress a certain way and act a certain way.  Otherwise, stay away until you get your act together.  

These approaches still exist in some corners, but have mostly fallen out of favor as unloving and unproductive.  Today there is a lot more emphasis on accepting folks where they are and seeking to persuade them Jesus loves them in spite of their sins.  This indeed has been a welcome change, but as with so many reactions, it has overshot its mark. No longer is the emphasis on becoming new creations, but rather recognizing your value as a creation of God.  There is no need for you to change because God loves you just the way you are.  

No doubt this line of persuasion has become very trendy because it works and is pleasing to the ear.  But it’s wrong.  Being reconciled to God in full requires transformation in our hearts and our lives.  We can come just as we are to Jesus, but we can’t remain as we are if we want to accompany Him on the journey to eternal life, because that journey is all about being transformed into His likeness so that we might also become righteous.  Simply put, you cannot continue to live and act as you want if you decide to follow Jesus.  Once you step onto that path, your life is no longer your own to do as you please (I Corinthians 6:19-20).  You have freely given up your rights in order to live in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Today, as you seek to persuade others to follow Jesus or be persuaded yourself, know that Jesus accepts us where we are, but does not want us to remain as we are.  Because He loves us, He wants to change us into new creations that look more and more like Him. He does not force anyone to follow Him, but once we make that decision, change is part of the deal.  

© Jim Musser 2014