COME UNTO ME
THE WAY OF SALVATION
“Come unto me,
all ye that labour
and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.”
MATTHEW 11:28
Within this fast paced world in which we live there is an invitation that goes forth unto His creation, “come unto me”. This call of Christ is the response of God Himself to fallen humanity. It is the solution to the aching caused by unrighteousness, lust, envy and agony of every human heart sowing and reaping unto itself the curse of its own way. The call of God transcends the offerings of the medical and psychological professions of this world; for in reality the disease, suffering and weariness of this world are all issues of the human heart.
“Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls”
MATTHEW 11:29
“Come unto ME” says the one who willingly laid down His life in order that a “new and living way” would be available to the downtrodden ones of every nation and tongue on earth. It is the call of God spoken in every language of the earth. What is the answer of God to all men? His yoke. While religious men look to teachings and strategies (even from the scriptures) the rest and the peace that men so crave is found in the “learning of HIM”! It is in the yoke, in the walking, abiding and learning of HIS HEART where we are saved from the torments of sin, self and rebellion. It is in HIM and learning of HIM our hearts and minds are transformed and the peace OF God is realized and obtained. While men want remedies and strategies God’s answer is a changed heart and mind. For it is in the very essence of who men are that the agony, the pain and the unfulfilled cries of the human heart originate. The need for recognition, the desire for supremacy, the lusting for things outside of the will of God are all causes of the heart’s own misery. God’s answer is HIMSELF. For in Christ we see the sacrificial life, the call to righteousness and the offering of HIS LIFE in the stead of our own. A judicial righteousness, though precious and needful, will not cure the needs. The real answer is to grow, live and learn of that new nature until we become righteous. A simple reading of Romans chapter seven should clear up any notions that simply being born again will rectify this; it is only the beginning of the process. The real work of salvation is in the learning and abiding in HIM whereby we are lifted from this world to live in HIS. In the “seeing” of HIM we are transformed by HIS GLORY and LIFE. This transformation is not a religious exercise by which we conform to a religious teaching. It is a metamorphosis (the caterpillar becoming the butterfly) by which we are made “partakers” of the divine nature. This work of the HOLY SPIRIT is proportional to our submission to HIM. Thus Paul writes:
“I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God…
And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind…”
ROMANS 12:1-2
It is in the transforming work of the renewal of our minds that we are freed from the angst of this world. We can quote scriptures and endeavor to do “good” while still seeking to serve God out of the life and power of self. To what end?
“We know that the law is spiritual;
but I am unspiritual,
sold as a slave to sin.
I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do I do not do,
but what I hate I do”
ROMANS 7:14-15 (NIV)
This life of wonder that God has called us to in HIS SON is obtained by the abiding, living in and learning of Him. The reason men abide in the crisis of Romans 7 is because we want HIS life while clinging to our own. In order for the LIFE of the Son to be known the other must be forsaken willingly and determinedly. Jesus has come to SAVE US FROM our sins; if we cling to them we will fail to experience the depths of HIS salvation.
“And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people FROM their sins”
MATTHEW 1:21
FREEDOM in Christ consists of our being made free by the operations of His Spirit within the human heart. That freedom is experienced in proportion to our knowing of Him by the glory of taking His Yoke upon us. Religious men argue that we will never be freed from sin, self and all of the pains of human nature. Why would men argue such things? Perhaps it is because it leaves no room for us to cling to some area of self. Those who hold to such a compromise rob themselves of the hope that purifies.
“Beloved, now are we the sons (children) of God,
and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like him;
for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope
in him purifieth himself,
even as he is pure”
1JOHN 3:2-3
Purified EVEN as HE is PURE! How wonderful, glorious and beyond all understanding are HIS promises to us.
Can we embrace this call to CHRIST HIMSELF? Can we find mercy to submit our lives unto HIM to pick up OUR CROSS (His Yoke) and follow and learn of HIM? It is to such that HE WILL APPEAR! The purpose of the YOKE is to bind within us the very LOVE of GOD; that is the fulfillment of the LAW and the revelation of the LIFE of Jesus the Christ in our hearts.
“Love thinks no evil”
1CORINTHIANS 13:4
Brian Troxel
