Many Christians nowadays do not act their spiritual state (makes you doubt if they’re really Christians). They act as if having eternal life is not that a big deal and that it’s God’s duty to save them. Gratitude is very much absent. The reason to this is the watering down of the Gospel message. Sin is trivialized and God is portrayed as simply loving, ignoring His holiness and justice.
But if a Christian has fully realized how undeserving he was for God’s mercy and forgiveness, things will take a 180-degree turn. He will feel so indebted towards God and will have a natural need to show God his deep gratitude for what He has given him. Truly, this person has never imagined ever what he will find himself doing for his Savior. In a way, he is left surprised with how different he has become ever since he made the decision to repent of his sins and place his trust on Jesus for his salvation.
First thing you will notice is a craving to know more of God and for time in prayer to Him. You will suddenly see him spending a regular time reading the Bible, attending church for the message that will be delivered there, conversing with other Christians about the things of God which in the past would be the last thing he will ever think of doing. A quiet time in prayer also becomes an important part of his day for he has found how essential it is to always give God his trust for whatever thing he engages himself in.
As a result of his study of the Word and time spent in prayer on a regular basis, you will see him giving importance to living a holy life. As what a song said, “Everything is different now. He’s not the same anymore. The wrong places he used to go, are now the places that he avoids. The old crowd he used to hang around he understands will only pull him down. He’s not the same anymore. His life has been changed!” His desire is to conform to his Savior. He obeys what the Scriptures said, “Be ye holy for I am holy (1 Pet. 1:16).” His taste has changed drastically, from enjoying pig’s food to only what’s pure.
But the most exciting result of understanding the blessing of salvation is the desire to share what they have received to others. They understand how precious the gift is and so, they want others to also have it. They know how tragic the experience will be for others if they will not know of the Savior. And so, they swallow their pride and fear and deliver the message to anyone that needs it.
I’ve seen this result several times in Christians. In our ministry, we were witnesses to how a college girl, a month after her conversion, committed herself to active participation in our regular street evangelism session. In our church, a new convert father right away organized an event in his home so that he can invite his friends and relatives so that they can hear the preaching of the Gospel. This same guy also joins our church’s street evangelism sessions where we give out Gospel tracts. One couple I personally know, for their 15th wedding anniversary, instead of organizing a get-together with family and friends, chose to give out tracts in a crowded mall. What a way to honor God in their marriage!
To sum up the effect of understanding what a big blessing salvation is, I can’t find a better word for “selflessness”. Yes, someone who is overflowing with gratitude to God for his unmerited favor becomes selfless. It is natural for him to forget himself in God’s favor. He understands very well that the price for his forgiveness was God’s own life-blood. Oh, he knows how truly amazing God’s grace to him was! He does not look at God as unfair for his demand that he be a partaker of His sufferings and for him to take up his own cross and follow Him. He sees it a privilege to die for Him!
The experience is captured in a story of a young Englishman miner in the 1800s who, after a successful search for gold in California, made a stop at New Orleans where he witnessed slaves being sold. Below is the full story:
The Englishman was surprised with the auction that was taking place for the slave trade had been outlawed already for years at England. As he drew close to the crowd, he saw that the next to be auctioned was a beautiful young black girl who was made to walk around so everyone could see her. The miner heard vile jokes and comments that spoke of evil intentions from those around him. When the bidding began, bids quickly surpassed what most slave owners would pay. As bids went higher and higher, two men apparently really wanted her. They were outbidding each other while laughing at the jokes and comments of evil intentions each of them made. The miner stood silent and angry all throughout these. Then one made a bid too high for the other to outbid. The poor girl looked down. The auctioneer called out, “Going once! Going twice!”
Just before the final call, the miner yelled out a price that was exactly twice the previous bid. An amount that exceeded the worth of any man. The crowd laughed thinking that the bid was a joke. The auctioneer motioned to the miner to show him his money. The miner opened his bag of gold. The auctioneer shook his head in disbelief and waved the girl to him.
When the girl was eye-to-eye with the miner, she spat straight to his face and said, “I hate you!’ The miner, without a word, wiped his face, paid the auctioneer, took the girl by the hand and walked away the still laughing crowd.
He seemed to be looking for something when they walked up one street and down another. Finally, he stopped in front of some sort of a store. The girl waited outside as the dirty faced miner walked inside and talked to an elderly man. The girl couldn’t make out what they were talking about. At one point, the voice got louder and she heard the store clerk say, “But it’s the law! It’s the law!” Peering in, she saw the miner pull out his bag of gold and pour what was left of it on the table. With what seemed a look of disgust, the clerk picked up the gold and went inside a back room. He came out with a piece of paper which the miner signed.
When the miner came out of the store, he stretched out his hand to the girl and said, “Here are your manu-mission papers. You are free.” The girl did not look up. He tried again. “Here. These are the papers that say you are free. Take them.” “I hate you!” the girl said, refusing to look up. “Why do you make fun of me?” “No, listen,” he pleaded. “These are your freedom papers. You are a free person.” The girl looked at the papers, then looked at him, and looked at the papers once again. “You just bought me… and now you’re setting me free?”
“That’s why I bought you. I bought you to set you free.”
The beautiful young girl fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. “You bought me so you can set me free!” she said over and over.
Clutching the miner’s heavy boots, the girl looked up at the miner and said, “All I want to do is to serve you- because you bought me to set me free!”
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