*Despite most anything and everything, little children believe in their parents. So, when parents spin the tale about the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus, the children believe because Daddy or Mommy told them so. However, parents usually do an exchange with the children — “if you behave,” or “if you’re naughty or nice” — for children to receive toys and other goodies that they desire.
Then, when it comes to God and eternal life in Heaven, children are naturally conditioned to think they have to do this or that — in some cases to extremes — to earn it. What it really comes down to is, salvation is free! It’s a gift from God to the world, not something earned.
Scripture says in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Now you might say, “Well, the word ‘believe’ is a verb and requires an action.” The word “believe” is a transitive verb. One can only assume what one believes by an outward display of what they say or what they show.
Children outgrow their belief in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus, but they cannot escape the question of how they got here, why they are here, and where they are going when they leave here.
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When Jesus says, “Be as little children,” he’s saying, believe the truth of the spiritual, invisible world as a child believes in man-made fairy tales. Have faith and believe in God’s truth and His promises. Whatever others may say, there’s only “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.”
If one can believe they have a heart and a brain — of which they’ve never seen — how can they not believe in something outside of themselves? One may say, “I have faith,” but they must also concede that “faith” is a spiritual enterprise based on the truth of Hebrews 11:1 that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We serve an invisible God, but the promises and evidence of His existence manifest daily in our lives. We can start with the fact that as we slept unconsciously throughout the night — when anything could have short-circuited our lives — God faithfully showed grace and mercy that we should wake up in our right minds to see a brand-new day!
Once we become believers, we work out our salvation from gratitude and not from burdensome obligation. Contrary to scripture, some people think they have to work for salvation. The truth is, if you feel you have to earn or pay for a gift, it is not a gift; but rather an exchange, and it negates the finished work of Jesus. Once we receive the gift of grace and righteousness, we strive to think, say, and do those things that are well-pleasing in God’s sight.
Larry Buford is a contributing writer. Author of “Things Are Gettin’ Outta Hand” and “Book To The Future.” Email: [email protected]
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