Ultimate Discussions 9

Please see Ultimate Discussion 1 for introductory material



The Ultimate Choice: Salvation

The chasm between God and man is as wide and deep as eternity. Yet Christ closed the gap by becoming, Himself, the way across. The bridge spans the depths, and at its foot, the sinful person stands, on this side, the far side of the chasm.

His side is overcast and desolate, blasted, rank, and lifeless. It flashes with neon light and spinning whirligigs in the distance but holds no real life--just a market place of broken promises and deadly consequences. Although ugly, it’s comfortable and sometimes fun. The sinner knows its nooks and crannies--and even still has a heart for it, man’s side of the chasm.

Here everyone is his or her own boss. But the boss of what? There really is nothing here. Just passing fancies that dissolve like cotton candy in the rain.

Now he looks across the bridge over to the other side. On the far side, the clouds pull back revealing a blue sky that creates a shimmering, vivid contrast with a grassy, green horizon. An assortment of white towers, walls, gates, and strongholds stand together punctuating the skyline with a sense of the eternal. And the trees--huge, timeless, and deep-rooted, provide fruit and shade from a gentle sun. This is God’s kingdom. Over there is life eternal and abundant. But there is only one boss, one king. To go over there means to become a subject. The sinner asks himself, “Should I cross the bridge and become a subject to that King?”

Becoming a Christian strikes at the pride in man’s heart. To cross the bridge means to repudiate what is on man’s side: sin. Man does not become a Christian by saying, “I could have done better.” Or by saying, “It was not my fault.” Or by saying, “I am not that bad, I just need to adjust my thinking here.” He must simply and honestly say, “I was wrong.” C.S. Lewis said, “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms [emphasis added].”¹

The sinner may say, “I don’t know if I can? I want Christ. I trust Christ. I receive Christ. I want to be cleansed from my sin. I want to come to the other side. I am willing, yet still so sinful.” The wonderful truth is that such a heart has already taken the first and last step across the bridge. The bridge is not a system. He’s a person. The bridge is not a long journey. He’s a person. The bridge is not a rule book; again, He’s a person. Actually, a better word-picture than a bridge would be a door: A door from man’s side to God’s side. Not a process, not a journey, but a step of the heart. Here is what the Scriptures say:

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith which we are preaching--that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”²

Faith in Christ saves the soul from eternal death and gives him eternal life. Will you call upon Christ now? One man simply prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”³

And he crossed over.
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¹ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (New York, Collier Books MacMillan Publishing, 1943), 59.
² Romans 10:8-13 NASB<
³ Luke 18:13 KJV