Opening One Door

Yesterday, we described God’s gift of Grace as a door that is opened that allows us to enter the presence of God – without wrath.  The door is created by Jesus’ work on the cross.  His death provided a way for God to be both just (punishing sin) and justifier (taking the sin on himself) so we can be welcomed home without punishment.  All we need to do is open the door and walk in.
Opening a gift is different from earning a gift.  God’s gift is not something we deserve, earn, or provide for ourselves.  It is a completely free gift given to us by God.  That being said, we don’t enjoy the benefits of God’s Grace unless we “unwrap” the gift (or open the door).  Scripture shows us four components of this unwrapping process.
1) Believe – First of all, we need to know that God gave us a gift.  We need to understand that we need the gift in the first place.  We need to know that Jesus is the way God provides the gift.  In other words, we need to believe that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ) that God had promised.
2) Repent – Repent simply means “turn around.”   In other words, we need to want to be with God.  That means turning away from the places we rebel against God and turn back in repentance.
3) Confess – We cannot see what someone believes in his or her mind, but we can hear them confess Jesus as the Christ.  We cannot see people repent (turn back to God), at least not right away.  We can hear them confess Jesus as their Lord, though, saying that God will lead them for the rest of their lives.  When we confess Jesus as the Christ and as Lord, we say out loud what we believe inside.
4) Be Baptized – Baptism simply means, “dip, dunk, or immerse.” The early believers showed their decision to receive God’s Grace by going down into the waters of baptism (Acts 8:35-38).  It was their appeal to God for a good conscience (1 Peter 3:21).  It saved them, washing their sins away (Acts 22:16).  In baptism, they not only received forgiveness for their sins but they also received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).  This promise was made by God to all of us (Acts 2:39). 
Sometimes people will be re-baptized because the were baptized in a way that does not match this picture.  Maybe they were baptized in a faith that does not believe Jesus is the Christ or Lord of All (Acts 19:3-5).  Perhaps their original baptism was at such a young age that they were not old enough to believe, repent, or confess themselves.  They could have been baptized without going down into water, as the word indicates.  When people are re-baptized with me, I try to make sure they understand all of God’s picture for “unwrapping the gift.”  Then, if they still want, we go down into the waters of baptism.
Paul describes these components in his letter to the Romans in this way:
But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:8-13 ESV)
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. (Romans 6:1-12 ESV)
How about you?  Have you unwrapped God’s gift of Grace?