I was teaching a class of adult beginners how to operate computers. Some of the students in the class were 30 or 40 years old, and some were not used to learning how to operate electronic equipment like computers. When they first came into the class, they all looked a little nervous as they sat down in front of the computers that were on the desks. I encouraged them by reminding them that they would have a much better chance of finding a job if they learned how to run a computer.
I began by showing the class exactly which button they had to press to turn on the computer. Nineteen students pushed the ON button. Nineteen computer screens lit up. Then I told them what to do next, and when they saw that their computers did exactly what I said they would do, they began to relax. With a little more instruction, some of them even began to look happy!
But there was one older lady who still looked confused. I began walking around the room, looking at the computer screens. When I looked at hers, what do you think I saw? Nothing! For some reason she hadn’t heard my instructions, or at least she hadn’t acted on my instruction to push the ON button. I went over to her desk and told her again how to turn on the computer. She pushed the ON button. The screen lit up. She followed my next instructions, and soon she caught up to the rest of the class.
Faith is like the ON button of the computer. It gets things started. When I was hired for this job as a computer teacher, if I had been told to make a computer, I could not have done it. But I could read the instructions and learn how to operate one. And God knows we can’t make our own salvation either, so He gave us the Bible that gives us complete instructions on how to be saved from our sins. And this is where faith comes in to get it all started. The Bible tells us that Jesus died on Calvary’s cross and suffered God’s punishment against sin. But I must have faith to believe and accept that His suffering on the cross was for my sins. That’s all that’s needed to receive salvation. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that [comes] to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:66But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)). These are God’s instructions in the Bible.
Would you like to have salvation? There is no work for you to do, because the work has already been done by Jesus on the cross. You only need to believe and receive. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-98For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8‑9)). “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him [Jesus] whom He hath sent” (John 6:2929Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (John 6:29)).
ML-12/10/2000