Accepting Christ Means Rejecting All Else
Accepting Christ involves not only acceptance, but also rejection of what's contrary to Him, a fact often overlooked in evangelism.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that accepting Christ requires not only an act of acceptance but also a continual rejection of all that opposes Him. He explains that Christianity is a balance of affirmation and denial, which must be practiced daily throughout a believer's life. Tozer warns against the misconception that one can live a wholly positive life without acknowledging the necessity of rejecting sin and worldly distractions. He likens this to the vital process of inhaling and exhaling, where both acceptance of Christ and rejection of contrary influences are essential for spiritual health. This truth is often overlooked by those focused solely on the positive aspects of evangelism.
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The notion that we enter the Christian life by an act of acceptance is true, but that is not all the truth. There is much more to it than that. Christianity involves an acceptance and a repudiation, an affirmation and a denial. And this not only at the moment of conversion but continually thereafter day by day in all the battle of life till the great conflict is over and the Christian is home from the wars. To live a life wholly positive is, fortunately, impossible. Were any man able to do such a thing it could be only for a moment. Living positively would be like inhaling continuously without exhaling. Aside from its being impossible, it would be fatal. Exhalation is as necessary to life as inhalation.
To accept Christ it is necessary that we reject whatever is contrary to Him.
This is a fact often overlooked by eager evangelists bent on getting results. Like the salesman who talks up the good points of his product and conceals its disadvantages, the badly informed soulwinner stresses the positive side of things at the expense of the negative.
Sermon Outline
- Accepting Christ Involves Repudiation points: - Not just acceptance, but also rejection of what's contrary to Christ - This is a fact often overlooked in evangelism
- The Importance of Exhalation points: - Living positively is impossible without exhalation - Exhalation is necessary for life, just like inhalation
- The Necessity of Rejecting the World points: - To accept Christ, we must reject whatever is contrary to Him - This is a continuous process throughout our lives
- The Danger of Overlooking the Negative points: - Eager evangelists often focus on the positive side of things - This can lead to a lack of understanding of the true nature of Christianity
Key Quotes
“To live a life wholly positive is, fortunately, impossible.” — A.W. Tozer
“Exhalation is as necessary to life as inhalation.” — A.W. Tozer
“To accept Christ it is necessary that we reject whatever is contrary to Him.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- To truly accept Christ, we must be willing to reject whatever is contrary to Him in our lives.
- Living a life that is wholly positive is impossible, and we must acknowledge the importance of exhalation and rejection in our lives.
- As Christians, we must be careful not to overlook the negative in evangelism, but rather present the full truth of Christianity.