Mark 1.14-15
“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
The most important R Factor decision you make is how you respond to Jesus. How you respond to Jesus determines how you respond to everything.
God is the Author and Architect of all of life. It is only in relationship to the Creator that you find your origin, identity, purpose, and destiny. You are created by God and for God. Augustine (5th century) wrote: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
Blaise Pascal (17th century) had a similar observation: “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”
Sin separates man from God, and Jesus reconciles man to God. Indeed, scripture is clear that it is only through Jesus that we are reconciled to God. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14.6).
The life to which the Lord calls us begins when we repent of our sin and trust in Jesus. It is through Christ that we are redeemed and moved from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5.24)
Those who do not respond with faith in Jesus do not receive new life. The ultimate destiny of every person on earth is determined by how they respond to Jesus. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3.18)
And responding to Jesus it is not just for salvation. How Christians respond to Jesus in their daily walk determines their fruitfulness. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15.4-5)
Let me say it again: The most important R Factor decision you make is how you respond to Jesus. How you respond to Jesus determines how you respond to everything.
