Accepting Jesus

 If you've spent any time in modern churches you've likely run into some version of the phrase "accept Jesus".  Perhaps you were invited to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  Perhaps it was an invitation to accept Christ.  Maybe you even took someone up on the offer to say the "sinner's prayer" and accept Jesus into your heart.  But do you know where it is in the Bible?

The truth is, the Bible never tells us to accept Jesus anywhere.  And when doing research on when this doctrine was first preached, I couldn't find a starting place.  What I did find was a theory or explanation that the term has been used to simplify the Gospel and that it means to "take" the free gift of salvation.  The problem there though is that if you aren't told HOW to be saved, HOW to "take" the free gift of salvation, then dumbing down the salvation message to "accept Jesus" isn't really helpful.

So today we will look at what the Bible does have to say about who needs to be accepted and how to take the free gift of salvation the Bible offers.  Here's some of the scriptures about "accept".

Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

This was in regards to the sacrifices of Cain and Abel.  Of course we know Cain killed Abel because he was jealous that Abel's sacrifice was accepted while his own was not.  Cain had offered a sacrifice from the ground, which God had cursed, while Abel offered a sacrifice of livestock.  Cain would have known the ground was cursed and should have been able to deduce that an offering from the ground at that time would have not been appropriate, but he wanted to do his own thing and hope for the best I guess.  What we can take from this though is that if we too do well by being obedient to what God has established then we will be accepted.  If we choose to ignore God's way though, sin is what we're left with.

Proverbs 21:3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Strongs and most English translations agree the word "justice" means righteousness. Strongs notes the Hebrew word for judgement is equivalent to discretion or a decision such as in legal matters.  It's judging what is correct. So righteousness and correct decision, being right with God and making the correct decision in that regard is accepted of the Lord more than anything we can sacrifice to God. He doesn't want all the extras in place of obedience.

Jeremiah 14:10 Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. 11 Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. 12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

Again we have God being the one who is doing the accepting and rejecting.

Ezekiel 20:40 For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. 41 I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.

So here God is prophesying that he will bring Israel out from where they are scattered and they will finally leave their sacrifices and their idols and be brought to the promised land and they will set God apart (in His rightful place) in their hearts.  When they have done that, when they are there where God wants them to be, then God will accept them.  So it is with us as well, when we put aside all the extras and our own ideas and the idols of pseudochristianity and religion and come to the place God has called us, to enter into the promise of salvation that He declared, then we will be accepted by Him.

Ezekiel 43:27 And when these days are expired, it shall be, that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord God.

The children of Israel were going to be accepted after their sins had been properly atoned for.  And we know that animal sacrifices are no longer required as Jesus fulfilled the law of the old covenant for us.  Now we have to obey the new covenant, the Gospel Jesus and the first church preached.  Then we will be accepted by God as well.

Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Acts 10-11 are the story of the salvation of the first gentiles.  Cornelius and his family were pretty great from a spiritual resume standpoint.  The beginning of Acts 10 tells us that Cornelius was devout, prayed always, gave alms, feared God, and even saw visions.  But he was told to send for Peter who would come tell him words by which he would be saved.  At the same time, Peter was seeing a vision himself telling him to not call unclean what God had called clean and instructing him to go with the men that had come to fetch him. Verse 34 is what Peter says upon entering the house when he realizes that the vision he saw was relating to gentiles being granted the opportunity for salvation the same as the Jews.  Peter says those who fear God and work righteousness are accepted with God then goes on to preach Jesus.  While Peter is still speaking, Cornelius and his family are filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in other tongues.  And because Peter hears them speaking in tongues, he commands them to be baptized. These Gentiles had been accepted by God. And we have the opportunity as well when we work righteousness, when we do what God has commanded us to do to be in right relationship with Him.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans is written to the Spirit-filled church, Paul instructing those who are already saved to live lives set apart for God.  It is in doing that that we are acceptable.  

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Same letter to the Spirit-filled church in Rome.  Paul is correcting those who are arguing about things like what can be eaten and reminding them that those things aren't what the kingdom of God is about.  The Kingdom of God is about being in right relationship with God and having joy and peace, all which come through using the Holy Spirit.  And those who are living that life and serving Christ in that way are acceptable to God.

2 Corinthians 5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Here again, Paul writing to the Spirit-filled church, the already saved, reminding them that those who are working for the Lord, laboring, using the Spirit, doing the work of the kingdom (things like sharing the Gospel with others, fellowshipping, serving the church, reading the word) are accepted by God.

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Paul writing to the Spirit-filled church in Ephesus says that we (the church) are made accepted by Christ.  We can look back at where this assembly started in Acts 19 and see just how that happened, when 12 disciples of John were asked "have you received the Spirit since you believed", taught the truth, baptized a second time now that they understood the salvation requirement, and received the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in new tongues.

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Peter here is also writing to the already saved, Spirit-filled church.  He starts the chapter by telling them to put away "all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings"  and to desire to grow in the Word of God.  He reminds them that they are being built up into the house of God, not a building but the entirety of God's true people and that they should now offer spiritual sacrifices, things opposite to the evil deeds he just spoke of.  Those are the works that are accepted by God from God's people.

And lastly, all throughout Leviticus we see that God demanded an offering without blemishes and that if an offering had blemishes it would not be accepted and would not be acceptable for the children of Israel's atonement. Jesus has died as the final, pure, sacrifice with no blemishes. He was already declared acceptable for us. Now it's our turn to obey the salvation command that God has clearly laid out in His word.  Jesus and the first church all preached the same salvation, turning from our way to God's in repentance, being baptized by full immersion, and receiving the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in new tongues (John 3:1-8, Mark 16:15-17, Acts 2:38-41 and chapters 2, 8, 9, 10-11, and 19).  It's not our job to accept Christ.  Christ was made acceptable by God.  Now we all must receive the Spirit and bury the old life with Christ in baptism so that we can be made acceptable with Jesus.

If you would like help finding someone who preaches the truth to baptize you or someone to join you in prayer for the Holy Spirit, please reach out to me or any Revival Fellowship worldwide.

For more information on baptism check out this link:

https://mark16v17.blogspot.com/2023/09/why-baptism.html

Or find information about receiving the Holy Spirit here:

https://mark16v17.blogspot.com/2023/10/how-do-you-receive-holy-spirit.html