Verlossing is meer as net ‘n persoonlike verhouding met Jesus

Verlossing is meer as net ‘n persoonlike verhouding met Jesus

Daar is geen twyfel dat al die gereddes ‘n persoonlike verhouding met Jesus sal hê nie. Hulle sal Hom ken en deur Hom geken word (Joh 17:3). En soos in alle gesonde liefdevolle verhoudings gebeur, sal die gereddes Jesus absoluut wil behaag – geen twyfel daaroor nie.

Moet dus nie die titel van hierdie blog lees om te suggereer dat die gereddes nie ‘n verhouding met Jesus het of sal hê nie – hulle het die ongelooflikste verhouding met Jesus!

Maar wat ek uitwys, is dat ‘n persoon ‘n verhouding met Jesus kan hê, ‘n persoonlike, een-tot-een, intieme ervaring met Jesus en steeds nie gered kan word nie – omdat die verhouding iets in die sondaar moet veroorsaak wat die deur oopmaak vir daardie persoon om deur Jesus gered te word.

Om dit op ‘n ander manier te vra: Is verlossing bloot ‘n verhouding met Jesus, of is verlossing iets wat ons ervaar vanuit en deur ons persoonlike verhouding met Jesus?

Ek vra of dit moontlik is om ‘n persoonlike verhouding met Jesus te hê en steeds nie gered te word nie, want die kerngevolg van verlossing wat ons persoonlike verhouding met Jesus veronderstel is om in ons te laat gebeur, het nie gebeur nie.

Dink aan Lucifer in die hemel – het hy ‘n werklike, individuele, persoonlike verhouding met Jesus gehad? Het daardie verhouding veroorsaak dat Lucifer lojaal gebly het? Het dit veroorsaak dat Lucifer ná sy rebellie berou gehad het en gered is?

Wat van Judas op aarde – het hy sy eie, individuele, persoonlike verhouding met Jesus gehad? Het die persoonlike verhouding wat Judas met Jesus gehad het, tot sy redding gelei? Hoekom nie?

Wat het Lucifer en Judas kortgekom ten spyte van hulle persoonlike verhouding met Jesus? Hulle het Jesus nie vertrou nie en het Hom nie meer liefgehad as hulleself nie!

Wat is die kernelement wat die werklike faktor is van wat dit beteken om gered te word? Dit is wat Jesus aan Nikodemus beskryf het – dit word wedergeboorte genoem; dit is om deur ons verhouding met Jesus ‘n nuwe hart en regte gees te ontvang; dit is om te sterf vir vrees en selfsug en om lief te hê en te vertrou; dit word in die innerlike mens herskep; dit word in geregtigheid herskep deur die Heilige Gees – wat alles bereik word deur ons persoonlike verhouding met Jesus, deur ons vertroue in Hom. Vir ‘n persoonlike verhouding met Jesus om tot verlossing te lei, moet dit veroorsaak dat ons sondige, wantrouige hart verander word na liefde en vertroue – met ander woorde, ons moet Jesus werklik vertrou en Hom en Sy metodes, ontwerpwette en beginsels liefhê. Ons moet kies om die deur na ons harte vir Hom oop te maak en Hom in te laat. Jesus staan by die deur en klop, maar ons ervaar slegs verlossing wanneer ons die deur na ons harte oopmaak en Hom vertrou.

In die hemel het Lucifer vertroue met God verbreek en dit nooit herstel nie. Hoewel Judas ‘n dissipelskapverhouding met Jesus gehad het, het hy Jesus nooit werklik vertrou nie. Judas het ‘n persoonlike ervaring met Jesus gehad, maar het nooit in homself gesterf nie en is nooit wedergebore om God en ander lief te hê deur opregte vertroue in Jesus nie.

Is daar ‘n gevaar om te dink verlossing is in die verhouding met Jesus eerder as om deur die werk van die Heilige Gees in ons verhouding met Jesus verander te word?

Wat as iemand die valse christus, die bedrieër, die oplêer van die wet en die oplêer van straf verkies, en glo dat hy god is, dat die “wetshandhawer Jesus” die ware Jesus is – kan hulle ‘n verhouding met daardie Jesus vorm, en in daardie verhouding, kan hulle vertrou dat Jesus hul wetlike straf sal betaal, hul sondemisdade uit die rekords sal verwyder, en om eendag al hulle vyande te straf vir hulle onberouvolle sondemisdade en dan in die naam van daardie Jesus uit te gaan om “geregtigheid” te doen, om ander met wet en straf te benader om rebellie en sonde te onderdruk – net soos Saulus van Tarsus voor die Damaskuspad gedoen het?

En wat sal Jesus vir sulke aanbidders sê wanneer hulle beweer dat hulle dit alles in Sy Naam gedoen het? Jesus het voorspel:

Baie sal op daardie dag vir my sê, “Here, Here, het ons nie in u Naam geprofeteer en in u Naam duiwels uitgedryf en baie wonderwerke gedoen nie?” Dan sal ek reguit vir hulle sê, “Ek het julle nooit geken nie. Weg van my af, julle kwaaddoeners!” (Matteus 7:22, 23 NLV 84).

Hy sal vir hulle sê om weg te gaan en dat Hy hulle nooit geken het nie – hulle het eintlik nie ‘n vertrouensverhouding met Hom gehad nie, maar die “Jesus” verkies wat soos Satan in karakter is.

Ja – al die gereddes sal ‘n persoonlike, diep, liefdevolle en intieme verhouding met Jesus hê, en dit is deur daardie verhouding dat vertroue herstel word en hulle die inwonende Heilige Gees ontvang, wat hulle herskep en genees om soos Jesus te wees. Verlossing beteken genesing; dit beteken om van sonde te red; dit beteken om God se wet in ons te herstel en ons harte, gedagtes en karakters te reinig van vrees, selfsug en wantroue – en dit vereis dat ons God en Jesus Christus ken, dat die eie-ek sterf en ons Jesus werklik vertrou en wedergebore word om God en ander meer lief te hê as self.

Dit is hoe die apostel Petrus gered is. Deur sy verhouding met Jesus het hy ‘n hartverandering ondervind wat sy inherente vrees en selfsug oorkom het, wat die struikelblokke vir sy redding was. By die Laaste Avondmaal het Jesus vir Petrus gesê:

En die Here sê: Simon, Simon, kyk, die Satan het jou begeer om jou soos koring te sif. Maar Ek het vir jou gebid, dat jou geloof nie ophou nie; en as jy jou bekeer, versterk jou broeders. (Lukas 22:31, 32 AFRB’23, beklemtoning myne).

En hy sê vir Hom: Here, ek is gereed om saam met U te gaan, in die tronk sowel as in die dood (vers 33 AFRB’23).

Maar ons ken die storie. Petrus het Jesus met vloeke verloën, en terwyl die haan gekraai het en Petrus pas sy Here verloën het,

het die Here omgedraai en reguit na Petrus gekyk, en Petrus het onthou dat die Here vir hom gesê het, “Voordat die haan kraai, sal jy My drie maal verloën.” En Petrus het uitgegaan en bitterlik geween (Lukas 22:61, 62 AFRB’23).

Petrus se verhouding met Jesus het sy inherente vrees en selfsug en sy liefde en vertroue in Jesus in konflik gebring. Hy moes kies, en op daardie oomblik het hy vrees en selfsug gekies. Hy het bitterlik gehuil omdat hy besef het dat sy hart steeds met sonde besmet is, maar dit is ook toe hy bekeer is, toe hy uiteindelik sy ou lewe aan Jesus oorgegee het en met ‘n nuwe hart en regte gees weergebore is, toe hy die transformerende krag ervaar het om ‘n nuwe lewe van liefde te lei. Jesus bevestig dit op die strand na Sy opstanding:

Jesus sê vir Simon Petrus, “Simon, seun van Johannes, het jy My waarlik meer lief as hulle?”

“Ja, Here,” het hy gesê, “U weet dat ek U liefhet.”

Jesus het gesê: “Laat my lammers wei.”

Jesus het weer gesê: “Simon, seun van Johannes, het jy My waarlik lief?”

Hy antwoord: “Ja, Here, U weet dat ek U liefhet.”

Jesus het gesê, “Sorg vir my skape.”

Die derde keer sê hy vir hom: Simon, seun van Johannes, het jy my lief?”

Petrus was seergemaak omdat Jesus hom die derde keer gevra het: “Het jy my lief?” Hy het gesê, “Here, U weet alles; U weet dat ek U liefhet.”

Jesus het gesê, “Laat my skape wei.” (Johannes 21:15-17 NLV 84).

Verlossing is meer as om ‘n verhouding met Jesus te hê – dis om soos Jesus te word deur daardie verhouding met Hom!

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