The “Calvary Position”

The new birth experience is definitely a miracle, and it makes no sense to the intellect of man. The Bible clearly states that this is true. That is why it must be received by faith, as a gift from God. It cannot be earned, nor achieved by self-effort, and so it is an affront to man’s pride. Man’s disposition of vanity causes him to take the position of (to borrow a popular expression) “I’d rather do it myself, daddy!” It is not by an honorable reputation that everlasting life is obtained. Everlasting life is obtained, as already stated, through man’s recognition and admission of his lost condition and the extended grace of God to him in response to his repentance and faith. There simply is not any other way to obtain the mercy of God.

If it had been in the power of man to save himself apart from the sacrifice of Christ, then Calvary was the greatest tragedy in human history. If we were all O.K., the cross was a mistake. If we are all basically good already, we do not need God. This is the real point of deception in the humanistic view. Man is proud. That is one outstanding trait of his sinfulness. He is so proud that he does not like to think that he needs God. He prefers to be his own savior because it does not suit his self-esteem to humble himself and admit his need. Self-styled morality is not biblical sanctification. Good works are not holiness. Religion is not salvation. Being “good” is not being born again. Ego-originated ecclesiastical activity is only an artificial substitute, not the genuine article. Religious spirits that feed on the natural man’s pride are as deadly an influence as evil spirits that plunge men into obvious sin. Indeed, they are more to be feared in that their true nature is often unrecognized.

The seeds of humanistic thinking grow in the soil of self-righteousness, and the Christian needs to be on guard as much as anyone else. Our protection is in the Word of God, not the walls of some church. The foundations of Christianity were undermined many years ago by a version of humanism, called at that time, “modernism.” This teaching denied the inspiration of the Bible, the virgin birth of Christ, the bodily resurrection, the blood atonement, the physical second-coming of Christ, and the depravity of man…This kind of teaching in our seminaries and preaching in the mainline churches has spawned a society of churched heathen. We have in America vast multitudes of professing Christians who retained the respectability and a humanistic philosophy coupled with a Bible that to them had become only another book, not the inspired word of God, but a collection of fairy tales in the Old Testament and good literature in the New, and one could take what he liked and leave what he didn’t like and feel no qualm of conscience in whatever he chose to discard. This was presented to our advanced culture as an improvement over what they termed “old-fashioned slaughter-house religion” (referring to the blood atonement). What it became was another “boot-strap religion” ~ man effecting his own salvation through his own human good works and self-righteousness. Those who sowed to the wind have reaped the whirlwind in the present wide-sweeping surge of humanism.

Man’s pride rejects the grace of God because grace is God’s favor extended to the undeserving, and man does not want to accept the fact that he is indeed undeserving. His self-glorification demands that God accept him on his own terms, looking upon him as being as virtuous as he sees himself in his own eyes. God will never come to terms with such erroneous thinking. Corrie Ten Boom is quoted as saying: “God loves me just as I am; but He loves me too much to let me remain as I am!” The winds of humanism may blow through your TV, your daily newspaper, the poets, and even some pulpits, but you will not find this philosophy in the Bible. The hymn writer had it right when he penned these words…

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ Name. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand…all other ground is sinking sand!”

We need to come back to the Calvary position, to maintain a continual spirit of repentance and contrition, to cling to the Old Rugged Cross in conscious awareness that our only hope as sinners is the cleansing blood of Jesus, confessing with another songwriter:

“I have no other argument, I have no other plea:

Jesus died for all mankind, and Jesus died for me.”

“For there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Our Father, we thank You that, knowing our utter helplessness, You have made full provision for our redemption through the finished work of Your Beloved Son, whose shed blood atones for our sin. We would not frustrate Your Grace, Oh, God, for if One died for all, then were all dead, and the dead cannot save themselves. We praise You for so great salvation ~ we bless Your Name and bow before You in humility and gratitude. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

F. Roberts