Friday, February 6, 2009

Give your heart to Jesus? A fine birthday gift, indeed!

Bo Giertz was a confessional Lutheran bishop in the Church of Sweden. He wrote a novel entitled The Hammer of God, the story of three Lutheran pastors in three different time periods, and how they each learned about the true power of the Gospel in the face of rationalism and pietism.

Below is my favorite quote from Giertz' book. An older pastor is responding to a younger pastor's inquiry as to whether the older pastor had truly "given his heart to Jesus." The older pastor replies:
"...if you think you are saved because you give Jesus your heart, you will not be saved. You see, my boy…it is one thing to choose Jesus as one’s Lord and Savior, to give Him one’s heart and commit oneself to Him, and that He now accepts one into His little flock; it is a very different thing to believe on Him as a Redeemer of sinners, of whom one is the chief. One does not choose a Redeemer for oneself, you understand, nor give one’s heart to Him. The heart is a rusty old can on a junk heap. A fine birthday gift, indeed! But a wonderful Lord passes by, and has mercy on the wretched tin can, sticks His walking cane through it and rescues it from the junk pile and takes it home with Him. That is how it is."

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