Bible Text: Revelation 3:20 | Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

When Dr. J. Edwin Orr spoke to a group at a University, a young lady raised her hand to say, “I do not understand this. If a man believes in Communism, he is a Communist; if he believes in Socialism, he is a Socialist; I believe in Christianity–am I not a Christian?” “Not necessarily so,” replied Dr. Orr. Then he asked, “Do you believe in marriage?” “Yes, I do,” she answered, “I’m engaged to be married.”

Facetiously, he asked the young ladies in the group how many of them believed in marriage and ninety-nine percent of them raised their hands. “That’s very interesting,” Dr. Orr said. “You say that you believe in marriage. It so happens that I am a chaplain of the Air Force. I am recognized by the government to perform marriages. This young lady says if one believes in Communism, he is a Communist; if one believes in Christianity, he is a Christian; now you tell me you believe in marriage: allow me to pronounce all of you married. What’s wrong with that?”

One girl protested, “Mr. Orr, you know that marriage is not a philosophy; marriage is a personal relationship!” “Exactly,” he replied. “And Christianity is not a mere philosophy; to be a Christian is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a living Person.”

Christianity is often mistaken for a system of ethics, a list of do’s and don’ts. The Bible gives us a standard for moral living, but this is not the center of Christianity. The unique thing about Christianity is that you can know Jesus Christ personally and in Him find the power to live as you know you ought to live. How? By placing your faith in Jesus Christ unreservedly.

This kind of faith begins with the step of commitment. It is illustrated by the story of the great Jean Francois Gravelot, better known as “The Great Blondin.” He was an acrobat who once provided shows at Niagara Falls by walking over the falls on a tightrope. On one occasion he astounded a group of people by walking over and back, first with a balancing rod, and then blindfolded. He even pushed a wheelbarrow over it. For his climactic act he needed a boy to help him. So, on returning to safety he singled out a little fellow and said, “Boy, you think I am wonderful, don’t you. Do you think I could do anything?” “Yes, sir, I certainly do.” “All right,” said Blondin, “you hop in the wheelbarrow and I’ll take you over.” But the little boy took one look at that awful chasm and disappeared into the crowd. He believed in The Great Blondin with his mind, but not enough to put his life on the line.

That is where many people fall short of becoming true Christians. You can’t go just partway across. Perhaps you have been trying to act like a Christian, hoping that will make you one–like believing in something theoretically. Instead, put your faith in Jesus Christ without reservation. Ask Him to forgive your sins and give you a right relationship to Him, the relationship that makes you truly a “Christian.” John’s Gospel puts it like this:

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Believing in Christianity is not enough. Even believing that Christ lived and died is not enough. He wants a relationship with you whereby you invite him to be your Savior and Lord and trust Him to forgive you and to make you His child. That’s what being a Christian is about and anything less than that won’t get you across the Niagara of death.

Resource reading: Revelation 3:1-20