The Kingdom of Heaven Taken by Force
“And from the days of John the Baptist until
now
the kingdom of heaven suffereth
violence,
and the violent take it by force.”
-MATTHEW
11:12 [KJV]
Many
view this verse as saying that men by the sheer force of their own
power, goodness, and/or will can gain salvation and enter the kingdom
of heaven. This is far from the truth of this verse and the whole of
Scripture. This
verse speaks of the desperation God the Holy Spirit brings God‘s
elect to in conviction. It is when we as sinners are brought to the
end of all hope, to the point that we see no other hope but the grace
of God in Christ: no hope of forgiveness but by His blood and no hope
of justification but by His righteousness imputed.
When the Holy Spirit reveals to us our sin, impotence, and depravity,
we in desperation by God given faith lay hold upon Christ, and we
cannot and will not let go of Him. This is not forcing Christ to save
us, but it is the force of conviction that causes us to cling to Him
for our very lives. Like Jacob wrestling with the Angel (a
preincarnate appearance of Christ), we say, “I
will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me” (GENESIS
32:26).
If God did not
intend to save us according to His sovereign will, He would not bring
us to this point of desperation. But this is where the Lord brings
all His people. We cannot force Him to bless us with salvation, but
He brings us to such a point of desperation that we cannot and will
not let go of Christ.
-Gospel report by preacher Bill Parker
Eager
Avenue Grace church of Albany, Georgia USA
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