Have you ever wrestled with someone when you were younger and after they had you in a choke hold or a body hold they made you say uncle before they would quit (it was usually a brother, an uncle or a friend)? When I was a kid, I used to wrestle with my uncle who was several years older than me and he was much stronger than I was. We’d start off wrestling and it would be fun at first.
He would usually get a little more aggressive and then so would I. Eventually, I would end up in a choke hold or a leg lock or something like that and I couldn’t escape. My uncle would be laughing at this point and he’d tell me to say uncle and then he’d let me loose. I never did at first because I used to be very stubborn. I was a prideful person and I hated admitting defeat. But eventually I would have to swallow my pride and say uncle.
God wants us to surrender our will completely to Him. But not in the fashion I just described. God wants us to surrender ourselves to Him because we realize that we are lost, because we are sinners. He wants us to surrender our lives to Him out of love. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus Christ (who lived a perfect and sinless life) to die on the cross in our place (John 3:16).
All of us have sinned. The Bible says that there is none righteous, no not one. That sin separates us from a Holy, Righteous and Just God. There is nothing we can do on our own to change that. We cannot save ourselves. We can’t be good enough or righteous enough. We can’t do enough good works to save us.
You may be a good person from a human standpoint. Most of us can say that we have never killed anyone. We have never raped anyone. So you can say, “I am a good person.” Most of us can truthfully say this. The problem is that God’s standard is higher. God is going to hold us accountable for every action, word and even thought that we’ve ever had. When you stand before God on Judgment Day, saying that you never killed anyone or raped anyone isn’t going to be good enough.
1 John 3:15 says, “Whosoever hates his brother is a murder: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Who can honestly say that they have never hated anyone at any time during their whole life time?
Jesus said that lust is the same thing as adultery. Who hasn’t lusted before? The Bible says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. The question isn’t have you ever told a lie before. It’s more like how many lies have you told in your life?
God is going to judge us on the 10 Commandments on Judgment Day. Every single one of us will be found guilty. We have all lied, most of us have stolen something at one time or another, we have all dishonored our parents, none of us have always put God first in our lives, we have all lusted and hated someone at some point in our lives. We will be found guilty.
Because God is a just, Holy and perfect God, he will have no choice except to punish unrepentant sinners on Judgment Day. The Bible clearly states two options: Heaven or Hell. If you are guilty of violating even one of the 10 Commandments you will be found guilty. If you are an unbeliever, you will be found guilty on Judgment Day and the punishment for that guilt, for your sins will be eternal punishment in a very real place, Hell.
Again, God loves us so much, He sent Jesus to suffer and die on the cross for us. Jesus took the punishment we deserve. He substituted Himself for us. He who was sinless, became sin. Jesus, the one who was spotless became blemished for our sakes. He bore the wrath of God in our place. Sin is wrong. Sin has to be punished. (If a judge let a murderer go, we would all scream that the judge was either corrupt or unfair). God is NOT unjust or unfair. He is the one and only Just God.
Our sins had to be accounted for, they had to be punished. Since Jesus took our punishment for us, all we have to do is accept this amazing gift of salvation. It’s a free gift. To be truly saved, you need to admit that you are a sinner. But salvation is more than that. In fact, you may have said the sinner’s prayer when you were younger, like I did at age 11.
But I only said some words (even though I thought I meant them at the time). But there was no change in my life. I mistakenly thought that I had a get out of Hell free card. I did what I wanted to do because I thought I was saved. In Titus 1:16 the apostle Paul talks about people like I once was. He says that they profess God, but they deny him by their actions. (Are you denying God by your actions?)
Again, works don’t save you, but you will act differently once you are truly saved. Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandments. To truly be saved, you have to repent by turning away from your sins and turn toward Jesus. Quit trusting in your own works, your own goodness, your own self to save you. Admit to God that you need Jesus and put your full trust in Him.
God does not make us say uncle. God is not petty or mean. God wants us to surrender our lives fully to Jesus so that we may have true life and have it more abundantly, to the fullest. God wants us to surrender to Jesus out of love, because He first loved us. Are you ready to unconditionally surrender your life to Jesus Christ?
Remember on Judgment Day you will be found guilty. The question is: are you going to be a guilty sinner damned to Hell for eternity or are you going to be a guilty sinner saved by grace? One who is fully forgiven of your sins, fully repentant, fully surrendered to your Savior Jesus Christ? Don’t say uncle to God. Say I love you God because you first loved me. Say I willingly turn my life over to you Jesus.