Giving Jesus a Try

When buying clothes at the shops, often there are changing rooms where clothes can be tried on in privacy to determine how well they fit.  It makes perfect sense to try before buying something, like when free samples of food are being offered at Costco.  If a shopper is curious to see what food tastes like, trying it themselves helps them make an educated decision.  It is common these days with the amount of online shopping available to have a period of time where free returns are possible if something does not fit, match the description or a buyer is dissatisfied with the product.  There are even a host of influencers who "try before you buy" and provide feedback for prospective buyers based on their experiences.  The whole point of trying before buying is to see if a product fits your needs and meets your expectations.

Because these are the common implications of trying things for ourselves, I am not a fan of encouraging others to "give Jesus a try," almost reducing Him to a bite of food to see if we enjoy it or not.  The amazing things about receiving Jesus by faith as the Son of God and Messiah is that He transforms us from within.  If we approach Jesus as something we can take or leave depending on if our expectations are met or our personal benefit is obtained, we are not coming to Him as sinners desperate for salvation or forgiveness.  Many people who came to faith in Christ, based on what we observe in the New Testament, experienced an uptick in conflict, persecution and trials for their faith.  Faithful Christians did not come to Jesus because He "worked" for them, but because they realised they needed Him for salvation, forgiveness and eternal life.  Those who try Jesus like a shopper choosing clothes may just put Him in the charity bin when their lives begin chafing from unmet expectations, and they will be put off ever trying Him again.

It is a strange approach to try Jesus to see how He works for us when we have been created and exist to serve and glorify Him.  Because this view of a relationship with Jesus Christ is upside down, it is no surprise when Jesus does not work out due to lack of faith in Him.  The one who tries food knows what tastes and textures they prefer; the ones trying on clothes knows their size and styles they find attractive.  Jesus is God made flesh and thus is nothing like anyone we have ever seen or known.  He cannot fit us because we are naturally unfit for Him.  Yet after we sinners are born again through the power of the Gospel, we are made new creations and the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.  God puts within us a capacity to think, do, say and desire what never entered into our minds before by His presence.

It may be people have legitimately come to faith in Jesus because they "gave Him a try," for God is able to reveal Himself to lost sinners by innumerable ways.  Many people have been saved by God's grace even when we came to Him for largely selfish reasons.  But let us not ignore the implications of urging people to give Jesus a try, for then we put them in the judgment seat only Jesus Christ is worthy of sitting in.  Better to show people their sinfulness and need for a Saviour than to suggest Jesus will bow to their expectations of Him--for it is we who are called to bow before Jesus as sovereign LORD and King.  Those who lose their lives for Christ's sake will find eternal life, and wrath abides on those who remain on the throne of their lives who view Jesus as an accessory that suits them as they are (Matthew 16:25; John 3:36).

Having come to the almighty God in faith, David encouraged God's people to pursue a relationship with the LORD in practical experience in Psalm 34:8:  "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"  Children of God can have complete confidence in the goodness of God and the blessings He provides for all who trust in Him.  Having tasted of God's grace, we are urged by Peter to lay aside all sin and desire the sincere milk of the word like newborn babes (1 Peter 2:1-2).  Knowing Jesus first loved us, our call is to love Him and exercise ourselves to godliness, living out Gospel truth by obedience to Him.  Rather than chasing the spiritual experiences or giftings of fellow Christians, we are called to pursue Christ and grow in grace.  We are called to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, our lives surrendered to Christ as LORD for His glory (Phil. 2:10-12).  God desires our faith and obedience to Him would grow, and God who has set us apart for Himself sanctifies us as we labour for His sake.  This isn't something we are called to try:  it is who Jesus has created us to be.