JOHN 4:39-42 THERE ARE NO GREEN CARDS IN THE KINGDOM

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

The practice of infant baptism is a good illustration of how we come to faith in Jesus. An infant is brought to the baptismal font by others who testify to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The child is then included in the Church in order to be brought up in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Through corporate worship, educational programs, mission opportunities and Scripture-based fellowship, he is encouraged to pursue an ever deeper understanding of and relationship with God. However, there comes a time when the individual must confirm that she is claiming that faith as her own. We do not come into the kingdom of God by our genealogy, whether it is physical or spiritual.

The testimony of others, no matter how compelling, can only bring us into the presence of Christ. We come to believe what they say about Jesus, perhaps even that Jesus is the Savior of the world, but we do not know what that really means for the world or for our lives. Trust in any relationship grows with increasing knowledge and communication with the other. Even imperfect human relationships are improved qualitatively through “getting to know each other better.” Likewise, it is much more likely we are going to “be on board” with the organizational strategies if we have experienced the boss as a person of integrity and honesty, and one who cares about his employees.

The Samaritans came to Jesus because the woman testified that he was the promised Prophet. So they asked him to stay and teach them. Once he had taught them they came to know who he really was. Their final testimony is not that he is the Prophet, but that he indeed is “the Savior of the world.” We come to Jesus with our culturally-conditioned expectations of who he is and what he can do for us. Once we arrive, we must spend the necessary time with him, through Scripture, corporate worship, prayer and obedience, to listen to him in order to gain the true understanding and trust that will lead to full kingdom citizenship.

Dear Jesus, I have come to you through the witness of others, personally known and unknown to me. Like the Samaritans, open my heart to the desire to know you better so I can follow you more fully. Transform my second-hand, hear-say faith into a personal and living faith in you and a Christ-centered life in the world. Amen.