Holliday Inn
I stayed in a hotel in London one time that turned out to be a lot like the enclosed picture. On the outside it was actually ok, but the door to my room almost didn’t shut, and I felt like something was crawling on me all night long. I found a new lodging the next night. As I pondered the above hi-way hotel, I realized that I could honestly say that I would never stay at such a place. No hotel would be an improvement to this hotel. I would stay I my car, or not go to bed at all. Then it came to my mind, ‘what could be done to this place to make it an appealing place of residence for a day or two? I began to imagine walking in and taking a look-see. If the accommodations are in keeping with the outer decorations, then I would probably find the carpet either well worn or thread bare and dirty, or old flooring that is buckling, cracking, and curled. The flooring would probably show gaps between itself and the molding that is probably sagging away from the wall. The curtains are probably ripped, faded, and the curtain rods broken. The caulking in the bathroom is moldy, and there are stains in the tub and sink from a dripping faucet. Then there is that musty smell. The bed is hard, and the pillows flat. There is no TV, or internet hook up. Well, enough of the bad news. The question at hand is – What needs to be done to make this place a joy to stay in? As I considered the work that would have to be involved, new siding, insulation, doors, windows, roofing, sub flooring, wiring, pluming, fixtures, sheetrock, paint, tub, sink, curtains, beds, chairs, carpet, and then I began to realize, that with all of this, it still would not be enough. No, what is really needed, is a bulldozer to level it to the ground and start completely over. There is no need to seek to salvage anything. Burn it down, or bull doze it, and then lay a brand new foundation. As I pondered this, I realized that the truth of the matter is, our need for salvation is the same. There is no need to try and update the old man. He is rotten to the core! He needs to be killed and brought to life again. He does not need a renovation of his nature, but a whole new creation. Man’s nature is so corrupt that nothing short of death and resurrection will fit the bill. Salvation is just that. It is death and resurrection. Out with the old, and in with the new. But, it must be a work of God. It is the giving of life to the dead (Eph. 2). It is the washing of regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Most in our world today believe that the old man is just fine, it just needs a little spit and polish. They do not see any great problem, ‘I’m Ok, you’re Ok! I am just fine the way I am. I haven’t committed any great sin!’ But, the truth of the matter is, the old life must fully be done away with. There must be a new creation. Salvation is not just turning over a new leaf. It is not a Band-aid solution. The old man must be slain, and then raised again to life. This is wonderful picture of baptism, the death, burial and resurrection of life. “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). This is why it is so important that repentance is a part of the gospel message. Without repentance, there can be no saving faith. It is a grave error to give hope of eternal life to the un-repentant. John teaches that if we say we have no sin we are deceived, but if we confess our sins he is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:8, 9). Also, in that same chapter he says that if you say you have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, you lie (vrs. 6). When Paul preached to the philosophers of Athens, he said that God has declared to all men everywhere to repent because of the coming day of judgment (Acts 17:30-31). I have heard that D. Martyn Lloyd Jones said in a last interview before his death when asked what he would tell the all the world if he could, and his answer was ‘Flee from the wrath to come, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.’ This is a good word. If we repent of our sin and place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God slays us, and raises us from the dead, to walk in newness of life. “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17)!