The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 45-21, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.

Question

"I want to ask why lots of people accept the Lord only when something drastic happens in their lives?"

Answer

You know that is a good time to accept the Lord, isn't it? Do you know why people do that? Because they have run out of resources. I guess apart from little children, who come to Christ in simple beautiful faith. . . . You know somebody asked the question, "If you have to have a broken spirit and a contrite heart to be saved then how about little kids?" I guess that maybe in a sense we don't understand that they probably do have a broken and a contrite heart. I hate to use my own kids as illustrations but they have been living in my house for so many years that I know them better than anybody else's kids.

One of ours, when he was little. . . . I was walking down the hall, He used to like to go to sleep in our bed, they have all done that--I have been hauling kids out of that room for years. So I went by the door and I heard this little conversation going on and I knew that he was supposed to be asleep, so I just kind of wondered what was going on. I stuck my ear in the door (he didn't see me) and he was praying, he was about 4 or 5, and I heard this, "Dear Jesus, I am sorry, please come into my heart." And he said it over a couple of times. Well, I got tears in my eyes.

I look back on that and that was a great step towards God that had to be confirmed. Right? As he grew older to show that it really was genuine, because the works have to follow. But the thing that I thought about so often as I looked back at that was that. . . . And later I asked him about that and he had been a naughty boy and there was a sense of sinfulness and wanting to get that right with the Lord, even in that little heart. I think that we may not see great weeping and tears and contrition that we sometimes see (and not always, even with adults, but sometimes). But I think that there will always be a sense of sinfulness, even in the heart of a child if they truly understand the gospel, don't you think? Because they have to understand they need to be saved.

It is easy to point out to a child that they are sinful. They don't argue that. Did you ever notice that? They don't argue. They admit it. You just ask them, "Are you always good?" "No" "Are you sometimes bad?" "Yep." They will just tell you that and that is kind of fertile soil. But, I think that there has to be a recognition of sinfulness, there has to be a contrition in the heart, there has to be an affirmation of the Lordship of Christ where you are willing to take His yoke and learn. And I think sometimes that does not happen until someone is desperate and that is why that question is easy to answer, "Why do people come only in desperate situations?" Because sometimes it takes that. I have even prayed that for people, "God, make them desperate." I have even told people that, "You're not a Christian because you don't have enough desperation yet. I am going to ask God to bring you more desperation so that you'll want to come to Jesus Christ." But don't underestimate the contrition in a little heart.

I'll never forget that over in the Family Center, in the prayer room one night, this little kid came in (just a little guy), and he wanted to become a Christian. I was in there and he started out his prayer, he must have been six, "Dear Jesus, I know that I am a rotten sinner (that's what he said) and I want You to come into my heart and make me clean." I think that is where an adult has to get too, "Unless you become as a little child," admitting you are wrong, knowing that you have no resources and are totally dependent on God, you're not going to come to Him.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
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Email: tony@biblebb.com 
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