Kevin W. Bounds

I love witnessing for Christ. I look for opportunities to share my faith in Christ and how He has radically changed my life. Yet, all to often I come across a person, who in our conversation, they say, “ I am on the fence about this Jesus stuff.” Also, I have heard of people in church “riding or straddling the fence”. What does one mean when they say these things? What is this proverbial fence everyone is talking about? Can one stay on the fence when it comes to Christ?

As I think upon these questions I often think of my childhood. I can remember when I was young, how I would perform a balancing act on the old wooden fences of my neighborhood. I recall the contests my friends and I would have to see who could go further . One foot in front of the other, arms extended to the horizons. We would teeter back and forth in effort to maintain our balance. Eventually, we would lean a little too far and off we would go. All the while, hoping not to fall among the briers that grew along the fence rows.

Is this what people mean by “being on the fence”? I understand a person can be undecided about the claims of Christ, but to be undecided means to not believe the claims. Right? I know there is a period of time when a person is drawn by the Spirit of God to come into a relationship with Christ, but if a person dies undecided the person has not believed the Gospel. When one is faced with the Gospel of Christ, one can only accept or reject it. “God has also said that he gave us eternal life and that this life comes to us from his Son. And so, if we have God’s Son, we have this life. But if we don’t have the Son, we don’t have this life.”(1 John 5:11-12 CEV)This Scripture is quiet clear on this matter!

What about those, who name Christ as Savior, that teeter back in forth from the world to God? In the book of James, it says, “You people aren’t faithful to God! Don’t you know that if you love the world, you are God’s enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”(James 4:4 CEV) One can not “straddle the fence” because there is no fence, according to 1 John 5:11,12!  You either believe the gospel or you don’t! Jesus said you would know the tree by the fruit that it bears. I am not suggesting a Christian can not be tempted by the things of the world, because this happens occasionally. I am speaking to those who habitually practice sin. I know we all slip, but there is a difference between slipping and diving into sin.  When a person is born again there is a change! If this change is not evident then I would question that person’s salvation experience. Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in.”(Matthew 7:21 CEV)

I would encourage anyone who is trying to perform a spiritual balancing act to choose life today! Christ came to redeem that which was lost in the Garden of Eden. He lived the perfect life that was impossible for us to live. He took away our sins on the cross. In exchange for our filthy rags, He gave us His righteousness or right standing with God. He not only died for us, but He triumphantly rose again over death, hell, and the grave! Jesus wasn’t “on the fence” about His love for you! He came and died to give to you eternal life! Choose Jesus and live today!