Who is Your Password ..?..

23 Mar 2009

Fifteen years ago I knew that I was computer illiterate. Thirty-five years earlier, I didn’t even know that I was a sinner. Being computer-ignorant never bothered me until my work required this skill. Being unaware of my sin didn’t disturb me until I envied the joy of dedicated Christians. To remedy both states, I sought help.

I was confident that I could master Information Technology. That is, until I had to perform a simple task: provide a password. What password? My tutor explained the importance of having my own unique personal password. Our lesson continued and slowly I became reasonably computer literate.

To remedy my sinfulness, my spiritual counsellor gave me sensible guidance:

• Admit your sin. (Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:13)
• Believe that God can overcome sin. (Mark 10:26-27)
• Commit yourself to God (Romans 12:1) through repentance (Acts 16:31) and faith (Hebrew 11:6).

Entry by Password

Foolishly, I wanted to overcome IT (innate transgression), without repenting. Fortunately, my spiritual counsellor explained that repentance was necessary to gain entry into God’s Kingdom (Matthew 3:2). Without it, I am excluded from eternal life (1 John 5:11-12). Repentance, then, is the password that enables me to participate in God’s unique programmes (Romans 12:6).

The concept of ‘entry by password’ originates from military practice. To reduce enemy ambushes on a camp, a sentry would challenge anyone approaching to provide a password. The Bible records an occasion when some captives suspected of deceit had to say ‘shibboleth’. Only those who said it correctly were spared death (see Judges 12:6).

A better forerunner of the computer password is the ‘bawab’. In a rich family, the bawab was given the lowest household task, door-keeper. He stayed day and night in a small lodge by the door.

The bawab’s main task was simple. The door opened from inside, and only when the bar was raised. Someone wanting entry would knock. The bawab would ask: ‘Who is there?’ The visitor would then respond: ‘It is I.’ If the bawab recognised the voice, he lifted the bar. If he didn’t, he asked questions until he was convinced that it was safe to admit the inquirer.

In times of war, an enemy would batter down the door and kill everyone inside. In times of peace, a king’s emissary could strike the door with his rod of office and cry out, ‘Open in the name of the King’.

Computer hackers attempt to spoil or steal precious computer records. People who forget their passwords use legitimate means to rediscover it. Other people hire experts to reclaim ‘lost’ documents. These occurrences bypass an owner’s unique password. In this way they parallel the exceptions that overrode the bawab’s responsibility.

Jesus Christ is the Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5); he could savage his way into our lives. He is the Lord of the angels (Matthew 26:53); those angels could enforce our submission. He is the King of kings (Revelation 19:16); he could command our undisputed servitude.

Open the Door!

Instead, he meekly requests admission into our lives. We have the bawab’s role. ‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me’ (Revelation 3:20).

We are like a sleeping bawab who will waken when he recognises his master’s voice, and will raise the bar. If we humbly awake to our sinful condition (Acts 16:30), acknowledge Christ’s lordship (John 10:14), repent our sin (Luke 23:3) and follow Jesus (Mark 8:34-35), we shall inherit eternal life (Acts 3:19, Revelation 3:20, John 3:16).

When we lift the bar, our Lord and Master humbly enters and eats with us. Christ first enters into our human life experience before offering us his superior spiritual nourishment. (John 4:10, 6:35). There is no other name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12)—Christ has and is the password to eternal life (John 6:68).

A computer password opens the limited contents of our computer’s hard drive and memory to us. Christ owns the copyright to a programme of far more abundant life (John 10:10). Amazingly, he will not coerce our acceptance of this life. Patiently, he waits for us to respond to the password.

Then, all his spiritual world is ours too.

By Mervyn L.Layt (from War Cry magazine)