Not for neutral
Cars have a gear called “neutral.”
My first car was a standard transmission. I named my 1981 Subaru GL “Betsy.” She eventually met her demise on a back road in Ashley County, Arkansas. The driver survived without a scratch, but poor Betsy was totaled, and forlornly was dragged away with a tow truck after being righted from being upside down in a ditch.
Neutral is always a useful gear to have for those who drive standards. I’ve hardly ever used the gear in cars I’ve owned since that have automatic transmissions.
When a car is in neutral, you can mash the accelerator all you want, but you’re not going anywhere.
“…the neutral gear separates the engine from the wheels. The pedal won’t route power to the wheels, but you’ll still be able to turn their direction with the steering wheel.
This is when you put your car in neutral gear: When you want the car to be moved by an outside force rather than its own internal mechanical systems. This happens in situations such as
Getting your car towed
Pushing it physically to get it out of a snow pile
Letting it ride through an automatic car wash
When the wheels are being spun at an emissions checkpoint”1
An Outside Force
I think some people treat Christian salvation like a neutral gear. The gospel of Christ informs us that Jesus paid for our sins, that the person who places their faith in Him through repentance and confession may be saved.
In other words, an outside force operates on us. We cannot save ourselves. Jesus does the saving. We simply respond by trusting Him with our lives. As a result, we are forgiven. Our sins are “atoned” for. We are declared innocent, while all our guilt is placed on Christ.
The slate has been wiped clean.
However, Jesus didn’t die just to wipe the slate clean and leave us neutrally clean. He died to save us and invite us into His activity, His plan and purposes for our lives. He made us righteous, not just forgiven. Don’t get me wrong; being forgiven is indescribably freeing! But being made righteous - permanently - by God, means that we are right with God after trusting in Jesus as our Savior.
(Watch this five-minute video for a brief version of the gospel story!)
Even though we are declared right with God by faith in Christ, we should not think that we can just exist as Christians, in neutral. We are just forgiven. We are freed. To be who God made us to be. In fact, we are now “put in gear!”
After we become Christians, we are invited forward. In a sense, God has put a new engine under our hoods, and He has enabled us to travel under His power instead of our own.
Being saved and forgiven is glorious. Being declared and made righteous is glorious-er. ;) We are not saved for neutral. Believers should trust the Driver of their lives, and be ready for the road ahead.
What Is the Purpose of the Neutral Gear in a Car? by Aaron Widmar (The News Wheel: March 25, 2019)