King Of The Jews - Part 12The concept of Salvation by Grace alone is almost incomprehensible to fallen man. Since the fall of man, God has always dealt with him through Grace, because had He not, the line of man would have ended with Adam. "The wages of sin is death". Romans 6:23. It was that way at the beginning and so shall it ever be until the Kingdom of God is fully established on earth. "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven". Matthew 6:10 Additionally, man has only ever had access to this Grace in one way, through Faith. Jesus came to pay the sin debt permanently. The words he uttered as he gave up the ghost on the cross, meant literally that the bill was paid. "It is finished". John 19:30 Man had earned his wages of sin, but Jesus paid the debt in full. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". So, if we could earn it, Salvation would no longer be a gift. If you work for something, it is yours by work, not as a gift. A gift cannot be "earned" or it is no longer a gift. This was not only a stumbling-block to the Jews of Jesus' day, but to many "Religionists" of today. Catholicism pronounce a curse, an anathema on anyone who believes in Solo Grazi, Salvation through Grace, or Solo Fid, by Faith alone. Many other "Religions", even so-called Protestant Religions, claim Salvation is dependent on keeping the Ten Commandments. If we could keep them, Jesus would have died in vain. However, if we choose to put ourselves under the "Law" we are cursed if we do not keep it in every point. (see James 2:10) In fact, Jesus raised the bar for keeping the Law much higher than the Mosaic system or even the Pharisees. Jesus said, "Ye have heard...thou shalt not kill, but I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement". Also, "Ye have heard...thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart". John 5:21,22,27,28. God looks on the heart, not on the package or the show. "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God". Romans 2:28 & 29 "What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under Grace? God forbid. Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are...: whether of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness". Romans 6:15-18 In other words, when we are saved, we are saved so that we might have the power through Christ to conquer our fleshly desires and live a life of holiness. True repentance brings change. True repentance brings a desire to live righteously. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled". Matthew 5:6 Does this mean we will never sin again? Of course not. But God has provided us with a way to deal with those sins that inevitably crop up in our lives. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". 1 John 1:9 Is this a license to sin? Of course not. It is an exhortation to purity because, "...every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure". 1 John 3:3 "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all". We are exhorted to "...walk in the light, as he is in the light". When we do this, "...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin". 1 John 1:5 & 7 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world...For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world". 1 John 2: 15 & 16 "If your eye offends you pluck it out..." "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off". Mark 9:47 & 43. I feel led to share this with those of you who may be offended by other things you may be seeing on the internet and what your hands may be doing as a result. "Those who have ears, let them hear" Revelation 13:9 "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations..." 11 Peter 2:9 Knowing that no Christian can live a happy life while hiding sin, ..."these things write we unto you that your joy may be full". 1 John 1:4 The more one studies the Bible and God's unique relationship with the Jewish people the more easily one can identify with our privileged position as members of the Church; the body of Christ. The true Church, the living stones that comprise the Body of Christ, is not an organization, a building with a steeple or any physical, man-made system. When I was younger I was baffled by how Israel could have been led by the Living God, experienced his blessings, power and deliverance and yet fall away from Him, time and again. But that self-righteous attitude has over time been replaced by the reality of the difficulty of trying to live out the Christian walk; to be a "doer of the Word". As believers living in the last days, we are incredibly blessed and privileged to have the whole counsel of God in His Word; the Bible. There are thousands of scholars studying and as closely as possible, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. From the mountains of literature available we can get a small grasp of the majesty and power of our God. Further, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity who takes up residence in every truly born-again believer. As Jesus promised before He ascended into heaven, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive...but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you". John 14:16 & 17 So, in many ways we can have a closer view, a closer walk, a more intimate relationship with God available to us than even Israel was afforded. Yet, so often we fail to walk the walk. So often we fail the tests. The recognition of our utter helplessness outside of God's presence is brought into sharper focus when we recognize what miserable sinners we are even when we are at our closest to Him and walking our best Christian walk. But take heart. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience". James 1:3 Falling into temptation does not mean falling into sin. God certainly does allow us to be tested which is another word for temptation. But He does not want us to fall into sin. He is refining our faith, like gold is refined by fire. "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape..." 11 Corinthians 10:13 |
