Friday, May 1, 2015,
10:38 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Your Love Offering.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 3:21-31 ESV.
Through Faith
But
now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although
the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through
faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace
as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward
as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's
righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former
sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be
just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Not one of us is righteous of our own making. All humans,
since the fall of Adam, have been born into sin, i.e. we have been born with
sin natures, in the image of Adam (See Romans 5 & 1 Corinthians 15). We are
ALL capable of ANY sin. Because of this, not one human being is capable of
keeping God’s law with absolute perfection. No amount of good works or goodness
on our part will ever be enough to save ourselves from hell and to guarantee us
eternal life with God. Our good works will never outweigh our bad. We cannot
save ourselves no matter how hard one might try. We can do nothing to earn or
to deserve our own salvation. We will never be acceptable to (approved by) God
in our own merit.
Yet, because of what Jesus Christ did for us in dying on the
cross for our sins, we are now able to be made righteous through faith in Jesus
Christ, for all those believing (continuous) in him. This Greek word we
translate as “believe” in English actually means “believing,” and is a
continuous action verb in the Greek language – a verb tense we don’t have in the
English language. In other words, we don’t believe (past), then live our lives,
and then die and go to heaven. The Bible teaches that the kind of faith it
takes for us to be saved and to have eternal life with God is continuous,
enduring, persevering and firm to the end (See: Jn. 8:31-32; Ro. 11:17-24; I Co.
15:2; Col 1:21-23; Heb. 3:6, 14-15; 2 Pet. 1:5-11; I Jn. 2:24-25). Yet, we are
not able to do this in our own power or strength. All this is accomplished in
the power and the working of the Holy Spirit within us as we submit to our Lord
and to his work of grace in our lives.
Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny
self, die daily to sin and self, and follow (obey) him (See: Lu. 9:23-25; cf.
Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:24-25). He said his sheep listen to him
and they follow (obey) him, and they are the ones who can’t be snatched out of
his hands (See: Jn. 10: 27-30). He said we must participate with him in death
to sin (in his body and blood), or we have no life in us (See: Jn. 6:35-65). In
Romans 8 we read that Jesus, via his sin offering of himself given so we could
be set free from sin, condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous
requirements of the law might be fully met in us, “who do not live according to
the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit.” If by the Spirit we put to
death the misdeeds of the body, we will live, “because those who are led by the
Spirit of God are sons of God” (See: Ro. 8:1-17). These verses, and many more
like them, show true faith is continuous action. Faith without deeds is dead (See:
Jas. 2:26). We must turn from our sins, and turn to follow our Lord Jesus in
obedience.
We Uphold It
Then
what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of
works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith
apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God
of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the
circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow
the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
If we could be saved by our own works or by perfectly
keeping the law in our own flesh, then we could boast that we did it and that
we deserved it because of our own goodness. Then, we wouldn’t need God. But, we
do, because we can’t do it on our own. We need the Savior Jesus Christ to save
us of our sins and to restore us to fellowship with the Father. This is the way
God planned it. And, we need the Holy Spirit within us empowering, counseling,
leading, guiding, inspiring, directing, convicting and encouraging us in our
walks of faith with Jesus Christ in order for us to continue walking according
to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. God created us to be in
fellowship with him and to need him. And, that is the best place to be, too –
in his loving arms, resting in his grace, trusting in his love and mercy,
submitted to his will, and surrendered to following after his ways.
Although it is true that we can’t be saved by keeping the
Law, that does not mean, though, that God’s moral laws no longer apply to our
lives. Jesus summarized the Law in two commandments: 1) Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, mind and soul, and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself. “All
the law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (See: Matt. 22:37-40).
If we do this, we will not be idolatrous, we won’t commit spiritual adultery
against God, and we won’t take him and his grace to us for granted, but we will
walk in the fear (honor and respect) of the Lord, and we will worship him 24/7
in spirit and in truth. We also won’t covet our neighbors’ possessions, commit
adultery, make a practice of lying, or steal, cheat, and murder other people,
etc. But we will be kind, compassionate, merciful, forgiving, trustworthy, and honest,
and we will show integrity in all that we do.
Just because we cannot keep the whole law, and just because
the law does not save us, that does not mean we are free from keeping God’s
commandments. All throughout the New Testament we are taught that we must keep (obey)
God’s commandments, for that is how we show that we love God, and it is
required for our salvation (See: Jn. 8:51; 14:23-24; Ro. 6:16; Heb. 5:9; 1 Jn.
2:3-5; 3:24; 5:3; 2 Jn. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:2). So, how does that work exactly since
we are saved apart from the Law? It is part of our saving faith. In other
words, God’s moral laws are not nullified by our faith, but genuine faith in
Jesus Christ upholds (keeps) the Law – the perfect law that gives freedom – the
gospel of our salvation. We don’t obey to earn or to deserve salvation, and we
don’t do it to gain God’s approval of us so we can be saved. We do it, though
not perfectly, as a love response to God for saving us from our sins, and all
in the power of the Spirit within us, as we cooperate with his work.
Your Love Offering / An Original Work /
September 13, 2011
Thank
You, Lord, for Your love,
Dying
on a tree,
So
we’d be forgiven,
Live
eternally.
Thank
You for Your kindness,
Your
love offering,
When
You shed Your blood,
So
we could be set free.
Thank
You, Lord, for Your cross,
Dying
for our sins,
So
we’d live in vict’ry,
Purified
within.
Thank
You, Lord, for Your life
You
gave for our sin,
Giving
us a new life,
We’re
made whole within.
Thank
You for Your mercy.
You
paid what we owe.
When
we turn from our sin,
Your
grace freely flows.
Thank
You, Lord, for conq’ring
Death
and sin and hell,
So
we’d walk in freedom,
With
You now to dwell.
Thank
You, Lord, that You will
Soon
come for Your bride.
Perfectly
You made her
To
with You abide.
Thank
You for Your Spirit;
Our
God, three in One,
Giveth
us salvation,
Through
God’s only Son.
Thank
You, Lord, for Jesus!
He’s
our King of kings!
He
will reign forever!
Our
praise to Him bring!!
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