Sunday, May 3, 2015,
6:00 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “When in The Stillness.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I
read Romans 5 (quoting vv. 1-11
ESV).
Access By Faith
Therefore,
since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross, he took upon himself
the sins of the entire world so that when he died, our sins died with him. When
he was resurrected, he rose victorious over sin, hell, Satan and death. Through
what Jesus Christ did on the cross for our sins, God has made a way for us to
be forgiven of our sins, delivered from the penalty of sin (eternal damnation),
and set free from slavery to sin. As well, his grace frees us to walk no longer
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit, and it promises us eternal
life with God.
All of this, though, requires that we accept what Jesus
Christ did for us by faith. This faith is not a one-time decision which
guarantees us heaven, though. The Greek NT is clear in stating that salvation
and eternal life is promised to those who continue in faith, i.e. to those
believing. This faith, Biblically speaking, reveals itself via us turning from
sin, i.e. dying with Christ to sin, and via us turning to God to follow Jesus
Christ in obedience to his will and to his purposes for our lives. The grace of
God is not a “get-out-of-jail free card.” It is not merely an escape from hell
and the promise of heaven when we die. It is not “carte blanche” to continue in
willful sin against God, claiming God’s grace covers it all, either. The grace
of God which brings salvation teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly
passions and to live self-controlled, godly and upright lives while we wait for
Jesus’ return.
These words, “In which we stand,” stood out to me as I read
this passage this morning, so I would like to take a few minutes here to
examine what that might mean. To take a stand on something means “to adopt a
firm position” and “alludes to the military sense of stand, ‘hold one's ground
against an enemy (dictionary.com).’” It is the opposite of compromise. It means
to hold to; to stick to like glue; to adhere to (See: Ro. 12:9; 1 Co. 15:1-2;
Phil. 2:14-16; 1 Tim. 6:12; Heb. 3:5-6). This entails so much more than just
words, though. If we truly stand in God’s grace, it means we say “NO” to
ungodliness and worldly passions, we do not compromise with the world around
us, and we choose to live godly, upright and holy lives, in the power of the
Holy Spirit, until Christ takes us home to be with him.
(See: Luke 9:23-25; John 6:35-65; 10:27-30; Ac. 26:16-18;
Ro. 8:3-14; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 2:8-10; 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Pet.
2:24-25; & 1 Jn. 1:5-9).
We Rejoice in
Sufferings
Not
only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and
hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Part of this walk of faith and obedience to our Lord Jesus
involves suffering, but suffering is for our good. One of the ways in which we
are called to suffer for Christ is in suffering persecution for the sake of his
name, and for the sake of the full gospel message, because when we truly do
stand in the grace of God, as taught by Christ and the apostles, we will be
hated, resented, rejected, mistreated, mocked, falsely accused, and strongly
opposed by those who don’t want to hear the truth of what the Word teaches
about grace. They want to hear what tickles their ears and that removes all
consciousness of sin against God so that they can continue in sin and claim
that God’s grace covers it all, or that Jesus does it all and that nothing is required
of us – no repentance and no obedience, etc. Yet, if grace does not deliver us
out of bondage to sin, then it is not grace.
While We Were Still
Sinners
For
while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For
one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person
one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified
by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if
while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much
more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than
that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we
have now received reconciliation.
We can do nothing to deserve or to earn our salvation. We
will never be good enough. Our good will never outweigh our bad. When we were
born into this world, we were born with sin natures, in the image of Adam (See:
Romans 5; 1 Corinthians 15). We will always, in our own flesh, come up short of
attaining God’s approval and acceptance (See: Ro. 3:23). So, that is why God
the Father sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth, to take on human form, and
to die on the cross for our sins. He was the perfect sinless sacrifice to take
away the sins of the world. He didn’t die because we deserved his death, because
of our own righteousness, which in his sight is like filthy rags. He died for
sinners like you and like me while we were still dead in our sins. Amen! And, I
am so thankful!
So, what does it mean to be reconciled to God? It means “to
bring into agreement or harmony” (dictionary.com); to restore a penitent to
fellowship with God; “to settle or resolve a dispute” or “to reestablish a
close relationship” (thefreedictionary.com). Because of Adam’s sin against God,
all of mankind has been separate from God, without hope, in slavery to sin, and
doomed to hell for eternity. Through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our
sins he reconciled us to God, i.e. he bridged that gap between us and God so
that we could be made right with God and have our fellowship with our creator
restored.
Yet, again, we must accept this great salvation by faith,
which is continuous (persistent), and is repentant and is obedient, not in
absolute perfection, but in continuous submission to Jesus Christ in daily
putting off the flesh and in daily putting on the Spirit in walking no longer
after the flesh, but after the Spirit and by the Spirit. Our salvation is not a
one-time event that takes place at some point in our lives and then one day we
go to heaven when we die, either. Not only is our faith continuous, i.e. salvation
and eternal life is promised to those who are believing (present/active/continuous),
but our salvation is also a continuous process. Scripture teaches that we have
been saved, we are being saved (present/active/continuous), and we will be saved
(See: (Ro. 8:24; 13:11; 1 Co. 1:18; 15:1-2; 2 Co. 2:15; Eph. 2:5; 2 Tim. 1:8-9;
Heb. 5:9; 9:28; 1 Pet. 1:5, 8-9).
This is not works-based salvation, as some have accused us
of teaching. We do not obey Jesus to earn our salvation. And, we don’t perform
in the flesh to be acceptable to God. No, we humbly submit to Christ and we surrender
to the cross of Christ in our lives in dying with Christ to sin, in being
resurrected with Christ to new lives in Christ Jesus, and in walking no longer
according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (See: Ro. 8). Yet, we don’t
do any of this in our own power or strength, but only in the power and working
of the Holy Spirit within us, as we cooperate fully with God’s work of grace in
our lives. So, all the glory goes to God – great things He has done in saving
us and in molding us into the image of Christ.
When in The Stillness / An Original Work /
September 26, 2011
When
in the stillness
Of
this moment,
Speak
to me, Lord,
I
humbly pray.
Be
my desire,
Set
me on fire,
Teach
me to love always.
Help
me to walk in
Fellowship
with You,
Listening
to You;
Sit
at Your feet.
Whisper
Your words to me,
Oh,
how gently,
Guiding
me in Your truth.
While
we are waiting
For
Your blessing,
Lord,
in our hearts
Be
King today.
Help
us to live for
You
ev’ry moment,
List’ning
to what You say.
May
we not stray from
Your
word within us,
Help
us obey You,
Lord,
in all things,
Walking
each moment,
Lord,
in Your presence,
Our
off’rings to You bring.
Help
us to love You,
Lord,
our master;
Be
an example
Of
Your love,
Helping
the hurting,
Lift
up the fallen,
Showing
them Your great love.
Teach
them to love You,
Follow
You always,
Bearing
their cross and
Turning
from sin;
Walking
in daily
Fellowship
with You,
Making
You Lord and King.
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