In Christ, we are perfect

My husband is a decent golfer. Occasionally he has someone else check his swing to improve. However, he says knowing the rules and the proper way to do it does not insure being able to do it perfectly.

I understand. I am a quilter and use a longarm machine for larger quilts. I know how to stitch feathers and other fancy stitches and can do them on paper with a pencil, but that does not insure perfect curves and lines on the quilt. Mine can wobble more easily than not.

This illustrates the law of God. We can know it and agree with it, but that does not mean we can do it. Every one of us has a sin nature and our propensity to sin messes with all our good efforts. This failure to measure up explains why God sent the Lord Jesus Christ — to keep the law for us, but also to grant His perfections to all who believe. With Jesus as our Savior, we are right with God. Our own efforts fall short, but in Him we can be forgiven and justified:

“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.” (Romans 3:21–26)

Sometimes the Bible is the best interpretation of itself. That is, one passage can be made understandable by other passages. Besides that, a different translation also helps. It isn’t that other translations change the meaning (or they shouldn’t), but they might say the same thing in words that are more like the reader would say it. This passage from the Contemporary English Version clarifies for me the above passage from Romans:

“The Law of Moses is like a shadow of the good things to come. This shadow isn’t the good things themselves, because it cannot free people from sin by the sacrifices that are offered year after year. If there were worshipers who already have their sins washed away and their consciences made clear, there would not be any need to go on offering sacrifices. But the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. It only reminds people of their sins from one year to the next. When Christ came into the world, he said to God, ‘Sacrifices and offerings are not what you want, but you have given me my body. No, you are not pleased with animal sacrifices and offerings for sin.’ Then Christ said, ‘And so, my God, I have come to do what you want, as the Scriptures say.’ The Law teaches that offerings and sacrifices must be made because of sin. But why did Christ mention these things and say that God did not want them? Well, it was to do away with offerings and sacrifices and to replace them. That is what he meant by saying to God, ‘I have come to do what you want.’ So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all.” (Hebrews 10:1–10, CEV)

Quilters can send out their quilt tops to a professional to have them stitched using expensive computerized machines. If I do that, the work is partly mine yet overall it looks far better than had I done it all myself. In this case, most of the credit goes to the pro who quilted it.

Golf does not allow a tour champion play on behalf of a duffer. It might make the duffer’s score look better, but in the kingdom of God, God Himself sent Jesus to ‘play’ on our behalf. Because of Him, our ‘score’ with God is far better than par; it is perfect.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I don’t know how to best explain what You have done. You came from heaven to earth, putting on human flesh to become one of us. God put all our sin and sins on You and You bore the penalty for them, satisfying the wrath of God for sin and securing our forgiveness. God places those who believe ‘in’ You so when He looks at me, He sees You — in all Your glory and perfection. All that You are is mine — and all that I am is because of You. I shake my head in wonder, yet Your gift of faith enables me to know that it is true. I have been justified by faith in You and every day I marvel at Your grace and this incredible salvation!