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.

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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!

Faith is . . .

Some say faith is a mystery, but trusting the unknown is quite common. For example, many people have gone to a doctor whose name they cannot pronounce and whose degrees they have never verified. He gives them a prescription they cannot read. They take it to a pharmacist whom they have never seen before and he gives them a chemical compound they do not understand. Then they go home and take the pills according to the instructions on the bottle. Is this not faith?

Well, sort of. Biblical faith is different from the above example in that the object of faith is the issue. The person with the prescription places a general trust in the medical and pharmaceutical profession, whereas biblical faith is placed in a God that has revealed Himself. In other words, biblical faith is not nearly as important as what or who is trusted.

B. B. Warfield said, “It is never on account of its formal nature as a psychic act that faith is conceived in Scripture to be saving. It is not, strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith. The saving power resides exclusively, not in the act of faith or the attitude of faith or nature of faith, but in the object of faith.”

This is how the Word of God states it: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved . . . .” (Acts 16:31)

Sometimes biblical faith is said to be a blind faith, but blind faith is like the first example; the doctor and the pill company are trusted without any information at all. Biblical faith compares better to: “Believe in this doctor and do what he says” or “Believe in the power of ABC company to make good pills and take them to be made well.” Yet there is still a need to know something about the doctor, or the pills, or the pill company. God does not ask us to believe in Him blindly. He reveals His existence in creation . . .  

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.” (Psalm 19:1–3)

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19–20)

God also revealed Himself by becoming one of us, a visible human being . . .

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Jesus said, “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:37–38)

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:1–3)

This God, who reveals Himself in Jesus Christ, asks us to believe in Him, but not without some evidence of who He is and what He does. He created all things, He is holy and unlike us. He is patient and merciful even though He hates sin. He became flesh that we might see and know Him, but also that He could take our penalty for sin. As a man, He lived like no other man. He died in our place and rose again to give us new life. This is the One in whom we are to place our faith!

Jesus is far more than a physician; He is the great healer. He is far more than a pill; a pill wears off and must be replaced, but Jesus offered Himself once, and that offering is good for eternity. (see Hebrews 10:1–10)

The Word of God offers all the information and revelation anyone needs to be saved from the penalty and power of sin. Faith is the doorway into the kingdom of God, into life everlasting. Being informed is good, but even the demons believe and tremble. God’s revelation of Himself is also good, yet it must be welcomed and embraced. Faith is hearing God and saying ‘yes’ to what He says, this One who created us and came to save us from the consequences of rejecting Him.

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Jesus, everyone who believes that You are the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves You too, and has the desire to obey You. You tell us that all who believe in the Son of God know what is true and those who do not believe You are basically saying God is a liar. You say that eternal life is ours when we believe in You, and this life is in You. You say that whoever has You has life and whoever does not have You does not have this precious and everlasting life. (1 John 5:1–13) I am eternally grateful for the gift of You, the gift of faith, and the gift of life.