Why we need Jesus

“The soul who sins shall die. . . . But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 
But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. 
“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 
Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” And you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, (Ezekiel 18:21–19:1)

If salvation depended on doing good things, then everyone is doomed. No unsaved sinner can claim eternal life on a few good deeds. No believing Christian can claim eternal security for a life of many good deeds yet with the occasional sin. 

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. 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. (Romans 3:22–28)

Being created in His image does not do it. Doing one’s best to follow His laws does not do it. Continually offering sacrifices and confessing sin doesn’t work either. In a sense, having a new heart doesn’t make us sinless. We still fall short. We need Jesus to be our substitute and God to put us ‘in Him’ and see us ‘in Him’ and that happens as we trust Him to have done what we could never do — take our punishment for sin, give us the ability and willingness to obey Him, and intercede for us when we fall short, even when we don’t notice or will not admit that we have.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)

We cannot even come to Christ without being drawn there by God, and we cannot respond and come to Him any other way but through Jesus. And we cannot be forgiven, cleansed, made new, and live forever without Jesus. Saying NO to Jesus is saying YES to depending on ourselves, an impossible task and folly.

Jesus, this is why I love and worship You. My life is not perfect. My obedience is iffy at times. I forget You or neglect You at times. But You never fail me. I need You all the time and for all of life… and worship You for being there, always, with me.

Why me?

One question that has no answer is this: Why does God save some and not others? There are debates. The Armenians insist it is up to us, that we must make the choice to believe, but there is much in Scripture that says we do not make that choice without the work of the Holy Spirit in us. For instance, Jesus said:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)

Since all have sinned and fall short, why does God save some and punish others? This is such a conundrum that some decide there is no hell because God can save everyone and God loves the world — so all will be saved. But that is not biblical either.

This is where faith comes in. Faith is trusting God even when we cannot figure out or see what He is doing. He reveals Himself as sovereign and good. Believing that can be a challenge if I use my eyes to built my faith. That is mostly a no-no.

When it comes to punishment, I know what God would do if I got what I deserved, but He also put that punishment on His Son so I am no longer condemned. Yet God has every right to condemn. He has dominion over all and when anyone refuses to obey the law that He has the right to make, those laws would be meaningless without justice. He has provided a substitute to take it for me, but if I refuse that offer, who then would experience the judgment I deserve? No one but me.

 The human heart expects consequences. Sometimes I can be deluded and think my foolish choices will turn out good, but that is folly. Some might delight in ‘getting away with it’ but eventually face the results of making light of the laws of God. The final consequence is standing before His throne and facing His judgment on our lives. Because I know Jesus and know that He died for my sin, I’m not anxious about what He will determine, but there are millions who do not fit that category. And it seems because God did not draw them or choose them. 

This makes no sense to me. Why me? I’ve done nothing to earn or deserve God's mercy. Yet God says this: 

As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory — (Romans 9:12–23)

God is God. He has every right to do as He pleases, and I have no right to find fault, resist His will, or even try to figure out what He is doing unless He reveals it to me. And He has not given reasons for loving Jacob and not Esau, or loving me and not that other person. 

The horrified try to figure out why Abram took Issac up the mountain, but the Bible says he did it because he trusted God to restore his life. Yet even with his deep faith, Abe didn’t guess what would happen. God stopped the sacrifice by offering a substitute. Faith is about trusting God, not knowing for certain why or what or having reasons that make sense.

My conclusion? God picks some but not others according to reasons He has not revealed and I’m to trust Him anyway, even if I don’t understand the why of it.

PRAY: And that is my faith today. Lord, if You surprise me with goodness for no reason I can see, I trust You. If You send hard things for no reason I can see, that might shake me up but it should not. You are God and You do not change. You are always wise and good, Enable me to trust You all the time and no matter what. Amen.

Our loss, his gain…

Late last night the news came that Pastor John MacArthur had graduated and is now with Jesus. Actually, he has been with Jesus most of his life. Here he will be missed. 

We were members of his church for a short time. My hubby was saved at another church in 1980, and realized it was not the right place for us. I and our three children were listening to John on the radio before they went to school each day and the youngest (grade 4) piped up and suggested we go to Grace Community Church. It was a bit of a drive for us, but I’ll not forget the first time we attended and heard John speak.

I’d read of how to live as a Christian but not experienced examples until we heard the preaching and met the people at Grace. People saved seats in the front rows by putting their Bibles on them, unheard of in most churches. I was so mesmerized by John’s messages that it took me a month to remember what he looked like. He was a humble man, studied the Word many hours a day, and an incredible ‘preaching machine’ when up front. My husband and all we met there were thoroughly grounded in their faith because of John’s teaching, and very involved in obeying the Lord. I’m certain the Internet is already full of stories that tell how this man glorified God and changed their lives. 

My verse for today reminds me of John’s firm defense of the gospel and is a truth firmly embedded in my heart:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)

Salvation is not something we do. It is not a matter of ‘choosing’ to following Christ, but of being chosen. So many claim “when I decided to become a Christian” yet the Bible does not make this a human choice. John pointed that out and repeated what Jesus said:

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:15–17)

MacArthur stood firmly on that truth. When the choice is ours, many think that we can also choose to stop believing. However, when God’s calling is spoken of like this, and the rest of the NT is carefully read, true believers experience a changed life, a new life, a life in which Jesus is Lord and we are His forever children. We do not control our salvation; Jesus does. John focused on our Savior’s lordship.

One summer we moved from California and Grace church. During that move, we attended two other churches that were growing in size and filled with people who were like the folks at Grace. These three were different denominations yet all very fruitful and alive in Christ. I noted the one thing they had in common: all three had pastors that focused on God and God's glory, not so much on what we should be doing. No finger-shaking, thou shalt’s or thou shalt not’s — instead, all pointed to the wonder of God and the Gospel. 

One of the reasons I write “Practical Faith” is because of the reality that God loves me and wants my life to honor Him, not just on Sunday or in ‘spiritual’ matters, but in everything. I watched a man and his church do that and am thankful to God for giving us a short time with them, but long enough to permanently bless our lives.

PRAY: Jesus, I am glad John is at rest with You. He is missed already, but because of Your blessing in His life, countless others have also been blessed. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

Coworkers with God…

 

The strategy of God and my experience in trying to reach people for Christ lead to one conclusion: God prepares and persuades and my efforts are part of that — or not. Unless He awakens sinners, opens their hearts, draws them, empowers the gospel, and calls the lost, my efforts could be in vain. I need to rely on His leading to be part of His plan. These and other verses are clear:

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44) 
We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:23–24)
For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:9)

God can use Gospel preaching as He did in Acts, and in the work of people like Billy Graham, and many pastors and ordinary Christians. One NT example of how to reach others is Philip who was told to speak to a Ethiopian man who was reading Isaiah and wanted to know the meaning. After Philip pointed him to Jesus, he believed and wanted to be baptized, then continued his journey. (Acts 8:26-39)

It was Paul’s practice to preach first in the synagogues and hoping to reach receptive Jews. He also relied on the Holy Spirit’s leading:

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:6–10)
And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” (Acts 16:13–15)
On other occasions, Paul reasoned in the synagogue with Jews and devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some heard of the resurrection of the dead, and some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” He left, but some men and women joined him and believed. (Acts 17:17–34)

Today’s devotional reading ends with a reminder that I am a partner with the Holy Spirit and  should be alert to those who are beginning to be awakened by His grace. This means seeking those who are looking for Him and put my efforts in drawing them closer to Him. This is a challenge because many people are quiet in their search.

PRAY: Jesus, You have gifted some in evangelism yet call all of us to cooperate with Your work in drawing people to Yourself. It is my challenge to not only pay attention, but to obey whatever You tell me to do or say, not always aware of how You will use it, but trusting You with the results. I can plant seeds, but You alone can make them grow.

God’s work or my will?

A stubborn man who rejected God in every way told me that he could become a Christian anytime he wanted, but he simply was not interested. I told him that if he decided within himself to do that without the enabling of God, he would not be able to have faith or become a Christian. He argued with me saying this was totally a matter of his will. It was not about God doing anything.

Had he known the Bible, he likely would defend his view with verses that emphasize the will and choices of people, such as:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. (1 Chronicles 28:9)

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

As MacArthur points out, those verses seem to contradict Paul’s teaching that, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10–12) and the words of Jesus: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44)

The former passages are about people believing God and receiving Christ for salvation. The latter are about God enabling man to do so. How does this make sense? Note how these verses tie the two together:

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake. (Philippians 1:29)

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48)

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. (Acts 16:14)

Unless God grants faith (it is a gift) and opens a person’s heart, salvation will not be presented as a choice to anyone. Not only that, on the day that He visits us, He has already been opening our hearts, making changes in our thinking and our desires so that the invitation not only appeals but makes sense. Two Bible versions put it this way: “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed” . . . and “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:11)

PRAY: Jesus, I know that You are the author and finisher of our salvation. For that reason, my main prayer for the unsaved is that You will open their hearts to say YES to You as You feed them truth on their journey to Calvary. May they realize their part is to simply agree with You. My heart’s desire and prayer is that they may be saved, whatever it takes and however long it takes. (Romans 10:1)

PONDER: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)