Everyone needs Jesus

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. (Romans 5:6–11)

A friend said, “I don’t know why faith is a big deal. I believe in God and that Jesus died for the sins of the world. So no big deal.”

I replied, “But what about your sins?”

Silence, then he said, “Oh, I see what you mean.”

Redemption, justification, salvation, and being reconciled to God is a personal relationship, not a philosophy, and none of it happens without the recognition and admission of personal sin. Yes, Jesus died for the ungodly, and that means you and me, because all have fallen short. 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Yes, He died for the whole world, but the benefit of that death is for those who believe in Him and receive Him into their life. All who do this realize that their faith is a gift and not their own doing — or at least we should for He said:

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. (John 15:16)

And the entire Bible repeats it. Salvation is not something anyone can do by ourself,  nor is faith: “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) 

And this is why I call Him “Lord Jesus” — because He is the Author and Finisher of my faith and uses all things to transform me into His image. I can only agree with Him, agree all that He says and asks me to think and to do, because He gives me the faith and the power to respond. Without Him, I can do nothing. (See John 15)

Lord Jesus, You gave me this new day to love and serve You, to pray, to care about others and do whatever You put before me. I am Your child and You are my very life.

 

What is God saying in disasters?

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.” ’ ” Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field. (Exodus 9:13–21)

My imagination could be way off, but for some reason, this warning seems to fit some of the stuff that is happening in today’s world. The weather and many events are as if God is saying, “See my power? Pay attention for no one is safe unless you are listening to me.”

The words ‘innocent victims’ gets tossed around too, but is anyone innocent? The Bible is clear on that matter: “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:22–23) Certain some are worse than others, some are closer to innocent than to evil, but no one hits the godly target apart from faith in Jesus Christ.

That said, God has every right to judge the world just as He had the right to put Egypt through many plagues. He tested and found that some paid attention and many did not listen.

Yesterday I watched two fictional crime stories on television. They had the effect of prompting prayer for those who actually are involved in crime, either as perpetuators or as victims. I prayed that they would not only hear God but fear Him, pay attention to Him, that their conscience would be alive and they would realize their need for His mercy and grace.

Personal tragedy does this. A death in the family makes us think of our own mortality. An accident on the highway, even a minor one, makes us realize how vulnerable we are. An illness does the same. Everyone wants to be healthy, wealthy, and wise but it is in sickness, poverty, and foolish mistakes that we realize our need for God — or therefore we should. He is our only safe shelter. 

Jesus, I know that no matter what happens to me, You use it for good, to make me more like You. Even death, for it is in dying that the transformation is complete:
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2–3)
For that reason and hope, the news, even the worst news and the nastiest events, should therefore turn my heart toward You and listen to You — and do what You say. 

Subtle boasting exposed

At times my mind works like a story-telling uncle whose thoughts rambled from A to B to XYZ and finally back to C. This happened today and my devotions rambled until thoughts finally added up and made sense. Easy for me, but difficult and shameful to describe.

First, I remembered a new believer in her late nineties who didn’t tell her family she finally trusted Christ. They had shared the gospel with her for years, but she did not tell her family she now believed. I told them, then suggested they change their words to suit a person new to the faith.

Then I read today’s devotional in which the author said Jesus motivated godly behavior by telling them the hope of being with God in heaven, and motivated radical purity with the fear of torment in hell. He added that for Jesus, a desire for heaven and a fear of hell were practical, daily parts of living a holy life. 

I don’t see Jesus doing that. Instead, His words depended on who He was talking to. Those with faith heard encouragement to live out their faith. Those who didn’t believe were reminded of the consequences. The reason for this distinction is that there is no danger of going to hell for those with genuine saving faith.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1–2)
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:28–29)
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)

That reminded me of a church I once attended that taught salvation was my decision and I could decide to not trust God and change my destination. This teaching says I am ruler of my life rather than Jesus being Lord and Savior. I was a new Christian at the time, but was certain this thinking put me on the throne instead of Jesus. 

Since the OT defines sin like this: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) I knew that going my own way was not only vanity and pride, but also sin. Besides that, the NT is filled with the gospel of salvation by faith. While I am told to believe, it says that both salvation and faith are God’s gift, not my doing. 

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)

Boasting is ruled out because I would not and could not do this by myself: 

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)

Then my mind took another leap to thinking about how even as a saved and secure child of God, this “doing my own way” too easily creeps into everything. And God startled me with another truth that was like a wallop on the side of my head. I realize at that moment that I can boast about what God is doing in my life but instead of putting the emphasis on God, put it on “in my life” as if I am now doing so good that I’ve earned all this blessing and answered prayer. DUH. How twisted to use God’s goodness as an ego trip.

At that, I then realized that it is easier to brag about His favor than to boast about my weaknesses. Even though Jesus spoke of hell to those without faith, He reminded me of what I am saved from, and that I don’t do any of that saving myself. I have nothing to boast about. Instead of humility, I have used His glory to build my ego. Shame on me.

PRAY: Jesus, this pride thing pops up. You are kind to me — I’m proud of that, as if I deserve it. You hear and answer prayer — I boast of that, as if I’m special. You surprise me with Your goodness — I boast of that, as if You treat me better than others. Sigh. You will humble those who exalt themselves. My pride is not from You and is a deception and a dangerous sin. Purify my heart. . . .  

Good news is bad news?

 

The gospel is first good news (God exists and He loves us) then bad news (we are sinners) then good news (Jesus died for our sin and rose again to give us new, eternal life). Unfortunately, some will share the gospel leaving out the bad news, yet without believing it too, no one can receive forgiveness and the gift of life He offers.

The good news says we need faith: “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)

However, the bad news is that we tend to try and earn God’s love and rewards without realizing our best efforts offend Him. He says we are sinners and we try to prove otherwise, but . . .

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)

Paul understood and gladly gave up on his own merits. He wrote, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)

Others didn’t understand or said NO to this news. The Jewish people thought they were pleasing God simply because they were descendants of Abraham. When John the Baptist saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Matthew 3:7–9)

Again, apart from faith, we cannot please God. The first step is simply believing He exists. The evidence is plain:  

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 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 1:20)

But believing God exists isn’t enough to save a person. “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19). Obviously the demons have made their choice and are beyond admitting their evil ways and trusting God. For them and for those who say NO to His good/bad news, “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18) People may worship nature, evolution, idols, even demons, but not the One who loves them, a love heightened by the realization of our sinfulness!

Without the admission of sin, the good news is not so good and may not even make sense. If I could save myself, why would I need Jesus? Why would He need to die?

PRAY: Thank You Jesus for existing, for loving us and dying for us, for granting faith to us. Thank You also that You make truth plain. Enable those who hear it to believe it, all of it, including the part that says none of us can earn or deserve even the least of Your mercies.

PONDER: In reading Romans 1:18–31, I can see the connection between denying God, and sliding into idolatry, and eventually gross immoral behavior. Blindness is brought on by disobedience and lack of faith, both to the good news and to the bad news. I rejoice that God is real and that He loves me and sent Jesus to die for me. I am also grateful that He reveals sin and how it is harmful to my life and robs me of all the good that He wants to give me. And I am grateful for His mercy and grace, that all He says and does is GOOD and for my good.

 

 

There is a way that seems right . . .

 

After a discussion of sin in a children’s Bible class, a five-year-old looked up at me with her big brown eyes and said, “But I’ve never murdered anyone.” Everyone does it. Everyone puts sin in categories. That does not make it right.

Some assume that telling a “little white lie” isn’t as serious as committing perjury or cheating on their income tax isn’t as serious as robbing a bank. Others think if they keep most of the ‘important’ laws, God will overlook the ‘little’ ones they don’t keep. The NT describes this assumption like this:

But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. (James 2:9–11)

It seems the early readers of this letter from James were thinking their sins of prejudice, partiality, and indifference to the poor weren’t as serious as sins like murder and adultery. Or they thought they could make up for their favoritism by keeping God’s law in other areas.

Bring that thinking into modern Christian life. What sins do I look down on? The ones that I’m not guilty of committing? I know that all sins aren’t equally atrocious or damaging, but this verse says that from God’s perspective every sin violates His standard. When you break one law, you break them all and are characterized as a sinner and transgressor. That puts all people in the same category. We all fall short and cannot justify ourselves by the sins we don’t commit or by trying to counterbalance our sin by doing good. Sin is sin.

There is one sin that I’m thinking of that gets a lot of press these days. Some Christians are falling for the lie that it isn’t a sin, or that God loves everyone so it’s okay to sin that way. Others are repulsed and think this is the worst ever, particularly since some who do it are so blatantly insistent that it be accepted as normal.

I need to remember that if I gossip, tell a lie, am partial to some and unkind to others, or do anything that is not of faith, I am sinning (Romans 14:23). Even if I “know the right thing to do and fail to do it, for me it is sin.” (James 4:17) Sin can be blatant or subtle, but if it violates the nature of God, it is sin.

PRAY: Oh Jesus, You have shown me many times to keep my judgment of sin focused on my sin, rather than the sin of others, no matter how little my sin may seem compared to the horrendous things that go on in this world. You want me to see sin as an affront to Your holiness. I’m not to hide it, make excuses for it, or measure it by other sins that I think are worse. Sin is sin and it separates me from fellowship with You. I am convinced that this verse is one of the most important principles in the Bible to remember and practice:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

There is nothing else that I can do to deal with my sin. I am not my own Savior. Nor can I confess the sins of others or accuse or point to them as being worse sinners than I am. We all fall short. Only You have offered forgiveness and cleansing to sinners because only You have the power to do that, a power based on what You did at Calvary. You shed Your blood for my forgiveness and freed me from condemnation.

PONDER: The law was given to show us our need of a Savior. We cannot keep that law. Read Galatians 3:10–29 regarding the purpose of God’s law and Titus 2:11-14 to be reminded again why Jesus died.