The Bad News
The fact is there is nothing you can do.
The prophet Micah also wondered what he can do:
“Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:6-8).
Burnt offerings? Thousands of rams? Ten thousands of rivers of oil? Your first born child? As if we could buy God’s favour?! We cannot bribe a perfect God with material things. The last part of the text above gives some hope. Maybe we can persuade God through good works: doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly before God. While these things are good, they are still not enough.
The prophet Isaiah makes it clear:
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6). Our “righteousnesses”, in other words our good works, are like “an unclean thing” before God. Even the best we have to offer is not good enough for a perfect God.
The Apostle Paul makes it very clear: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
We have all sinned. The best we can offer is not good enough. Even if we devoted our life as did Mother Theresa, our good works are considered inept at gaining us salvation and eternal life.
The Good News
A perfect God can only accept absolute absolute perfection. Since none of us are perfect, we have nothing to offer God. Knowing this, and not wanting us to be lost, God provided the sacrifice Himself, since only a perfect God can supply a perfect propitiation.
“But this sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father’s heart a love for man, not to make Him willing to save. No, no! “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son.” John 3:16. The Father loves us, not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us. Christ was the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19.” – Steps to Christ.
How are we saved? We are saved when we acknowledge our helplessness at attempting to save ourselves, and then call on God to save us. This is the big difference between real Christianity and any other religion. All other religions are about the things we do. True Christianity makes it clear – there is nothing we can do that will be good enough. Our only hope is in accepting our weakness, and accepting God’s strength in our stead.
Recounts Paul: “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
This acceptance of our weakness, of our imperfections, or our sinfulness; the realization that there is nothing that we can do to be saved and that our only hope is in God is called Repentance; i.e. a change of mind. We used to think that there is something that we can do, there is some kind of contribution we can make that will help in our salvation that will somehow make us good enough. Such thinking is the thinking of other religions. Christianity requires a paradigm shift: Repentance.
Once we’ve repented (i.e. accepted that only God can provide the perfect propitiation), we move on to confession. Consider confession the actual acknowledgement of your repentance. It is during confession that you tell God about all your attempts at saving yourself and all your failures (sins), and ask God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself. Through confession we actually give God permission to do for us what He is most eager to do.
“God does not force the will of His creatures. He cannot accept an homage that is not willingly and intelligently given” – Steps to Christ.God does not force the Gift of Salvation onto us; love never forces. He offers it gladly, and we are free to accept or decline it. We are free to choose life or death; however, God pleads with us to choose the former life, not the latter (Ezekial 33:11).
Confession is what the tax-collector did: “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). In this action he acknowledged his helplessness and pleaded for God’s mercy. Jesus said about the tax-collector: “…this man went to his house justified… For every one who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:14).
This is it. This is how we get saved – we stop trusting in ourselves and we start trusting in God; we cease having faith in ourselves and we commence having faith in God. God promised that He will save us if we believe in the provision He made for us. “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2).
Since God is perfect, and the propitiation is perfect (after all, the sacrifice is God-self, incarnated in human flesh, i.e. Jesus the Christ), no amount of sin can make it of ill-effect. You cannot be too sinful for Jesus’ righteousness not to cover you.
“None are so sinful that they cannot find strength, purity, and righteousness in Jesus, who died for them. He is waiting to strip them of their garments stained and polluted in sin, and to put upon them the white robes of righteousness; He bids them live and not die.” – Steps to Christ.
So what about the Ten Commandments and Loving God and They Neighbour as Thyself?
Clearly these things are important, as they are reflections of God’s character. God’s character is love. In fact, God is love (1 John 4:16). By living out the Ten Commandments we are demonstrating love to God (first four commandments) and we are demonstrating love to our neighbour (remaining six commandments). But wonderful as such actions might be they should never be confused as having any merit for our salvation.
“There are those who profess to serve God, while they rely upon their own efforts to obey His law, to form a right character, and secure salvation. Their hearts are not moved by any deep sense of love of Christ, but they seek to perform the duties of the Christian life as that which God requires of them in order to gain heaven. Such religion is worth nothing.” – Steps to Christ.No amount of good doing contributes to what God has done for us. If it did, it would insinuate that Jesus’ sacrifice was not good enough, was not perfect. Our salvation is not Jesus’ righteousness plus some of our righteousness. It is only Jesus’ righteousness on our behalf. It is Jesus only. The only contribution we make is to accept God’s perfect salvation for us.
When we accept God’s great gift of grace, when we allow God into our life, a steady transformation occurs:
“When Christ dwells in the heart, the soul will be filled with His love, with the joy of communion with Him, that it will cleave to Him; and in the contemplation of Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action.” – Steps to Christ.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). Thus, keeping the commandments is not a duty, nor an attempt at going to heaven, but a natural outflow of our love to God. When we love God, we’re not following a law written on stone, but a law written on our hearts: “…saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33b).
I conclude with my favourite Bible passage: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). As one pastor so wonderfully summed it up: “By Grace alone, through Faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.”
God is good, Jesus lives!
7 comments:
This time, you anticipated my follow up questions! Awesome!
I always figured that the 10 Commandments are the way to a good life. A life without problems. Least resistance.
And, I knew John 3:16 would crop up. It always does. :)
I'm grateful that you cleared up the "what to do" question I've always had. Thanks for that.
What's always freaked me out, is that the "Bible bashers" (what the hubby and I refer to as the extremists) are overly eager for one to confess your sins, accept Jesus, be born again.
Which is fine.
But, then with it, you have to go to every function, you have to donate this, donate that, only date people who are saved; you're not one of "us" if you don't do a,b,c.
It's a very judgemental environment.
Someone in my husband's past actually told him that he's not going to heaven, coz he's black-sorry.
There was also the pressure of: How many people did you convert today?? You have to spread the news.
It's like, your salvation depends on what you do. and, you are judged by the rest.
That's just a very uncomfortable place for us.
It's like, every religion has a bit of the Truth, and then just sort of runs with it, adding bits and pieces.
When I was in highschool, in hostel, people actually thought I was into witchcraft. I have no idea why. Some really wanted to get me saved.
But, that's a story for another time. Suffice to say, it was less than fun.
I've learned so much.
And, if it's God's will, maybe I'll see you there - in the second life, after the coming. Maybe we'll be of the 114,000.
What an arb number. Do you think there is truth in that. I mean, the bible is freely available to everyone... And, there are so many "born-agains" and other bible bashers.
Also, you said, even if their belief is wrong, if their hearts are right, God will take them.
114,000 is not that many. (and there are 2 mil Jehovah's Witnesses spreading that story).
Would it be fair if the 114,000 could be interpreted differently?
114,000 people, as in 114,000 nations?
Should I be worried?
I preferred my prior life of just trusting in God and His will that everything will be okay.
semantics
Prophet, these last few days you've posted some material which would make quite a few good sermons. I hope this blog is not the only place you're delivering them...
144,000, not 114,000!
typo!
^_^
@Neko
The 144 000 is tricky topic and interpreted differently by many scholars (but then again, so are most things). I could probably write something about it sometime. What I can say now is that you need not be one of the 144 000 to be saved. Although they are a special group, they are not the only ones that attains salvation. Revelation 7, speaking about the saved, describes them as "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues".
@Mary-Jane
At the moment this blog is it. Of course, on occasion, when people ask me about such things I share with them my understanding; however, I'm not actively preaching at present. I used to be invited to preach when I lived back home, but not now.
But who knows? Maybe this blog might inspire a book one day.
I do have a small group of students every semester with whom I'm supposed to share something from the Bible. I usually focus on God's character and attempt to help them understand that Love and Force (forced religion) are mutually exclusive. I might still get in trouble because I do not promote religiosity -- I do advocate a relationship with God, though. And while religion and a relationship with God might not be mutually exclusive, neither are they the same thing.
Thanks for reading.
well, that's comforting. sort of.
:)
Once again, thanks for your insight.
What's the point of giving out a revelation if no one can agree on what it means? ^_^
Actually, most of the Church since the Reformation (when people got access to the Bible after the Dark Ages) was in agreement of many of the key things in Revelation. But since the Book of Revelation is incriminating against the Church itself, and especially the BIG Church, they have spawned "alternative interpretations" and "Higher Criticism" to confuse the masses.
See my post on Bible prophecy. In truth, understanding the prophecies are not that difficult -- the Bible practically interprets itself, if you let it.
http://prophetkangnamgu.blogspot.com/2008/11/bible-prophecy-101.html
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