THE SLAVE TO LOVE: Freedom We Will Enjoy

Jesus promised, “You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” (John 8:32). The truth is that the life of liberty is one in which we are freed from the slavery of sin and then willing surrendered to Christ, as a slave to love. This is the message of Paul in Romans 6:15-23:

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here’s the truth:

WE ARE FREE FROM SERVING THE OLD MASTER. Verses seventeen and twenty tell us we “were slaves to sin” (past tense). This is no longer the case.

Following the Civil War, there were many slaves that remained on the plantation desiring to serve their old master even though they were now free. They had become so accustomed to slavery that they couldn’t see themselves living any other way. The sad fact is that many of God’s children are settling for a life of continued failure, giving in to an old master from which they have been emancipated!

WE ARE FREE TO SERVE THE NEW MASTER. Verses eighteen, nineteen and twenty-two make it clear that we are now slaves to God. There is the liberating power of obedience. It isn’t freedom to do what we want, but freedom to do what we ought. The bond slave is a slave to love. Since we belong to Jesus, He also has the responsibility to care for us. We are His valuable property and as sich, we have the Master’s provision and protection. How this sets us free from anxiety!

Have you bowed your head and submitted your life to Christ the Lord? Turn from your sins. Christ will break every fetter. Sin shall no longer have dominion over you.

THE SLAVE TO LOVE: Force We Will Experience

The Christian life isn’t just difficult—it’s impossible! We cannot live it on our own, but thankfully, we don’t have to. When we submit to God, there is a force we can experience that can only be described as the supernatural power of the Almighty unleashed in and through human instrumentality.

Paul gives us the key to a life that is naturally supernatural and supernaturally natural when he says,

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey
it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of
unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the
dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall
not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
(Rom.6:12-14)

The connecting point where the power of this truth is released is found in the word“present.”

REFUSE TO OFFER YOUR BODY TO SENSUAL DESIRES. Fleshly impulses need no longer drive your life. You have the authority as a child of God to say, “No!” to the world, the flesh and the devil. Because you have offered your thoughts to evil, your heart to carnal desire, and your will to sin’s dominion in the past, you find it easy to slip into these old patterns and yield your body to do wrong. That has been the natural response, yet you now have a new nature and are in union with Christ. Still, it isn’t enough at that point to just try not to do wrong, but we must do the right thing.

RESPOND IN OFFERING YOUR BODY TO SPIRITUAL DIRECTION. Our minds can be renewed by the Word of God. Our hearts can be redirected by the Spirit of God. Our will can be realigned to the will of God and then we yield our body to do the right thing. In a sense, we get reprogrammed. Hellish habits are replaced by holy habits. Faith taps into the grace of God and breaks the chains of sin.

Will you now present yourself to God? Present yourself as one who has been set free from sin and given new life in Christ.

THE SLAVE TO LOVE: Faith We Must Exercise

A genuine Christian can be properly called a “believer” because he or she has come to salvation by faith in Christ alone. Yet, for some reason, many of these same believers in grace to save, then set off trying to be sanctified through their own efforts and the energy of the flesh. They miss the reality that from start to finish, the Christian life is all of grace and is a walk of faith! Perhaps this explains why so many believers either are at the point of giving up and giving in to defeat—often expressed as, “Well, I’m just a sinner saved by grace” or “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” While these statements aren’t incorrect, they are incomplete. We are sinners saved by grace, but we are not “just” that—we are more, having become “partakers of the Divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) and as Paul tells us in Romans Six, that the old man has been crucified and new resurrection life and power has been given.

In this world with all its temptations and the ever-present, weak flesh we dwell in, there is no way we will be sinless, yet, we ought to sin less! The flip side of the coin, as opposed to those who have just accepted defeat, is the self-righteous hypocrite who pretends he or she is better than they are. They have tried so hard to live up to God’s standards and failed again and again, but are so concerned with keeping up appearances that they seek to cover up their sin and hide it under a veneer of piety. Neither of these positions is acceptable; neither is Biblical.

God’s supernatural grace that flows to us through faith is the key. There is a faith that we must exercise. Paul puts it this way, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:11).

The crucial word is: “reckon.” This is an accounting term. Let me illustrate this truth. Each week, my salary is directly deposited into my bank account. I never see the check. I never hold the cash. It is processed electronically. Based on the numbers I see on the computer screen, I reckon the fact that I have x amount of dollars and then can pay bills over the internet without ever writing a check or handing someone cash. I am acting in faith based on the facts. I reckon it—I account it to be done. In the same way, I am to account that I am dead to sin and alive to God. Whatever my senses may dictate, or however I may feel, the facts are unalterable.

You may say, but I don’t feel dead to sin, or I can’t see how I’m living in Christ’s power! Your salvation was by faith—not dependent on your experience or feelings—and so is your sanctification. If you trust that by believing in Christ you were saved, can you not trust that through Him you now can walk in victory? You may argue, “Well, I’ll believe it when I see it.” God says, “You’ll see it when you believe it!”

This isn’t possibility thinking. It isn’t occultism, conjuring up some reality we wish were true. It is taking by faith that which we know to be true, and as we do that, the wondrous grace of God is released in us to live as one dead indeed unto sin, but gloriously alive in Christ!

BLOOD MONEY: The Grisly Money-making Enterprise

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THE SLAVE TO LOVE: Facts We Must Embrace

For many Christians, the pages of their Bibles are still stuck together at Romans Six and Seven. They love Romans Five and Eight—indeed, they should. Those contain the great truths of justification and glorification: the commencement and consummation of the Christian life. Yet, they scarcely seem to consider the matter of sanctification which Romans Six and Seven deal with. It seems as though Satan has blinded our minds, or at least diverted our attention from some vital truths that we need to know. He recognizes that for us to get a grip on these truths (or better still for these truths to get a grip on us) would turn the Christian into a spiritual powerhouse that would jeopardize the devil’s death grip on this fallen world!

Look at Paul’s message and consider carefully the incredible implications:

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (Romans 6:1-10 NKJV)

The key word is “knowing.” Here are some facts that we need to embrace.

God’s Word declares:

WE ARE CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST. Our union with Jesus is so complete that what He experienced is credited to us. We know that Christ took our sins upon Him at Calvary and paid the price for those sins with His precious blood. What we have failed to grasp is that act as vital as it was would not have been enough. Our problem isn’t just the sins we commit, but the sinners we are. Yet, Hallelujah, Christ dealt with that too! Our old nature was nailed to the cross with Him. In that we died to sin! What power does sin have over a dead man? You could parade a nearly naked woman around a corpse on a slab at the funeral home and the fellow wouldn’t flinch—he’s dead! You could offer him a bottle of liquor and he wouldn’t even lick his lips—he’s dead.

WE ARE RAISED WITH CHRIST. His resurrection life is ours. The power that brought Him back to life and gave Him victory over death, hell and the grave is available to us. All that Jesus is, now resides in me. John said, “As He is so are we in this world,” (1 John 4:17). The Christian life is simply Jesus being Jesus in me! Paul said it like this in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” It isn’t so much a changed life as it is an exchanged life! My weakness, sinfulness and ignorance, given to Christ and His power, holiness and wisdom given to me—and that is victory!

THE SLAVE TO LOVE

Bob Dylan has been a major figure in pop music for the last five decades and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the 70’s he claimed to have become a born-again Christian, produced two Gospel albums, including the Grammy Award winning, “Gotta Serve Somebody.”

GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY
Bob Dylan

YOU MAY BE AN AMBASSADOR TO ENGLAND OR FRANCE,
YOU MAY LIKE TO GAMBLE,YOU MIGHT LIKE TO DANCE,
YOU MAY BE THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD,
YOU MAY BE A SOCIALITE WITH A LONG STRING OF PEARLS
BUT YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO SERVE SOMEBODY,
YES INDEED YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO SERVE SOMEBODY,
WELL, IT MAY BE THE DEVIL OR IT MAY BE THE LORD
BUT YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO SERVE SOMEBODY.

That is the Gospel truth. It isn’t a question if you are going to serve someone or something, but only a matter of whom or what you serve. In Dylan’s words, “Everybody’s gonna have to serve somebody.”

Paul speaks in the sixth chapter of Romans about this choice—being a slave to sin or being a slave to Christ. One of the Apostle’s favorite words to describe himself was a “bondslave of Jesus Christ.” In the Old Testament, slaves had to be periodically set free, but if there was a slave that had been treated well by his master and loved his master, he could become a bondslave. His ear would be pierced with an awl, forever marking him as belonging to his master. Paul saw himself this way—as a slave of love for Christ.

Seeing ourselves in the right way is vital. This week, we will present a Biblical perspective on our union with Christ—that we learn to see ourselves as God sees us. It can make an exponential difference in your spiritual life!

FREE AT LAST! Truth That Sets Us Free

All this week we have pondered on what it means to be free, according to Paul’s teaching in the book of Romans. Jesus said that we would know the truth and the truth would set us free (John 8:32, 36). These great truths are presented concerning the past, present and promised work of Truth Incarnate—Jesus Christ—throughout the epistle.

The first section of Romans is doctrinal: chapters one through eleven. The second section is practical: chapters twelve through sixteen. Belief and behavior are intertwined—one grows out of the other.

In the early portion of the doctrinal section, chapters one through five, the focus is on justification. We are free from the penalty of sin. This is based on the past work of Christ on the cross. We are forgiven because He paid the penalty we deserved. I can thus say, “I have been saved.” When Jesus said, “It is finished,” it was a done deal.

In the middle of this section, chapters six and seven the focus shifts to sanctification (and we might say the thread of teaching extends into chapter eight). We are free from the power of sin. This is rooted in the present work of Christ in His saints. While a child of God will not be sinless this side of heaven, they can sin less. I can say, “I am being saved.” Day by day, I can reckon myself dead to sin and alive to God by the dynamic power of the Spirit.

In the final chapters of the first section, chapters eight through eleven the focus moves to glorification (as noted there is overlap in chapter eight with the previous thrust of truth). We will be free from the presence of sin. This is grounded in the promised work of Christ accomplished in His saints when He returns. I can say, “I will be saved.” The best thing about heaven will be the unbroken fellowship with God for eternity. Akin to that, will be the end of that which keeps us apart—sin. As the old hymn says, “Till all the ransomed church of God, Be saved to sin no more.” What a day that will be!

Come, Lord Jesus!

FREE AT LAST! Our Provision Through Belief

Scripture is clear that we are justified by faith in Christ alone. But, have we missed the point that we are sanctified in the same way? This is what Paul wrote in Romans 6:8-11,

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Two key words jump out at us: “we believe” (v.8) That’s all God is asking of you today—to simply trust Him. If you have never received Christ as Lord and Savior, there is no better time than today. In fact, there may not be another time, as this could be your last day. Who knows? Delay can be deadly.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins? Do you believe that He rose from the dead? Do you believe that God would not lie to you and that He has the power to do that which He has promised? Here’s the promise:

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom.10:9-13)

Is that all? That’s all!

So, you have done that. You are a Christian, but you don’t find yourself acting much like one at times. Not that you haven’t tried. Not that you don’t feel guilty about failure. But, it seems that’s what you must settle for.

If that is your approach, you will continue to be frustrated. Paul expressed it to the Galatians this way, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal.3:4). The only way to live the Christian life is by faith in the Christ who lives in you! Moment by moment we rely on Him. Our prayer is, “Jesus, be Jesus in me!” That is the life of faith and the life that pleases God. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb.11:6).

FREE AT LAST! Our Power over Bondage

Someone once described the typical Christian’s life as being like an old, iron bedstead: firm on both ends, and sagging in the middle. We’re firm on the past—we’ve been saved. We’re firm in our prospects—we’re going to heaven. But now—well, there’s the problem. If we could only see that the same grace that will bring us to the sweet bye and bye will bring us through the nasty now and now!

Consider Paul’s words in Romans 6:5-7, “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”

That powerful grace which justifies us and will glorify us, can also sanctify us! We are set free from the penalty of sin and one day from the very presence of sin, but further—right now—we are set free from the power of sin. That’s what Romans chapter six is all about.

Paul understood well the charge that some legalists would make, that if you preach grace, then some would use it as an excuse for sin. He also anticipated that some libertines on the opposite end of the spectrum would promote that very error. The thought would be, “I’ll pray to receive Christ, but then I’ll continue to live like I always have.” It would be like someone using God for a mere fire insurance policy. The problem is, this isn’t liberty, but license. Grace isn’t the privilege to do what you want, but the power to do what you ought! Freedom isn’t being enslaved to carnal desires, but being empowered to do God’s will.

You come to God on His terms. They aren’t open for negotiation. He’s the King and you are not. The essence of sin is self—you want to be your own god and run your own life. The essence of salvation is surrender to Christ—He becomes Lord. Your life comes under new management.

Now, some might hesitate to yield to Christ, for fear that they are too weak to keep their commitment. Don’t forget this point we are making: the good news is that God doesn’t just free us from sin’s penalty but from its power. If we are sincere in surrender to Him, He will be faithful to deliver us. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it” (Phil.1:6). That is the work of God! He is able to save—from the gutter-most to the uttermost!

FREE AT LAST! Our Pattern in Baptism

Through Christ, believers are free: free from sin’s penalty, its power and one day, its very presence. This freedom was purchased by the death and resurrection of Christ. The pattern is displayed in baptism. Pay special attention to Romans 6:4: “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Of course, Paul is speaking of the spiritual baptism of one who has come to faith in Christ, yet, that truth is illustrated in the act of immersion in water.

At the close of last Sunday’s service, we observed the ordinance of baptism. The candidates surrendered themselves in faith to our hands and we buried them beneath the water and raised them from the water. Through this symbol, they professed publicly that their lives had been surrendered to God’s hands and that they had placed their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to save them. It is an outward picture of what each one claims as an inward reality. When we bury a person in the water, they are declaring they have joined Christ in His death—that they have died to sin. Then when we raise them from the water, they are testifying that they have been raised to walk in new life in Christ. I tell those to be baptized that they will preach a sermon in symbolism. The Gospel message is summed up by Paul in 1 Corinthians15:3-4, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” That is the pattern in baptism.

Perhaps as you’ve read these words, you understand the meaning of the term Gospel—or, maybe not. It is a word that simply means, “good news.” Do you know what makes the good news good? It is that there is so much bad news: the bad news is that all of us are sinners. You’ve never met a perfect person have you? There are none. Worse than that, because we are sinners, we are separated from God—and worst of all—to die in that condition is to be separated from God eternally. Yet, what we celebrated last weekend is the good news that Christ died for our sins—He suffered the death we deserved and then rose from the dead, so that we can be forgiven and have eternal life as a free gift! That’s pretty good news, I’d say!

How can you receive that free gift? Well, you can’t earn it. You can’t do enough good to undo the bad. Being religious won’t cut it. Rules and rituals are external, while our problem is internal. As important as baptism is—that won’t save you. Water has no power to wash our sins away. We do not baptize people in order to save them, but as an announcement to the world that they already are! You come to Christ admitting that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself. You place your faith in Christ and Him alone and He promises to save you!

But remember all that Jesus called He called publicly. If you want to follow Christ, you cannot be ashamed of Him. There is no such thing as a “closet Christian.” How could you be—in view of all He’s done for you? He died in a public spectacle on a cross and now calls us to take up our cross and follow Him. So, if you have decided to follow Christ in the past or will do so today—why not be baptized as soon as the opportunity presents itself? It is a way of confirming that you have turned from sin and turned to Christ.

FREE AT LAST!

It is possible that at the time Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans that there were as many as ten million slaves throughout the empire. It is likely that half a million slaves lived in the city of Rome itself. Imagine what it must have been like to be only a piece of property—to live in bondage everyday; to be subservient to your master’s every whim.

We can imagine, for the fact is, that we are born into this spiritual condition. All of us are slaves to sin. That is the imagery the Apostle uses throughout the sixth chapter of Romans. For example in verses six and seven, he writes, “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”

Jesus’ mission to earth was to set us free from sin. For a time it seemed that mission was in jeopardy. The Lord of life had been nailed to a cross. His corpse was sealed in a tomb under guard by Roman soldiers. Worse, death wrapped its dark chains around Him until the third day.

But then…

“Death cannot keep his prey, Jesus my Savior; He tore the bars away, Jesus, my Lord!” Peter, who saw Him, alive from the dead preached this, “[Christ] God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it” (Acts 2:24). Hebrews 2:14-15 puts it this way, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

He was free!

Because Jesus has broken the shackles of sin and death, we are free—free from guilt, shame, fear, condemnation—free at last!

HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH: The Supply of Abounding Grace

In Romans 5:20-21, Paul the Apostle presents to us the sufficiency, supremacy and supply of abounding grace.

20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [emphasis added]

That last phrase, “through Jesus Christ our Lord” is critical to our grasp of grace. Wrapped up in those five words is the inexhaustible source of all grace. It all flows from the wounds of Christ on the cross—He, an infinite being with an infinite supply of grace! That is what we celebrate today as we come to the day on the Christian calendar known as Good Friday. Disciples of Christ, all around the world blend voices from every language to testify, “His grace is enough!” Our backgrounds may be different; our features and personalities are diverse; yet there is this common experience that through our relationship with Christ, we have shared an uncommon grace.

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains…” (William Cowper)

No matter the sin you may be guilty of—no matter how many times you have rejected His offer of salvation—today, I want you to know His grace is enough! Would you come to Him? Would you receive the free gift of His grace?

HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH: The Supremacy of Abounding Grace

In Romans 5:20-21, Paul the Apostle presents to us the sufficiency of abounding grace and the supremacy of abounding grace.

20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

From the days of Adam’s disobedience, death reigned upon the earth. Following his sin described in Genesis chapter three, we come to Genesis chapter five and we hear, “and he died…and he died…and he died,” eight times in that chapter. Death reigned supreme, and when Christ was nailed to the cross, it wrapped its chains about him and danced with delight declaring, “I have extinguished the light of the world!” and the skies turned dark and the ground trembled—and it was true, for one day—for two days—but, on the third day—I say, on the third day—“Up from the ground He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes; He arose a victor from the dark domain and He lives forever with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose!” Grace has conquered; grace reigns! We no longer need have any fear of death. That is the supremacy of abounding grace!

HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH: The Sufficiency of Abounding Grace for Sin’s Consequences

When we come to Christ by faith, we are justified—placed in right standing with God—and no longer fear sin’s condemnation. God’s grace is enough—indeed, more than enough! Yet, that does not mean we can evade dealing with all the temporal consequences of sin.

Even after salvation, we must for the time being live in a world under the curse of sin. Because of this, our bodies get sick, we age, and we die physically. Though, the believer has God’s Spirit indwelling him or her, He indwells a temple of flesh, beset by human frailty. There is an ongoing struggle with selfishness and that self-centeredness degrades our relationships.

From without, we see a world that is rushing toward Armageddon and all around us are the consequences of the curse. How do we face the assault of the world, the flesh and the devil? How do we deal with our weakness?

Paul wrote elsewhere of his thorn in the flesh. He prayed three times for God to heal him. Do you know what God did? He didn’t heal him, but He did something infinitely better: He gave the Apostle grace! God told His loyal servant, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor.12:9). So, Paul said in effect, “Glory to God! His grace is enough!”

I don’t know what struggles you are facing today. I don’t know how immeasurable the pressure, how incredible the pain, how immense the problem, but I know this, dear child of God: His grace is enough!

HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH: The Sufficiency of Abounding Grace for Sin’s Condemnation

For the fifth and final time in verse twenty of Romans chapter five, Paul uses this expression, “much more.” He says, "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” [emphasis added].

Yes, sin abounds—it’s everywhere and in everyone. But, where sin abounds, grace abounds “much more.” That is the sufficiency of abounding grace!

It is more than sufficient FOR SIN’S CONDEMNATION. Paul speaks of how God’s holy law condemns us—nothing wrong with the law—it is as perfect as the God who gave it. The problem is with us—that it merely exposes us as the lawbreakers we are.

In fact, far from being able to make us righteous, it inspires our wicked hearts to do evil—the offense abounds as Paul says. I recall my first trip to Disneyworld. We came to a part of the Magic Kingdom where you walked across a wooden bridge, suspended by cables, across a small lagoon. This gave a bit of a bounce in your step, but there was a warning clearly posted, “Do not jump on the bridge.” Why, the thought would have never entered my mind! But, as soon as I read it, guess what I felt compelled to do? Of course, the problem wasn’t with the sign, nor with the one who posted it, but with my bent to rebellion. So it is with God’s holy law. The issue isn’t with the law, neither the One who gave it, but with the nature of Adam which we all share.

Therefore, in large ways and small, we are all sinners and sin condemns us to death. That’s terrible news! But God’s grace is greater than all our sin! That is terrific news! He forgives us and cleanses us, so that "there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus"! (Romans 8:1)

HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH

There was a man who, as a teenager, did what many have been known to do—he ran away from home. He became a crewman on a slave ship. He himself wound up as a slave to an African woman, who severely mistreated him and he nearly starved to death. But, the man escaped and managed to become a sea captain of a slave ship. His life was as wicked and vile as could be.

Yet, one night his vessel almost sank during a violent storm. When all hope seemed gone, he cried out to God. They made it through the storm. It was a turning point for the captain. Afterward he began reading his Bible and was converted to Christ.

You may not know the story. Perhaps you wouldn’t even recognize his name. But, multitudes around the world would recognize his renowned hymn, “Amazing Grace.”

On his tombstone is inscribed:

“John Newton, Clerk,
Once an infidel and libertine,
A servant of slaves in Africa,
Was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ,
Preserved, restored, pardoned,
And appointed to preach the faith
He had long labored to destroy.”

John Newton discovered, that even for a sinner like him, God’s grace is enough. That is the very subject before us in Romans 5, and as we come to the close of the chapter we find these powerful words:

20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST: His Reigning Position

For the fifth and final time, Paul uses the expression “much more” in Romans, chapter five. In verses 20-21, he writes, “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The key word is EXALTED—that is, we are reigning with Him. We hear the word, “reign” used here, and the Apostle has used the term previously in this chapter. For the believer to experience the abundant life, means that he or she, understands Christ’s exalted position and our position in Him.

Today, Satan is a usurper—he has taken that which is not his. God placed Adam and Eve in the garden and gave them dominion over it. They were to be stewards of God’s creation. But, when they disobeyed God, they stepped aside from that and Satan took over. Now, he works frantically, because his time is short. He knows that he is beaten and so he seeks to tear down all he can and drag down as many to hell as he can. We see the devastating effects of his “scorched earth” policy everywhere.

But, here’s the good news! Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. God’s grace will ultimately triumph. The dominion Adam forfeited due to disobedience, will be reclaimed in Christ through His obedience on the cross. One day, He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Just remember that there is nothing over our head that is under His feet—and that’s everything!

ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST: His Resurrecting Power

For a fourth time, the Apostle Paul uses the expression, “much more” to signify the abundant life in Christ which is the birthright of every child of God, as he pens the fifth chapter of the epistle to the Romans.

17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. (v.17-19 NKJV)

The key word is GLORIFIED—that is, we are risen through Him. Again, though the word glorified isn’t found in these verses, the implication is clearly there as Paul speaks of life—eternal life. To be glorified is to be raised from the dead and all that comes with that transformation. Spiritually, that happened when we were justified, and as far as God is concerned it is a settled matter that we will be literally raised and transformed some day. The Apostle tells us that death held dominion because of Adam’s sin, but because of Christ’s resurrection death has been defeated! Jesus promise is, “Because I live, you shall live also!”

We can sing triumphantly, the concluding words of 1 Corinthians 15:

54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (v.54-58 NKJV)

BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS

Here is a devotional sent out from SermonSearch that every preacher needs to read!

Friday, March 26, 2010


Bad News, Good News
Ron Walters

Good Morning,

Jeremiah would have made a great radio broadcaster. His program would certainly generate a lot of negative mail, but it would be worth it. More than any other Old Testament prophet, his unpopular messages served as Judah's emergency broadcast system. But, even though his warnings were designed for national security, many in that day wished he would just shut-up!

Jerusalem's church crowd resented his sermons but they wouldn't have missed one. They tuned in daily to hear what the colorful, yet fiery, prophet would say next. His stuff was the talk of the town. More times than not his prophecies were loaded with bad news. But not always.

For forty years he had faithfully predicted God's judgment on apostate Judah. And, year after year, hostility mounted to his doom-filled messages. His Temple privileges were revoked. His prophetic writings were seized and destroyed. Arrest warrants were issued. His zealous rivals sabotaged his work. He was abducted, publicly humiliated, tossed down a pit and imprisoned.

More than once he wanted to resign the office of Prophet, but God wouldn't let him. So, he just kept doing the one thing he was born to do.

The inflammatory text that fueled his critics was always the same: "Time is running out. Repent, for judgment is coming." Jeremiah's repetitive warnings became the constant, rhythmic sound of God's clock winding down. Tick...tick...tick...tick... And every ticking moment haunted the Jews.

Few biblical orators have ever used imagery as effectively as the weeping prophet. Judah gasped when Jeremiah said, "The Lord has covered Himself with a cloud so that your prayers will not pass through." They cringed when he announced, "You've eaten delicacies, but now you'll embrace only ash heaps." They wept when they heard, "The tongue of your infant will cling to the roof of its mouth for thirst. Judgment is near."

Tick...tick...tick...tick...

And, sure enough-time did run out. Judgment arrived and Judah was carted off into captivity.

Unpopular messages have always been a staple with the prophets of God. And, not surprisingly, they're rarely the favorites among God's people. Repentance has never been what people want. But repentance has always been what people need.

Even the Lord lost audiences with unpopular messages. The John 6 crowd, miraculously fed, oh-h-h-h'ed and ah-h-h-h'ed over His ability to cater a fish banquet from a kid's sack lunch. But the after-dinner conversation of "Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood," was a real turn-off. Spiritual indigestion broke out everywhere.

Jesus' critics wrestled with two questions: "Why did He have to spoil a good meal with preaching like that?" And, "How can I get another plate of fish...it's delicious!"

Tick...tick...tick...tick...

Even the Lord's disciples struggled with His unpopular approach. He asked them, "Does this offend you?" Their clumsy silence shouted, "Yes, as a matter of fact, it does!"

Tick...tick...tick...tick...

But unpopular messages don't have to be hopeless messages. Bad news is not always fatal news. Jeremiah, for instance, gave good news after Judah's thundering collapse. "I have hope. The Lord's loving-kindness never ceases. His compassions never fail, for they are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. Therefore I have hope in Him." Even the most unpopular messages can have happy endings.

Strong medicine was never designed to taste good. It was designed to cure the patient. And as long as there's a pulse, we still have time for a recovery.

Tick...tick...tick...tick...




Blessings,

Ron Walters
Vice President of Church Relations

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST: His Restoring Grace

In the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul mentions a third “much more” of the abundant life in verses twelve through sixteen.

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. (NKJV)

The key word is SANCTIFIED—that is, we are righteous in Him. Though the term “sanctified” isn’t used here, the truth of sanctification is taught. It means that we have been set apart by God for God. We have been made holy in Him and for Him.

Paul alludes to the fact that in Adam—through one man—all of us are sinners under the penalty of death. In Christ—through one man—all of us are saints with the possession of life.

But, much more—for not only is the debt of sin cancelled, but righteousness is deposited to our credit! This is abounding, overflowing grace. What we lost in Adam is restored by Christ. Adam was driven from paradise by the righteous government of God’s law and we are welcomed back to paradise by the restoring grace of God’s love!

I used to have a line of credit on my home that I could draw on—an equity line. I really enjoyed that until I spent it all. Well, it was fun while it lasted. But so much more, Christ’s grace is a limitless line of credit. You cannot bankrupt Him! He has an inexhaustible supply—and it is available for you today. The much more part is that the more you have drawn upon it, you find the more His righteousness working in you and through you. That’s Christ’s restoring grace!

ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST: His Reconciling Death

The second time Paul uses the expression, “much more” in Romans Five, he is speaking of the “much more” of Christ’s reconciling death. He states, “For if, being enemies, we have been reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much rather, having been reconciled, we shall be saved in the power of his life. And not only that, but we are making our boast in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom now we have received the reconciliation.” (v.10-11).

The key word is RECONCILED—that is, we are reconciled to Him. Before salvation, we were God’s enemies. But, the death of Jesus made it possible to bring us back to God—through His death reconciliation is possible.

God loved us while we were yet sinners. We were enemies toward God, but, thankfully He wasn’t an enemy toward us. Paul’s argument here is that if He loved us that much while we were His foes, how much more does He love us now that we are His family! “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (v.8). If He loved us enough to send His Son to die for us while we were yet sinners, how much more does He loves is now that we are sons!

But, it isn’t just His death that has reconciled us, but—here’s a new twist on the topic—His life. This unusual expression found in verse ten is that reconciled by His death, we are “saved by His life.” We are given salvation by His death, but we are guaranteed salvation by His life. His redeeming love has saved us, but His resurrection life has secured us! The Bible says, “He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb.7:25). John tells us that even if we sin after salvation, “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous” (1 John 2:1). He pleads our case. Best of all, Christ has never lost in God’s courtroom. Not one of the accused has ever been found guilty! All He does is display the evidence of the nail prints in His hands and the gavel of God’s justice falls and the Judge of all declares, “Not guilty! Case dismissed!”

"THE 'BLINK' GENERATION"

Here is a thought-provoking word from David Wilkerson on decision-making, particularly as it pertains to church decisions. Copy and paste this link in your browswer:

http://www.worldchallenge.org/view/devotions

ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST: His Redeeming Blood

Five times, the Apostle Paul underscores the abundant life in Christ by using the phrase, “much more” in the fifth chapter of Romans. In the first case, he refers to the “much more” of Christ’s redeeming blood. He writes, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” (v.9)

The key word is JUSTIFIED—that is, we are redeemed by Him. Justification is the judicial act of God whereby He decrees that we are free from the penalty of sin—that though we are condemned sinners, we have been pardoned and made to be just in the sight of a Holy God. This was all because of Christ’s blood shed for us. Sin demanded a payment, and Christ paid the debt in full. God’s justice is satisfied.

We aren’t merely paroled, but we are pardoned. When you’re on parole, you’re out of jail on good behavior and can remain out so long as you keep your nose clean. One violation and you’re back in prison. This is the false idea some have about salvation—they live in constant fear that they may mess up and miss heaven. Friend, if you have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, you are completely pardoned. You are absolved of all guilt! Paul says we shall be saved from wrath. What blessed assurance! But, there is much more! Much more…tomorrow in Romans Five…stay tuned!

ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST

I heard Adrian Rogers tell of an old fellow who had never seen the ocean. His family kept insisting that before he died, he needed to see the ocean one time. So, they finally persuaded him and they packed up and headed for the beach. The area where they were staying was among a lot of huge ocean front high-rise apartments—heavily developed—so, as they drove into their condo complex where they would spend the week, there was a narrow opening between the buildings where you could see the ocean waves rolling in. They stopped and said, “Look Daddy, there’s the ocean!” The old-timer looked through the corridor and said, “Is that all there is to it?”

He did not realize from his narrow perspective that there was so much more—the vastness of what stretched beyond even the horizon, three-fourths of the planet blanketed by water. So, from our point of view, we may fail to recognize that no matter what we know of God’s boundless grace—the vast sea of His salvation—that there is so much more! Indeed, Paul uses this expression, "much more" five times in Romans 5:9-21.

9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (emphasis added)

Each day this week, we plan to examine one of these “much more” statements. Christ has come to give us abundant life! (John 10:10).

YOU CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD: Christ is our Peace

Adrian Rogers told the story of a young lady years ago working for the Salvation Army in a poor neighborhood. She witnessed to one family repeatedly. But she made no headway, as the father was an atheist. The son grew ill—critically ill. He was dying at home and the girl went back one more time to try to share the Gospel with them and thus, comfort them. As she came to the door she heard the boy ask his father, “Dad, am I going to die?” The father answered, “Yes, you’re going to die, but don’t worry, after you die it will all be over—that will be the end. I love you, son—just hold on.” The boy said, “But I’m afraid and I don’t want to die!” To this his father replied, “Son, it will be over in a moment. Just hold on—hold on.” Then she heard the boy pathetically say, “Father, you’re telling me to hold on, but there’s nothing to hold on to.”

If you have not reached up a hand of faith to the hand of grace reaching down, then you are but a step away from the eternal abyss without anything to hold on to. You are in danger of dropping into that Stygian darkness where there is only despair. There will not be a moment’s peace—not for a million years, not for a trillion—not ever.

Do you have peace with God? That peace is found in a Person. “For [Christ] is our peace…” (Ephesians 2:14).

HERE'S A PROPHETIC WARNING FROM SPURGEON


http://refocusingoureyes.com/classic-sermons/c-h-spurgeon/a-solemn-warning-for-all-churches-by-c-h-spurgeon-1834-1892

We Can’t Help But Tell the Truth

Here's a recent article from the Kairos Journal that cries to be read:

18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20 (NIV)

The world has asked the Church to sit down and be quiet, and the Church has largely complied. In fact, the Church itself has asked the Church to sit down and be quiet, and the Church has largely obeyed. The Church knows so many biblical things, but there are so many people who hate to hear them. So some pastors and teachers are tempted to water down the truth to maintain warm relationships within and without the Church.

Knowing that the truth of Jesus would undermine their authority, “the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees” (4:1) moved in to stop this preaching. They arrested Peter and John, jailed them overnight, and then brought them before the high priestly family. When asked, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” gave all the credit to Christ, the Savior (4:8-12).

Not knowing what to say, the Sanhedrin sent Peter and John back to their cell. Fearing public and subsequent Roman reaction, they decided to let the two apostles off with a stern command (parangelia) to stop their teaching, but the prisoners would have none of this. They explained that they were working under a higher authority than the Sanhedrin (and the Romans) and that they had a proclamation mandate from God.1 They also directed the judges to judge their own judging, to ask whether they might be setting themselves at odds with God.

This same Greek word for command (parangelia) appears repeatedly in the Gospels, but it is Jesus, and not the Sanhedrin, who issues the directives. In Matthew 10:5-6, Jesus commands the twelve to go to “the lost sheep of Israel.” In Luke 8:29, He commands an unclean spirit to come out of a man. In Mark 8:6, Jesus commands the crowd to be seated for a miraculous feeding. Thus accustomed to the divine commands of Jesus, the apostles were unimpressed with human commands contrary to Jesus’ Great Commission.

The Romans had delegated authority to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious court, but this authority was tenuous. If the actions of the chief priests and elders fomented insurrection or chaos, then their power would be stripped from them. Rome would step in with more direct, secular supervision.

Jesus’ directives are distasteful and inconvenient. For example, pastors know that a strong stand on the sanctity of marriage, one drawn from Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, elicits astonishment and contempt from the culture and retaliation from the “wounded” and their biblically indifferent constituency in the Church. Similar backlash can fall upon pastors who discredit cults and embarrass the backslidden. Pressure also arises outside the Church. In the face of many counter-biblical forces, pastors have to decide whether or not they will stand in the tradition of Peter and John or fall down in the interest of personal safety or “peace in our time.”



Footnotes:

1 See Kairos Journal article, "A Question of Government."

YOU CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD: Through the Promise of the Cross

The promise of the cross is that of reconciliation to God. Think of the vertical beam of the cross reaching up to heaven and the horizontal beam reaching out to humanity—and at the intersection of the two, there hangs the “one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim.2:5). Paul has penned these words in Romans 5:7-11:

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Bible teacher, Warren Wiersbe, has written: “In Romans 1:18–32, Paul explained how men declared war on God and, because of this, deserved to be condemned eternally. But God did not declare war on man. Instead, He sent His Son as the Peacemaker (Eph. 2:11–18) that men might be reconciled to God.” God is reconciled to you, and now appeals for you to be reconciled to Him.

Ulysses S. Grant, former President of the United States and famed Civil War general, surrounded Fort Donelson and when it was apparent the Confederate troops could not “hold the fort” the request was made to Grant, “What are your terms of surrender?” His response was, “No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.” Thereafter, U.S. Grant became known as, “Unconditional Surrender” Grant.

We have an “Unconditional Surrender” God! If you want peace, you must lay down your arms—stop your war against the will of God—and accept his demand for unconditional surrender. There can be no terms—no negotiation—no compromise—and there can be no peace until you do.

YOU CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD: Through the Power of the Cross

If you were to be on the ocean during a hurricane, you would see waves mount up and crash down—a seething cauldron of water—winds howling and rain driven sideways in stinging sheets. But, if you were to go deep enough, you would find in the ocean depths, peace—a region unaffected by the tempest on the surface. So, it is for the child of God. The turbulent trials of life may rage like a storm around us, but deep inside we have God’s peace.

This is what Paul is describing in Romans 5:3-6:

3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

This firm foundation of faith in Christ enables us to have peace even in great difficulty. How in this world can we talk about peace in the midst of a storm? It is truly a peace that surpasses human understanding. We may not be able to explain it, but we can experience it! I can’t explain electricity, but I’m not going to sit in the dark until I do.

Being a Christian doesn’t exempt us from trouble, but it does enable us in trouble—we are weak, but He is strong. The trials of life are transformed by the grace of God from something harmful to something helpful. Tribulation comes to develop patience in us, and as we patiently wait on God, character is formed—God uses pressure from our circumstances to mold us as a potter does the clay.

There is our hope—not in what we are or what we can do—for we are helpless to help ourselves. But it was for such a worm as I that Christ died. The Almighty, who by the power of His Word called the universe into existence, died in utter human weakness on the cross—but through that flows the power of God unto salvation! God gives us His own life and love in the Holy Spirit who regenerates us. Peace is found in the power of the cross.

YOU CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD: Through the Provision of the Cross

We want—we need—peace with God. In the fifth chapter of Romans, the Apostle Paul tells us that it comes through the provision of the cross, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2).

Underscore the word “through” which is repeated twice in two verses as the writer reminds us of what God has provided through the cross of Christ. He asserts that “we have peace with God” and “we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” That we have peace with God is a wondrous, astonishing thing!

Did you note the word, “Therefore” and did you follow the rule of Bible interpretation, that when you see the word “therefore” you always ask, “What is it there for?” Paul has been writing of the amazing grace of God that puts us in a right relationship with the Holy One. He begins by painting a dark picture of a broken relationship with God—a gulf so great that no mere mortal can span it. As a prosecuting attorney, Paul has presented the undeniable evidence of our crimes against God. We are guilty. Our natural inclination is toward sin and self. We are born in this condition, separated from God by our sin. As we practice sinful acts, we get quite proficient at it.

Religion tries to find a way to placate God’s wrath, achieve release from the penalty of sin, and bring us back to whatever particular deity that religion worships. Islam says submit to the five pillars and you can earn Allah’s favor. Hinduism says go through reincarnations until you get it right. Roman Catholicism says keep the sacraments, spend a little time in purgatory and God will accept you. Mormonism has its moral code to follow and Jehovah’s Witnesses send you door to door with Watchtower tracts, trying to obtain a standing as one of the 144,000 who make it in. All this, and every other religious system is an exercise in futility. Paul declares that no one can be just before God this way.

Yet what religion and morality cannot do, God has done in sending His Son to be our Savior. Paul tells us that by simply placing our faith in the finished work of Christ, we are justified before God. The war is over; peace is provided.

Recall how Adam and Eve were in harmony with God in the garden. There was no death, no violence. Nature was at peace—lions lying down with lambs. Then sin disrupted that harmony—Adam hid from God; a curse descended and blood was soon shed. Peace was gone. A sword barred the entrance into the place where Adam once walked with God.

Yet God came seeking His creation and He always does. Once more we have access to Him. The veil of the temple was torn with the tearing of Christ’s flesh and the way was opened into the Holy of Holies. As the Apostle puts it, “we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Rom.5:2).

It comes by faith in Christ. You may ask, “How much faith do I need?” It isn’t a question of how much faith, but is the faith in Christ? He alone can save us, but He will save us! Cast yourself on His grace! Then rejoice in this hope that is sure. Biblical hope is steadfastly promised. It isn’t wishful thinking—not hope so, maybe so. That’s not what the word means. Rather, it is an anchor for our soul—so that in the storms of life, we can have peace.

YOU CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD!

This past week, I had stuffed into my mailbox, on the same day, a solicitation from both Moore Funeral Home and Groce Funeral Home! They want my business! Each of them is willing to arrange all the details of my demise. Do they know something, I don’t? Here’s what I do know—for me, for you—if the Lord delays His return, “it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb.9:27).

What if it were today that I had an appointment with death? If it is my appointed time, I am not afraid. I am at peace. That is a great comfort!

Do you have peace with God? Well, you can—and the Bible shows us how. Every one of us can have peace with God. The Apostle Paul speaks about the way to have peace with God in Romans 5:1-11:

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

This week we intend to study this important teaching from the Word of God. You never know when you’ll get a solicitation from a funeral home—or a visit from the undertaker.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD: Faith and Forgiveness

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews has a constant refrain: “By faith…by faith…by faith…” in order to make it clear that, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb.11:6). Among those listed in God’s roll call of faith is Abraham. Of the patriarch, Paul writes in Romans four, that he was justified by faith—the same way, the only way anyone can be forgiven of sin.

In the high court of heaven, you can plead not guilty and go to trial—and the overwhelming evidence against you will result in your condemnation, or you can plead guilty and throw yourself on the mercy of the court. Then we find pardon from the God of all grace. Even more, when God forgives, He expunges every record of accusation against us.

Consider these words from John Phillips’ commentary on Romans:

Dr. Moon dramatically underlines this in the film Time and Eternity. After showing the various relationships of time, Dr. Moon concludes, “All of us have looked up, on a clear night, and seen the sparkling, twinkling stars. But how many of us have realized that we cannot see the stars as they now are? Every time we look, we are looking into the past, seeing them as they were…. But this works both ways. If you were on one of the stars you would, assuming an adequate telescope, see the earth as it was sometime in the past. From the star, Sirius, you could see what you were doing nine years ago, because in a profoundly true scientific sense you are still doing it. Yes, everything you have ever done, you are still doing, and will continue to do forever, apart from God’s forgiveness. Only the omnipotent, eternal God, who controls all the factors of time, space and matter, could ever remove sin. God says: ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins’ (Isa.43:25).” When God cancels sin, He wills it out of existence; it is not only forgiven and forgotten, it is annihilated.

When we constantly wallow in guilt, after having confessed our sins, dredging up past failure already forgiven, will we not listen to God say, “What sin are you talking about?”

Announcing!

The Search Committee is recommending Steve Schultz to serve as Associate Pastor of Music. Steve is currently serving as Associate Pastor of Worship at Central Baptist Church in Phenix City, Alabama. He and his wife Wanda will be with us next Wednesday night, March 17, when he will lead the choir rehearsal. We are planning a reception for Steve and Wanda, on Saturday night, March 20, at 6 PM so you can meet them and ask any question you may have. This will be a covered dish meal in the Fellowship Hall. The Deacons will meet with them at 5. Then, on Sunday morning, March 21, Steve will lead our worship service and we will be voting on extending the call to him to serve here.

Steve is approaching his 49th birthday. He has been married to Wanda for over 23 years. They have twin boys, Justin and Jason, age 20.

Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Jacksonville University and a Master of Arts in Christian Education (with Music) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before his call to Central Baptist nearly 7 years ago, he served several churches while in seminary on a part-time capacity. As a member of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida, he served as President of the Chancel Orchestra and was a member of the Gloryland Band. It was during that time, that God called him into ministry.

Steve’s philosophy of music is to bring the church to the throne of God in worship and equip God’s people to have their own worship experience through the week. He sees the gift of music as a means to reach the lost and unchurched through music and drama. Steve says, “I believe that music is to be fresh and new, while also drawing from the history of the church in the using of ‘psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.’” Understanding that people have different tastes in music, he wants to use a wide variety of music to reach the broadest range of people possible while always keeping the message of the Gospel central. He stresses that it isn’t about a performance—that this is not entertainment—but about an encounter with God in worship.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD: The Seed of the God-pleasing Life

God made a promise to Abraham. He promised a “seed”—a son of his own that would bring the fulfillment of all the other promises of the covenant. Abraham believed God and through that act of faith, God’s righteousness was imputed to him. The promised seed would be Jesus Christ. If we will place our faith in Him, then we too can have a God-pleasing life.

Faith rests in the promise of God. We aren’t saved by our faithfulness, but by God’s. This is what Paul stresses in the fourth chapter of Romans.

THE EXPLANATION OF THE PRINCIPLE

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. (Romans 4:13-15)

The law wasn’t given to Moses for five more centuries, so how could Abraham have known it? Even had he known it, he couldn’t have kept it. When we study the life of Abraham in the Old Testament, it becomes apparent that although he was a man who did many good things, he also had several significant failures in his life. Not a perfect man—Abraham must be numbered among sinners, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom.3:23). All the law can do is show us that we are lost, “because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression” (Rom.4:15). That is a vital part of salvation in that Christ came to save sinners. That’s the only kind of people He does save. Unless I am willing to acknowledge that I am a sinner, I will never call out for a Savior.

THE EXTENSION OF THE PROMISE

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” (Romans 4:16-18)

God didn’t intend for Abraham to be a reservoir of blessing, but a river of blessing. He would be the father of all those who place their faith in Christ. That is to be true of us as well. If the righteousness of Christ becomes ours by faith, then that faith in Christ is to be shared with others—for that too is their only hope of eternal life. How many spiritual descendants do you have? I think of an old song I used to hear:

“Must I go, and empty-handed?
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul, with which to greet Him;
Must I empty-handed go?”

That certainly is not God’s intention for us. Share your life in Christ with someone today. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will open their heart, as He once did for you.

THE EXAMPLE OF THE POWER

And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:19-22)

Faith in God’s promise produced a miracle birth. Can’t you see an old man pushing his walker out of the maternity ward saying, “It’s a boy!” Abraham was one hundred years old! That took a miracle—a miracle that came by faith. Similarly, there is another miracle birth that occurs each time someone places their faith in Christ—a second birth, a spiritual birth into the family of God! Like Abraham, we simply take God at His Word, not trusting in our works. We believe in His promise and God gives His righteousness.

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE PROVISION

Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Romans 4:23-25)

Abraham personally experienced God’s salvation, by looking forward to what Christ would do on the cross. Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56). He placed His faith in the promise of what God would do, while we look back at the promise of what God will do for us based on what Christ has already done! The Apostle wants to leave no doubt that the story of Abraham isn’t just a bit of archaic trivia—it is an illustration for how contemporary man can experience the provision of eternal life.

Trust in Christ today. Jesus died for you. He will save you. He will save you now.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD: The Seal of the God-pleasing Life

From my childhood, I recall hearing about, “The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.” If Good Housekeeping magazine gave a household product this seal that meant it to be worthy of purchase and use. The seal didn’t make it a good product, but recognized that it was. So, God has a seal of approval to indicate the genuineness of our faith. In Romans 4:9-12, Paul speaks to this issue as he describes for us faith’s profession.

9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,
12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

You can profess faith without possessing faith, but you cannot possess faith without professing it. The Scripture teaches that we are not saved by our works; we are not saved by faith plus our works; but we are saved by a faith that works! Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone.

Consider then, THE SYMBOL OF OUR PROFESSION (v.9-11). There came a time when God commanded Abraham to be circumcised as a symbol of the covenant relationship they enjoyed. Abraham was already justified by faith when he and his male household members were circumcised. This was the outer testimony of the inner transformation Abraham had experienced . It did not justify him. It did not add anything to his salvation. It did provide a profession of faith. But, it is faith alone that saves us—never be confused on that point.

There are those who insist faith in Christ alone is not enough. You must believe and be baptized according to the Church of Christ (and by one of their authentic ministers no less). You must believe and keep the Sabbath according to the Seventh Day Adventists (Sunday worship is the mark of the Beast). You must have faith in Christ and keep the sacraments of the church according to Roman Catholicism (if you want to get to Jesus go through His mother). It is the great dividing line between the Gospel and a false gospel; between truth and error. The Reformers taught, “sola fide” salvation by faith alone. That is the gospel truth!

Beyond that, we read of THE STEPS OF OUR PATH (v.12). By no means are we suggesting that a person’s lifestyle is unimportant. Abraham was a faithful servant of the Lord. But, it was a walk of faith! Faith was the root of his righteousness, while his good works were the fruit of his faith. His life is a beacon to summon us to follow the path of faith in our generation as he did in his. If a man is full of faith, then he will be faithful—not in order to be saved, but because he is saved.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD: The Source of the God-pleasing Life

Romans 4:1-8 presents to us the source of the life that pleases God: faith’s provision. God provides a righteous standing through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the one and only way anyone has ever been saved and the only way anyone ever will be saved. Paul appeals to the authority of the Old Testament as the basis for this belief. He doesn’t want you to think this is just an opinion. It is the clear teaching of the Word of God. He will illustrate this doctrine by a man who was a great saint—Abraham—to show that everyone needs to be saved by faith, and from a great sinner—David—to show that everyone can be saved by faith.

We read of ABRAHAM’S DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF ACCEPTANCE:

1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. (Romans 4:1-4)

The word “found” in verse one, in the Greek, is the word from which we get our English word, “Eureka!” Just picture someone digging in a deep, dark mine, and then they strike a vein of pure gold. With enthusiasm they cry, “Eureka!” That’s what Abraham felt when he found out he could be the friend of God through faith. But, what we’re talking about is much better than gold—indeed more valuable than all the wealth of the world, “For what would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?”

God sought Abraham (Abram, as he was called at the time) when he was not seeking Him. In fact, he was a pagan—living in the midst of idolatry—when God called him by sovereign grace. Because even the capacity to believe is a gift of grace, there’s nothing for us to boast about, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God” (Rom.4:2). No—there will be no one strutting down the streets of gold in heaven; none will swagger up to the throne. We will acknowledge, “Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe.”

Abraham responded to God’s call and in Gen.15:6 we find the words Paul quotes in verse three, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’ ”. God sought him and God saved him! The word, “accounted” in this verse, or a form of it, is found eleven times in this chapter. It is a bookkeeping term that means our debt of sin has been transferred to Christ’s account and His righteousness has been credited to ours!

Have you made this discovery? Has there been that “eureka” moment in your life?

Paul also writes of DAVID’S DESCRIPTION OF THE SOURCE OF ACCEPTANCE:

5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” (Romans 4:5-8)

These words are from Psalm 32, after David’s horrible sin. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and conspired to have her husband Uriah put to death to try to cover it up. But you can’t hide sin from God and when David was confronted, he was convicted and confessed with deep contrition. God forgave him and God did what David could not—He covered his sin! John Phillips, in his commentary on Romans, adds, “his sins [were] not only forgiven but forgotten; not only covered but cancelled.”

There is but one way to a God-pleasing life—and that is the way of faith. Have you trusted in Christ’s work on the cross for you? You dare not trust in yourself. There is no hope to be found there. Place your hand in the nail-scarred hand of Jesus today.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD

The Bible is clear: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Now, let that sink in for a moment. It doesn’t say that without faith it is unlikely that you can please God. It doesn’t say that it is difficult or improbable, but the Holy Spirit inspired author says, “It is impossible!”

Faith is the only way to please God.

This is Paul’s theme in the fourth chapter of Romans, which we will examine this week. It has to be one of the most important passages in the Word of God. Here, is set forth the singular way by which a person can please God and enter heaven. Now, that’s important!

Notice the three verses that commence the chapter and the three that conclude it:

1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,
24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

Understand that we are not saved by faith itself, but by God’s grace which is accessed by faith (Romans 5:2). Neither are we saved by the degree of our faith—that would be faith in faith. It is the object of our faith that saves us—trusting in Jesus Christ. It is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!

HOW CAN SINNERS BE ACCEPTED BY A HOLY GOD? A Trinity of Truths!

If we stood on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and told you that to get to heaven, you would need to jump all the way to Japan in one leap, you would answer that is impossible—and it would be. Yet, it is more difficult than that. Stand on the earth, look up to the moon, and jump up there and you still could not reach heaven—the holy throne of God where not one sinner can stand. He dwells in unapproachable light in a spotless atmosphere unsullied by one stain of sin—not even the slightest hint of evil—not a sniff.

So if we cannot reach Him, what can we do? Nothing! But there’s the good news—Jesus has already done all that is required! When we could not go to Him, He came to us. When we could suffer all eternity and never atone for our sins, He suffered as the eternal One and paid the price for all our sin. Look to the cross in faith, repenting of your sin, and you will be saved. It is the promise of God.

This great Gospel message is framed as a trinity of truths from the Triune God, as Paul writes these words in Romans 3:21-31:

REDEMPTION

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (emphasis added)

PROPITIATION

25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, (emphasis added)

JUSTIFICATION

26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. (emphasis added)

Here is a diagram found in James Montgomery Boice’s commentary on Romans that gives us a visual picture of the verbal portrait I have attempted to share in my feeble way:

HOW CAN SINNERS BE ACCEPTED BY A HOLY GOD? Through Justification!

Beginning with Romans 3:21, the Apostle Paul begins to present the solution to the great human dilemma of sin. He will present a trinity of truths that answer the critical question, “How can sinners be accepted by a holy God?” As we have seen previously this week, he has written that the answer is found in redemption and propitiation. Now, he comes to the third facet of Christ’s work: justification in Romans 3:26-31.

26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

THE PARDON IS PROVIDED! We have traveled from the slave market, to the temple altar and now arrive in the court room in pursuing the answer to how sinners can be accepted by a holy God.

I heard of a notorious mobster sitting in a prison cell waiting sentencing. The evidence against him was overwhelming. He knew he was in big trouble. So, it appeared that he was experiencing a “jail house” conversion as a prison guard beheld him feverishly flipping through the pages of a Gideon Bible. The guard called to him, “What are you doing?” The gangster answered, “I’m looking for a loophole!”

Forget that—there aren’t any! No fine print! No exceptions—all of us are guilty before God and His righteousness demands the death penalty—the second death in everlasting hell.

Thus, we face the enormous problem alluded to in verse 26, “to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Do we understand the immensity of this conundrum? How could God pronounce sinners justified and yet remain true to His just demands? He wants to do the former because He is a God of infinite love, but He must do the latter for He is a God of incorruptible holiness. He cannot compromise His justice in order to justify us.

Here’s the answer: Jesus—God in the flesh—took our sins, died in our place, and bore our hell so that we can be forgiven. Beyond that, all the perfect righteousness of the stainless Son of God was credited to our account. Amazing grace it is!

It is all God’s work. There is no room for boasting on our part. Paul writes, “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.” (Rom.1:27)

Anyone who places their faith in Christ is pardoned.

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.(Rom.1:28-31)

A pardoned criminal isn’t an innocent one—it is one who is pardoned despite his or her crime. We are guilty—let us fall upon the mercy of the court. We will find that all because of Calvary, God will justify us and yet remain just. God declares that we are just! That means our past is atoned for and our future is assured. By a judicial decree of God, we stand in the righteousness of Christ! Hallelujah, what a Savior!

HOW CAN SINNERS BE ACCEPTED BY A HOLY GOD? Through Propitiation!

In Romans 3:25, Paul writes about another misunderstood (and sometimes mispronounced) salvation doctrine: propitiation: “whom [Christ]God set forth as propitiation by His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (NKJV).

THE PENALTY IS PASSED! Paul has previously spoken of redemption—where he has described salvation in terms of a slave being purchased and set free. Christ paid the price to free us from sin with His precious blood. Now, we move from the slave market to the temple altar. Propitiation means that God’s wrath has been appeased and His righteous demands have been satisfied through the sacrifice of His Son. Paul has already declared that we sinners are under wrath (Rom.1:18) and deserve condemnation (Rom.2:5-8). Yet, that wrath passed upon Christ—who suffered in our stead.

The word “propitiation” is a fascinating one. In the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Old Testament—and also in Hebrews in the New Testament, it is the word “mercy seat.” The “mercy seat” was the golden lid atop the Ark of the Covenant—at either end two Cherubim with wings outstretched gazed as sentinels upon the mercy seat. Inside the chest were the tables of stone which God engraved with His own finger in giving the Ten Commandments to Moses. The picture is of God’s messengers of judgment, the holy angels, looking upon God’s holy law, ready to bring retribution upon those who would violate those laws.

So, it was, on the Day of Atonement, that the High Priest would enter in and sprinkle the blood of the lamb upon the mercy seat, signifying that the nation’s sins had been covered by blood and forgiveness was offered. The ritual pointed to the reality when Christ would fulfill that symbolism by dying as the Lamb of God on Calvary. He did so, that our sins could be atoned for.

God cannot sweep sin under the carpet—death is demanded for sin—from Eden until today. Don’t miss what Paul is saying at the end of verse twenty five. Even the Old Testament saints, like Abraham and Moses and David and the rest, could not be saved without the death of Christ. The blood of bulls and goats and lambs could not actually atone for sins. The writer of Hebrews says, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins…But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.” (Heb.10:4, 12). Since the death of Christ was still in the future for believers in the Old Covenant, “in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (Rom.3:25).

In other words, those prior to Calvary, who were justified by faith, were saved on the “lay away plan.” Let’s say it’s early in the Christmas shopping season and you find the perfect gift for a loved one. You don’t have the money to pay for it, but you are afraid they might sell out of that item—and for sure, you’ve learned your lesson about credit cards—so, you put it on “lay away.” You put it in that department of the store, your name is on it, and it becomes yours later, when it is paid for. When the Old Testament saints died, they went to paradise where they remained on “lay away” until their penalty which they owed was paid in full by Jesus on the cross. Then, in His ascension, He emptied paradise and ushered the “spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb.12:23) into heaven and the presence of Holy God (Eph.4:8-10).