Obedience by Faith ACCEPTED BECAUSE OF JESUS
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom. 5:8.
One time, at an airport, I ordered a sandwich between flights, and made the mistake of going off and leaving it sitting there on the counter. I had other things on my mind, so had to go back to get my sandwich. But suppose I went to a dealer to buy a Mercedes. There's little chance I would go off and leave that. The more we pay for something, the more we value it.
The infinite, priceless gift of God in Jesus Christ makes it certain that we are accepted, because Jesus' sacrifice has been accepted. God will not forget us or leave us alone after having paid such a price for our salvation. We can praise God anew for that today.
According to Romans 4:5, God justifies the ungodly. God accepts sinners when they come to Him just as they are. This is one of the most important and significant truths as we begin to understand the theme of salvation by faith. We do not wait for some point when we have become good enough for God to accept us. He loves to accept us just as we are when we come to Him. This is true when we come to Him initially, and the promise is good for today, as well. We can come to Him again today, just as we are, and He accepts us.
It is only people who understand that they have already been accepted by God who can safely talk about obedience. If I am not sure of my acceptance, it is extremely hazardous for me to study the subject of obedience, because it will be nothing but discouraging.
When a sinner responds to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, he comes to God just as he is, and because of Jesus he is put right with God.
Nothing that man can do can possibly add to this salvation. No work of man has merit or value in itself. Our obedience is not what makes us right with God; it is not what causes our salvation. But for the Christian who understands this clearly, who is looking to the merits of Christ for his assurance and pardon, rather than to his own works, the subject of obedience is still extremely important. Once we have our foundation for salvation clearly understood, then we are ready to begin to build walls on that foundation.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom. 5:8.
One time, at an airport, I ordered a sandwich between flights, and made the mistake of going off and leaving it sitting there on the counter. I had other things on my mind, so had to go back to get my sandwich. But suppose I went to a dealer to buy a Mercedes. There's little chance I would go off and leave that. The more we pay for something, the more we value it.
The infinite, priceless gift of God in Jesus Christ makes it certain that we are accepted, because Jesus' sacrifice has been accepted. God will not forget us or leave us alone after having paid such a price for our salvation. We can praise God anew for that today.
According to Romans 4:5, God justifies the ungodly. God accepts sinners when they come to Him just as they are. This is one of the most important and significant truths as we begin to understand the theme of salvation by faith. We do not wait for some point when we have become good enough for God to accept us. He loves to accept us just as we are when we come to Him. This is true when we come to Him initially, and the promise is good for today, as well. We can come to Him again today, just as we are, and He accepts us.
It is only people who understand that they have already been accepted by God who can safely talk about obedience. If I am not sure of my acceptance, it is extremely hazardous for me to study the subject of obedience, because it will be nothing but discouraging.
When a sinner responds to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, he comes to God just as he is, and because of Jesus he is put right with God.
Nothing that man can do can possibly add to this salvation. No work of man has merit or value in itself. Our obedience is not what makes us right with God; it is not what causes our salvation. But for the Christian who understands this clearly, who is looking to the merits of Christ for his assurance and pardon, rather than to his own works, the subject of obedience is still extremely important. Once we have our foundation for salvation clearly understood, then we are ready to begin to build walls on that foundation.
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