Daily Archives: July 15, 2014

A River Of Consequences

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A RIVER OF CONSEQUENCES

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5.

It had happened. We have been justified. It is a cut-and-dried fact!

But justification releases a river of consequences. The first one is peace with God. The war is over. God and man have been reconciled. God and we have “smoked the peace pipe” and there is no longer any reason for Him to be at odds with us. The solid ground of peace with God is that the reason for the war has been removed. Where once the broken law was the issue, it no longer exists. Jesus has satisfied God’s holy standards by living a perfect life and then doing away with the law as a standard of judgment.

Jesus has become God’s standard of judgment and, because we are now “in Him” through faith in Him, we wear His righteousness as a covering for our sin. Justification, and the peace with God which follows, is our legal standing before Him. We can approach Him without fear, look Him in the face and receive His smile of approval because there is nothing left to condemn or separate us from Him.

Through Jesus, we have been given access into God’s grace – all His resources of love, strength and enabling that we need to live our lives in and for Him. We have a standing in grace – we are surrounded with His favour as David experienced:

“Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with favour as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12.

Another consequence flows from justification – the hope of the glory of God. What does this mean? When Adam sinned, the whole human race was plunged into darkness – selfish and self-centred living that brought chaos and conflict into the world because everyone was looking out for number one. Jesus died in our place, not only to deal with our sin but with our sinfulness as well. That means that, through the power of the Holy Spirit we are being and will be restored to God’s original intention, to be replicas of Him in our nature and behaviour.

But how does that happen? Strangely enough, the very hardships we experience, which we so often use to accuse God of not loving us, or of punishing us for something we have done wrong (which cannot be because God has already punished Jesus for all sin, ours and everyone else’s), are God’s way of knocking off the rough edges so that we begin to understand and share in the hardships of others instead of being self-absorbed and self-centred.

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? …They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in His holiness, No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:7; 9-11.

Three more consequences flow from our training to reflect God’s glory: perseverance, character, hope. Have you ever noticed how God’s children who have suffered much have been mellowed by it and are full of hope for their future in the life to come? Paul says, “Revel in it! There are indescribably great things up ahead.”

These consequences go full circle – they begin with God’s great love for us and they work in us until God’s love is poured through us to touch the lives of others who, in turn, follow the same pattern, over and over again and on and on. Justified; peace; grace; perseverance; character; hope; love. And it all flows out of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Forgiven And Justified

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FORGIVEN AND JUSTIFIED

“The words, “it was credited to him” were not written for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness – for us who believe in Him who raised our Lord Jesus from the dead.

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Romans 4:23-25.

How did the Apostle Paul know what the death of Jesus Christ meant? After all, He could have been any poor criminal who died at the hands of Roman cruelty. Why did they have to execute wrongdoers in such a barbaric way? Why put them through such inhumane suffering? Was it really a deterrent to others who chose to commit crimes?

How could Paul write these words with such conviction and confidence, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification?”

If Jesus was to die as a perfect Passover lamb, He had to fulfil the requirements of God for that lamb in order to be an acceptable sacrifice.

Firstly, the Passover lamb had to be chosen from the flock on 10th day of Nisan and scrutinised for three days for any blemish or defect. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on 10th of Nisan, a clear bid to be king of the Jews. He was welcomed by an excited crowd who accepted Him as the one who came in the name of the Lord. For three days He was questioned by the religious leaders who were finally silenced because they could find no fault in Him.

Secondly, the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed on the 14th day of Nisan. Jesus was crucified on 14th Nisan and He died at the exact hour when the first Passover lamb was slaughtered in the temple. He did not die as a victim of the Jews or the Romans. Those who were sent to arrest Him could not lay a finger on Him until He handed Himself over because of the power of His name. He willingly laid down His life. No one took it from Him.

Thirdly, the Passover lamb was sacrificed to protect the people of Israel from the angel of death who took the lives of the firstborn sons of the Egyptians; a lamb for the firstborn. In Adam, they were all firstborn and deserved to die but they were redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Jesus was God’s firstborn Son. He gave His life to redeem us who, in Adam, are the firstborn and deserve death because of our sin.

Fourthly, because Jesus was without sin, His death was acceptable in our place. He was our substitute and God accepted His offering as an atoning sacrifice for our sin.

Fifthly, because He was without sin, death could not hold Him. Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the Feast of Firstfuits by the power of the Holy Spirit as proof that His sacrifice was acceptable to God. He became the firstfuits of the resurrection, guaranteeing that all who believe in Him will also be raised to everlasting life in an incorruptible body like His.

Jesus satisfied the demands of the law, lived in perfect obedience to His Father, died as a lawbreaker in our place, was raised from the dead by the power of God and is alive forever to stand as mediator between us and God. He presents His blood as an atoning sacrifice for our sin. He is the guarantee that we have been justified by His death, declared “not guilty” because our debt has been paid.

Yes, Paul, you are absolutely correct when you said, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”  Jesus was condemned by both Jew and Roman. He died for the sins of the whole world. All who believe in Him are justified and can say with assurance that they have been made righteous by His blood and have been given the gift of eternal life.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.