Jesus Provided for Our Justification

Jesus and His twelve disciples shared the Passover meal together in the upper room. Matthew sets up the story: "Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, 'Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?' And He said, 'Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, "The Teacher says, 'My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.'"' So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve" (Matt. 26:17-20).

As Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover meal, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.' And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" (vv. 26-30).

We still celebrate the Lord's Supper today as a memorial, or a ceremony, that reminds us of what Jesus did for us on the cross. There His body was broken for us, His blood was shed for us, for our forgiveness and to provide salvation for us. Our repentance, along with our faith in Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection the third day, results in our justification.

Through Jesus' death and resurrection God provided for our justification. And that is a key thought here. Justification is not something we earn on our own merit. It is a gift that God provided for us. The Greek noun translated "justification" refers to "the act of pronouncing righteous." It occurs twice in Romans and nowhere else in the New Testament. Its meaning is determined by the verb "to justify" which carries the idea of a person established "as just by acquittal from guilt" (W.E. Vine, M.A., Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Unabridged Edition, [MacDonald Publishing Company: McLean, Virginia, no copyright], 624). So justification has to do with a person being declared righteous by God.

Because of one's belief and faith in Christ, God declares the sinner to be righteous because he has come into a righteous relationship with God. Justification has nothing to do with any change in the sinner. It has everything to do with God's declaration about the sinner. Justification does not make a sinner holy; it declares that he is not guilty before God and is then treated as holy.

So, if you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, even though you are still growing in Christ, slowly becoming more like Him each day (sanctification), you are already considered or reckoned by God to be holy, as Jesus is holy (justification). What a wonderful God we have. Amen.

Encouraging Faith

I have often heard well-intentioned Christians say, "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner." But as I read Scripture, I am not convinced as to just how accurate that statement is. Certainly, God loves us. That is why Christ came to earth to die on the cross for our forgiveness. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Or again, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

In the original Greek, "propitiation" has to do with atonement. It means that God's wrath is satisfied in Christ's sacrifice on the cross. His anger is appeased and His mercy is bestowed upon all who believe. God having "sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10) is the ultimate expression of God's love toward man. (W.E. Vine, M.A., Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Unabridged Edition, [MacDonald Publishing Company: McLean, Virginia, no copyright], 906-07)

As to God loving the sinner, consider the following Scriptures: "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day" (Ps. 7:11). "The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates" (Ps. 11:5). "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience" (Eph. 5:6). "But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Rom. 2:5). "But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath" (Rom. 2:8).

The sin is nothing apart from the sinner. The unrepentant sinner aligns himself against God. This offends God and makes the sinner the direct object of His wrath. Nahum points out, "God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; the LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies" (Nah. 1:2).

The key to experiencing God's love and mercy, rather than His wrath, is repentance and faith. That is why the Lord seeks repentance from sinners. That is also why the Lord encourages faith for the sinner. Repentance and faith turns away God's wrath and ushers in love and mercy and forgiveness for the penitent believer.

Therefore, repent! Confess your sin before the Lord and receive His forgiveness. Turn to God in faith. Trust Jesus. Amen.

What Must I Do to be Saved?

Consider the story of the Philippian jailer, which is found in Acts 16:25-31. To set the context, Paul and his entourage were staying in Philippi "for some days" (Acts 16:12). "On the Sabbath day" (v. 13a) they went down "to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made" (v. 13b). There they "spoke to the women who met there" (v. 13c). One of the women, Lydia, heard Paul, repented and believed on Jesus, and "she and her household were baptized" (v. 15a). A wealthy businesswoman, she "persuaded" them to stay at her home while in Philippi (v. 15b).

A "slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination" (v. 16a) met them and began following them wherever they went, crying out, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation" (v. 17). She did this continually "for many days" (v. 18a). It was greatly annoying, so Paul "turned and said to the spirit, 'I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.' And he came out that very hour" (v. 18b). Now, she had "brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling" (v. 16b). So, "when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities" (v. 19).

They told the magistrates that "they teach customs which are not lawful for us" (v. 21). So the magistrates "commanded them to be beaten with rods" (v. 22b) and "threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely" (v. 23b). The jailer "put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks" (v. 24). That is where we pick up the story.

It came about that "at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (v. 25). Then the Lord took over: "Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were loosed" (v. 26). What a miracle! Paul and Silas were set free.

All the commotion and noise awakened the jailer. Seeing "the prison doors open" (v. 27a), he assumed that everyone had fled, and the prisoners had all escaped. So he "drew his sword and was about to kill himself" (v. 27b), when things took a strange turn. "Paul called with a loud voice, saying, 'Do yourself no harm, for we are all here'" (v. 28). No one had left! The jailer "called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas" (v. 29).

The jailer brought Paul and Silas out of the prison and asked a profound question: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (v. 30). Paul and Silas answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household" (v. 31).

God is seeking repentance. He wants everyone to repent, turn away from their sin, and believe on Jesus, receiving Him as their Lord and Savior. 2 Peter 3:8-9 says, "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." God is allowing time for everyone who will, to repent and come to Jesus.

John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." Romans 10:9-10 clarifies further, "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. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." It is time for all to repent, believe on Jesus, and be saved. Amen.

A Changed Man

As Jesus was making His way toward Jerusalem, "He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee" (Luke 17:11). As He passed through these regions "He entered a certain village" (v. 12) where He healed ten lepers (vv. 13-14), only one of which, "a Samaritan" (v. 16), "a foreigner" (v. 18), came back and "glorified God" (v. 15), "giving Him thanks" (v. 16).

As Jesus and His disciples continued on toward Jerusalem, He answered the questions of the Pharisees who followed along (vv. 20-21) and taught His disciples (vv. 22-37). He told parables to them (Luke 18:1-14), blessed the little children who were brought to Him (vv. 15-17), answered the question of a lawyer, using it as a teaching moment (vv. 18-30), and prepared His disciples for what was to come in Jerusalem (vv. 31-34).

That is the context of our story. Jericho is but a few miles down from Jerusalem, and as they were "coming near Jericho" (v. 35), they came across a blind beggar whom Jesus healed (vv. 35-43). Then, as "Jesus entered and passed through Jericho" (Luke 19:1), our story begins.

"There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich" (v. 2). He wanted to see Jesus, "but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature" (v. 3). As the children's Bible song goes, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he" (Sometimes entitled "Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man," the original author and composer are unknown, and the song is widely regarded as being in the public domain. Copyright: Public Domain). "So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way" (v. 4).

When Jesus came by, "He looked up and saw him" and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house" (v. 5). So Zacchaeus did as Jesus instructed. "He made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully" (v. 6). But the Pharisees and the townspeople did not like that at all. They all complained that Jesus "has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner" (v. 7).

Zacchaeus knew he was a sinner, which was something the Pharisees and many others failed to admit. And Zacchaeus understood his need to repent and be changed. He heard God calling him, a sinner, to come home. God was seeking repentance and Zacchaeus was ready.

Zacchaeus repented right then and there, and became a changed man. He said to Jesus, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold" (v. 8). And Jesus, seeing his faith, responded, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham" (v. 9). Then He added, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (v. 10).

Jesus came to save sinners. He calls us to confess our sin and repent. Trust Jesus for your salvation. Live by faith in Him. Amen.

Repent!

On the day of Pentecost, when Peter had explained to the people what was happening, he preached the gospel of Christ. When he concluded with the words, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36), the people "were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?'" (v. 37).

Peter gave a profound answer to this heartfelt question. He said, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (v. 38). Then he added, "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (v. 39).

In New Testament Greek, the word "repent" (v. 38) suggests the idea of changing one's "mind or purpose" (W. E. Vine, M.A., Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Unabridged Edition, [MacDonald Publishing Company: McLean, Virginia, no copyright], 962), in this case, turning away from sin. It involves "both a turning from sin and a turning to God" (Ibid, 963). Hence, the idea of a one hundred and eighty degree turnaround in the direction your life is going. You turn away from your sin, leaving it behind, and turn to God, believing in Him by faith.

The need of every sinner is repentance. "Repent," declared Peter. Repent and believe, and your sins will be forgiven, you will be saved, and you will receive the gift of God's Spirit. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. It is a sign that says you believe and now belong to Jesus. It is a sign of repentance.

The "promise" (v. 39) is for both Jew ("to you and to your children") and Gentile ("to all who are afar off"). The "promise" is for "as many as the Lord our God will call" (v. 39b). God calls sinners to repentance. Do you hear God's call to repent? Amen.

God Speaks through His Word

After saying that he would "watch to see" what God had to say to him (Hab. 2:1), God spoke to Habakkuk and said, "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it" (Hab. 2:2). God's word is written so that we may read it and be empowered by it to run the race of faith. Through the word we hear God's voice, that "still small voice," and receive His guidance. God speaks to us to direct our path and to bring glory to Himself through us.

The Psalmist said, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). For God to accomplish His purpose in our life, we must be still and listen for His voice as He speaks through His word. Knowing that God speaks is a start. But we must hear His voice, we must hear God's call if we are to follow Him and live for Him. Paul said, "For 'who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16). God speaks through Christ in us to accomplish His purpose.

God spoke to the Apostle Paul in a vision: "Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, 'Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city'" (Acts 18:9-10). Visions were not uncommon in Bible times. The Lord God often spoke to His servants through visions. But even through the visions, God spoke quietly to the heart.

In addition to Paul, we saw that God spoke to Habakkuk in a vision. He told Habakkuk to "write the vision" (Hab. 2:2). God spoke to Abram (Abraham) in a vision: "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward'" (Gen. 15:1). God spoke to Israel, that is Jacob, in visions: "Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, 'Jacob, Jacob!' And he said, 'Here I am'" (Gen. 46:2).

Visions and dreams are closely related. In the book of Job, Eliphaz the Temanite spoke of "disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men" (Job 4:13). "Deep sleep" would be that time of night when men have dreams. God speaks to His faithful servants through dreams. Visions would be similar; except they are often experienced during the day while awake.

In today's world, receiving messages from God through visions and dreams is rare and unusual. But no matter what method God uses to speak, He still speaks directly to your heart and mind with that "still small voice." In each case, we need to go to the word to confirm the message. It is primarily through the Bible, the word of God, that He speaks to us to reveal His purposes, His designs, and His plans. Amen.

How God Speaks

How does God speak to you? With Jeremiah, God spoke to his heart. "Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations'" (Jer. 1:4-5). Did God speak to him verbally? It could be that He did. Many people certainly assume so. What the text says is "the word of the LORD came to me," not "and the LORD said to me." So it may be that God's word was quietly placed upon Jeremiah's heart and mind, not unlike how God often speaks to us today. "A still small voice," like the voice Elijah heard.

Then there was Balaam, prophet for hire. When he was not listening to God, at just the right moment, God spoke to him through a donkey—that's right, a donkey! (Note: Num. 22:22-33). Can you imagine? Balaam had to be beside himself, thinking he was out of his mind! It certainly got his attention. His story is found in Numbers 22 through 24.

Balaam did not run and hide, but he did stray from God. He sought to do his own thing for the sake of money, but God pursued after him to stop him from violating God's trust. God made certain that Balaam did as He instructed, not as Balak wished. In the end, Balaam found that he could not curse Israel as king Balak hired him to do, but instead, he could only bless the people of Israel as God instructed. Offering to turn back (Num. 22:34), "the Angel of the LORD said to Balaam, 'Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak'" (v. 35).

During the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the Pharisees complained about the many disciples declaring Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus said, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke 19:40). Nothing is too much for God. Stones are inanimate objects. At least Balaam's donkey was a living, breathing, beast of burden! God used the donkey to get his attention. And it certainly worked. As mysterious as it was, God was calling. And suddenly, Balaam was listening.

Lately in this blog, our Bible Insights have been all about hearing the call of God on your life. Do you hear His call? Do you understand His purpose for your life? When God speaks, are you listening? From the day you are saved to the day you die or are raptured and go to heaven, God's call is on your life. Hearing His call in every area of life is what is important. Be still and listen for God's "still small voice." Amen.