“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.” —Romans 5:10
“I am not saved by believing— I simply realize I am saved by believing. […] We can be born again solely because of the atonement of our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creations, not through their repentance or their belief, but through the wonderful work of God in Christ Jesus which preceded all of our experience (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-19). The unconquerable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We do not have to accomplish these things ourselves— they have been accomplished through the atonement of the Cross of Christ. The supernatural becomes natural to us through the miracle of God, and there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done— “It is finished!” (John 19:30).” CHAMBERS
Jesus has already done for us what we could not do. We cannot add to that. If we attempt to somehow be like Jesus by trying harder, or wishing more, we will be sorely disappointed. Acting like Jesus is vain religion, letting Jesus act through us is a life of faith. That is not to say that we should not do what is right and good. The question is what is the motivation for what we do. In Mark 10:17-27, a man says to Jesus “Good Teacher” and Jesus responded “Why do you call me good? Only my Father in heaven is good.” What! Didn’t Jesus have to be “good” to die for us? His point was that we understand the source of goodness. All that is right comes from the Father. Jesus always turned to the Father (the word “father” means source), not to Himself. That is how all of our problems began in the world, when Adam turned to himself and away from God.
Do you want to live in a way that pleases your Father in heaven? It begins, and ends, by yielding your life to the Lord. Your life in Jesus is not like my comments that I put in (). Something that is like a nice to know, but if absent would not affect what I have written. Making your relationship the number one priority is your number one priority. Do you dedicate time to pray, read and worship? Or is that the first thing you trade off when the business of life crowds in on you? To you praise God for His blessings in your life and then deny him on Sunday because you have other things to do which are more pressing? How can you praise God for the provision on the one hand and then deny the Provider on the other? We must be careful because the very thing that we are thankful for can become a wedge and drive us away from the One to whom we have given thanks. Think about it. ELGIN
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
Charley Elgin
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