“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” —2 Corinthians 5:21
“[…] Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the only explanation for His death is His obedience to His Father, not His sympathy for us. We are acceptable to God not because we have obeyed, nor because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and for no other reason. We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the fatherhood and the lovingkindness of God, but the New Testament says that He came to take “away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). And the revealing of the fatherhood of God is only to those to whom Jesus has been introduced as Savior. […] What is taught in the New Testament is that “He died for all” (2 Corinthians 5:15)— not, “He died my death”— and that through identification with His death I can be freed from sin, and have His very righteousness imparted as a gift to me. The substitution which is taught in the New Testament is twofold— “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”” CHAMBERS
It is good to remind ourselves of the price paid for our salvation. Have you ever bought someone a gift, perhaps an expensive gift and they did not treat it well, in light of its value? Your intent was to bless them. To give them something that they could not give themselves. Yet, they treated it like it had not value. Oh, if you asked them they would certainly say how much they appreciated it, but the fact of the matter was, they did not. In much the same way, that is how we treat the great gift that God has given us in Jesus. The way you live your life reveals how much you value your new life in Christ. Think about it. There are only two possibilities when you die. You are going to spend eternity in hell or eternity in heaven. In Christ, not only are we assured of a home in heaven, but the ability to cope with this life on earth that is supernatural. When you add obedience to faith, the Spirit in you, and the Word of God, the result is the ability to live above your circumstances. So, if a person who has been born again chooses to trust in themselves, ignore the leading of the Spirit, and disregard the Word of God, what does that tell you about how much they value the great gift they have been given in Christ. Some have tossed their faith in a corner to gather dust. James 2:17 “Faith without works is dead.” Faith lying in the corner has no practical value. It must be applied and to be applied, it must be valued. It all boils down to Matthew 22:37. Do you really love God with your all? Do you really value what Jesus did for us on the cross? Then Jesus is saying to you what He said to Peter in John 21:15-19, “Show Me.” Think about it. ELGIN
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
Charley Elgin
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