I have finished the work
which You have given Me to do. —John 17:4
“Never build your case for
forgiveness on the idea that God is our Father and He will forgive us because
He loves us. That contradicts the revealed truth of God in Jesus Christ. It
makes the Cross unnecessary, and the redemption “much ado about nothing.” God
forgives sin only because of the death of Christ. God could forgive people in
no other way than by the death of His Son, and Jesus is exalted as Savior
because of His death. […] Anything that lessens or completely obliterates the
holiness of God, through a false view of His love, contradicts the truth of God
as revealed by Jesus Christ. […] Jesus Christ became a curse for us by divine
decree. Our part in realizing the tremendous meaning of His curse is the
conviction of sin. Conviction is given to us as a gift of shame and repentance;
it is the great mercy of God. Jesus Christ hates the sin in people, and Calvary
is the measure of His hatred.” CHAMBERS
Are you familiar with the
phrase “God hates the sin but loves the sinner”? Did you think that is a reference to a verse
in the Bible? Actually it’s not,
although certainly it conveys Truth that is revealed in the Bible. God does love us while we were yet sinners. (Romans
5:8) And He sent Jesus to die on the cross to defeat sin and restore mankind.
(John 3:16) But that particular phrase is not in the Bible. In fact, it’s a quote from St. Augustine. His
Letter 211 contains the phrase “Cum dilectione hominum et odio vitiorum”, which
means "With love for mankind and hatred of sins." Over time the quote
as morphed into "love the sinner but hate the sin" or "hate the
sin and not the sinner" (found in Mohandas Gandhi’s 1929 autobiography). The point here is just because it sounds
Biblical, it may not be directly Biblical.
We should test what we read and what we hear against the Scripture, just
like the Bereans. (Acts 17:11) “Now the
Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they
received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day
to see if what Paul said was true.”
So, to the point. Man marvels at the order in the creation
around him. Many, because of their
ignorance and blindness, attribute that order to everything but a creator God. But, denial of truth does not change
truth. Sin – or more simply – the decision
of man to bring disorder into God’s perfectly ordered creation through
disobedience, became the barrier between man and God. In my mind, it’s hard to imagine that God
knew that Adam would disobey Him and yet God created Adam in spite of that
knowing. And yet, God does not make
mistakes, He had a purpose in allowing it.
God had a choice in creating man.
He could have created us like the beasts with not ability to choose, but
just to exists. And so there must be
some deeper reason for this drama to be played out. I suspect that the point is that God is
glorified in an even greater, more magnificent way through the redemption
story. God’s love, grace, and mercy
where set on display in Jesus Christ. Man was created in His image. God created the fish in the sea, but there is
no mention of His loving the fish, although He called their creation, good. You, my friend, are part of a great
story. One in which you have a
role. As the Lord’s redeemed, you are to
be a living testimony to God’s love, mercy and grace. Your life is to shout – Jesus Saves – to the
world by the way you live and love, both God and man. Don’t miss it by limiting your life because
you so focused on your personal needs being met.
Oh, looks like the curtain is raising on another day. Don’t forget your lines. ELGIN
Jesus Saves
We have heard the joyful
sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves! Spread
the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land,
climb the mountains, cross the waves; Onward! ’tis our Lord’s command; Jesus saves!
Jesus saves!
Waft it on the rolling tide:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves! Tell to
sinners far and wide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Sing, you islands of the sea;
echo back, you ocean caves; Earth shall
keep her jubilee: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Sing above the battle strife:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves! By His death
and endless life Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout it brightly through the
gloom, when the heart for mercy craves; Sing in triumph o’er the tomb: Jesus saves!
Jesus saves!
Give the winds a mighty
voice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves! Let the
nations now rejoice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout salvation full and
free; highest hills and deepest caves; This our song of victory: Jesus saves! Jesus
saves!
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