Jusified by faith

Romans 5:1
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"

This Scripture leads us to ask some questions. What is the significance of the word therefore? What is it to be justified? Why does it have to be by faith? Why does it bring about peace with God? Why does this peace come through our Lord Jesus Christ?

What is the significance of the word therefore?
The answer to this question lies in Romans chapter 4. The chapter highlights the patriarch Abraham. Romans 4:3 "For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Romans 4:20-22
" (20) He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
(21) and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
(22) And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."

In faith Abraham believed that what God had promised that God would bring it to fruition. Therefore his faith in God was justified when Isaac was born.

What is it to be justified?
In general terms it means to be vindicated and to be held blameless. If you have been accused of some impropriety, examination of the facts will prove that you are blameless. The results of the examination will justify your innocence. In Abraham's case he had to wait a lot of years before God fulfilled His promise. It would have been easy for Abraham to give up in unbelief. So Abraham was justified in God's eyes by his faith in God.

Why does it have to be by faith?

God cannot justify us by our works; since examination of the facts reveal that we are all sinners against God. Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." There is an immediate problem; we have all fallen short of God's standards. We have an incredible debt of sin to pay to God and we can't work our way out of this debt. There is a price to pay for our sins.

Romans 6:23 tells us that, "the wages of sin is death..." People die everyday of every year. Here is the reason why.

Ephesians 2:1-3
"(1) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
(2) in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
(3) among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others."

Here is how God views the sinner - dead in trespasses and sins. In God's eyes what we consider our good works are dead works and therefore have no value in His eyes.

Ephesians 2:8-10
"(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
(9) not of works, lest anyone should boast.
(10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Notice the difference - saved through faith - not through works. The good works mentioned in verse 10 are subsequent to our salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ - not before we are saved.

Why does it bring about peace with God?
We have seen that we are justified in God's eyes through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. So how does Christ make this happen? Earlier we looked at the incredible debt of sin we each have. There is no way any of us could pay off or work off our debt. That's why God sent His Son! Christ was the only person qualified to pay our debt of sin. Now you need to grasp this truth. You are utterly incapable of paying the debt of your sins - Jesus Christ the Son of God paid for them at Calvary. In doing so He made peace for us with God.

Colossians 1:19-20
"(19) For it pleased the Father that in Him [Christ] all the fullness should dwell,
(20) and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross."
Ephesians 2:13-14
"(13) But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
(14) For He Himself is our peace..."

The result is that, "...we have peace with God..."

Why does this peace come through our Lord Jesus Christ?

Christ is the only person who could bring about peace with God.

1 Timothy 2:3-6
"(3)...God our Saviour,
(4) who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
(5) For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
(6) who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time"

As our Mediator, Christ achieved peace with God for you and me on the cross at Calvary. Proof of that are His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to God's right hand in Heaven.

Do you know the peace of God in Your life? Do you know what it is to be justified in God's eyes by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ? If you stay in your sins you cannot be justified by God. You will still be, "...dead in trespasses and sins..."

Now is the time to do something about it! Hear the plea of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Matthew 11:28-30
"(28) Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
(30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com
Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]

 

 

 

The Moral Dilemma Of Our Times

I live in Australia, a so called Christian country. Australia due to its Colonial background is considered a 'Western' country. As it was a former English Colony its laws closely follow the English system of law. Its Parliaments are based on the English 'Westminster' system. Australia's moral, ethical and legal practices are based on principles found in the Holy Bible.

However, since the 1970's, particularly under the Whitlam Government, there has been a steady decline in the morals and spiritual well being of our nation. Marriage, ordained by God between a man and a woman is now a 'take it or leave it' situation. Nowadays you can just choose a partner and move in together. Or if you do decide to get married if it doesn't work out you can get an easy divorce; and then move on to someone else.

The 1970's also saw the rise of the 'Hippy' movement and the 'Flower Power' people. Their alternative lifestyles and free love' practices ran contrary to established moral codes and practices. Free lust would have been a more appropriate name. Illicit, recreational drugs were also a feature of this movement. The rise and rise of illicit, recreational drug usage is now a massive problem on a global scale.

Our moral codes have slipped so badly that Western governments are passing same sex marriage laws in opposition to God's holy laws.

What is at the crux of this moral decline? It is sin in the hearts of men and women! Although Western nations purport to follow 'Christian' principles; in reality they just want to do their own things and go their own ungodly ways.

Let's have a look in the Holy Bible for an explanation.
Romans 8:7:
"Because the carnal mind is enmity [hostile] against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." In our natural state before God we are hostile towards Him and thus won't be subject to His law. A damning indictment indeed! Now if people want to live ungodly, sinful lives they really cannot expect to get to Heaven when they die. Politicians in particular will be held to account for passing laws transgressing God's laws and principles.

Along with the moral decline has been a steady increase in mental illness; much of which is treated by chemical drugs. But is this really the answer? A lot of mental stress and strain can be attributed to guilty consciences. When there is a heavy burden of guilt it can lead to mental break downs. The answer is to clear the burden of guilt; not a chemical cocktail!

Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God spoke these words in:
Matthew 11:28-30
"(28) Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
(30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Jesus Christ has the answer to a burdened conscience. Hand it over to Him! It will be a life changing decision! He wants you to walk in partnership with Him along life's journey.

Hebrews 9:14:
"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Jesus Christ not only relieves you of your burden of sin He cleanses your conscience so that you no longer have the burden of a guilty conscience. What a Saviour!

Perhaps you are thinking, "I don't have a guilty conscience." Nevertheless you as a sinner still need salvation. Maybe you are now thinking, "I am not a sinner." Well that is not the case.

Romans 3:23:
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 6:23:
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

It is personal, very personal! Why did Jesus die on that cross at Calvary? It was for you and me.

1 Peter 2:24:
"[Christ] who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed."

Can you accept the fact that Jesus died at Calvary on your behalf to pay the price of your sins? This is not just a mental affirmation; it also has to reach your heart.

Romans 10:9-10:
"(9) that 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.
(10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

The moral dilemma of our times can be sorted out if men and women turn their lives over to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We cannot really expect our politicians to enact laws that glorify the true and living God whilst the majority of our citizens are at enmity in their minds against Him. Politicians do what is expedient for themselves. They want to stay in parliament.

However, we as individuals are also accountable to God for the way we live our lives.

Galatians 6:7:
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." It's quite simple really, if you lead an ungodly, sinful life you won't be going to Heaven - your destination will be Hell. All the ungodly moral laws passed by ungodly politicians will not help you when you die.

Acts 4:10-12:
" (10)  let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
(11) This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
(12) Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com
Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.][If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]

 

What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

This is a very thought provoking question. Not many people will have ever contemplated this matter. Sometimes you will hear it said of a person that,"They have sold their soul to the Devil".

What do we understand from this remark? Usually we would see that person as having chosen a path in life that is completely self-centred and will not let anything or anyone stand in the way of their gaining their desired objectives. Often that pathway will run contrary to the normal rules and laws of society. Woe betide anyone who stands in their way!

Let's have a look at the verse in the Holy Scriptures where the main question is asked.

Matthew 16:26:
"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Profit and loss, this is what every business man or woman thinks of daily. It's not much use being in business if you fail to make a profit from your time, energy and money. Many a business person has spent sleepless nights trying to work out how to keep their business in a profitable financial situation. It is fine when things are going along smoothly. However when difficult times come (and they do) it often becomes a juggling act to stay solvent.

Think back to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008. What a crippling effect it had on the global economy. It is now 2018 and some business sectors have still not fully recovered from the financial wipe out of that time. There was an immediate effect on tourism related businesses; airlines in particular were very heavily hit.

Now let's have a closer look at Matthew 16:26. So what profit does a man make in real terms if he is very successful in material possessions yet when he dies he loses it all? What comfort will those possessions be to him when he is dead and buried? The Egyptian Pharaohs had all sorts of things buried with them in their tombs. They were supposed to be of use in the afterlife. However when the tombs were opened up everything was still intact!

John D. Rockefeller was the world's richest man when he died. The newspapers in New York rushed out special editions. One young newspaper boy was asked by a customer, "How much did he leave behind?" The newspaper boy simply said, "Everything?"

The last Shah of Persia was one of the world's richest men. Just before he died he said, "All I can take to the grave with me is history!"

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" To put it simply, when we were born we came into the world with nothing and when we die we go out of the world with nothing. However, the choices we make while we are on planet Earth can and do have eternal consequences.

Let's have a look at the preceding verses to verse 26.

Matthew 16:24-25:
"(24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
(25)  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

What is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God telling you and me? In verse 24 He is saying that if we want to follow Him we need to give up our ungodly, sinful life in order to follow Him. If you were carrying a cross that meant you were going to die. The old sinful life has to be put to death.

Romans 6:23 tells us,
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." When we look at verse 25 above we see a definite contrast. If you desire to save your life by your own efforts - you will lose it. If your old sinful life is gone (lost) for His sake, then you will gain eternal life with Him.

How is this transition possible? It is only possible because Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God has paid the price of your sins on a Roman cross at Calvary, just outside Jerusalem. The sacrifice He made there on our behalf is more than sufficient to clear our debt of sin. Therefore, our ungodly, sinful life is gone and we have gained eternal life. God makes the transition when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. He has already done the work on our behalf at Calvary. All we need to do is receive the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You don't earn a gift. You don't pay for a gift. If you do it becomes a reward not a gift. If someone gives me a gift all I have to do is take it and it is mine!

So what will you give in exchange for your soul? Heaven or Hell is the outcome.

When you die your body remains here on planet Earth; however your soul and spirit go back to God who gave it. If you die in your sins - you have consigned yourself to Hell and the Lake of Fire forever. If Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God has cleared the debt of your sins - you will go to Heaven to be with him forever.

The choice is yours! Your eternal destiny depends on your choice!

Jon Peasey

Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com
Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com
Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]