Daily E3
Mercy and Grace
Part 2 of 5
... View MoreDaily E3
Mercy and Grace
Part 2 of 5
I don’t know about you, but I was raised to understand that God did not wink at sin. On the contrary, I was taught that He did not tolerate sin. We see this demonstrated starkly in the account of the great flood when God destroyed every living thing on earth that was not in the Ark. Or we might recall the rescue of righteous Abraham and Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning sulfur. So, what can these verses that speak of God having overlooked past sins mean?
The answer is provided in Hebrews 10:1–4 where we read that, “the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
Animal sacrifices provided atonement. They were a covering of sins until the time when sin would be taken away by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is what is meant when the texts we read earlier in Acts 17:30 and Romans 3:25 say that God winked at, or overlooked, the sins of the past. In His great mercy He did not give the Hebrew people what they deserved. He refrained from giving them the wages their sin had earned them.
Lamentations 3:22 speaks directly to this. It tells us that “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” It is this mercy that we celebrate with the writer of Lamentations (probably the prophet Jeremiah) when in the very next verse he says, “They (God’s mercies) are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:23
It is the death of Jesus that provides forgiveness. To say that Jesus died for our sins means that the blood of Jesus was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. More than simply covering sin, His blood took sin away completely. Indeed, this complete forgiveness of sin is in view in 2 Corinthians 5:19, which says, “that God was, in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.”
But if forgiveness is all Jesus accomplished at the cross, then we are of all people most to be pitied. As Holy Spirit explained through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14 “if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” Then in verse 17 He said, “if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”
Two verses later in 1 Corinthians 15:19 we find this, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” If forgiveness through the death of Christ is all the good news there is, then we get to live our mortal lives as forgiven people who remain spiritually dead.
Grace and peace to you.
Larry
LarryEiss.com
Daily E3
Mercy and Grace
Part 1 of 5
... View MoreDaily E3
Mercy and Grace
Part 1 of 5
The Gospel is better than you may think. In this study, I want to take a careful look at some of the things the Bible teaches about forgiveness and salvation. Often, we may be tempted to think of forgiveness and salvation simply as our assurance that we will go to heaven when we die. That is certainly true, but there is far more good news in the Gospel message. It’s not simply a ticket to heaven.
Mercy
Lamentations 3:22 “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”
The mercy of God refrains from giving us what we deserve.
Grace
Ephesians 2:5 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
The grace of God gives us what we do not deserve.
An important key to fully understanding the Good News of Jesus Christ is found in Romans 4:25. Speaking of Jesus, that verse says, “Who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification.”
I found this verse confusing for many years, and it turns out that the reason was that I did not fully grasp what Jesus did for me. There are two parts of the Gospel. Two primary things Jesus accomplished in His death and resurrection.
Jesus died on the cross for our sins. His blood was shed, and our sins were paid for. This is probably not a surprise to you.
But Jesus also rose from the dead. In Romans 4:25 we saw that He was raised for our justification. Many people think of His death for our sins and His resurrection for our justification as one and the same, but they are not.
In Romans 6:23 we read that, “the wages of sin is death.” We earn wages. We deserve our wages. In His mercy however, God overlooked the sins of the past. Acts 17:30 goes so far as to say that God winked at them! It reads, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.” (KJV)
Similarly, Romans 3:25 says, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” Scholars far more astute than I point out that the use of “remission” here means “passed over” rather than “forgiven” as it is most often used. The sins in view in this verse are those of the people who lived before Jesus. The work Jesus did took care of (propitiated) the sins of those who lived before He came just as surely as the sins of we who were yet unborn.
Grace and peace to you.
Larry
LarryEiss.com
Struggling with the Flesh
Though we are no longer of the world, we still live in the world. (John 15:19 & 17:14-16) The world is fallen, cursed, and held in bondage to the evil one. Everything about... View MoreStruggling with the Flesh
Though we are no longer of the world, we still live in the world. (John 15:19 & 17:14-16) The world is fallen, cursed, and held in bondage to the evil one. Everything about it constantly pressures (tempts) us to believe that we will find satisfaction and fulfillment everywhere but in Christ. In addition, we have old mental habits that have become lasting pathways of thought and actions. We return to them almost instinctively.
This is the reason scripture urges us to set our minds on lovely and good things, godly things, (Philippians 4:8) things of the Kingdom, on Jesus and His wonderful work for, in, and through us. (Colossians 3:1-2) By renewing our minds in this way, we are told, transformation will come. (Romans 12:2) Our attitudes and actions will be increasingly conformed to Christ who is working in us to desire and to do godly things. (Philippians 2:13)
Grace and peace to you.
Larry
LarryEiss.com
Reposted
Profound Change
God's promise in Ezekiel 11:19 & 36:26-27 contained these things:... View MoreReposted
Profound Change
God's promise in Ezekiel 11:19 & 36:26-27 contained these things:
Removal of our old heart of stone (it was deceitful, cold, and unloving)
A new heart of flesh (it's soft, warm, and loving)
A new spirit (the old one was bent on rebellion)
His Spirit in us (without Him, we do not have eternal Life)
Our new human spirit is what's being referred to in 2 Corinthians 5:17, where we are told that we who are in Christ are new creations, the old has passed away, and all things have become new.
Our new self, created in Christ Jesus is designed to express godly attitudes and actions. (Ephesians 2:10) Our minds need renewal (Romans 12:2) because we still live in a world filled with all sorts of evil. It constantly presses us to fall back into old patterns and thoughts.
We are one spirit with the Lord, (1 Corinthians 6:17) and so we are both on the same team. Our spirit and His Spirit both work to renew our minds, desire godliness, and actually act like it. (Galatians 5:17, Philippians 2:13, Titus 2:11-12)
Trust that He has changed you.
Trust that He is working to transform you from the inside out.
Philippians 1:6 “For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (NET)
Grace and peace to you.
Larry
LarryEiss.com
The Result of Prayer
The Result of Prayer
Increased intimacy with your heavenly Father is the richest reward of bringing your petitions to Him.
page=2&profile_user_id=275132&year=&month=
Load More
