One More Thing…

There’s one thing more I want to say to anyone; and it is the solution to mankind’s greatest problem.

Speaking of God, the Bible says in Habakkuk 1:13, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.”

Then in Psalm 90:8, also speaking of God, it says, “Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, our secret sins in the light of Thy countenance.”

The first verse said that God is too holy to look on our sin; the second says that our sin is set out before God in the light of His presence…that is, in full view. Taken together, we understand something very sobering and serious about both God and our sin: That God is too holy to allow our sin to ultimately go unpunished. That’s a horrifying truth, given that all men are sinners (Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”). In fact, our very best “good” is considered unclean to God, in light of His perfect righteousness and holiness (Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags”).

It gets worse.

The Bible says that man is appointed to die once, and after this judgment comes (Hebrews 9:27). And this life, as slow as it might crawl by when we’re young, is really short indeed. The Bible says that life is like a vapor that appears for a short time then vanishes (James 4:14) and that men come and go through life withering like grass (1 Peter 1:24).

But things are worse, still.

Galatians 3 verse 10 says “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” This means that everyone trying to “do” some type of “work” or action to gain God’s favor…don’t…nor can they. As a matter of fact, the opposite is true: They who try to manufacture “goodness” in an effort to satisfy God’s justice thereby escaping His wrath…are under a curse from the very God they’re trying to please.

And the situation worsens, yet.

Keep in mind that Jesus, God’s one and only true Son also known as the Word of God incarnate, who shares the nature of God with both the Father and the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one”), plainly said that the entirety of the law (or works) that satisfies and pleases God is to “…love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself,” (Luke 10:27). Well, no man can, or has ever perfectly kept the law in this way…except Jesus Himself. In fact, I wouldn’t trust my ability to love God with every bit of my heart for 5 minutes of quiet meditation; much less every minute of my whole life.

All of this is truly bad news.

As sinners we are laid bare in our sin, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden…with no place to hide from God’s view (Again, Habakkuk 1:13 & Psalm 90:8). The sinner’s greatest dread in the world is not of evil people who would do him or her harm; nor is it in satan and his evil kingdom. The greatest horror facing the lost sinner is the justice demanded by an all-wise, all-powerful, and all-holy God.

Being sovereign, holy, and just…God owed us nothing; but as merciful, loving, and full of grace…He chose to act, even before our sins were committed.

A summary of God’s action toward a fallen world is found in Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree”. Before the world was created, God—being wise, powerful, and holy—conceived a wonderous plan: The Gospel of Grace, whereby God in Christ paid the tremendous debt of sin on behalf of His elect sheep (John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep”), satisfying forever His righteous and holy justice that was set against them. These elect people were a gift to God’s Son, pledged in covenant between the three Persons of the Godhead…even before the He created the world (Titus 1:1-3, “…according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began”).

So what is the lost sinner to do?

If you, today, place your faith (trust) in Jesus Christ alone, you can know that Christ, as your substitute, stood in your place absorbing the full blow of God’s wrath against you, purchasing redemption and peace with God on your behalf by becoming a curse FOR you (again, Galatians 3:13).

If you sense the Holy Spirit’s conviction of the weight of your sin, then repent of (turn away from) your sin today, and surrender yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ. Place your faith in Jesus alone, for the forgiveness of your sin, and forsake your own vain efforts to satisfy God’s justice. God was pleased with Jesus’ sacrifice (Isaiah 53:9-11, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities”) for the entirety of your sin—past, present, and future—and will never bring you into condemnation (Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”).

What great news this is.

Here’s one of the greatest promises in scripture that speaks of this amazing grace of God: John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Is the Father giving you to Christ today, by drawing your heart near to Him through faith? Then repent of your sin and rest the full weight of it—this day—on Jesus Christ by faith…and know that He will never cast you away.

With love sincere,
Pa Mac