How? Laying the Foundation of All Sufficient Faith part II

Posted by anointedplace on June 17, 2010 · 6 Comments 

Romans 3:19-28

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Righteousness Through Faith

²¹But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,^[a] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

²⁷Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. ²⁸For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

Romans 5:12-21

¹²Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— ¹³for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. ¹⁴Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

¹⁵But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. ¹⁹For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

²⁰The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So God sent the Son so that by faith we might be redeemed.  Jesus Christ lived the life we couldn’t live if we wanted to.  Christ lived a life of righteousness, He didn’t break not one Law of God.  That righteousness was added to us and then He died a death or paid the cost for sin that we ourselves couldn’t pay.  Because of this we are justified as Jesus took ALL of God’s wrath for us.   After which Jesus Christ rose from the dead so that He may enter the presence of God the Father as our High Priest (Hebrews 9 & 10).

But what makes this all the more mysterious to me is that how it all comes about.  John 6:61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about
this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the
flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit[e] and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe.”
For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, “This is why I told you
that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

Romans 9:10-12

¹⁰Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. ¹¹Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: ¹²not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”^[a]

Ephesians 1:4-8

⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he^[c] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

After reading the above scriptures, you still don’t get the picture think about this… We were lost and happy in our sins.  Like roaches, going through life without a care and not thinking about the owner of the home one day wanting to get rid of us.  We dwelt in our disease and filth as if it was normal.  We passed our sins to each other and didn’t care if they died from it.  We thought we were masters of our own worlds.  Then one day the rock was pulled back and death came for us all but a few was saved!  Why would anyone spare the life of a cockroach? Why would anyone think twice to not kill it?  What could it possibly do to not deserve death?  How can anyone be unfair to a roach? Yet a few was saved and allowed to live but they now serve the owner.  The owner captures them for his own purposes.  The roaches don’t parish and their needs are met.  Why would they complain when they didn’t deserve to live and didn’t care if they killed each other?

Now see yourself, in Romans 1 and Romans 3 deserving  death but now read the above and see God’s sovereign grace electing you to salvation…

Ephesians 2

¹As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. ⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Now I will tell you how…

God turned on the light and didn’t end my life,  when I deserved nothing He gave me everything.  I serve a God who chose to adopt me and bless me with eternal life.  If I can trust and have faith in God, who holds my life in His hands as well as my life in eternity why on earth can I not trust Him with a life that is temporary yet alone not even promised to me (James 4:13-17).  But yet when we do one good deed we claim that we deserve a mansion in heaven…

Luke 17:7-10

⁷“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? ⁸Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? ⁹Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ ”

My point is this we are only worthy because of what Christ has done.  Without Christ we are dirty sinners on our way to hell.  We are not “blessed and highly favored”, we are nothing without Christ and we wouldn’t be what we are now without God calling us.  Don’t think for one second that you made some great choice to give God a chance.  He called you because we are not looking for Him.  So How?  God’s saving grace and Jesus Christ!

Hebrews 4

¹⁴Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,^[e] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. ¹⁶Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

So here in Hebrews 4:14-16 lays my hope, my faith, my confidence, my resolve, my trust and my how!  It is beautifully summed up the work of Christ and what our justification, redemption, salvation and adoption have given up access to.  But its not just about having faith, its trusting and obeying our heavenly Father.  Its being obedient and allowing Christ to work in us.

Hebrews 4

⁶It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. ⁷Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:
“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts.”

Luke 6:⁴⁶“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

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