"Righteousness ... the gift of God through faith in Jesus!"

Day #310

Scripture Reading:  Romans 3-4 ...

If you told someone that they needed to believe in Jesus and they asked you, "Why?" ... how would you answer them?  Why does anybody NEED to believe in Jesus?  People might answer that Jesus gives you hope, that believing in Him helps you through life, that Jesus lets you know that you are never alone, or a hundred other reasons, all very personal and most of them true according to the Scriptures.  People experience many positive things through believing in Jesus and the promise of eternal life is certainly something to be thankful for!

But other religions offer some of these things and some even promise life after death, too, so why does anybody NEED to believe in Jesus?  The answer lies in Romans 3-4, and it has to do with the word, "righteousness."  God reveals Himself as “righteous,” as holy, as good, as perfect, and in order to live in His presence WE must be righteous.  This is where the problem in most people’s thinking occurs:  they foolishly believe that they and/or others are or can be “good enough” to enter into God’s presence.  The religions of the world are all built on the idea that people can, by their own efforts, EARN a place in the “afterlife.”  They all propose their different ways of doing so and urge people to follow the religious rituals and traditions of their particular brand of religion.

Such efforts are fruitless, however, because there is not one person on the face of the earth who has ever lived, is living now or ever will live that is "good enough," "righteous" enough, to stand before God and claim a place in heaven.  Some protest and say things like, "Oh, but God is love and He will certainly forgive people from all the different religions."  No, He won't.  He can't.  His standard is perfection and none of us have met that standard.  As Paul continues his letter to the believers in Rome he wants to be sure that they understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He explains at the beginning of Chapter 3 that God is just in bringing judgment on those who are “unrighteous.”

He declares without reservation or exception, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one!" (3:10-12).  He then goes on to explain that the law was given to show people their sin; "so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God" (3:19).  And he summarizes our problem in verse 20, when he says, ‘Therefore NO ONE will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”  In a passage we will look at in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he writes, “The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified (declared righteous in His sight) by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

After reading this far in Romans we desperately need some good news!  And it begins in verse 21 of Chapter 3:  "But NOW a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known."  Verses 25-26 explain that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross satisfied God's justice for all who have faith in Jesus.  And Paul goes on to explain that this removes any possible grounds for boasting because this righteousness is received "by faith, so that it may be by grace" (4:16).  “Grace” is, by definition, “undeserved favor.”  It is a gift that must be received, not earned, as Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus:  "By grace you have been saved through faith (and that not of yourselves - it is the gift of God) not by works, so that no man can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

In the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, God reveals both His grace and His justice.  God could not overlook sin.  To do so would have contradicted the very character of God.  Sin deserves judgment; it earns judgment.  But God had a plan to save some through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (3:24).  How did God save those who believe through the sacrifice of Christ?  Did Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross really accomplish anything?  Was it necessary?

Listen to the amazing truth revealed in these words, written almost two thousand years ago:  “God presented Him (Jesus) as a sacrifice of atonement (payment), through faith in His blood.  ...  He 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” (3:25-26).  GOD did what we couldn’t do.  Jesus paid our debt and through faith in Him God now “justifies” us, declares us “righteous in His sight!”  Oh, amazing grace!!

Chapter 4 points to Abraham as an illustration that proves the point.  God made His covenant of grace with Abraham and with all who would believe through the work of His Spirit within them.  Over and over again in this chapter Paul points to Genesis 15:6: "Abram believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." "It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith" (4:13).  Remember Romans 1:16-17:  "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'"

You and I can never BE "righteous" through our own efforts.  No amount of religious works or good deeds can make up for our sin before God's holiness.  But God sent Jesus to be our perfect "sin-offering," and God "credits" the righteousness of Jesus to the account of every person who trusts in Jesus, who believes that He suffered, died and rose again for THEM ... for YOU, for ME!!!  Do YOU believe in Jesus?  Do you rest in HIS righteousness and not your own?  Are you SURE you are saved from God's wrath by faith in Jesus?  THIS is why people need to believe in Jesus.  There is one way to enter God's presence:  through the righteousness that is yours through faith in Jesus.  Praise God for His marvelous gift!

"Father, I thank You for Your love and grace in sending Your Son to pay the penalty for my sin, and for the righteousness that is now mine by faith.  I confess my sin before you and rest in your grace for forgiveness and for strength to overcome the sin that remains.  Hallelujah!  I am free!! In the name of Jesus.  Amen"




"Good news for those who need it!"

Day #309

Scripture Reading:  Romans 1-2 ...

What is going on in your life and in the world around you?  It seems that things are going “from bad to worse,” as the human race faces the threat of extinction through nuclear war, climate change, disease, terrorism and an endless list of self-inflicted destructive attitudes and behaviors.  Pretending that all is well is a foolish endeavor, given the current state of mankind, whether in our families, our nations or the world at large.  Why is all of this happening, and is there any hope for mankind?  While some try to save the planet, the real question is, “Can we save the human race?”  And the answer is, “NO!!”  WE can’t save the human race ... but ... the God who created this planet and who created mankind in His image can and will save those who believe in Jesus from His coming judgment!!

That is what the Bible is about and what Paul’s letter to the Romans is about.  Romans is written to "all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints" (1:7).  These words, along with the rest of the letters of the New Testament, were written to those who believed in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and eternal life.  At the beginning of his letter, Paul immediately explains the purpose of his writing and of his entire ministry in Chapter 1, verses 1-4, where he says that he is "set apart for the gospel of God ... regarding His Son ... Jesus Christ our Lord."  Then he says that the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel is "to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith" (1:5).  He speaks personally to his readers and says, "You also are among those who are called to belong to Christ" (1:6).

God’s calling of some to Himself sets the context for the entire letter to the Romans and reveals why you and I need to hear his words - God's words, too.  He states it clearly in Chapter 1, verse 16,  "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, ..."  Think about that, the Gospel is the "power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes!"  Eternal life rests in hearing and understanding and believing this message!!  Romans is about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in Chapters 3-8 Paul is going to give the longest and clearest explanation of the message of the Gospel found anywhere in God's Word.

As you read these first two chapters you will discover Paul laying the groundwork for WHY people - ALL people - need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The popular idea today that God loves everybody and forgives everybody and ultimately gives life to everybody is crushed in these chapters.  Sin is sin, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, and God's wrath will fall on the religious and the non-religious who do not confess their sin and their need for a Savior and who thus do not believe in Jesus Christ.

It all has to do with “righteousness.”  Notice what Paul declares in Chapter 1, verse 17:  “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”  In order to live in God’s presence you must BE righteous, good, perfect.  Most people today think that if there is a “God,” He must be loving and kind and good.  Why, then, do the most primitive tribes of people all over the darkest places of the world FEAR their “gods”?  Mankind has an inner awareness that there is a “righteousness,” a “goodness,” toward which we are drawn, but which we cannot attain.  Many people reject what they call “the idea of ‘God’” because it makes them feel uncomfortable.  Guilt does that!

Ignoring the truth, however, does not change the truth.  God does not lower His standard of righteousness simply because you and I cannot attain His standard of righteousness.  In fact, Paul makes it abundantly clear in these first two chapters that God’s judgment is the just consequence of mankind’s foolish rebellion.  “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God made it plain to them” (1:18-19).  God’s wrath, His just judgment, is the inevitable consequence of sin.

What follows in verses 21-32 reveals the perilous state in which we find ourselves and explains the condition of our world and more specifically, of the heart of mankind.  “Although they knew God (the truth they “suppress”), they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ...” (1:21-22).  This is the tragedy of the human race that continues to be displayed before our eyes today.

People often ask, “What makes people do what they do?”  You read about it in the news and you see it replayed over and over.  Families, neighborhoods, communities, cities, states and nations all experience the same destructive power of unrighteousness, “unrightness.”  Since mankind rejected the knowledge of God, “God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts ...” (1:24).  “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts” (1:26).  “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done” (1:28).  God “gave them over,” He “let them go!”

And lest anyone think that you and I are any better, Paul speaks to those who consider themselves “religious,” who are “righteous in their own eyes,” and says that these pass judgment on themselves when they judge others because they, too, are unrighteous and in need of repentance:  “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed” (2:5).  Sin brings judgment, and as we will see as we go on to Chapter 3, we all deserve God’s wrath.

Jew or Gentile, trying to be “good,” to live by God’s law or by some other standard of good behavior or morality falls short.  Being a Jew was not enough and being religious was not enough to avoid God’s wrath and His coming judgment.  The only sure and certain hope is the inward work of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel (2:29).  That's why the Gospel is such good news!  In the Gospel a “righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith!” 

Heavenly Father, I read Your Word and I hear Your call to the obedience that comes by faith and I long to be righteous.  Thank You for Jesus and for the righteousness I receive by faith!  May Your Spirit circumcise my heart and make it Yours!  In His name, Amen

"The sovereign God ... and the coming of His kingdom!"

Day #308

Scripture Reading:  Acts 27 - 28 …

What if God doesn't have the wisdom or the power necessary to do what He says He will do?  What if, in the end, it really is up to the human race to "create a better world"?  What if, in the middle of the chaos all around us, God is not sovereign, He is not in control?  Either God IS in control and His Word is true and everything will come to pass just as He says it will … OR … or you are left "without hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12).  As you read these last two chapters of Acts, ask yourself if you see a sovereign God controlling the events, down to the very smallest details, and if so, is He the God YOU believe in?

Chapter 27 begins with a decision being made to transfer Paul and other prisoners to Rome.  Remember, Paul could have been set free by Festus, if he had not appealed to Rome, but it was God's desire to have Paul testify in Rome before Caesar (27:24).  The journey from Caesarea to Rome would not be an easy one!  Paul advised them not to complete the trip as winter was setting in, but they refused to listen to him.  Such a violent storm arose that Luke, the writer of this book of Acts, who was with Paul, wrote, "We finally gave up all hope of being saved" (27:20).  

After battling the storm for several days, Paul stood up before them and said, "Men, you should have taken my advice … But now, I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost!" (27:22).  How did Paul know that?  He explained that an angel of the Lord had brought him a message that God wanted him to testify before Caesar and because of that, God was going to save all those who were on board.  Paul believed God would do exactly as He said He would.  After more days had passed, some of the sailors decided to save themselves and were about to launch the lifeboats, but again Paul said, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved" (27:31).  Why?  For no other reason than this is what God had said!

We, and the people around us, make decisions every day.  Sometimes those decisions may be good ones from our perspective and other times we may change our minds, but God never makes a mistake.  Knowing the outcome of all of our decisions, God can and does at times stop people from doing things, while at other times allowing them to go the wrong direction, knowing how He will at a later time turn the events to work according to His plan.  As Moses said all the way back in Deuteronomy 29:29:  "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."  God shows His people that He is sovereign, that He is faithful, that He always keeps His promises, and then He calls us to trust and obey.   


Finally, the ship arrived at Malta and though the ship was destroyed, all the people on the ship, some 276 of them, made it safely to shore.  As God had told Paul, not one person was lost.  Even here we see God's sovereign purpose in the lives of the people of Malta.  What appeared to men as a "chance" happening, immediately touched the people there as Paul healed the sick and preached the Gospel.  We will not know until eternity how many of the people on the island were saved because Paul "accidentally" arrived there because of the storms.  What circumstances in your life seem to have happened by chance but are, in reality, the very hand of God at work drawing you to Him?!

After three months on the island, they set sail from Malta and Paul finally arrived in Rome (God's destination).  Luke writes, "When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him" (28:16).  Paul called the Jews who had been scattered to Rome to meet with him and explained, "it is because of the hope of Israel (the promise of the Messiah) that I am bound with this chain" (28:20).  They listened as he shared the Gospel, explaining and declaring to them "the kingdom of God" (28:23), but while some believed, most remained unconvinced that Jesus was the Christ, the fulfillment of what the prophets had written.

Paul quoted to them the passage from Isaiah 6:9-10 that explained the stubborn unbelief of Israel and how even that was part of God's plan and then declared, "Therefore, I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles and THEY will listen!" (28:28).  In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believer; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (Romans 1:16).  This was God's plan to fulfill His promise to Abraham that in His "Seed" all nations on the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3).  

The book of Acts ends with these words:  "For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.  Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ" (28:30-31).  According to tradition, Paul would eventually die for his faith in Jesus, but not until he had fulfilled God's purpose for his life - to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles and to write all that God intended for him to write.  

Even from his imprisonment in Rome Paul continued to write to the churches that God had used him to establish throughout Asia Minor, and to Timothy, Titus and others.  He told the Philippian believers not to be ashamed of his chains, explaining, " … what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.  As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly" (Philippians 1:12-14).  

God is still at work, calling people to Himself through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are called to persevere, to endure, to set our eyes on Jesus, knowing the kingdom of God will come in its fullness when Jesus returns.  Until then, we are ambassadors of Christ, calling people to believe in Him for forgiveness and salvation, even eternal life!!

"Heavenly Father, by Your grace alone we are united to Christ and by Your Spirit I renew my commitment to the work of Your kingdom, desiring to see Your kingdom advance and Your Name be exalted.  To You, O Lord my God, be glory and honor and praise, now and forever, in Jesus' name, Amen"

"The Gospel ... a LIGHT to Jews and to Gentiles!"

Day #307

Scripture Reading:  Acts 25 - 26 …

What must it be like to be on trial for preaching the Gospel?  Paul had faced what we might say was more than his share of suffering for preaching the Gospel.  He had been beaten, put in jail and treated horribly ever since he believed in Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, and began preaching the Gospel.  It had been more than two years now since Felix, the governor of Caesarea, had placed Paul in jail, not because he found him guilty of anything, but to pacify the Jews who wanted to stop Paul from preaching the Gospel and making disciples of Jesus.  Now Festus had replaced Felix and the Jews saw an opportunity to kill Paul, so they asked Festus to transfer him to Jerusalem, hoping to ambush him along the way.  Paul, however, appealed to Caesar, so Festus ordered that he be sent to Rome.

Before he was transferred there, however, King Agrippa and his wife arrived in Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.  As God ordained it, Festus shared the details of Paul's case with Agrippa.  His explanation is classic!  After listening to the Jews' accusations and Paul's testimony, this is what Festus had come away with:  "When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.  Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive" (25:18-19).  How is that for a summary of the conflict between the Jewish leaders who had rejected Jesus and Paul, who had come to believe in Him?  Truer words have never been spoken!!  It's about "a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive!"

If Jesus is alive, then the Gospel is true; if He is dead then Christianity itself is a cruel hoax.  Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.  For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (II Corinthians 4:4-6).  Festus was right when he said that the issue was that the Jews said Jesus was dead and Paul testified that He was ALIVE!!

Paul had been testifying to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the region and now GOD (not Festus) was sending him to Rome.  But before he went, he needed to testify to King Agrippa.  Like Festus, and Felix before him, these political leaders cared more about pleasing the Jews and others under them than about truth … especially "religious" truth.  But Paul did not miss an opportunity to share the Gospel and to call anyone, even kings and rulers, to repentance and faith in Jesus.  

As he stood before Agrippa, Paul declared his innocence of any wrongdoing, but said, "it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today" (26:6).  As a Pharisee, Paul knew the Old Testament scriptures well, but he had missed the truth that the Messiah would be the "suffering servant" of Isaiah 53.  His eyes had been opened and now he used the Old Testament to support his claim that Jesus was, in fact, the promised Messiah, who came to suffer for the sins of His people and to redeem them from the coming judgment of God.  Paul knew that he was a sinner, saved by grace, and he wanted to tell everyone the good news!

He explained his conversion on the road to Damascus and recounted what Jesus had told him:  "I am sending you to them (the Gentiles) to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (26:17-18).  The message of the Gospel is clear.  Faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation, for forgiveness, for life.  There is no other way to be saved.  It is impossible to read through the book of Acts and come to any other conclusion.  The Gospel is the same for Jews as it is for Gentiles:  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

Paul again appealed to the Scriptures of the Old Testament as he made his defense before King Agrippa and Festus:  "I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen - that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to His own people (the Jews) and to the Gentiles" (26:22-23).  Christianity is not a “new” religion; it is the fulfillment of true biblical Judaism.  No other religion, be it Judaism, Islam or any other declares the truth concerning the one way of salvation through faith in Jesus, the Christ.  

When Paul referred to the Scriptures, Festus responded the way blind people do today:  "You are out of your mind, Paul!  Your great learning is driving you insane" (26:24).  King Agrippa's response was also sadly typical of many today:  "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" (26:28).  Paul replied, "Short time or long - I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains" (26:29).  Such must be our heart's desire today, moving us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ at every opportunity, for without the Gospel, without the Spirit, there can be and will be no repentance, no faith and no life in Jesus.

May this message be on our lips as we live in this world, testifying to the truth that Jesus is the Christ, that He is alive, and that through faith in Him there is forgiveness and life.  This message, and this message alone, is the Gospel … a light to the Jews and the Gentiles … bringing salvation to all who believe!

"O Lord our God, to YOU alone I come, trusting in Jesus for forgiveness and life.  I believe that Jesus IS the Christ, the fulfillment of Your promises to Adam and Eve, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to all whom You have chosen to be Yours.  I believe that in Christ I find all I need and I live now to testify to the truth of who He is and what He has done, pointing people to what is yet to come when He returns.  Use me, Father, to be a light to all I meet, pointing them to Jesus, calling them to repent and believe and be saved.  Thank You, Father, for calling ME to be yours!  In Jesus' name, Amen"