Tag: Christ

Justified by His Blood

I have to have faith in God and that is what justifies me in spite of my sin. I will continue to sin as I am a sinner and thanks to the salvation that was given by Christ, I have been forgiven. But, where did that salvation come from. What was done to allow for me to believe and have salvation. Christ shed His blood on my behalf.

“6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” — Romans 5:6-9 (ESV)

I was born a sinner. I am a sinner. I will always be a sinner. Yet, Christ died for me. He shed His blood to atone for my sin. Yes, Jesus walked this world over 2000 years ago, and yet He accounted for me and all that I am. Christ took on all of my sin and washed it away when He shed His blood of the cross. That is what was done to allow for me to believe and have salvation.

Yes, I did not need for Christ to shed His blood and my faith in Him is certainly enough. Look at those of the Old Testament that believed and had faith in God even before Jesus came. Abraham, Moses, Noah, Solomon, David. All of them put their faith in God and all came before Jesus walked this world. Jesus came and died so, as noted in verse nine above, “much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God”. Jesus is better and made it better for me.

I owe a debt of thanks to Jesus. He provided me a way to be made whole in the eyes of God and then made it even better with the shedding of His blood on my behalf. I have been justified by the blood of Jesus and my sins have been washed away.

Having faith true to be justified, what is/was done to take it up a notch? Are you still living your life like a sinner thinking, “I believe and have faith so I am good”? What if you took a step back and understood that you have faith thanks to God and it is better thanks to the shed blood of Christ?

Believe and Be Justified

There are no works that I have to do in order to be justified. I cannot “win” God over by extraordinary gestures. I cannot buy my way to justification with a load of money. Being famous (not that I am) does me no go in the eyes of God. It is only my belief in Him that allows me to be justified. In fact, my justification thanks to belief in Him is really in spite of all that I might do or have.

“3For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.” — Romans 4:3&2 (ESV)

All that Abraham had was of nothing in the eyes of God. Abraham could have been boasting to all that he had and did in the world and where the world may have been impressed, he would not and did not impress God. It was through his belief in God that Abraham was counted as righteous and for which God justified him.

I am the same. It is not what I do or what I have that makes me who I am in the eyes of God. It is my belief in Him and only my belief in Him. Yes, I do have work to do in His name and that should not be counted out, but it is in His name only after my belief and faith in Him. I do the works, as I have studied and written before, because of my justification not to earn it.

What are you doing to be justified by God? Are you out there working yourself ragged to “earn” your justification in the eyes of God? What if you simply believed in Him and turned your faith to Him and then did the works because of your justification?

Justified by Faith, Not Works

I know, I just recently wrote “Doers are Those Justified”, so how does all of this fit. Well, what I wrote in the first paragraph is more indicative of what is meant: “It is NOT about the works, although the works are an indicator.” It is not what you do that is justified, I do the works because I am justified. My being justified comes through the gift of God through Jesus Christ.

“23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” — Romans 3:23-24 (ESV)

I have to remember that it is not what I do that justifies me. My faith in Him and His salvation for me is what justifies me in His sight, and that is what matters.

“28For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” — Romans 3:28 (ESV)

I am justified in spite of my works. Once I have have accepted Christ as my Savior, I am justified regardless of my past and in spite of my future. The LORD gifts salvation and justification to me at that moment. I am then to follow Him and in doing so, will do the work He has for me. I will do the work, not to gain favor, but because I have been given favor already. I am now in the position to do the work of God within the boundaries of the law and not because of the boundaries of the law. I do not have some cornering on the law and do not have the right to go outside the boundaries, I will do that which is right, because it is right.

“31Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” — Romans 3:31 (ESV)

It is my faith in Jesus Christ that justifies me. I have been given the opportunity to be free from the sins of my past and those sins I will commit in the future. Where the sins of the future have been forgiven already, I am less likely to commit conscious sin thanks to the salvation I have received and will do the work of the LORD thanks to my salvation and justification. I will no longer do the work in hopes of justification.

What works are you doing? Are you doing them to gain some kind of favor with God? What if you simply accepted the salvation given, knowing that it is enough and then did works because of your justification as opposed to gain it?

Justified, Yes, But Now We Know Sin

“20For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” — Romans 3:20 (ESV)

I have been justified by the works of the LORD and have been and will be held accountable to the sins I have and will commit as I continue in this world. And that is the thing, I have and will continue to commit sins. And to go along with those sins, I have to continue repenting and seeking forgiveness for those sins I know of and even those that I am unaware.

Just because I have been justified does not mean that I am out of the woods as relates to accountability. It does not mean that I can just do whatever I want and not have to worry with pleasing or displeasing God. I am still a sinner, and even more importantly I now know of sin and that makes me even more accountable. I now know right from wrong and my sin is a choice at each instance. I now choose to sin.

As a small child, I was given certain liberties to knowing right from wrong. I did not know that taking something from the store was a crime and sin because I did not know the law. I did not know that lying was a sin as someone had not explained it to me yet and I did not understand the concept. But now that I am older (Ha Ha), I do know and if I do indeed take something from the store or tell a lie, I choose to do so and will be held accountable to that choice. The same holds true for the other sins in my life.

As a Christian and child of God, I now am aware of my sin and am held accountable to knowing when I am about to or have sinned. I have the knowledge and it is up to me to use that knowledge each and every moment of the day. I know what is right and what is wrong in the eyes of the LORD and I am responsible to abide by His Word each and every time.

How do I know? I have to study His Word each day. I have to dig into and work to understand what it is to abide in the LORD. He tells me in His Word and it is my duty to read study and understand so that I can abide in Him at all times.

Am I going to sin, yes, I am a sinner and just because I have been given and accepted salvation does not absolve me of what I am. I do however have a better knowledge of what I am doing and when I work to align myself with His teachings and doing as instructed by Him, I will find myself sinning less and those sins I do commit will impact others less. I will know I have sinned as some point in the day and I will know to ask God again to forgive me of those sins I have committed.

What knowledge do you have of right and wrong? Are you continuing to actively sin even though you know? What if you were to get into God’s Word and understand so that you would have a better chance to avoid sin?

Doers are Those Justified

“13For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” — Romans 2:13 (ESV)

The first thing I think when reading the above is that my justification is based on works. It is this “first thing” that gets the headlines and the lack of fully understanding. It is NOT about the works, although the works are an indicator. There has to be more study in place to understand. I have to dig deeper than just the single verse which is likely to be taken out of context when used in a discussion.

Doers of the law are those that use their salvation and relationship with God to do His work. It is not the work that leads to the justification, but the doing of the work in the name of God and for His glory. It is not about being seen by the world doing the work, but about being seen by God.

Knowing that which is right and doing that which is right are two very different things. Paul makes it clear as he continues his letter that it is the doing of what is right and not just knowing and professing which is right.

“21you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.” — Romans 2:21-23 (ESV)

See what Paul says here that even knowing what is right does not make your actions right. It is possible to even teach one thing and do another whether, stealing, adultery, robbing temples, and any breaking of God’s law. It the keeping of God’s law that we should be concerned with. It is doing the law of God for all to be aware. Even if no one of this world sees, God sees and It is what He sees that brings our justification.

I want God to see me doing His work and not doing the work of the world. Yes, is some cases those works align, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and the like. But, largely, the world sees things only from their own eyes and focus on doing things that others can see to ensure that they are “being good” and then behind the scenes, there is a full on assault on that which is good. Let it be known that where the world may not know, God does and it is in those actions that we are judged by God. It is “the doers of of the law who are justified”.

What are you doing, the work of God? Are you focused on pleasing the world because you know what is right and teach others, all the while going against it? What if you focused on doing the work of the LORD to ensure that you are justified for that work in the eyes of God?

The LORD is Justified

“How can the LORD do this to me? Doesn’t He love me and protect me?” I know that I have thought those words and likely have even said them aloud a time or two (or three, or four…). It is natural for me to think that way, especially when the essence of God is love. But, isn’t He my heavenly father, isn’t it the job of a father to hold us accountable to what is.

“4Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,”

— Psalm 51:4a (ESV)

Frankly, to Him didn’t I do what is being called out. I was the one who sinned and any sin is a sin against God. It may have been something simple that “did not hurt anyone”, but it did, God and my relationship with Him. Sin is a wedge between the LORD and me. Where there is sin, there tends to be little to no room for the LORD. Yes, the LORD is light and darkness cannot remain in the light. Yet, with my sin I am doing all there is to cover the light so that the darkness can be prevalent. And just who am I accountable to for the removal of the light, God.

When I have taken action to remove God by sinning, whether intentional or not (as we will sin without really thinking or knowing), I am accountable to that sin and to God. Not the world as one might think. As note above, it may not have hurt anyone in the world and the world has repeatedly said and will continue to say to do what you think is right and what feels good to you.

I have to be concerned with the sin in my life, whether I know about it or not. That sin, where it may not be hurting anyone in this world, it is hurting the LORD and due to that, He is justified in holding me accountable. He has the right to take action against me as I have taken action against Him.

“4so that you may be justified in your words

and blameless in your judgment.”

— Psalm 51:4b (ESV)

Just as any father has the right to hold accountable his children for doing things that are outside of what is deemed right, the LORD holds me accountable to do that which is right by Him. Sin is not right by God and therefor any sin is against Him and He should hold me accountable, whether I know of the sin or not. I have committed to Him and in that commitment I know what is right and should be held to that standard by the one that created the standard, the LORD.

What have you done that is sinning against God? Are you even thinking of the LORD as the one you are hurting with your actions? What if you were to accept that all sin is indeed hurting God and that He is justified to hold you accountable, how would you change your actions?

Temptations are NOT Random

I have noticed as I study temptation that those that come my way are not of random sort. All of the temptations that come from the evil one are designed to take advantage of those things in my life that are of importance. I am tempted with control as I have a role where I am to be the leader in an environment. I am tempted with boasting as I have experience in my career. And there are are plenty others as well. This is not a coincidence, but targeted.

“3And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’” — Matthew 4:3 (ESV)

I read and studied and wrote on this same passage just a bit ago. I realized then that if Jesus can and was tempted, then it is not unusual at all that I am. This morning I am led back to the passage and pick up that the evil tempts by design and in those areas where he knows we may have weakness. Here in this passage, the evil one tempts Jesus by coming after his status as the Son of God. The evil one comes after the power that Jesus has and looks to feed Jesus’ ego and allow Him to prove Himself, which would certainly be easy for Jesus to do, and He would not have to apologize for doing it. But Jesus does not take the bait and instead turns it into the learning moment for all.

It may seem easy for Jesus to turn away from the temptation, and frankly I believe it is. What I see here is the map to the avoidance of the temptation. It all starts with knowing that the evil one is coming after me in the place where he knows I am weak and vulnerable. I have to be prepared for the temptation and prepare for how to combat it. When I am in a position of leading, I have to know that the temptation is there to control the environment and turn that into serving those in my charge and allow them to lead and I simply guide. There, I have avoided the temptation already. When I am coaching a peer in my role, I have to remember the experience I have and teach as oppose to direct so that they have the opportunity to learn and grow themselves as opposed to listen to be talk about all of the experience I have. There, I have avoided the temptation again.

When defending an area from others, those defending it first look at all of the area where there are weaknesses and work to fortify those prior to planning on the counter attack. Once the areas are fortified, the planning begins at how to continue to maintain that fortification and how to move forward with the counter attack. Planning is the way to avoid temptation. It is important to know where I have weakness so that first I can fortify and maintain those weak areas so that I can then move forward with the plan the LORD has for me.

I have to know that the evil one is coming after me and that when doing so, he is coming after the weakest point. It is not random. It is targeted. I have to know this and prepare and fortify against the attack. I have to maintain that fortification and not be distracted by the attack in the strong areas I have in my life. I have to know that the attack on the strong areas is just that distractions while the evil one is quietly coming after my weaknesses to destroy my and the relationship I have with God. Temptation from the evil one is NOT random and I have to be prepared.

Where are you protecting against the temptations from the evil one? Are you protecting against the attack at your strongest points? What if you take a look at your weaknesses and fortify them first, knowing that is where the evil one will be coming?

Tempted by Desires

“13Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” — James 1:13-14 (ESV)

I have already studied and written that all will be tempted. I cannot escape temptation as I am human and the evil one is constantly seeking to destroy me and those temptations are just the beginning. I have only the chance to work toward avoiding the temptation or, once tempted, to be delivered. I would like to notice that the temptation comes from the evil one and not God. I can see in the above verses from James, that God will not tempt me as He “cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one”. He does however allow us to be tempted.

I am tempted with that which I desire. That desire is usually not in the best interest of me or in those around me. I desire it only to serve the now and to gain some momentary distraction with happiness and there is no joy in the result. It is the evil one that drives the temptation to give in to my desires. I even recall in the television program titled “Lucifer” that the line from the “Lucifer Morningstar” character that drives the solving of crimes was, “What is it that you truly desire?”. This desire is usually self-serving and will only solve the now and does not get at the true joy that is sought.

God allows me to be tempted. He does so to give me the opportunity to avoid and resist. I am human and certainly have those desires. I will fall prey to them when I am not focused on Him and doing the work that He has for me. I have to remember that those temptations are from the evil one and will always be there. Yet I have to remember to fight back against those desires in order to work to avoid sin.

“15Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” — James 1:15 (ESV)

It is not the desire that is bad or sinful. It is what that desire gives way to and that is the sin. Admiring a beautiful person is not sinful, it is working to be with them that is. It is not wanting that second bowl of ice cream, it is actually getting the bowl. It is not wanting to have more monetary possessions, it is taking them from others. All of the firsts in the above sentences are the desires and they, in an of themselves are not bad. It is when acted on that they become sin.

Yes, God allows me to be tempted by the beautiful person, the second bowl of ice cream, the monetary possessions. He also knows that I belong to Him. I have given myself to Him and by doing so have gained the protections from and guidance to avoid the sin that comes after the desire. I have to remember that He is not tempting me, He is allowing me to have free will and make decisions for myself to demonstrate my love for Him and that I do belong to Him in the end.

What are the things that you are tempted? Are you blaming God for tempting you with those things? What if you understood that the temptations are coming from the evil one and are there to lure you into sin and you only need to lean on the LORD to avoid and be delivered?

Jesus was Tempted to Know What You Go Through

As I have studied “temptation” I wrote about Jesus being tempted by the evil one after completing a 40 day fast. He was tempted and yet resisted. Even in the weakened state He was able to resist the evil one and serves as the example that we too can resist. The thing is that we will not be in such a weakened state, but rather just walking through life.

This morning as I read, I am again reminded that Jesus walked this world as I do. He was subjected to the same world and challenges. He was tempted by those things that I am. Yet, He resisted. Knowing all that He was tempted, He knows me even better now. He knows my weaknesses. He knows where I will fall. He knows where I will give in. He knows of all that I am challenged with as He too was challenged. Yet, He resisted and knows that I can as well.

“18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” — Hebrews 2:18 (ESV)

Jesus knows that I am human. He knows that I am weak. He needed to experience my suffering so that He would be able to demonstrate His understanding of my suffering. I am not unique in the temptations that I experience, even Jesus experienced them and resisted as He has shown.

I am not alone in this battle, Jesus has been here. He walked as I do. He knows first hand the struggles I face. I have to lean on Him for help in my time of need. I have to reach out to Him daily, perpetually, to allow Him in my life to help me avoid, deal with, and be delivered from the temptations that are presented to me. He knows what I go through and is there to help guide me through it.

What temptations are you experiencing? Are you trying to go it alone? What if you approached them with Jesus knowing that He has been there and knows exactly what you are going through?

Concern of Temptation When Left Without Guidance

It is so hard to keep going when there is a lack of guidance. Let me use myself as an example with my exercise in the mornings. For the past few years I have gotten up in the mornings before I start my mental day and get some physical work done. I walk/jog a little over 3 miles to get the body moving. Well, over the past few months, I have found it difficult to get up and when I do, I do not seem to have the same enthusiasm with the exercise. What I have found is that I have a lack of motivation and accountability to actually get the work done. The same holds true with just about everything in my/our life. Paul knew this as he spread the gospel and planted churches.

“5For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.” — 1 Thessalonians 3:5 (ESV)

Paul had planted the church at Thessalonica and then left to continue His work. Knowing the nature of man, as I mentioned earlier, he was concerned that the temptation to wander away from God without guidance was too great. Did he have faith in the church to continue the work, yes, but he was also very aware of the evil one and the weakness of new converts without proper guidance and accountability.

In life, I need to have some guidance. Yes, I have to be self-sufficient to start things and to move forward, but I am also a child of God and as a child I need to be guided. The guidance I need must be on a daily basis and not left to chance. I need God to keep me on the right path. I need the Holy Spirit to guide me daily in the way that I should go.

Paul was brought great news when the report of the church at Thessalonica was returned to him. Timothy went as noted above and reported back that the church indeed was continuing the work of God. The Church had found its guidance and was faithful to God.

“6But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.” — 1 Thessalonians 3:6-7 (ESV)

I am staying with the LORD. I am His child and with His guidance, will finish the work. I have Lori in my life to keep me moving in the direction of God, although as much as she does, I still lean heavily on the Holy Spirit each day. I have God’s Word and the love of Him as well as you to keep me going each day. I write of what I have read and do not believe I have all of the answers as I am still trying to figure it all out. I may be wrong and if that is true I need others to point to the wrong so as to guide me back to the path provided by the LORD. I am concerned for you and for me as I continue this walk toward the LORD. I need all that I can get to guide me down the path the LORD has for me. I need the accountability. I need to avoid the temptation. I need the guidance to keep going.

What is keeping you from staying on the path? Are you allowing yourself to be stopped by the evil one? What if you leaned on other Christians and the Holy Spirit to keep you on the path God has for you?