Day: August 24, 2019

“We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”    2 Corinthians 5:20b-21

This sums up the gospel in just a few lines.  Christ died on our behalf, paying a debt He did not owe, the one we owed but could not pay.  On the cross, Jesus took our sins on himself, and God treated Jesus as if he had lived our lives.  All our sinful thoughts, dishonest deeds, and selfish ways were put upon Christ and he was punished as if they were his own thoughts and deeds and ways.

Jesus was our substitute; he took our place on the cross, but just as importantly, He gave us His righteousness.  In the eyes of God we have the very righteousness of Christ Himself.  So because Jesus went to the cross undeservedly, we go to heaven undeservedly.  But wait, it is not underserved because it is now as though we have lived Jesus’ life!  Our rap sheet is as white as snow- there is nothing there.

Paul begs us to be reconciled to God, for God has done the impossible and a way has been made for us- corrupt and faulty sinners that we are — to have complete, unhindered access to and communion with the holy God.  Christ’s death brought (and brings) reconciliation to all who believe on Him.  This is the message we must spread, both through our words and deeds.  Any other message we can share pales in the light of this great truth.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

Peter and John are examples of what should happen when we meet the risen Christ. They had walked with Jesus for three years and had seen His many miracles. They had seen His compassion and wisdom. They had seen His strength and His resolve. Yet, they still did not understand Him.

When Jesus was arrested, they ran. When He was being tried they hid. When Peter was confronted, he denied. After Jesus was crucified, they were discouraged. They talked about the good run they had had, but it was time to go back to fishing.

Then something amazing happened. Christ rose from the dead and presented Himself to them. Suddenly, these men who were hidden in an upper room discussing their return to normal life began to be strengthened. They saw the risen savior and touched Him. They received the Holy Spirit and was filled by Him. They suddenly had more wisdom and courage. They went from hiding to preaching boldly, and all but John would go on to be martyred for their message.

So what happened? The same thing that should happen to us. We have seen the risen Christ through His Word and many other evidences. We have received the Holy Spirit. We know who Jesus was (and is) and what He means to this world. We should boldly step from hiding to the open proclamation of Him. We have had the same experiences as the men who walked with Him; we should have the same boldness. People should marvel that we have been changed and in us, they should now see Him.

Adrian Rogers tells about the man who bragged that he had cut off the tail of a man-eating lion with his pocket knife. Asked why he hadn’t cut off the lion’s head, the man replied: “Someone had already done that.” Christ’s boldness has paved the way for our boldness. He has done the hardest work, so we can do the hard work. He has declawed fear, so that we need not fear.

Let’s not talk about how great it was that the disciples were changed; Let’s change who we are and talk about how great Christ is. Let the world marvel that we of lowly positions (most positions are lowly), seem to speak like we have some special knowledge and boldness- because we do.