Removing the veil!

(2Corinthians 3:16)  “But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.”

The most phenomenal accomplishment of all time is what Christ achieved for us one Calvary and it would be nice to settle on this. Even as Christians, no especially, our minds like to play tricks with us. It is at constant battle as it looks to find justification in the law to prove salvation and not in what Christ achieved but rather what we achieve in our daily lives. We constantly deny this but we always look to prove it, at least to ourselves. Day after day this seems to be our struggle. I am just wondering if I will ever be free of this on-going battle of looking for self-justification, even though I accept the fact that we will never be justified on our own merit but only by the blood of the Lamb.

We like to talk the talk but we often fail to walk the walk. I make reference to what we achieve by what we are capable of accomplishing with our lifestyles. We are bent on resolutions, I know I am and yet I am incapable of sticking to one out of ten, go figure! We often teach others from the Word of God, as we should! We unpack what we like to call sound doctrine and then when confronted with daily living and with what comes out of our mouths, I wonder have we really understood? There is no doubt we see heaven through a fogged window. We live in the realm of the terrestrial as heaven is a place that is celestial, it is a different realm, and it is spiritual. It is hard for our minds to reconcile the two and it gets jumbled at times.

The bible is very clear with its teaching and when we stick to it in plain sense; I believe it will hold us in a good standing before a righteous God. It will nourish our souls, but only if and when we use the denomination factor that brings light to all of scripture, and that is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, praise His name! Begin to focus on the bibles teaching without His life changing function and we will go astray with our application in living it out.

Yesterday a brother wonderfully expounded on the “old covenant” (the Law) as opposed to the “new covenant” (which is to be saved by grace through faith). He proved by scripture what most of us all know; we can only ever be justified by what Christ achieved on Calvary, it will never have anything to do with us and our achievements. How could it ever be any other way? And yet, knowing this, I constantly with many others look for justification that I deserve salvation by what I do or do not do. We all do! You may say that you are not guilty as charged, but just consider your steps this morning or maybe yesterday and before long you will understand my point. A life filled with hypocrisy, accusing and excusing, up and down, round and round, what seems a never ending battle. But is will end one day, it will run its course; time will give way to another dimension. Eternity will eventually arrive for all.

With all these on-going struggles in life, our daily deliberations; if we forget to look at our Saviour, who is our only hope, we will be smothered by doom and gloom. No wonder as brilliant as Paul was in his capacity to discipline his body he nevertheless makes this statement; “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Galatians 6:14): - Why then do we look to boast in our achievements before God, even if we keep it to ourselves, which we very often do. Maybe I am quicker to accuse myself than to excuse myself when I look into the mirror. Why do I do this? It is obvious; I forget Christ’s accomplishment on Calvary. No matter what people achieve or fail to accomplish, no one will ever be able to take away or add to His perfect sacrifice. “It is finished”!

Having now said what I have just said, we may struggle through life with these on-going battles, but because we have received His Spirit, we have this hope; “Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:33-39)

And yet, we believe this passage of scripture even the more when we walk as victorious Christians. Looking for justification in what we are capable of achieving and I am not sure that will ever change.

There are obvious sins that look to disqualify us as believers, but what of all those sins that we tend to conveniently overlook? We will and can never be justified by our own achievements, it may well leave in a peaceful state before God, but that is a different topic altogether.

May we constantly remember what it cost our Lord to set us free from the bondage of sin and death! How I long for the day when I will finally put off this earthly body and be free of its trappings once and for all. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus! Renew a right understanding in all of you wayward children I pray Father God as circumcision will never cut it! How I wish I was more self-disciplined and yet that is not where it is at, but it would help the turmoil I often contend with.

“In some sense the path to heaven is very safe, but in other respects there is no road so dangerous. It is beset with difficulties. One false step (and how easy it is to take that if grace be absent), and down we go. What a slippery path is that which some of us have to tread! How many times have we to exclaim with the Psalmist, “My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped.” If we were strong, sure-footed mountaineers, this would not matter so much; but in ourselves, how weak we are! In the best roads we soon falter, in the smoothest paths we quickly stumble. These feeble knees of ours can scarcely support our tottering weight. A straw may throw us, and a pebble can wound us; we are mere children tremblingly taking our first steps in the walk of faith, our heavenly Father holds us by the arms or we should soon be down. Oh, if we are kept from falling, how must we bless the patient power which watches over us day by day! Think, how prone we are to sin, how apt to choose danger, how strong our tendency to cast ourselves down, and these reflections will make us sing more sweetly than we have ever done, “Glory be to him, who is able to keep us from falling.” We have many foes who try to push us down. The road is rough and we are weak, but in addition to this, enemies lurk in ambush, who rush out when we least expect them, and labour to trip us up, or hurl us down the nearest precipice. Only an Almighty arm can preserve us from these unseen foes, who are seeking to destroy us. Such an arm is engaged for our defence. He is faithful that hath promised, and he is able to keep us from falling, so that with a deep sense of our utter weakness, we may cherish a firm belief in our perfect safety, and say, with joyful confidence,

“Against me earth and hell combine,

But on my side is power divine;

Jesus is all, and he is mine!””
(C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone