To what lengths would a man go to
protect his family? I suggest that he would do whatever he has within his power
to save them from certain destruction. Although we all have a built-in
mechanism that kicks in when we look to escape certain calamity, there is an overarching
exception that overrules our “flight” response when it comes to our loved ones.
But for us to take up our responsibility in these types of situations we must
be convinced by the cause. The Lord Jesus is the prime example when we consider
such an action and the Apostle Paul brings this to our attention in the book of
Romans…
“For
while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For
one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person
one would dare even to die-- but God shows his love for us in that while we
were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been
justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of
God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his
Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:6-10)
There are all-embracing points that we
need to highlight in this passage of scripture for us to understand the
magnitude of our rescue. Firstly it was God who instigated our salvage; we were
all in the same camp, the campground of the sinner. We were ungodly in
character and gave no thought to God’s production, His will, intention and
purpose; we were all insensible to it! We were all driven by our own lusts and
our own little worlds were the be all and end all of our existence. We were
self-absorbed and gave no thought for the life to come and the judgement of
God. Sin had taken care of that! We knew no better! However even within the
common laws of the land we live in, ignorance does not excuse us of a crime and
we cannot claim a pardon on the basis of “I didn’t know”.
BUT GOD took pity on us and without
God stepping in and saving us from our downward spiral, nothing in our lives
would ever have changed. But thank God for stepping in. We must understand
where we were when God chose to be merciful. Look at Paul’s argument, he points
out the mercy of God and explains that we were still blinded by our sin when
the Lord Jesus Christ spilt his own blood to set us free. “But God shows his love for
us in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.” It’s not as if we instigated the
first step in the process of our salvation. God was merciful. Why? Because He
has it in His power to save and He is perfect in love, wow! Let that reverberate
deep within your soul!
Conversely
there are far too many that claim salvation and yet continue to live as they
always did. If I continued in my sinful ways as a matter of course excusing sin
as my right because I am now under God’s grace and not the law, I have
understood nothing! Or if I have come to realise that the practice of sin is no
longer an option for me but for some uncanny reason I continue in it, I am then
setting myself up for many heartaches and I will be subject to my Father’s
discipline. This was most certainly part of my involvement as a Christian. I thank
God for His discipline! He cares for His own and deals with them as sons. If I
claim to be saved and live my old debauched life with a seared conscience and
am left to that type of lifestyle without God’s discipline, then I cannot claim
true salvation; “But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all
are partakers, then are ye
bastards, and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:8) – Why do I feel the need to
highlight these particular points? It is simple, it doesn’t help to believe a
lie and think that we will be safe when in fact we will face the penalty of
that lie’s judgement. It is imperative that we know exactly where we stand.
Examine yourselves in the light of the foregoing plugs and it will be very
evident what needs to be done. We must be sure of our election and we must right
our wrongs and repent (turn away from), this is critical for our eternal lives,
do depend upon it. If you cannot with certainty say that I am a part of God’s
army or I think I am saved, this kind of mind-set is far too risky and it is
imperative that you do whatever is needed to be settled.
“Therefore,
brothers, be all the more
diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice
these qualities you will never fall.” (2Peter 1:10)
As
a father if I knew that someone was about to break into my house and take my
family captive and do terrible things to them, what would I do? I can assure
you that I would do whatever was needed to protect them. I would take the required
precautions to keep them safe come what may. But for this to be realized I
would have to have inside information. We have that inside information; the
Bible has so declared it! If we study it we will understand the beginning form
the end, therefore study it because your life does depend upon it. Be sure of
your standing in the sight of God. It is not enough to know that God exists;
even the demons know that He subsists and they tremble because their time to be
judged is just around the corner. We must be known by Him and the only way this
will ever be achieved in our lives is to find repentance from our sin in and
through the darling of heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ.
God
being God and understanding the beginning from the end knows that He will judge
the living and the dead. He has predetermined this from before the beginning of
time. It has always been a part of His plan, and I would once again remind you
that this is His production and He will have the final say in all things. He
has it in His power to do whatever He chooses. He could have left us to our own
devises and let us rot in hell, for we all have sin that has tarnished our
lives. But God is full of mercy and has afforded us a lifeline in and through
His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, praise God! Paul therefore highlights this
idea and brings it to our attention; that while we were the enemies of God, He
chose to rescue some. Why only some? I suppose for us to understand the benefit
of light we would need to experience darkness. How would we understand
happiness and the benefits it has within our lives if we didn’t understand
heartache? They complement one another. How would we understand the love of God
if we didn’t experience His forgiveness? We wouldn’t!
Therefore
it is obvious that some will embrace the love of God and seek out His
forgiveness, while others will reject it. The question we need to ask ourselves
is in what camp do we stand? Is the mercy of God needed in our lives? I know
that it is the most important aspect to my life and I am forever thankful for
His mercy toward me. Jesus dying in my place and paying the penalty for my sin
even though He had no sin, this is a mammoth breakthrough within my
understanding. I cannot thank Him enough, He has extended me a lifeline and by
the grace of God I will clutch onto it with both hands. What will you do with His
merciful offer? The choice is now yours…
Signing
off
Tyrone
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