"For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believes ..." (Romans 10:4) And, as a consequence of believing in Jesus by faith, we become "His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)
"For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: even so, have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy ... for God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all." (Romans 10:30-31)
Herein, we begin to discern the difference between the old covenant of ordinances and the Law, and the new testament whereby the Lord of glory personally delivered His last will and testament to us, so that we might be clothed in His righteousness. "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament ..." (Hebrews 7:22) In this scripture, we are reminded that in this new time, we are saved by His grace. Through faith in His precious Name. (Ephesians 2:8; Acts 4:12) Because of His kindness and His love for His beloved creation did God our Saviour toward man appear. (Titus 3:4-7; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 42:13; Revelation 1:8, 11)
And that Name which we hold so dear is Jesus -- both Lord and Christ! (Acts 2:36)
The good news gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ does not end there. His decision to bring forth His gift of salvation, declaring peace and good will to all in this current dispensation of grace was decided before the foundation of the world was even formed. (Luke 2:14) Such a contradiction -- that a holy God would even consider robing Himself in human flesh so that we might know Him personally, and respond to His invitation to sup with us.
The Word made flesh, and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) The same Word that was with God and was God in the beginning. (John 1:1-18) The same Lord's Christ that Simeon saw in the temple in Jerusalem when Jesus' parents brought him after the custom of the law (before the cross). Indeed, Simeon said, "For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation. A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel." (Luke 2:25-34)
And the Lord did so according to what we know and recognize as "the commandment of God our Saviour." "But hath in due times manifested His Word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour ..." (Titus 1:3)
While we ourselves were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, and still needlessly hating one another, there we see God giving us His Name for us to behold and cherish in these last times. A summary of everything that was prophesied by the old testament prophets and the psalmist songs. (Titus 3:3)
"But now He hath obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises ... for if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, He saith, "Behold, the days come," He saith, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not," saith the Lord, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days," saith the Lord; "I will put My laws into their mind and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour [but] every man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." In that He saith, "A new covenant, He hath made the first old. Now that which decays, and waxes old, is ready to vanish away." (Hebrews 8:6-13)
In other words, there is more than a blank page between the old and the new. There is a distinction whereby the lines have been drawn in the sand so that we might know and understand that God had to conclude them all in unbelief in order that He might have mercy upon all." (Romans 11:32)
But in this current dispensation of grace, many who profess to believe have not studied His Word for their understanding, and as Hosea the prophet pointed out, "My people perish for lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6) But it does not have to be this way. The Lord God came forth as a mighty man so that we might freely receive His gift of salvation. (Isaiah 42:13; Isaiah 9:6)
God became our Saviour. (Titus 3:4-7) God manifest in the flesh. (I Timothy 3:16)
"He was in the world and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not." (John 1:10-11)
And when we repent of our sin, and are baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus by immersion/buried, we shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Not maybe but you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. His Spirit dwelling within. The Comforter who speaks of Jesus. His peace and love and mercy bubbling within so that our cup runneth over. It is no wonder that the first 3,000 souls saved ate their meat with gladness and singleness of heart on the day of Pentecost.
There is no higher calling. Reach out to Jesus today, and experience His abundance of joy in your heart. Why? So that we, the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel: whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power."
And when this happens, we know that we have been risen with Christ. Our hearts rejoice, praising God our Saviour.
And, "if ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth. for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ [who is] our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory ..." (Colossians 3:1-4)
Receive the full assurance of understanding and acknowledge the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:1-3) Study to shew ourselves approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. (II Timothy 2:15) So, that when ye read, ye may understand the apostles' knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel: whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power." (Ephesians 3:6-7)
"In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power, in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ ... buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [Him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead, and you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:9-15)
Stand in the offering plate.
For the scripture saith, "Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed, for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him -- for whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, "how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (Romans 10:11-15; Isaiah 52:7)
Receive the full assurance of understanding and acknowledge the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:1-3) Study to shew ourselves approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. (II Timothy 2:15) So, that when ye read, ye may understand the apostles' knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel: whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power." (Ephesians 3:6-7)
"In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power, in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ ... buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [Him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead, and you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:9-15)
Stand in the offering plate.
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