For I'm Not Ashamed Of The Gospel Of Christ By Whom We Have Now Received Atonement Once And For All- Part 2504

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek [Gentile]. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, "The just shall live by faith!" (Romans 1:16-17; Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38)

So why then (if we continue onward from the last post) are we so willing to go back into bondage -- to draw back from the freedom of believing in Jesus the Christ as our Lord God and Saviour -- and instead be in submission under a law which could never make the hearts of men and women perfect? And, in so doing, failing to understand that the righteousness of God -- "which is by faith of Jesus Christ" is unto all and upon all them that believe. (Romans 3:22) Or believing that when we believe in the Son, we have been set free from all the worldly entanglements, fully able to stand fast in the liberty wherewith is Christ. (Galatians 5:1)

Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you -- Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven ... for the bread of God is He which comes down from heaven and gives life unto the world." This is why Jesus could say, "I AM the bread of life; he that comes to Me shall never hunger and he that believes on Me shall never thirst." (John 6:29-35)

And in another place, "I Am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers but the sheep did not hear them. I AM the door: by Me if any [man] enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture ... I AM the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep." (John 10:7-11; 14)

As we glean from the scriptures, apostle Paul continually preached/preaches to this day through the new testament that we who believe in the risen Jesus (as both Lord and Christ) are saved by grace. (Acts 2:36-41) Not good works, or by being an upstanding citizen in the eyes of our peers (as the world would have us believe) but rather after the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appearing. (Titus 3:4-7; Acts 20:28; I Timothy 3:16) He paid the ultimate price for our sins once and for all on a cross -- shedding His precious, holy blood for you and I -- so that we might have life abundantly in Him. Indeed, the vail was torn from top to bottom, from heaven to earth by the same Lord who is calling us this day into His ultimate love, peace and joy.

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28)
Is this to suggest that we who believe are free from doing good works? Or from showing charity wherein we flow through the Lord's love for us to others? From supporting one another? From loving our neighbour? Of course not. Jesus said, "Ye shall know them by their fruit!"

But what Paul is establishing herein is that we (both Jew and Gentile) are all under sin -- for as it is written, "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God." Why? Because they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one." And there is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:9-18)

Continuing, "Now we know what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped; and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:19-20)

It is herein that the law became a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The schoolmaster that changes the law from the physical circumcision of good works and upstanding citizenship to the more desired spiritual circumcision of the heart, wherein we can fully understand that we are justified by faith -- thereby, establishing the law of faith. (Romans 3:27) No longer (as Paul teaches) are we to rest in the law, making our boast of God -- as Jews (that we are not!) Again, therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)

But His love does not stop with condemnation, wherein there is no hope. As we see in so much of the new testament writings, there is a "but now."

"But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God -- which is by faith of Jesus Christ -- unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is [now] no difference [between Jew or Gentile]; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus -- whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, [I say], at this time His righteousness: that He might be just and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus." (Romans 3:21-26)

Thus, we are justified by the same Him who made the world and was in the world but the world rejected Him. The same Him who came unto His own but His own would not have Him as both Lord and Christ in their hearts. (John 1:10-11) The Word which was God made flesh so that we might have an abundance of life in Him.

For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham, or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of none effect; because the law works wrath, for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore, it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham ... who against hope believed in hope. (Romans 4:13-25)

"Therefore, being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into His grace wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2)

Why? Because God commended Hs love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:8-10)

Much more to come. In the interim, stand in the offering plate.