Romans 4:23 ¶ Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Paul makes note later why things were recorded, for our learning
and edification.
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever
things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Not imputing sin to someone who believes God through Jesus Christ
is a promise that we all receive when we accept Christ as our Saviour and Lord.
Here Paul promises that if we believe that Jesus rose from the dead sin is not
imputed to us. This remarkable statement is fundamental to our salvation.
The Holy Spirit has laid out for us what it means to believe in
and on Christ to be saved. Jesus said…
John 6:28 ¶ Then said they
unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said
unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto
him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but
by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should
have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the
Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus
saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known
me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou
then, Shew us the Father?
Belief in Jesus’ divinity, His being God in the flesh, in His
sacrifice for our sins against Him, and believing in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ justifies us legally before God and removes the taint of sin from us as
we are made righteous in God’s eyes. Paul underscores here the gospel as he
does elsewhere, what is required for salvation.
1Corinthians 15:1 ¶
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in
memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that
which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; 4 And that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Romans 10:9 That if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Remember this promise in the Old Testament?
Psalm 103:8 The LORD is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide:
neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10
He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to
our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is
high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far
hath he removed our transgressions from us.
We have this promise from the Old Testament as well which shows
that salvation under the New Testament is available to the Jews.
Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall
be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days,
saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;
and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And this continuing promise to both Gentile and Jew who become the
church from the New.
1John 1:9 If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.
We are also promised that the things that beset us that pull us
away from God’s standards and expectations do not have to overwhelm us.
1Corinthians 10:13 There hath
no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Indeed, whatever we suffer does not have to overcome us, even
hunger and lack.
Philippians 4: 11 Not that
I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith
to be content. 12 I know both how to be
abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed
both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me.
None of these things are able to, on their own, or have to
separate us from God’s love through Christ. Nothing and no one can condemn or
accuse us before God.
Romans 8:33 Who shall lay
any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,
For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we
are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, 39 Nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In these verses it is clear that it is God who works on the sinner
from the inside through His Spirit and by virtue of the sinner’s acceptance of
Christ. All other efforts to deal with sin are mere self-help platitudes tossed
out by supposed gurus with a money-making agenda or spurious philosophical pleas.
We are justified by Christ and we are not condemned by God. Because
of that no one else or nothing else can condemn us.
No comments:
Post a Comment